Web 2.0 and Social Media

People like to be connected and the desire for such connectivity has given exponential growth to social media. We are in constant want and/or need to stay in contact with our friends, family, and at times keep up with people that we may not even know all to well or not all. Sometimes its mind boggling that people care about or give so much attention to the most insignificant tweets or status updates. People don’t want to be left out of the loop and always want to know what’s going on.

The emergence of Web 2.0, "web applications that facilitate interactive information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design and collaboration on the World Wide Web (Wikipedia)" seems to have given rise to social media. It has created interactivity in which users are not merely passive observers, but instead are able to participate with the websites content. The ability to participate created an engaging attribute to the web and thus provided people with something to do online. When people became participants and producers of a websites content, social media began to thrive.




People are constantly in motion and therefore we need something to keep in touch. An increasing number of people are enabling internet on their phones because that's their main outlet of communication. Even if your on the run, staying connected is not an option, it has become more of a necessity.
"Stay in-the-know wherever you go with wireless access to: status updates, friend requests, photos, wall posts, and messages." Blackberry's ad reveals that although people may be fast-paced and mobile, we never truly become disconnected from our social networking sites (what may now be our main source of social connectivity).

Perhaps this progression towards social media is merely a normal phase of the evolution of communication, such as the movement from the telegraph to the phone. Some people are still weary of social media and have not yet adapted to it. However, I believe that in the long run most people will feel comfortable with the idea and the use of social media, much like other mediums of communication. Maybe next semester the use of twitter will be required for this class and people our age will personally find out what all the hype is about.


Interesting Social Media and Web 2.0 presentation that I found on the web:

Web 2.0 and Social Media

View more presentations from Shantanu Adhicary.

A Very Merry Twitter Holiday

This past Friday, hordes of deal-hungry Americans woke up at unimaginably early hours to wait in excruciatingly long lines, pillage a $3.99 DVD bin, and get what could be the "lowest price of the season" on a popular toy for their eager adolescents. However, what makes this years Black Friday different from others is that this is America's first Twitter Holiday.

According to a recent NYTimes Article, "retailers and their customers used the social networking site to talk to one another about bargains, problems, purchases and shopping strategies." Tech savvy black Friday shoppers used Twitter as their guide to discounts around the retail sphere and most who did say that they benefited more than just shopping with your average black Friday sale circular. Some Twitter-exclusive deals included a coupon for 15% off a purchase of $75 or more at the Gap Outlet and the special "One Day Sale" from Disney, which previewed exclusively on their Facebook page.

However, Best Buy is one of the most remarkable retail Twitter users this holiday season;

"A few months ago, Best Buy began piloting a Twelpforce — a Twitter-inspired play on “help force” — of some 2,500 employees that answer consumers’ questions in real time. After buying a new navigation system at 6 a.m. on black Friday, Laura S. Kern of Los Angeles could not figure out why it was not giving her traffic updates. She sent a message to Best Buy’s Twelpforce account and within five minutes not one, but two Best Buy employees responded with fix-it advice ("Buying, Selling and Twittering all the Way." New York Times. Nov. 27, 2009)."

In chapter one of Communication and Cyberspace, Gumpert & Drucker posit the excitement of progress and technological developments in that "being able to connect with the outside world from our intellectual dungeon is amazing and helpful, but it is much more difficult to forecast the impact of such developments." Twitter, the most used word of 2009, allows people to connect with the outside world in unimaginable ways; Tweets can theoretically be seen by millions of people and with the nature of a tweet being 140 characters or less, this spurt of information is tangible and useful for more people compared to a traditional blog or facebook post, which can be wordy and not get to the point in the same concise fashion as Twitter. This is why for businesses, Twitter is a goldmine.

Did retailers ever think that Twitter would become so large that they would be increasing their use of social media this holiday season by 47% ("Buying, Selling and Twittering all the Way." New York Times. Nov. 27, 2009)? Probably not. The power of Twitter for businesses is growing exponentially and the developments with how to better utilize Twitter, a la Best Buy's Twelpforce, is a perfect example of how a company is already making advancements in a nascent form of communication to sataisfy customers in an instant gratification, palm-of-your-hand type of way.

Twitter is a prodigious playground with growing possibilities. As seen with this years black Friday, retailers have the ability to directly address the consumer and make them feel heard and noticed. What advancements will Twitter and other forms of social media and web 2.0 make in 2010? Perhaps you will be able to download a holographic Best Buy employee to help you set up your new home theater system.

Making the Concrete. Abstract

Chapter 18 by Paul Lippert titled, "Cinematic Representations of Cyberspace" discusses the manner in which film has been able to manipulate concrete ideas and make them abstract in a manner which print couldn't do. I found this observation very compelling because it reminded my of the Multimedia classes I had taken in high school.
Lippert mentions how the placement of characters in a scene can create an abstract meaning. On page 298 he makes this point that if a character is standing in front of a group of others in a shot, the spacial arrangment of the characters is concrete, however the idea that this one individual is in the foreground illustrates an abstract idea that he or she is over importance. This idea of positioning adds a dynamic to film that print culture couldn't accomplish. Similarly, camera angles play a large role in creating abstract ideas of characters. A low camera angle with a character seeming larger than life creates a sense of power and vice versa.
Print was only able to do the opposite and make concrete what was abstract. Ideas of things beyond the physical world could be captured by words in print but couldn't go the other way.

Mass Media Manipulator

Chapter 21 in 'Communication and Cyberspace', discusses how our two way communication is surprisingly one way. The media can control most of the news that affects us by presenting information in a way that we regard as living communication. The imitation, however, is the broadcasted one-way view of worldwide sponsors. When we receive information, it has been formulated in a way that captures are attention and plays into our desires, fears, and aspirations. In chapter 21, author Douglas Rushkoff highlights how the media can take data and turn it against us. For example, Counterinsurgency air force brigadier general Edward G. Lansdale, worked for the CIA and gathered information about the Huk rebels in the Philippines just after World War II. He learned that this group of people was very superstitious and greatly feared vampires. He capitalized on their fears by quietly capturing one of their men and killing him by puncturing two holes in the side of his neck and then draining him of blood. They would leave the man to be found by his tribe early the next morning. When the tribe did come across the victim they would retreat in fear of vampires. Essentially this tactic "depends on concretizing living myth with fixed data. They invariably mine the most fertile cultural soil for inherent inconsistencies, and then replace them with symbols that can be more easily controlled"(pg 353).

This story relates to our mass media because marketers do what General Lansdale did everyday. They distribute surveys and other polling options that require our feedback, essentially allowing them to identify our target needs- allowing us to become the victims of an eventual marketing attack. In many ways advertising is becoming more and more specific. As companies now can literally map out each of their target customers likes/dislikes and preferences using stored information from their computer's history of past purchases, we might see a trend of getting advertising that applies to us specifically. In a way I'd rather see coupons for things that pertain to my life and advertsing that 'knows me' - even if it is a little bit 'Big Brother-ish'.


