Staying Connected...

Today, it seems like we are always connected to some kind of technology. Whether it is consciously or unconsciously. It is very common to be doing other things, while staying updated with new technology, such as our cell phones, ipods, video games, laptops, radio, television, and many other kinds of media technology.

Many people watch TV, and surf the Internet, while other will be doing homework and be playing on facebook, as well as talking or texting on our cell phones. For me this multi-tasking is something that I do all day long. I can be at work helping a customer on the phone, and be texting a friend at the same time. I have gotten so used to the technology around me, and learned how to use it, that I don't have to think about how to use it, it is something that just comes natural to me.

I find comfort knowing that wherever I go, my cell phone will have service. Cell phones have become a technology that so many of us depend on everyday. In the time we are in now, its uncommon to hear of somebody who doesn't have a cell phone. It makes me wonder what would we do if this technology that we depend on so much now, for Internet, texting, taking pictures, was to one day just disappear. We are surrounded by technology everyday, and we rely on it to do homework, to work, to socialize, etc... at what point do you ask yourself, "how much is too much?"

In class, we read the article, "Ubiquitous Computing" by Jason Weiss. He defines the term ubiquitous computing as, "Ubiquitous computing's highest ideal is to make a computer so imbedded, so fitting, so natural, that we use it without even thinking about it." When I think about ubiquitous computing I think about texting. On our cell phones we are given the option of either texting letter by letter, or predictive text. The predictive text option allows us to just type the word and not have to think about it. Letter by letter text is the slow way of texting in my opinion. You have to think about what you are saying and make sure that you spelled the word right. Many people can use predictive text and not even have to look at their phone.

It is so interesting to see how people react when a technology they use isn't working. For example the Internet. I get so frustrated when the Internet isn't working. The Internet is a technology that rely on, more than I think. Most of the time now, I have to have the Internet to do my homework, read emails, stay updated on current events, work and more. Today at my work, for the last hour of work our Internet was down, and we were not able to our job. It is so amusing at school when the Internet goes down, to watch those people who have their laptops sit and refresh their Internet to see if its working. We don't realize how dependent we are on technology, such as the Internet, until we are not able to access it.

In one way or another we are always some how connected to technology. We have adapted to it, and learned how to use new technology to our advantage. Global Positioning Systems (GPS) have made it possible for us to find directions to the location that we are going. This technology has made it so much easier to get places that we don't know how to get there instead of having to look at directions and street signs, a GPS tells us where to turn. This technology is now a part of newer cars, and we are also able to buy them to put in our cars if we don't have one. I have a GPS in my car, and I don't know what I would do without it. It gets me to the location in half the time of me trying to find it with just the address.

Using the latest technology can be a good and bad thing when it comes to interpersonal relationships. It helps all of us stay more connected, but also has the potential to isolate us. How would we go about relationships that we have developed through technology if the Internet was not available to us? I think that without technology that many of our relationships would suffer.

Overall, I feel that new media technology is a good thing for many reasons. At the same time I do think that we should limit ourselves on how much and often we are connected. Its stressful to feel like we always have to be connected, its nice to just shut it off and not have to worry about whats going on in the world of technology. I don't really know the answer of how much is too much when it comes to technology because it brings so many positive aspects to users. It depends a lot on the individual person and how they feel about their use of the technology. But I do feel that we should focus more on the good aspects of technology rather than the negative.

Text Messaging and Relationships

In 2008, 95.4 billions text messanges were sent by United States mobile users. In the same period 648 million texts were sent a day, and 42 million texts per hour. Today texting has become a new technology in itself. All cell phones plans come with some sort of texting plan. Texting has helped to shape and enhance interpersonal relationships. All ages, have started texting to talk to friends and family. It has become a fact that Americans text more than they talk on the phone.

For me personally, I would much rather text certain people in my life then talk to them on the phone. It just seems so much easier and faster for me to text someone, and I know that they are much more likely to text me back then they are to call me back if I happen to call them and they don't answer. Some people see text messaging as a huge benefit to their relationships, and even say that texting saved their relationship because they were able to communicate more. According to the Mobile Data Association, 74% of women say they have used text messaing in the last 26 minutes. (I would have to agree, as I am writing this post and I am texting a friend), and 26% of men said they had.

