ePortfolio #3

Artifact 8 - Thursday, March 31; 10:07 p.m.

http://marissa-simon.blogspot.com/2011/03/artifact-8.html

http://hargatec.blogspot.com/2011/03/artifact-8-health-online.html

Artifact 9 - Thursday, April 7; 10:56 p.m.

http://marissa-simon.blogspot.com/2011/04/artifact-9.html
http://cerutti102.blogspot.com/2011/04/artifact-9.html


Artifact 10 - Friday, April 15; 8:34 a.m.

http://marissa-simon.blogspot.com/2011/04/artifact-10.html

Artifact 10

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/09/miss-g-a-case-of-internet-addiction/?emc=eta1

In the article Miss G: A Case if Internet Addiction, I was shocked. It was surprising to know that Dr. Young actually made this internet addiction quiz in 1998, before people were really using the internet that often. Of course, some people probably were online nonstop, but the number of addicts today has skyrocketed. When the author of this article talks about Gabriela sleeping with her laptop, staying online until 4 a.m., and thinking about the internet when she isn’t online, I immediately thought, “Wow, she is addicted.” That is why I was confused that later in the article when she explains that her behavior usually isn’t considered addictive. I have never heard of anyone sleeping with their laptop every night. The reason that some people feel the need to stay online so often is because of psychological issues and issues at home that they cannot seem to escape from. This is why Angela from the movie Catfish decided to create someone new. Usually addicts will begin by ignoring normal household chores, specifically laundry, just to stay on the internet later. They will loose track of time and next thing they know, it’s 4 a.m. Gabriela’s online cycle seemed to be very predictable. She sees a status of song lyrics, googles them, checks out the music, looks at pictures, and then posts them to Facebook again. No wonder she stays awake so long on the internet. I was surprised that she is very religious, and doesn’t use the computer on Sunday, the Sabbath day, but she spends most of her time thinking about the internet. I think internet addiction is a real thing that can break some people apart including relationships. If two people are on a date, yet one is obsessed with their phone because they are chatting with people on Facebook or texting often, the other person will not be happy that they are being ignored. At this point, I think most people would be considered “addicted” mainly because of how often we use the internet. While I check my school email, home email, and Facebook daily (on average) I could live without it. On weekends I usually do not use the internet that often because I have other things to do. Some people, like Gabriela and Angela, use the internet as an escape because they can have a different personality and be someone that they can’t be in person. I am considering about writing my 4th essay on internet addiction because I would like to know more about it. How many people in the world today are considered addicts? How many more are there now compared to 1998 when the internet addiction quiz first came out? It doesn’t really seem that this is a big problem to be addicted, but that is probably because I am not therefore I would be fine without internet for a day. I feel bad for people that can’t get away from technology at all because I look forwards to days when I can sit and just turn my phone off.

Strand 4 Topics 1 and 2

Topic 1 - Political Communication in CMC

This topic talks mainly about the pros of communicating political issues and elections online. It gives people freedom to communicate across national borders without having to travel or show a passport. It also allows people living under representative governments to express their views more easily and freely. Being online, it can reach a wide audience across the world, speaking for an underrepresented group, or challenging the authorities because they may want you to think a certain thing. It confronts the authority of governing powers and resists the dominant political ideas because it lets people to think for themselves. It allows us to view current events from more than one perspective. Finally, it enables us to participate actively in political processes. They like active participation and resistance within websites. These websites can be used to set up information sites or to resist government authority. Either way, you are free to have your own view. E-democracy is governments, elected officials, media, political organizations, and citizens use the internet to engage in debates. Any political information on the web is considered to be e-democracy. Cyberactivism is the use of email, news groups, and the web to address a large audience and communicate with their supporters. Cyberactivists use the internet to promote human rights, animal rights, environmental issues, and the rights of communities to create social change. These people live for issues that are talked about online. CMC can increase political awareness, participatory democracy, mutual tolerance, and more open, peaceful dialogues between people. I always thought that political issues were a hot stove issue that really couldn’t be peaceful, but I am sure it isn’t as heated as a F2F debate. Not only do people agree with what is being said, they also resist it. In the first week of the 2003 Iraq War, 1,000 websites including U.S. Military websites were hacked by anti-war activists that didn’t like what was being said.