Communication and Cyberspace: Chapter 21

Critical Perspectives

In Chapter 1, 'From Locomotion to Telecommunication, or Paths of Safety, Streets of Gore', I was struck by the story of David Alsberg. He was an innocent bystander killed by a stray bullet during a robbery in Times Square. The book describes how his family grieved, but so did his online world- the friends he had in cyberspace. They had an online wake for him in an electronic forum- I thought of the WOW funeral we observed in class. The chapter went on to quote the population of cyberspace ( between 30-35 million people ). As more people are choosing to communicate, explore, discover, and socialize online, rather than doing so in the real world, are we becoming a generation that seeks social isolation. As cyberspace grows, are we retreating to the confines of our own homes- behind our own computer screens?

The epilogue of chapter one said it best:

"Once upon a time, not so many years ago, people could go out into the city lights when the fancy struck them, when they had nothing better to do, when it occurred to them that it might be fun to be with others. Sometimes it was necessary to walk into the street to find out what was happening in the world. They wandered out into the square to talk, to the cafe to contemplate their lives over a cup of coffee, to the park to stroll among others, to the pub to flirt with those who were there to rush the blood, to the bench where ancient memories reside, to the chess tables to advise and criticize, to the public realm to vanquish loneliness, discuss politics, or simply talk. But it is no longer that time past, and the old and familiar have often become hostile and menacing. We sadly step back and find other possibilities and less threatening opportunities to play and frolic- safely, often alone."



Communication and Cyberspace: Chapter 1

Pornography

The topic i found most worthy of comment was the pornography industry and its hold on the cyberspace world.  I was astonished at how evidence supports the claim that porn has driven many technological advancements.  It is clear that the porn industry makes the internet what it is today.  

Personally, i am quite surprised at this fact, as i was under the impression since the government first created the internet, porn would be last on the list.  I guess it goes to show you that sex truly does sell.  

Cyberspace: A Neverending Story

The Internet has come a long way since its birth in the 70s with ARPAnet. What began as an organized controlled sphere of data has evolved into flowing and constantly adapting stream of culture and information. In chapter 3 Beniger uses the analogy of paths flowing through the Harvard campus. Like the Internet, as time passed, what was once sufficient is no longer appropriate. The web evolves as it sees fit. No one tries to change the Internet it just happens naturally.
The Internet itself doesn't change, the people who utilize it do, and with these changes new meanings come to old ideas. The Internet at its core is the same. It functions in same way, i.e. It is the home of free flowing information available to anyone with access. If you were to look at the original ARPAnet, and compare it to today's world wide web, it would be easy to say that they are unrelated and share no ties. This however is inaccurate. Rather than taking them as two separate entities, one should consider the world wide web as something which is ever-expanding.
At the core of this web is ARPAnet, because this is where it all began. As new developments emerge, such as how the united postal service utilized the net, a web of tentacles begins to unfold and expand outward in all directions. In 20 years no doubt we will be using the Internet in ways we cannot fathom today. The world wide web will probably become a tech term of the past, like ARPAnet is today. But this is not to say that whatever will emerge is not intrinsically linked to the technologies of the past.

Gamer

While reading Chapter 18, I could not help thinking of a movie that I saw recently: Gamer, featuring Gerard Butler. While far from being a cinematic masterpiece, it provided an interesting interpretation of the blurred line between cyberspace and "real life", and also of the dangers of relying on mass media. In the movie, Butler is simultaneously a video game character and a human being. This is made possible by mind control technology used on death row inmates to provide entertainment for those with the money to play the game. To a large degree, the movie is meant to make the audience sick and to be wary of technology on the whole, media in particular.

Gerard is not to be messed with.

This resonated with me particularly because of Lippert's assertion that "science and technology increasingly have distanced us semantically and experientially from this lifeworld, our ideas and their images have become similarly remote." I would contend that in certain instances, such as in Gamer or The Matrix, technology becomes a replacement for the real world, but does not necessarily make an attempt to distance space from cyberspace.

What Are We Paying For?

In chapter 8, Mark Giese discusses the history of the Internet and the different ways the Internet has been used in our society. On page 154, he discusses the Internet on a collegiate level, and what it is that we pay (or do not) pay for. He quotes John P. Doyle by stating,

“One of the keys to understanding why colleges and universities make their computers available to the public is the fact that it doesn’t really cost them anything. The computer servers are always on.”

Giese continues Doyle’s thoughts by stating that

“…even at the institutional level, the costs associated with the growth and maintenance of the Internet are diffused and indirect. Once the investment in computer hardware is made, there is little additional cost associated with making access to the Internet available to a wide range of people”

I thought that the idea of the low cost of creating a serve with wide range access to a large group of people was very interesting, especially here at Fordham. With the campus being almost 99% wireless, I always wondered how the IT department was able to fund the ever-expansive wireless project. However, now I understand that making these services available to a large group is fairly inexpensive, comparatively to what it could be. I also now understand why the IT department is able to provide us with free customer support and free programs such as Symantec Anti-Virus and the dreaded Cisco Clean Access Agent.

Who controls the Internet?

I think the issue of control, brought up in Chapter 3 by James Beniger is very interesting. He begins the chapter by describing the evolution of walking paths in Harvard Yard. He says, “As new buildings open, both on campus and off, and popular courses move from one part of the university to another, the resulting shifts in Harvard’s pedestrian traffic are recorded in new footpaths cutting across the various lawns of the Yard…Harvard does not attempt to reseed- it simply paves over all the new paths chosen by sufficient pluralities of feet. In choosing to act this way, Harvard has eschewed top-down control in favor of a bottom-up variety, forsaking the centralized control of the landscape architect in favor of decentralized control by emergent popular habits.” (P.60) Fordham, on the other hand, does not take this approach. In September there was a path of beaten down grass, between two trees, leading from the street by Spellman Hall to O’Hare. Maintenance reseeded this area and put barricades around it to prevent students from walking on the new grass. What makes them think that students won’t walk along the same path once the barricades are removed? Or will the barricades be there forever, suggesting top-down control?

Beniger likens Harvard’s bottom-up paving of popular footpaths chosen by students to the bottom-up development of the Internet. In the early days of the Internet, before it became what we know it as today, it was simply a computer network run by the U.S. Defense Department. Beniger describes how the Defense Department tried to stop the rise of a virtual community of science fiction fans. However, the community was so strong and vocal that they succeeded in gaining “control”. The Defense Department, like Harvard was forced to allow a bottom-up development of the Internet by frequent users.

This brings up the question of control. While Harvard owns the concrete paths they have paved, no one owns the Internet. James Gleick is quoted as saying, “It isn’t a thing; it isn’t an entity; it isn’t an organization. No one owns it; no one runs it. It is simply Everyone’s Computers, Connected.” (P.61) While I’m not sure what will happen, in terms of control to the Internet in the future, it’s interesting to think about it’s current state of decentralized control.