So the big question so many people ask is "should I build a relationship through texting?" Here are three tips to one should use if they are going to build a dating relationship through texting:

1- quick love notes are better than long 160 character love notes. Sending a quick "I was just thinking about you" is a lot more impactful than "hey, what's going on. I didn't have much going on right now so I decided to send you a message." That's just a bunch of blah blah blah and it has no feeling to it.
2- - ask engaging questions that will make the person get involved in your text message instead of having them mindlessly sending something back to you. Texting is great to play off each other and build attraction. The problem is that some people just don't know how it works and their messages don't go anywhere. A poor text message is anything that doesn't move the conversation along. Remember to ask questions or have leading comments like "you were suppose to be there..."
3- - Flirt, flirt, flirt. You must leave the normal friend conversations and send lines that trigger emotions and create attraction. You do this by role playing, bantering, playing hard to get, taking the person on an emotional roller coaster, etc....

Being able to text in my life has helped so many of my interpersonal relationships to grow. One in particular is with my dad. My parents are divorced. My dad and I dont get the chance to talk to eachother on the phone as much as we would like because we are both so busy. My dad recently learned how to text. We text eachother almost everyday, asking eachother questions that we wouldnt normally ask one another if we were talking on the phone. Texting eachother has made our father-daughter relationship to grow significantly. A survery done by Samusung suggests that over half of American teens and their parents say that textinng eachother has improved their relationship It’s rare that technology actually gets credit for improving parent-teen relations rather than serving as another generational divide, but Samsung claims text messaging has actually moved the two groups closer together. According to a survey commissioned by the Japanese mobile giant, teens report better relationships with their parents since picking up texting.

Text messaging helps to "break the ice" in a relationship. I think that you can learn a lot about somebody by texting because its so easy to do, and almost everyone now knows or is learning how to text to stay in contact with friends, family, children, etc... Texting helps to enhance interpersonal relationships in so many ways. It makes you think about how have we survived without this new technology.

Technology and Privacy

New media technology has created new possibilities for the invasion of privacy. Recent advances in technology has grealty expanded our ability to acquire private and confidential information as well as access to public records.

Web 2.0 has made it possible for internet users to pay bills online with a credit card number, or a routing and checking account number. We can also shop online, where our purchases are shipped right to our homes or work. When we visit or register at particular websites, they ask us for our personal information such as, physical address, phone number, email, birthday, whether we are married or single, male or female. And in turn they give our email addresses to other companies, who then try to sell us their product. With all of the personal information that websites require, does this make you worry about your personal identity and privacy?

For some people, having to give out so much personal information worries them, and for others they think that they would rather have all of their personal information stored in a computer, because they feel their personal information is more protected, and only the computer sees it. I agree and disagree with both of these answers. Whenever I go onto a website and have to give them my personal information to register, I will make up a fake name, address, and birthday, because I don't think that is any of their business. So in some sense I don't think my personal information is safer on a computer. What about people who hack into companies systems and take information and then in turn steal their identity? At the same time it makes me, and I am sure other citizens feel safer in terms of personal identity knowing that they are the only one who knows certain information, and it is harder for their identity to be stolen or their personal information to be released.

Chatting, texting, blogging, and spending time on facebook, myspace, twitter, etc... are part of everyday life for millions of people. On social networking sites, most of us post information about ourselves to stay in touch with friends and family. Most users of social networking sites see thier personal sites as private, when in reality, many of them can be seen by friends, employers, officials, parents, siblings, and more. Because it is so easy to access information about people on social networking sites and google, does this benefit or have a disadvantage in interpersonal relationships? To some extent its beneficial, but at the same time do you feel that your privacy is being invaded by people who you possibly don't even know?

Today, 22% of employers will check to see if the potential person they are looking to hire has a facebook, or a myspace, and look at their profiles to get a better idea of who this person is. Would this action be considered an invasion of privacy? Is it ethical for employers to do this? Yesterday at my job, I was listening to a conversation that was going on about facebook between two of the people that I work with. One of the persons is older and was asking the other person about facebook and the whole concept of uploading pictures. One of the questions asked was, what makes people think that the people who are in the picture want a picture of them on the internet? Should they ask permission if its okay to put the picture up? In the reading, "Privacy and Technolgy" by Gary T. Marx he says that, ""Privacy is a resource in inter-personal relations, doled out and exchanged as relationships progress. "

A typical view held by many citizens in the United States have the assertion of, "the more you know about somebody else, the better off everybody is" It seems like now with all of the social networking sites you can a pretty good idea of who a person is, and how they live their live just by looking at their profile. However, is this statement true? Do you really think you have the right to know everything about the people you interact with? Does this statement make the American ideal of privacy not relevant?

