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Tag: Response to source

Alessandro Acquisti’s TEDTalk “Future without Secrets”

March 27, 2018 / / 0 Comments

In Alessandro Acquisti’s TEDTalk “Future without Secrets,” I agree with his proposition that privacy will become one of our greatest challenges. Acquisti is right that big data has benefits, but he seems on more dubious group when he claims technology users must “fight for the control over personal information” (14:14). Big data may lead to further technological advancements that could benefit humanity. However, there were many worrisome facts Acquisti pointed out. He provided the statistic that 27% of subjects in a study by using only social media information, such as Facebook, that the first 5 social security digits were identified within 4 attempts (3:50) This could be dangerous, especially living in a society where our social security numbers represent our personal identification that is connected with back accounts, employment, credit cards, education, etc. One thing I found interesting was the advancement in face recognition systems. Using just public Facebook accounts, it is possible to take a picture of a stranger and find 10 of the closest matches using face recognition. Typically, the photos were accurate and the strangers name was identified as done in a study explained in the TEDTalk (1:05). These face recognition improvements could be extremely beneficial in connecting crimes with individuals along with other gains. I still wonder how many people interpret big data and look at the information collected. Is there a specific qualification you need to access these technological features? All this data is extravagant. Eventually, the data may exceed the amount time which could be spent interpreting it suggesting too much data could be taken.

 

Response to Greenfield

March 5, 2018 / / 0 Comments

I agree that on social media someone is more likely to promote their identity as the best possible version of themselves, a point that needs emphasizing since so many people delete information, such as comments or pictures, which do not show a specific vision or characteristic of themselves. Sometimes online identities are an exaggeration of their real self where it does not represent themselves as Greenfield referred to two separate selves: “front stage” self and “backstage” self.

 

Pages 116-117

Informal Prewriting

February 28, 2018 / / 1 Comment

In Jean M. Twenge’s article, “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?”, she discussed the effects of technology, specifically smartphones, on the population. One claim Twenge makes is that while children are spending more time in their parents’ house they are not close to their mother or father. Children do not have a stronger bond after spending countless hours within a close proximity from each other. Twenge herself writes, “… today’s teens can hardly be said to be closer to their mothers and fathers than their predecessors were.” In other words, Twenge believes even though more time is spent at home, their time at home is not building a stronger relationship. What are the children spending there time doing? The children along with parents spend more time interacting with their smartphone. There were countless examples where the children tried to interact with their parents, yet they were too distracted by their phones and did not pay attention. Children, on the other hand, could do the same things their parents do.

These children could spend hours on end in their bed scrolling through Instagram or Facebook. Time is spent connecting to their phone instead of face-to-face interactions with their family. I find this trend occurs in my household. There have been countless dinners where we sit together but are all on our phone not talking. Also, I find myself so intrigued by something on my phone that I block out what other people are saying to me. Obviously, phones have taken too much of attention. Twenge agrees when she writes, “In my conversations with teens, I saw hopeful signs that kids themselves are beginning to link some of their troubles to their ever-present phone.” The essence of Twenge’s argument is that phones have become problematic and is affecting interactions at home.

Boyd Chapter 1 Key Quotes

February 26, 2018 / / 0 Comments

“ When teens interact with social media, they must regularly contend with collapsed contexts and invisible audiences as a part of everyday life” (31).

“Without a shared sense of context, hanging out online becomes burdensome” (36).

“… he provides just enough information that his friends can find him without increasing his visibility to adults” (47).

“… people make decisions about what to share in order to act appropriately for the situation and to be perceived in the best light” (48).

 

I thought it was interesting how Boyd discussed the importance of audience on social media pages. Whether it is your intended audience or not, people will see your post and other posts about yourself which is a self-reflection. I agree with Boyd in her argument about social media not being in context could be burdensome for individuals. Certain topics may seem acceptable and humorous to a certain group of people and at the moment, but it could also be offensive or confusing to others. Social media tends to be very active in many people’s lives.

Sherry Turkle’s “Connected, but alone?” TED Talk

February 21, 2018 / / 0 Comments

Throughout Sherry Turkle’s TED Talk “Connected, but alone,” she discussed the effects of technology on our society and ourselves. Many people assume that texting is considered a conversation; however, texting only offers discrete bits of conversation. While technology is beneficial for sending a quick message, it does not offer face-to-face communication which is necessary for the development of children and young adults. Turkle claims technology has three major “gratifying fantasies”: it puts attention wherever we want it to be; we will always be heard; we will never have to be alone. While many people rarely admit as much, texts are edited versions of yourself which can be rewritten and words can be deleted before being sent. Turkle believes texting produces a personality that does not truly represent you. Another point she makes is that people use their phones to be heard. She observed many people avoid loneliness by turning to their phone, which many of us could relate to. Turkle advocates technology is appealed most when someone is vulnerable. It is easy for anyone to go to their social media account and say how their feeling. It has become common today to dismiss the issue that technology has replaced people. As Turkle mentions, a modified version of Siri will become someone’s best friend. This TED Talk is extremely relevant to many generations. Many people own phones or social media accounts; however, not many of us think about what technology is costing us.

“Superman and Me”

February 5, 2018 / / 0 Comments

Throughout “Superman and Me,” Sherman Alexie, the author, used narrative elements to keep the reader engaged. He started the passage by giving the reader a descriptive explanation of his life as a child growing up. Alexie described the location where he lived, his accessibility to books, and his social standing. Alexie introduced characters other than himself including his family and other students. When Alexie himself was a child, he admired his father for being able to read. As Alexie’s motivation and ability to read developed, a conflict started to arise between students of other ethnicities and among his own. Native Americans were stereotyped as unintelligent. Alexie not only was judged by students but adults too! With his growth mindset, Alexie accomplished what was considered nearly impossible. He did not stop there. Alexie continued to read and became a writer. He also tries to encourage children by attending classrooms and giving them hope.

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