Epilogue: Cyberspace

Epilogue: Cyberspace, Shmyberspace

“In the epilogue to this volume, he raises the most basic question of all- Do we actually need cyberspace technologies? Is there a problem that cyberspace is needed to solve? Postman suggests that the difficulties contemporary information technologies were meant to address were, in fact, resolved in the 19th century. Thus, we suffer from too much information and from empty simulations that take the place of genuine experience. Far from a dismissal, Postman reminds us that in fulfilling new functions, older, more important, ones may be ignored; in creating new forms, more traditional and satisfying ones may be forgotten; and that in generating new codes and meanings, we may become lost in a Babel-like sate of incoherence.”

Postman believes that the problem we faced in the 19th century was trying to increase the ability to communicate with people faster. He suggests that this problem was solved with inventions such as the telegraphy, photography, radio, movies, penny press, and more. He believes that “we have solved the problem of information scarcity” and should instead be trying to gain meaning in our lives. He goes on to state that “people who are enthusiastic about virtual reality machines” are those trying to escape the real world and are seeking friendships in a simulated world because they lack the social skills to make friends. Postman states that their real problem is “boringness, friendlessness, thoughtlessness.” This reminds me of Second Life and how people are using it to create an avatar in order to belong to a simulated world. The fabricated world created with the idea that they can escape the real world and create a fantasy one. This empty simulation is what Postman argues against. I don’t believe Postman is against new media, but rather is disheartened by what it has created.

Postman states that the “tie between information and human purpose has been severed.” In some ways I have to agree with Postman. Our generation has been inundated by information and new media and has been captivated so much as to say were trapped by new mediums. For example, so many people will rather text some one or write on their Facebook page rather than call a person. There’s an intimate connection lost when you text someone or use a social networking site that is present when you call someone. This relates to Postman’s suggestion that people continue to want to communicate information faster and have lost some meaning in doing so. Moreover, Postman states that “we must now turn to our poets, playwrights, composers, theologians, and artists, who, alone, can create or restore the narratives that will give a meaningful pattern to our lives. They are our weavers who can liberate us from cyberspace and put us back in the world.” Postman made a real bold statement because it’s difficult to entirely agree with him; I’m a bit torn between both ends of the spectrum. Although I feel that we have lost some meaning through the use of cyberspace, I don’t think that we need to liberate ourselves completely from it. Instead we should limit our use of cyberspace and try and gain a greater connection with the real world. However, Postman’s argument creates a skeptical outlook about the future. As we keep moving towards an increasingly technological and cyber world, will we be entrapped by it and are we going to need total liberation as Postman states? It’s definitely some worth thinking about.

Moral Ground

We all know that sex sells. With such a lucrative market, there must be a reason why pornography is so successful. Pornography is so successful because it allows for people to full fill dreams or fantasies which may never be achieved in real life. With that said, is viewing pornography immoral? The class seemed to be divided on the debate of whether virtual funeral crashers were immoral.

Obviously viewing pornography on the Internet could be detrimental to a child. It is up to the parents of that child to ensure that this type of material is not seen by them. It is not the government's responsibility to filter tv, reading, movie, or Internet material. Parents should be mature enough to realize what is appropriate for their child's development and not depend on someone or some entity to do their parenting for them.

The media can create dread for parents and many may over protect their children. Many people do not realize the strength of persuasion that the media has. The media creates news and news is what people talk about. The news also tends to focus on the negative. So when people read an article about how pornography has become an epidemic they quickly over react. If fox news said that an apple a day will send you to the doctor today most people would stop eating apples. So when the government and media propose pornography as a danger their will be steps taken to ban or diminish the sources of porn. I am not saying that porn is a good thing or bad thing. I am saying that you can not control what people will want to do regardless of rules or regulations. They will do it anyway e.g. alcohol abolition.

Do you think pornography is wrong or immoral?

Porn's Prominent Place

In chapter 11, I was shocked to see a section describing how pornography has furthered technological advances. When it comes down to the details, the thesis has a lots of support.

The essay goes all the way back to the Gutenberg press arguing that a book about sexual positions and another about various sexual stories were two of the most prolifically produced texts. Almost every medium has fostered a development in pornography.

Next came the development of the paperback book which was created on cheap paper products. These texts were frequently pornography and erotica (Zimmer and Hunter go so far as to argue that variations on this are now found in modern supermarkets).

Next came porn photography during the Civil War where the "soldiers sought more than just letters from home" (187). Then came pay-per-view cable, videotaped pornography, and finally internet pornography.

The internet has provided its users with instant access to information, music, videos, and pornography as well. Every new medium brings with it advantages in positive and negative ways and the internet is no different. It has brought about changes in all forms. Communications and Cyberspace states that internet pornography is now a $1 billion business and pornography as a whole is $56 billion.

The question is, is this a good thing? Many people argue that the internet has brought with it great advances and major downfalls. Opinions?

Unseen Consequences of New Technologies

In Chapter 8, From ARPAnet to the Internet, Mark Giese discusses the founding of ARPAnet, the origin of today's internet. He traces it to the Defense Department's way of creating a manner in which to communicate if all other forms fail during nuclear war. ARPAnet, it was called, was at its foundation, antithetical to the usual way the military worked. They wanted a non-centralized and interconnnected system, much different from the normal hierarchy of the military. But the most interesting point of Giese's chapter is the example it makes of being unaware of the consequences or other uses for a new technology. Marshall McLuhan, a famed member of the Media Ecology community, always warned of the effects of new technologies. No one can ever fully understand how something new will change the world we live in and ARPAnet is no exception. The military eventually lost the battle with computer researchers and the internet slowly became a social network. Little did the military know that there system originally meant for back up communications in the case of an attack would become public and be used world-wide.

Google Chrome OS: a new cyberspace

Google announced this week that they would be launching a brand new "Google Chrome" operating system. The Google Chrome web browser was the fundamental influence for Chrome, bringing together all of Google's apps like Google Docs, Gmail, Gchat, blogger and more into a reinvented, 21st century interface. The catch is, that's all there is to the operating system; there's no hard drive and no native apps--just a browser, housing everything you need.

As Beniger assesses in Communication and Cyberspace, "For those who seek to advertise, politic, persuade, or otherwise control large populations, cyberspace presents two attractive features: First, because cyberspace has the feel (and currently the tradition) of interpersonal communication, it would well serve to conceal the inherently impersonal (and thus less persuasive) aspects of mass communication. Second, because almost all of its communication is inherently accessible, retrievable, and machine readable by virtually anyone, cyberspace would itself foster unprecedented mass processing to support centralized control."

The second point about communication (and technology) being "inherently accessible, retrievable, and machine readable" is what struck a parallel for me with Chrome. Chrome enables users to access their content from any computer with web access just as if they were home on their computer. In many ways we already have these abilities with the plethora of Google apps that are already circulating, and Gmail is evolving to be (and already is for those who acknowledge the vast capabilities) much more than an email client. Chrome monopolizes on the simple idea of communication and digital interaction and creates their own "cyberspace." You now have a completely wireless, fully accessible operating system.

Google is marketing Chrome to be used on NetBooks and that it has all of the capabilities of a normal operating system with the usage of Google Docs for word processing, Gchat for your AIM needs, Hulu for your television, Google Calendar, and many more. Does the Chrome OS entice you? Do you feel comfortable with having all of your information and important documents stored solely on Google's servers?