Everyday, its more common to hear a story about somebody's identity being stolen, as a result of their information on the internet. Today, it so easy for someone who is computer savy to hack into a sysytem and steal banking information, social security numbers, and get personal information that is supossed to be secure. I work at an insurance office and at least once a week there is someone who calls in that needs to change their bank account information because of fraud or their identity being stolen. Is there something more that can be done to secure business' systems other than a downloadable program?

In the future, I hope that there will be some kind of new technology that will help secure privacy, so that we feel safe about the content that computer sysytems hold, in terms of privacy. But until then, we can be cautious as to the type of content that we post on the internet for everyone to see, as well as updating secutity settings, and monitoring what people post of you.

The Digital Divide

The term the Digital Divide refers to the gap between people with effective access to digital information technology and those with very limited or no access at all. The Digital Divide may be classified based on gender, income, race, and locations. After learning about the Digital Divide I do think that it effects interpersonal relationships. Depending on the technologies that we use, it places us on the Digital Divide.

From experience, I have found that technologies do either enhance or hurt interpersonal relationships. Last week, our class was asked to track how much time we spend the social networking site, facebook. On average I spend in between 20-45 minutes a day on facebook, looking at friends profiles,pictures, and writing on their walls, or talking to them on instant messenger. Most of the people who I am friends with on facebook, are people who are around my age, and are familiar with new technology, and use it in their everyday lives. Because of this particular social networking site, the interpersonal relationships that I currently have with my friends has grown significantly.

The usage of the Internet has grown a lot since it first came out. In some countries in the world Internet usage is a lot lower then others. For example Asia's usage is 41.1 % compared to the Middle East, who's usage is 2.9%. There is clearly a huge percentage gap between these two countries, but how do we stay connected with them so well?

Here is a breakdown of Internet users worldwide by millions provided by internetworldstats.com:

Asia: 650

Europe:390.1

North America: 246.8

Latin America/Caribbean: 173.6

Africa: 54.2

Middle East: 45.9

Oceania/ Australia: 20.6

Two summers ago I had the opportunity to do a study abroad trip in Europe. We visited four countries, London, Paris, Prague, and Budapest. In every country we stayed in, we had to find an Internet cafe somewhere in the city, so that we could stay in touch with our friends and family back home. In every Internet cafe that we found, it was so difficult to use their computers because it was in their native language, the letters on the keyboard were in different places than they are here, and the whole format was foreign to me, and we couldn't communicate with the workers for help because they couldn't speak English, or they could and just pretended that they couldn't. All of the computers that we used were so slow, and it took forever for the Internet to load, and randomly they would shut off. I would get so irritated that if they shut off, I just wouldn't get back on. I never thought that the trying to get on the Internet in another country would be such a trying experience, and that I didn't know how to use a computer or get on the Internet.

The Digital Divide has become such a serious problem that a core component

of President Obama's economic recovery plan is "expanding broadband lines across America" to give everyone the chance to get online. President Obama feels that broadband should be accessible to everyone the same way that electricity and telephones are. Another solution that we talked about in class as a solution to the Digital Divide is cell phones. Today, all cell phones are capable of getting on the Internet. Its a lower expense, its portable and you can get on any time that you want. I don't think that the cell phones would help close this problem because what about people who don't have money to have a cell phone and pay for it every month. In other countries such as Africa, there is the "know how to factor", does everyone have the education and know how to use a cell phone for the Internet?

In class we read, "Reconceptualizing the Digital Divide" by Mark Warschauer. One of the stories that stood out to me was " A Model Computer Lab" this situation took place in Egypt, where the United States donated computers for a computer lab at a local university. The computer lab never got used because all of the computers sat in storage because they were not taught how to put them together and then use them, so that they could teach someone to teach the students how to use the computers.

I think the biggest problem when it comes to the Digital Divide is that a lot of people don't have the skills or education to use computers and the Internet. I strongly believe that technology keeps us connected with friends and family and other countries. But if we don't have the skills to learn how to use the Internet it can be seen as a disadvantage. I think that there is some way that everyone can learn to use the Internet, no matter their age, race, or socio-economic class, without leaving them behind.