Privacy

Privacy has become more and more of an issue in recent years. In the reading, privacy is discussed and it is also brought up how much we are tracked daily. I think there is no way to escape getting tracked in the technologically advanced world we live in now. We must give up our privacy and allow ourselves to get tracked in exchange for security. If we want to keep our privacy, then we would most likely lose a sense of security because we would not know what is going on around us, we would not have as much information as we do because people's personal security would be the priority.

Computer Time: Is Our Health Effected?

There have been numerous reports stating the harmful effects of continuous exposure to TV and computer. Some of the latest research claims that sedentary behaviors may be associated with high blood pressure. Joe Eisenmann stated that, "the cardiovascular disease risk factors suggest that risks may be immediate and not just indicative of potential problems.... sedentary behaviors are linked to obesity, and that obesity is linked to high blood pressure, but this is the first time that we've linked those behaviors directly to elevated blood pressure."

Children today are growing up in a different world. Often enough many children find enjoyment from playing online or accessing any bits of media they so choose. Formerly parents were concerned that they were spending too much time in front of the computer screen and this might pose a threat to their health, but now parents have something else to worry about. Their children have become the generation that can access any information at anytime. Parents again should question whether the vast amounts of information presented through the internet can actually impede their children's long term learning abilities. Often enough this generation may look up various information they need online to have a quick answer. The question is -will they remember it in the long term or will they feel confident that they can just look it up again? In Lance Strate's chapter 22 (Cybertime) of Communication and Cyberspace he mentions that, "Beyond the problem of the information glut, there are very legitimate fears concerning the loss of privacy, fears our every move leaves behind a trail of electronically recorded transactions" (State 376). So now, parents can worry about more than just the health of their children, but now, their online safety. As social networking sites allow users to post pictures and blogs, should parents fear that their children's post could be a mistake that one day prevents them from being hired for a job?

Stress, Health, and Cybertime

I didn't know anything about cybertime before I read Prof Strate's chapter. It had however occurred to me, especially with the recent change to daylight savings time, that there is something unnatural about the way we let time rule our days. Time is an arbitrary conception and I wanted to see what others thought of the idea that the rhythm of life as we know it today may not be natural or healthy. Ancient peoples connected time with the rising of the sun and the moon. People awoke when the sun rose and slept when it set. Doctors refer to our sleep schedule as our circadian rhythm and it turns out that this is mostly based on the concept of daylight. A change in out circadian rhythm is related to all kinds of health problems. These can be as mild as jet lag or as severe as sleep disorders and bipolar disorder.

The chapter also speaks of the nanosecond culture which can create stress because of the instantaneous effects of cybertime on the increasing speed and impatience in which we live out lives. This instantaneous and constant connection to cybertime, while we are in a real time world adds to the stress of nanosecond culture.

I don't have any formal research to back these claims up at the moment, but what are your thoughts?

NO TIME!!!!

A major issue with today's culture is our impatience regarding just about anything. We have grown up in an age where everything is expected to be instant. Whether it be instant food, instant entertainment, or even instant treatment to illness, we expect everything to be completed as fast as possible. In particular, I feel that we as a generation take the internet and its amazing abilities for granted. We expect the web page to load instantly, and the song to download nearly instantly, when in reality it is amazing we have this technology at all. I believe we all need to take a step back and realize that this technology is only in its infancy. We should understand that what we have already is amazing and really super fast. Our generation, labeled, "The instant generation", needs to realize that there is value in being patient. If we continue this lifestyle we will only dwell on the waiting periods, instead of valuing that precious time.

Ever wish there was a ctrl +Z for life?

In Strate’s article on cybertime, he cites Brenda Laurel in her thoughts on reversibility in computing. She talks about the idea of undoing one’s thoughts; essentially undoing time. Laurel writes,

“What if I failed to save a copy of my spreadsheet before I monkeyed around with a scenario that turned out to be disastrous…I don’t really want to page back through versions of my work; I want to turn back the clocks.” (374)

Laurel brings up a very interesting point here. I can’t even begin to count the number of times that I’ve made changes to a word document and wished that I hadn’t. We spend all of this time reading, researching and writing, only to redraft. But as Laurel states, what if we liked our original draft? How do we undo what we already undid?

I think that the idea of “undo” and “redo” are beyond resourcesful; however, do their effects eliminate the idea of “time”? For example, let’s say you wrote an entire paragraph that took you 15 minutes. After reading it over, you decided that the paragraph does not fit with your paper, and you delete it. Does that mean that you also deleted time? And for that matter, if you then decide that you want that paragraph back and you undo your delete, did you just take advantage of the idea of time?

When it comes to a digital world, I think we need to redefine what we mean by time. In a world where we can undo and redo hours of work in a matter of nanoseconds, by what do you really gauge time?

Cybermedia Space

“The building blocks of physical, perceptual, and conceptual space combine to form our sense of space in everyday life.” Physical space can be subjective, pertaining to what the space exactly is, and therefore “this sense of space is mediated by our physical environment, our sense, and language.” In making sense of this “space,” with regards to electronic media, a “personal presence” helps create sense in an artificial context.An example of this “artificial” or “electronic space” is given in the text: “It is not entirely clear where your voice is when you talk on the telephone (at your end, at the receiving end, or somewhere in between?), and therefore it is not entirely clear where you are (perceptually or conceptually).” You know that you are talking on the phone to, lets say your mom, but you do not know for sure where you mom is based on the telephone conversation. Of course there are audible clues, which may lead you to draw a conclusion of where you mom is without her telling you, for example noise on a busy street in New York. However, there still is a “space” where this conversation, this exchange of voice, occurs and that is the “artificial sense of space.”

Defining a space in an artificial, electronic environment is not done in the same way that it would be in a physical environment with walls and furniture. In an electronic, or mediated, space, the aforementioned “personal presence” online is one that is necessary for defining this space.

Often times you will hear people refer to online media as the “cyberworld.” YouTube stars will call their fans “YouTubers” and Twitter users will call the interaction of tweets the “Twitterverse.” This “world,” which is electronically present, is one that is defined by the personalities that are developed by individual users on their individual computers. While that concept of a person creating an avatar on their computer is a tangible idea, the interaction and exchange of information, thoughts and comments on the specified media platform (YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Blogger) is where we encounter this “cybermedia space.” The “twitterverse” is a cybermedia “space,” or platform, where ideas are exchanged along with YouTube and facebook. If something “happened on facebook,” it occurred within the realm of online interaction between individuals who are on facebook, but the “place” where this all happened is intangible and unfathomable to the human mind. It literally occurs on facebook’s servers and follows the path of the code written by the developers, but that is not the thought process of the average user. The thought process of the average user is that if you click on someone’s profile and then write on their wall, that’s exactly what you are doing. The GUI makes it appear as if the process is simple and normal and this is why any person can accept facebook or any other social media platform for exactly what it is with out (much) question.

Cybertime and Privacy

Before reading this chapter I was unaware of the concept of cybertime. This is probably due to the lack of attention that is given to it. As Prof Strate states, “the concept of cyberspace has proven to be both popular and powerful, the idea of cybertime has been all but ignored.” Prof Strate considers many different aspects between the relationship of time in cyberspace and how it relates to computers, computer-mediated communication, and online interaction.
Prof Strate then goes to discuss the computer as a medium and its representation of time. Prof Strate presents us with the example of surveillance and states:

“given the hyper speed of computing technology, surveillance can occur in real time. Total recall becomes total see-all…Gelernter is enthusiastic about computer power and its potential to revolutionize such activities as news gathering, traffic control, hospital organization, and the political process. It is therefore difficult to decide which is more frightening: the implementation of the system that he describes, or Gelernter’s seeming obliviousness to the threat it poses to freedom and privacy. Moreover, he misses the irony of installing mirror worlds in a culture characterized by rampant narcissism. Mirror worlds, as symbolic representations or maps of the present (and the past), also represent the computer’s potential to both control and contain the outside world through hyper speed surveillance and information processing and the ability to respond immediately.”

It is interesting how cyber time will completely mirror that of reality and be able to present us with images of the outside world. The constant surveillance that we are under is frightening. Every move we make, every step we take can be recorded without our knowledge. Such a system can be beneficial to our society, but as Strate suggests are we willing to give up our freedom and privacy in order to establish such a system? Do the gains really outweigh the losses? This poses the question of how far will society go in order to know our position at every point in time, whether its real time or cybertime. If such a system was fully implemented, it’s similar to just inserting a computer chip in our bodies and tracking our every movement.

Moreover, many people were astounded by Google Earth and its ability to allow a person to view satellite imagery. Although this program was pretty cool, it may just be a predecessor to the system Gelernter was speaking of.

Instant Gratification Generation

In Chapter 22, Professor Strate talks about J. David Bolter as one of the few people to make the connection between the clock as a close ancestor of the computer rather than the steam engine. The chapter has a quote from Bolter which says, "...Men and women began to work, eat, and sleep by the clock, and as soon as they decided to regulate their actions by this arbitrary measurer of time, the clock was transformed from an expression of civic pride into a necessity of urban life. The computer too has changed from a luxury to a necessity for modern business and government." (p.363)

Later in the chapter Professor Strate refers to Rifkin and his idea of the 'new nanosecond culture'. He says, "We have come to expect the instantaneous, so that it no longer excites us... When sitting at a computer terminal, delays of a few seconds seem interminable and five minutes is an eternity. Hyperspeed breeds impatience, haste, and intolerance, both online and in the real world." (p.367) We, as young adults have become accustomed to having everything at our fingertips and getting information instantaneously. This mindset has earned the title of "instant gratification generation". An interesting example of this is the Fordham internet situation. Fordham students can frequently be heard complaining about the "slow internet". If we can't get to a webpage within 10 seconds we freak out and complain about the slow connection. The popularity of smartphones also illustrates how people need the convenience of information anytime, anywhere.

Clocks and Computers

In Cybertime, the analogy between the clock and the computer is very fascinating to see. Once the clock became common, people relied on it for the information it conveyed. Time became an important aspect of the day to day lifestyle when clocks became standard. Days were ruled by the time and people obeyed the information it conveyed.

The computer has had the exact same effect. Every business, college, student, etc. is completely reliant upon the power within computing. The computer runs finances, businesses, classes, and most other things. If there was ever an issue with computers, the world would be a much different place. We are reliant upon this new technology like people became reliant upon the invention of clocks.

With this new technology and our utter dependence on it, are we more susceptible to bigger issues? If we can no longer have modern society without the internet, computers, and cybertime, what are we supposed to do if they all fail?

Computers, Watches, and Cell Phones: OH MY!

In reading the beginning of Professor Strate's chapter on Cybertime not only made me realize how considerably unique and different, yet similar clocks and computers are, but it made me realize more about technological changes. Even in the past few years we have turned to cell phones, as possibly another form of technology to be considered in this grouping. Not in so much as Professor Strate speaks of the internal of the computer working in computer time and time pieces working as passes of our time, but cell phones in some ways determine our time.

Think about everything you use your cell phone for... not only calling or texting, but in most cases is your main way of having a grasp of time. How many people still wear watches... well, how many "young" people still wear watches?

Just tonight at a rehearsal, someone asked, "What is the time?" While everyone fumbled through their pockets and ran to their bags, my director simply lifted her wrist and said, "10:22pm". Surprised, everyone looked up and someone said, "Now who still wears one of those...?"

Though we are a technologically driven generation, we run on the world's time and are constantly going. Maybe computer have it easier. They are on their own time, on the cyber time explained in this chapter. And all though this does not correlate exactly to the idea of cyber/computer time, I think it gives us an idea of the ability for technology to work on its own time, and the mechanisms of a clock to be able to give us real world time.

Privacy

The professor discusses the loss of privacy due to the computer's ability to recall data. It seems that everywhere we are we can be tracked. It has become nearly impossible to cover a trail in our society. Somewhere something we are doing is has been recorded by someone. Records of the websites we visit are archived, stores at which we swipe our credit card are documented, and surveillance cameras observe us. These traces have become hurdles for the common criminal. For the rest of us, the threshold of privacy has been breached. As we discussed earlier in the semester, Internet alias' have become a past practice. We are now willing to share our full names, pictures, employment history, etc. for all to see. Is the release of our private information on the Internet safe? Will it serve to risk improper use of our personal information and/or defame our character? Binary data is factual information and it can be stored and used for or against us.

It startles me to think that everything I do in the cyber realm may be kept track of. So before I share stories or pictures or anything on the Internet, I pretend that my mother is sitting next to me and if there is any doubt I leave it for my hippocampus. Whenever I want a good laugh I look at pictures of my hair cut in high-school. If had put those pictures on the Internet not knowing who has a hold of them I'd probably be more red faced than I am right now for having told you about it. Always remember that employers want you to maintain your image more than you do. Use discretion!

Internet Timing

In reading Chapter 22, "Cybertime," I realized my lack of focusing on how the roles of digital clocks and our computer's internal clock. But one point made in the article that stood out to me, by way of relation, was the third phenomenon of cybertime. This third phenomenon is the subjective experience of time through computers and our interaction with them. This point immediately brought to mind how my friends, and myself included, struggle with time in conversations on the internet. When we send an instant message and it takes two minutes for a reply, that wait could alter the meaning of the answer and allow for a variation of interpretations. We are used to immediate answers and it is this timing on the internet which determine the mood of conversations. The only way someone can try to tell the emotions or attitude of another individual over the internet is the timing and rhythm of the back and forth conversation.

Hypertext

"The book is obsolete," declared theorist Marshall McLuhan ... He was quick, though, to explain himself: "Obsolescent does not mean extinction. Quite the contrary. For example, handwriting has been 'obsolete' since Gutenberg, and certainly since [the typewriter], there is more handwriting today than there ever has been." Instead, the book, he suggests, will be raised to an "art form."