Reality & Virtual Reality

Does virtual reality have more or less of an effect on interpersonal relationships? I think that virtual reality does have more of an effect on interpersonal relationships. Yesterday in class we talked about the article titled,"Rape in Cyberspace" by Julian Dibbell. After reading this article I felt confused and disturbed. Before this class I had never really thought about how many people in the world are consumed by virtual reality. For some people it consumes their whole life, and if something bad happens, for example they get killed on the game, how much of an effect it has on their real everyday lives, even though it happened in the virtual reality.

Is virtual reality and reality the same thing? Should everything that happens in a game be effected in your everyday life? I think that yes, there is a huge difference between the virtual world and the real world. Actions that take place in a game are never going to happen in real life. There is and should be a separation between these two very different worlds that millions of people across the world participate in. However, I do see how an action in a game can be damaging to the player. For some, this is a social networking site, and if they are killed it can be embarrassing for them to want to come back to play.

In class we talked about goldfarming. This term is a general term for an MMORG activity in which a player attempts to acquire ("farm") items of value which are sold to create stocks of in-game currency ("gold"), usually by exploiting repetitive elements of the game's mechanics. In class we watched a video that was about a married couple who became so consumed with a video game they were playing that was all they worried about and did when they had free time. The wife was so behind for her team they turned to goldfarming so that she could get caught up and win more points for their team. People who become so consumed with these virtual reality games are able to develop and maintain their relationships with their friends and family and help to maintain them.

I have a few friends who play The World of Warcraft. Last year, all they did was play this game. They would all meet at someones house and hook all of their computers together, and play this game for hours. They were all so involved and so focused that it was useless trying to talk to them. The first time I actually saw them playing I couldn't believe the set-up they had, and that they sat there all night playing this game. For them, this was a way for all of them to get together and hang out, a way for them to socialize with one another. However, by playing this game all night, it began to take a toll on other relationships they had with family and friends who were not participating. I don't think any of them went out or on a date for months. This virtual reality was harmful, yet beneficial for some of their interpersonal relationships.

What does the future hold for virtual reality? Some say by the years between 2015 and 2020, computer systems that deliver reliable virtual reality will cost no more than a big-screen television does today. Most businesses and many homes will have them. Virtual reality entrepreneur John C. Briggs, for one, predicted in the May 2002 issue of Futurist magazine that "in the next 10 to 20 years, Virtual reality experiences will be fully integrated into real life."35 Looking farther ahead, Ken Pimental and Kevin Teixeira claimed in the book Virtual Marketing: Through the New Looking Glass that "within one hundred years virtual reality could become a semi-invisible service in society, like telephones, light switches, books, and television—a tool for communication, work, and pleasure that we use without thinking about it."

http://www.scienceclarified.com/scitech/Virtual-Reality/Which-World-Is-Real-The-Future-of-Virtual-Reality.html

Where do the players that play and consume these virtual reality games draw the line between real life and virtual life? To me it seems like these games are helping the players get out and meet new people and make new relationships, but at the same time does it hurt the relationships they already have, if some of their friends and family don't play these games?

Social Networking Sites

Social networking sites have become a huge part of people's everyday lives. There are millions of users on blogger, facebook, myspace, twitter, and many many more. These sites have made it easier to stay in contact with old friends and family members that we don't get to see as often as we would like. Because of networking sites users are able to stay updated on what is going on in their friends and family members lives.

Personally, I am a user of facebook. I really enjoy the fact that I am able to talk to old friends who went out of state for college, as well as family members that I see maybe once a year. It has been very interesting to see how the users of facebook, myspace, and other sites differ when it comes to age. Recently, many of my aunts and uncles, as well as my mom has joined facebook. I never thought I would have a friend request from my mom. Different generations use different social networking sites to connect with one another. It is also interesting to see some of my friends and family members refuse to join a social networking site because they feel like they are exposing their entire lives to the world. Which in some way you are, anyone is able to look at your pictures, unless you adjust the privacy settings. One out of four employers now, check facebook or myspace to get an idea of who a person is before they consider hiring them? Are privacy rights still the same on facebook and myspace? When in reality you are posting your information and pictures for almost anyone to see.

Not too long ago when I logged onto facebook, there was a notice stating that they had changed their users agreement which let users know that now anything that you upload to facebook, pictures, videos, can be used by facebook any way they deem fit, forever. I personally don't like this rule. If I ever decide to delete my account, I want my pictures deleted as well. What do you think of this new agreement?