He makes a good point in that just because we have keyboards and computers doesn't mean we have left our pens and paper idle. I write every day, and I also enjoy reading a text book rather than reading from a computer screen. Will we ever leave books behind for good? I can't imagine that happening. Although in our book Communications and Cyberspace, in chapter 17 (Pedagogy and Hypertext), author Stephanie Gibson argues that the hypertext form can be utilized in the classroom in many ways. For some, the textbook remains a one dimensional means whereas hypertext allows you to discover and interact with the material you are learning. Gibson sites one of the earliest interactive hypertext packages- The Perseus Project- that allowed it's user to explore ancient Greece. There were " archaeological photographs and diagrams, photos of period artwork, plays in the original Greek language with translations, contemporary commentary, maps, and several glossaries all linked together to allow myriad approaches to the material" (Gibson 282).

Internet Writing and Hypertext

In chapter 16, Paglia discusses the many aspects of internet writing. Paglia states:

“The key to Internet writing for me is visual, not verbal. Ever since computer operating systems progressed from half-mathematical ASCII to today’s lively, colorful, high-resolution graphics HTML format, the Internet has become a mercurial hybrid of word, image, and sound.”

Although Paglia’s format of writing can be more visually appealing, it can still be difficult to capture the attention of the reader. I always see myself reluctant to read long articles online and I’d rather print them. In some ways, there is a connection that you gain with the print version that doesn’t exist while reading online. I don’t see myself purchasing a kindle version of a book anytime soon.

However, in chapter 17 Gibson makes some interesting argument. Gibson states:

“All the qualities of hypertext encourage vastly different habits of thought than does traditional print. Hypertext has been called a democratizing medium because it allows everyone access to both production and decoding. This may be said of it both internally and within its larger environment. Internally, for example, hypertext is able to show clearly interconnectedness between ideas by linking them together. Although this is not completely impossible in print, it is structurally difficult to include massive amounts of material in a single text. “

I have to agree that hypertext can create a broader reach of ideas and can be used to search more efficiently for whatever is relevant to the reader. However, it is hard to fathom the traditional textbook in the classroom not existing because of hypertext. Gibson also suggests that a shift from traditional print textbooks to hypertext will inevitably take place in the classroom. The interactivity of hypertext and its ability to create a visually and increasingly informative environment will be an integral part of education, but I don't think it will eliminate or drastically decrease the use of textbooks.

Hypertext

What is hypertext? Hypertext is text which is not constrained to be linear. Hypertext is text that is linked to other texts. The founder of hypertext Ted Nelson around 1965. Hypertext is a concept more than anything else. This picture illustrates a way in which we can look at hypertext.:


The uses for hypertext are endless. The World Wide Web combines computer networking (the Internet) and Hypertext MarkUp Language (HTML) into an easy to use system by which people can access information around the world from a desktop computer. Hypertext is the medium used to transmit the information in a non-linear fashion via computer by clicking on a "link" using a mouse.

Hypertext

Hypertext is used with hyperlinks that refer you to other links that are related to what the user is reading. Hypertext can be static or dynamic. Static hyper text is mostly used for cross-references of data in certain documents. Dynamic hypertext continuously changes in response to user input.

Textbooks vs. Hypertext

In Chapter 17, Pedagogy and Hypertext, Gibson talks about how educational institutions had a hard time accepting hypertext and digital learning tools in the 1990s. She describes The University of Maryland, Baltimore County, saying that they did not build a computer science building because they felt it would not attract students. She goes on to say, "Those people who were attracted to the study of computers went on to design computer programs that now invisibly pervade our everyday lives. ATMs, Game Boys, palm pilots, cell phones, Nintendos, cars that think, appliances that make phone calls, and the Internet itself, to name just a few manifestations, are integral parts of American life." (p.278) Later in the chapter she discusses the transition from traditional textbooks in the classroom to hypertext and digital learning tools. Gibson says that there are two extreme ways of looking at textbooks, either as a driving force behind curriculum decisions or as simple tools for classroom interaction. She goes on to describe the possibility of hypertext replacing textbooks, saying it could provide a more comprehensive and interactive coverage of subjects. She says, "an oft-heard comment during a summer workshop, and since, is that hyptertext is a way to hold student interest. It is dynamic, contains several approaches to the material, and appears to give readers/users a choice about how the material will be experienced and studied." (p.287)

I think hypertext has huge potential in the academic world. It is a powerful tool that allows teachers to best meet the needs of each individual student. On the other hand, it would be sad to see all books go digital. There is something unique about opening a new book, turning pages as you read, and physically seeing yourself progress through the book.

Hypertext Hierarchies?

After reading "Pedagogy and Hypertext", I realized why it is that I am able to understand internet content much easier than printed, written content.
The internet, according to Gibson, has "no hierarchy of ideas as is evidenced in a table of contents or outline" (284). By giving the reader to choose the direction that he wishes to continue in, the reader is able to learn in the manner that best suits him. I find myself having a tough time with a solid, rigid structure so the internet's ability to help the reader maneuver through the material relevant to him is great. There is no overarching structure to the internet; it is strictly organized "not in order of importance, calling into question not only hierarchies of ideas, but the notion of prerequisites" (284). It is this "choose your ending" style that gives the internet the power it has to convey information to a reader.

Is It So Wrong To Use Electronic?

I found a section in Chapter 16 by Camille Pagila that discusses and tries to define something that I most definitely relate with: me. In Pagila’s discussion of “Writing for the Internet”, she discusses the fact that college students rely on the Internet and other electronic resources for their information.

“College students, even in the Ivy Leagues, may spend from 2 to 5 hours a night on the internet….Today’s college students were born in the 1980’s, when newspapers, a major melting-pot medium for a century since the start of immigration era, had already lost ground to television"

I personally do not know how I should take that statement. On the one hand, yes, it is true. I know I speak for most of us when I say that we spend a great deal of time online. Most of us depend on the Internet for our information; anything from news to emails to file transfers to this blog. So although we’ve been cited for spending so much time online, my question is, is it so wrong?

I know that on a day to day basis, I use my computer for just about all of my written communication. I check my email, I write to friends, I go on my favorite gossip blogs; I even go as far as bringing my computer to class to type out my notes such that I have all my information in neat, typed form. However, Pagila seems to hold it against us that we no longer (typically) turn to newspapers for our first source of information. I understand that newspapers may seem tradition; however, why should we hold ourselves back when it comes to receiving information? I like reading my newspaper every now and then, but I turn to the easiest source of information; electronic.

The Textual Convo

"Although asynchronous communication all but guarantees that the e-mail messages we recieve were composed at some point in the past, there is a tendency to experience them as if they were being communicated in the present (Strate, Communication and Cyberspace. p. 379)."

When you are having an Instant Message conversation with someone over gchat, facebook or AIM there is a synchronous interaction happening. When you are reading an email thread or a discussion on a message board you are reading a asynchronous interaction. However when you read an IM and you read a discussion thread, what is the difference besides waiting for the instant reply from the other person? After you complete the IM conversation with with someone, you can go back and read the conversation as if it is happening instantly again. There is a "sense of immediacy," as Strate points out, when you read a discussion, whether synchronous or asynchronous, and the reader can't help but to feel that the conversation is happening instantanously when the reality is that it could have happened hours, days or weeks a part.

This is sort of related to an implied textual emotion. Those who text, IM and leave facebook wall posts know that a different connotation can be applied to any blurb of text and by adding symbols like "!!!!" or ":)" and can make all the difference. Sure, text is text and a word is a word, but when you add these symbols to your online writing, you create a textual personality for yourself almost to the point of others being able to sense if a person is not who they say they are on the other side based on the textual emotion being exuded.

The Effects of Hypertext

After reading chapter 17, "Pedagogy and Hypertext" by Stephanie B. Gibson, I realize how little understanding of hypertext I had. To me hypertext was just links and internet buttons which lead you to another page or to more information. I failed to fully grasp the effects and consequences of hypertext, especially in education. In the article I found it very interesting how Gibson discusses the implications hypertext has on education. From reorganizing the way education works in a classroom with respect to teachers and students and how the authority works. Hypertext takes away the authority of teachers and their textbooks and shift to students and their own learning experience by using the information in programs. Even though this is only one example, the chapter covers numerous ways that hypertexts change the academic scope of material we use to learn.
If teachers introduce hypertext into their classroom it takes away from their control. Let's say a teacher uses a computer program which students use to help them learn. What is the teachers role now? It is simply a director, someone who guides the learning process instead of being an active member of giving the material to be learned. Students can wonder on these programs and gather information the teacher may not be ready to discuss yet or may not be necessary. If a student has a question about something they haven't gone over, that teacher must then be ready for everything which takes away from the organization and control of the class.

Effects of the Internet

"Since the mid-1990s, the Internet has caused a tremendous cultural shift whose most profound impact has been on young people. It will take another 30 years before the Internet's effects are clearly understood. The computer has literally reshaped the brain of those who grew up with it..."(268)

The Internet has allowed for a new basis of which we socialize (facebook) and retrieve information (wikipedia.) It is now possible to reach anyone anywhere in the world and to retrieve facts in only seconds. Is this convenience making our generation more intelligent or more lazy? Studies have shown that the areas of the brain which control decision making and complex reasoning double in activity among new internet users. However, internet users show a decrease in their capacity to concentrate on given tasks. Using the internet may be rewiring our neuron connections. Paglia raises a very thought provoking point when he states "It will take another 30 years before the internet's effects are clearly understood." It seems that everyday interent use is reaching a new pinnacle. How will internet use effect the behavior and evolution of humans in the future? As I look at my 2 year old nephew unwittingly pressing on the keyboard, I wonder how the use of computers from such an early age will effect his cognitive development. In other words, is his mind at advantage or disadvantage by being entertained by interenet sites. Internet use has become so prevalent that it may be taking away from people's social skills as they spend hours on end in front of a computer, they may be losing out on critical life experiences.

The Key to The Keyboard

In chapter 19 of our text, Judith Yaross Lee discusses the idea of what is in a particular body of online text (specifically email) and the way in which we perceive it. She goes on to discuss the ways in which this information is presented to us,

“…the convention of upper and lower case letters, a visual and spatial distinction devised for pint, becomes a means for indicating loudness. Similarly, the emoticon converts the finite alphanumeric keyboard into a source of nearly movable types…”

I thought this particular paragraph to be interesting in regards to the future of literacy. When we are talking with friends online or through email, we tend (or at least I, myself, find) that we become lazy. Instead of “you” it become “u”, if we’re happy, we tend to write :-) to convey emotion, and we even go so far to stop capitalizing “i”, simply because the computer will convert it for us.

But how soon will it be that we’ve translated the way that we write to our friends into the way that we write formally? With all the different ways in which we use the keyboard to convey our emotions and feelings, as stated by Lee, what’s to stop us from starting to use those methods of typing in a formal setting? We have a keyboard with vast options to convey our messages. For example, iF I typed LiKe ThIs, not only would you probably want to smash my keyboard, but you also might think that I am a 12 year old girl writing online for the first time. IF I STARTED TO TYPE LIKE THIS, you might think that I was angry at the fact that I have to continue typing. if i just simply typed like this n didnt care if i was riting formally or not, u mite think i was just talking to a friend.

Our keyboards help us to convey a message, but how does that message “convey” us? And how much longer will it be that we use these different ways of typing before they all blur together into one, non-formal, way of communication?

Online Education Unbound

Chapter 13 discusses the attributes of online education. Levinson suggests that some people have obstacles that prevent them from having a traditional in class education. These obstacles are obstacles of geography, time, retention, economics, teacher domination and physical disability. At the risk of sounding redundant I won’t explain each obstacle since a few of you have already touched on the subject. Although many of these obstacles are pushing people towards online education, many people are still wary about receiving an online degree. There are many fake online colleges also known as degree mills that are not accredited by a recognized agency or are accredited by fake agencies. This may be one of the biggest reasons why I wouldn’t want to get an online education. The fear that the online university is not reputable will most likely drive me away.

However, sources such as geteducated.com as committed themselves to “rate, rank & compare online schools & degrees.” With such information available, people have been more inclined to get an online education without having to fear the many scams that are out there. In addition, traditional top tier schools such as Boston University, Penn State University and many others are now offering online degree programs. As people begin to see online education as a viable and increasingly more efficient way of receiving a degree, it may become a vital part of our educational endeavors.

In addition, here is a video of CNN reporting on online education:

Online Education

Levinson writes about the bounds and constraints of normal education environments that online courses can allow. It is true for many people that an education cannot be pursued in order to maintain their job and reasonable way of life. Online courses offer these people the opportunity to be enlightened and gain an education while they complete the responisbilities of work. It may be difficult for some of us to understand that there are people who would love to be in the classroom environment but simply can't because of their obligations to family and their need for survival...e.g. working. I believe that online courses are a great idea and give an opportunity to those who are not fortunate enough to have the leisure time for the physical classroom to emancipate themselves from the boundries which the physical classroom may entail.

Education and Virtual Reality

In chapter 12, Terri Toles Patkin, the articles' author discusses the use of multimedia simulation in education. I found the idea of a virtual "internship" particularly interesting. Patkin says, "Students could try working in a small family business or a Fortune 500 headquarters during a single semester. They could then select the type of organization they would prefer to concentrate their efforts on in the future." (p. 204) He goes on to say that such a virtual organization would supplement, not replace, textbook, classroom and internship experiences.

Virtual reality simulators could also be used for other real-life purposes, such as training people in cross-cultural communication. For example, an American businessman could practice appropriate negotiation skills with a virtual Japanese client. The beauty of virtual reality used for educational purposes is its ability to present a simplified reality to the beginner, with complicating factors stripped out of the scenario until the student is ready to handle more complexity. For example, a flight school student may use a simulator to practice landing a plane and as he or she gets more comfortable the system may add a crosswind to the simulation.