In the article Do Artifacts have Politics by Langdon Winner, he says, "Consciously or unconsciously, deliberately or inadvertently, societies choose structures for technologies that influence how people are going to work, communicate, travel. consume, and so forth over a very long time. Today, social networking sites are so influential in many people's lives. Its a way for them to escape from reality, and for some pretend to be someone else. These sites are also a way for for example, public relations people to come into contact with colleagues and hear other people's insights on a topic.

Today, it seems like if you do not participate in some kind of social networking site you are out of the loop and don't really know what it is going on. Millions and millions of people are users of these sites.

Facebook, was originally intended for college students. Recently they branched out and now anyone can join. They have 150 million users.

Myspace has the largest membership of any social networking site on the Internet. They have 191 million users.

Twitter is a free social networking service that allows users to send "updates" (text-based posts that are up to 140 characters long) via SMS, instant messaging, email, the Twitter website, or an application such as Twitterrific. The site has become very popular in only a few months -- a lot of people are watching it. Many celebirites twitter, such as Ellen DeGeneres, Demi Moore, Kim Kardashian, any many more.

http://www.selfgrowth.com/socialnetworkingwebsites.html

The primary concern with social networking sites is that people will unwittingly invite threats into their lives by revealing too much personal information. Because people comment on each other's pages, posting in the comment section of one friend's page can allow a stalker to find out details that most people consider fairly private, such as school schedules and phone numbers. An increasing problem with social networking sites is that the past will haunt the poster. Future employers and college admissions personnel can research the sites and discover an immature, wild side of a teenager.Read more: Teens, Privacy, and Online Social Network Sites: Parents Need Understand the World of Internet Friendship.

Social networking sites have morphed into a mainstream medium for teens and adults. These sites encourage people to exchange information about themselves, share pictures and videos, and use blogs and instant messaging to communicate with friends, others who share interests, and sometimes even the world-at-large.

Stereotypes in the Media

After reading the article, "Not a Hater, Just Keepin' It Real" by David J. Leonard, I was very surprised to see how people of different races and genders are depicted in video games. I have always noticed how people of different are races and genders are shown in advertisements, magazines, movies, etc... but never a video game.

This article pointed out that as most video games are a space about and for males, it is equally a White- centered space. More than 50% of player-controlled characters are white males; less than 40% of game characters are Black, of which the majority appear as athletic competitors. I really never noticed this until thinking about if I have ever played a video game that the main character wasn't white.

Stereotypes can appear in the media because of the biases of writers, directors, producers, reporters and editors. But stereotypes can also be useful to the media because they provide a quick identity for a person or group that is easily recognized by an audience. When deadlines loom, it's sometimes faster and easier to use a stereotype to characterize a person or situation, than it is to provide a more complex explanation.

Stereotypes can be found in virtually any game. In any war game there are Arab Terrorists. Black and Latino men most of the time, are the ones who are stealing and creating violence. I find these kinds of stereotypes to be somewhat disgusting. What are these video games teaching little kids whose brains aren't fully developed? That this is how the world really is?

I found an article that appeared in The San Diego Union Tribune. The article talked about the video game Grand Theft Auto, and the scenes and stereotypes that are depicted in this game. The article argues that games such as the Grand Theft Auto sequel, which is described glowingly and at length in a game magazine the boy recently brought home, are dangerously reinforcing stereotypes.

"A lot of young people are unable to discern between reality and satirical depictions," he said. "It makes them very vulnerable." This makes you wonder how children who play this game treat and look at people of different races and cultures. These video games have a huge impact on interpersonal relationships. Should something change when it comes to the characters in these types of games?

In class, we also looked at how women are depicted in video games. Women in video games are shown as players with little waists, not wearing a lot of clothes, and most of the time are waiting for someone to come to rescue her. They are rarely seen as the main character who is trying to win a challenge and rescue someone else.

A couple of semesters ago I took a class called, Gender and Communication. We watched this movie about how women are shown in hip-hop videos. Basically they are just an accessory. After watching that video I couldn't look at hip-hop videos the same. Now I will notice how characters are shown in video games.

After reading this article I wonder how this kind of new media technology will help to shape the interpersonal relationships we have. Will we always look at people of color and other cultures with this stereotype that video games display?