The "Virtual Intern"

In Chapter 12 of Communication and Cyberspace, the idea of students participating in a Virtual Organization surfaces. It states that "Communication students who get the chance to intern in organizations today generally report dissatisfaction with the tasks they are assigned. Dreams of creative fulfillment tend to be misplaced among the filing, telephone duty, and fact checking that typically constitute the intern's job description. Often the experience of a corporate environment and the change to "network" provide more valuable experiences for the student that the substance of the assigned tasks" (p. 204). Being an intern myself, this is very close to my personal work experience. 

I work as a sales/public relations intern for the fashion designer, Derek Lam, and my background in communication enables me to easily perform some of my given tasks. Some of these tasks include tracking samples of clothing, where we scan a barcode of the sample and through a virtual computer program it shows exactly where that sample is, whether it be somewhere in the United States or even Milan or Japan. I have been given the chance to "network" while attending events held at different department stores and also put in my personal creative input by styling mannequins. Other tasks include designing templates of picture of the runway shows and doing competitive analysis reports by researching department store websites to compare prices of other designers. I would consider myself a "virtual intern" because of my thorough use of the web and computer during my daily work activities. 

Why Online Education?

Chapter 13 focuses on the advantages and drawbacks of online education. This has a great influence in our culture today. We see many television commercials advertising online education, or learning at home on your own time. That is one of the greatest advantages to online education, being able to do it on your own time. You do not need to attend a class at a specific time during the day, but instead can do it on your own time when you are fully awake, willing to learn, and willing to give back to the discussion.

In some research, I found a lot of debate around online education and the degrees received from it. Many people were willing to defend online education and "kill" the lies about online education, exclusively found on this website, which also contains a web page including 15 benefits of online education. This site: Online Education Lies includes 5 lies revealed that tend to dissuade people from using these programs.

I think that we are deterred from using these programs because of advertisements we see for them and how outdated they appear. For me, I had no need to use online education and see one of the great disadvantages of it being the lack of possibility to have a hands on experience. Online education, though always accessible, does not allow for the teacher/student relationship that can occur in normal institutional, as well as the non-existence of a campus and the idea of who else is in the class. As students at an institution, we have no need to use online education but it is true that there are many, many people out there that do need this form of education to spend both their time working as well as getting a degree. It will continue to have the advantages and disadvantages that currently exist no matter what may change.

VR's Return to Plato's Cave

I'm posting on the topics from last week as somehow last week I misread the syllabus and posted about this week's reading. With that said -- I found Zettl's comparison between virtual reality and Plato's cave to be interesting. He discusses the implications of VR and how it is a modern day cave.

In VR, the person is able to escape to another world - one without any sort of physical repercussions. For example, in flight simulators if the pilot crashes, there aren't any actual physical repercussions. He/she is able to learn without actually experiencing harm. It is as if they are exposed to the light Plato discusses without actually having to change their lifestyle. I found this comparison to be most interesting when thinking about games like The Sims or Second Life. In these games, the player is actually able to simulate a family or simply create an avatar that represents who that player is/wants to be. Like Zettl says, these players have "a yearning for not being held accountable for our decisions" (108). The player is able to create a family, be responsible for day to day life, and interact with people without any true physical contact. It truly is the modern day "cave."

The following YouTube video shows the interesting capabilities of Second Life. Intro. Comm. Professor Levinson discussed this during one of our classes. He actually conducted a reading of a section of one of his books via avatar in Second Life. I had never heard of it before, but it was an interesting/extremely modern way to deliver a speech. Enjoy:

Hypertwitter

According to a passage in Communication and Cyberspace,

Hypertext is "any program that allows readers to navigate nonlinearly through a body of text, sometimes a single text, but frequently a database of related materials with hundreds of nodes of text linked together forming a network of relevant material, it may be considered a hypertext. Hypertext is text that exists only in cyberspace. It is impossible to put hypertext into traditional page-bound print; doing so would so radically alter its nature that it would simply no longer be hypertext (Gibson)."

In many ways, linking Hypertext is a creative process. For example, while reading an educational passage about the history of the printing press, one might see that the words "...first printed book..." are a link, and when clicked, bring the reader to an image of the book. This type of interactive reading does not just happen by coincidence, rather it is thoughtfully created by the author to enhance what would be just a typical sequence of text. It is interesting to examine how facebook and twitter utilize hypertext. To me, the stand out usage would be the ability to click on specific interests, music, books and movies that your friends list out in their "Info" section. If you see someone likes the movie Atonement, you can click the word and then be directed to everyone else on facebook who lists Atonement as one of their favorite movies. This is really the operating principle of social networking; linking people together by common interests.
Twitter is really just a collaborative network of hypertext. Those who claim that Twitter is "just status updates" really have no idea what it is all about. People who take full advantage of Twitter are those who post viral video and real-time photos, links to websites, maps of their current location and use hash tags to start trending topics. It has gotten to the point where I personally don't tweet anything without some form of the aforementioned links in my update. And how cool is that? If someone walks by a major event in New York City and takes a picture of that and instantly tweets about it, it could possibly be re-tweeted over and over again to a point where thousands or even millions of people have now seen this image...perhaps an hour before it hits the 5 o'clock news or online news site.

Virtual Reality and Physical Rehabilitation

Many of us have heard of nursing homes and rehab centers using the Nintendo Wii for rehab and exercise purposes, however there are some schools of medicine that want to take the technology one step further: to virtual reality. In an article from PubMed, a scholarly journal, Keshner (Northwestern University) explains, "Many people question why we don't just have subjects perform motor tasks in the real world. The answer to this question is that VR offers us the opportunity to bring the complexity of the physical world into the controlled environment of the laboratory." In a virtual reality setting there is more precise control over what the patient experiences and on the tasked they are asked to accomplish. Keshner explains further:

There are numerous strengths underlying the use of VR with rehabilitation [11,12]. Among these are that VR provides the opportunity for ecological validity, stimulus control and consistency, real-time performance feedback, independent practice, stimulus and response modifications that are contingent on a user's physical abilities, a safe testing and training environment, the opportunity for graduated exposure to stimuli, the ability to distract or augment the performer's attention, and perhaps most important to therapeutic intervention, motivation for the performer.

It's plain to see that the benefits of VR in rehabilitation are great and would allow rehabilitation practitioners to accurately measure a patients progress. Not only is this a form of virtual communication, but most importantly the practitioner would receiver a large amount of data feedback. If interested here is a link to the article:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC546404/

Virtual Reality in Education or Professions

In Chapter 12, Terri Patkin discusses the possibilities of using virtual reality to aid in teaching and the educational process. I believe there are some good oppurtunities and practical uses for such an idea. But what is overlooked is that it shouldn't be enough to just use virtual reality. The idea that practicing surgeons or pilots use a simulator for their area of expertise is understandable and maybe even good. But a pilot can land a simulator doesn't mean he or she can land a real plane. Similarly, a virtual surgery is very different from having a real person in front of you. What if having the simulators and virtual aids remove responsibility or a feeling of care for those practicing it in. If a resident physician, after using a simulator loses even the least bit of understanding what a small mistake can do to a real person, that becomes very dangerous. My point isn't that I believe everyone plans on using just virtual practices, the point is that people can't lose understand that the real practice is what's most important and vital.