Topic 2 – Legal Communication in CMC

            Today is said to be a golden age for lawyers. Online scams, hacking into bank accounts, and intellectual property concerns are all keeping the net legal experts busy. Why? Because of a concept called online libel. Cyberlibel is a false and damaging statement made about someone online. It is worse than flaming, which is harmful and negative language said to someone during CMC. In order to claim libel, the statement made must have clearly identified the claimant, have lowered the claimant in society’s view, have been punished by the person being sued to a third party or the public, and be provably false. It is a crime that results in the commenter being sued. Some advice that Walmart Canada gives is “you can make general critical remarks about rival major retailers on your website, but mentioning a specific company could get you into legal trouble.” The internet service provider would be responsible for the comment if they are aware that is happens, but they wouldn’t admit it even if they do, therefore the commenter is to blame. Cyber-crime and internet fraud are very common these days which is another reason why lawyers get involved. The Nigerian email scam was one of the longest running international scams ever. This scam promised a percentage of cash if you assist in illegally removing extra money to the U.S. because it was left over from a government funded project. All they needed was your banking information; bad idea. It completely drained some people’s bank accounts while others actually went over to Nigeria and were held captive, beaten, or even murdered. It resulted in 2,600 people filing complaints with $345,000 being stolen and never returned. There were also cybersquatting disputes made popular through court cases. Cybersquatting is buying domain names using well known brand or celebrity names in the hope of selling them to companies or people who probably should have secured them in the first place. A popular dispute was with Steven Spielberg who sued a company in India for having a website dreamworkzweb.com because it was too close to the name of his company; DreamWorks. The company had to forfeit their name instead of going through with the case. In a case with a popular fashion industry, Armani, they had a website Armani.com. Unfortunately, a man by the name of Mr. A.R. Mani wanted to website because it was his name. In this case, the little guy won. Lawyers are getting paid more because internet spam is becoming more popular.

Article about Political Communication
http://www.barackobama.com/obama-for-america-2012-campaign?source=OM2012_LB_G_obama2012-search_barack-obama-broad&gclid=COTKkquomqgCFUkZQgodT00rDA
This is obviously a good example of politics online because it is a campaign for the 2012 presidential election. This website is made for supporters of Obama which is made easy to tell because the home page makes you click "I'M IN!" before you can even read anything else. The government is using the internet to promote the president.

Article about Legal Communication
http://www.fbi.gov/scams-safety/fraud
This website tells about the Nigerian Email Scam because it was the beginning of more internet scams. Fraud is such a big deal that the FBI is warning people not to fall for it or to give out any banking/personal information.

Artifact 9

Usually, art museums aren’t a very interactive place. People go there to view art and possibly discuss it with one another. This has changed thanks to Shelley Bernstein. She constantly updates Facebook and Twitter accounts telling about the newest art. Websites for museums usually were for advertisement including the hours, admission, and directions to get there. Now people can view the art from the website. While some may not agree about art being viewed online, the opinions of the people are taken into consideration. Bernstein explains that when new art is posted, they see how many people “like” it. This pretty much determines whether or not they choose to show off this new piece of art. She likes to hear the reviews of people, whether good or bad, because it just makes the museum a better place to be. This website is used to know what the people are thinking. Bernstein’s main goal is to get people to come and come back to the museum. Personally, I like to view the art in person rather than online because the atmosphere of the museum puts me in a creative mood. Because technology is always growing, the museums also have to grow. They have wireless internet so that people can even comment right as they are in the museum. Since people don’t always have time to go to the museum, I am really not surprised that the art can be viewed online. I think someday any and everything will be accessible online one way or another.

Artifact 8

Many people in the world today have smart phones. Those smart phones come with applications (app) that can be downloaded to the phone for a specific use. There is a new app that is WebMD. Instead of going to the doctor’s office to get questions answered, you can go to the WebMD website to ask the question. Usually this response is exactly what the doctors would say except the app on the phone is more convenient, saves you a trip to the doctor, and doesn’t necessarily cost any money. Sometimes there may be an emergency when a question needs to be answered right away, and the trip to the doctor may be too late. I also really enjoyed hearing about the video game that some cancer children played because it was their chance to kill the cancer. The game is called Remission. I like it so much because it gives the children hope of killing their cancer with the help of chemotherapy. Someone I know has cancer, and when I told them about the game, they were thrilled. I’m not sure if they ever actually downloaded the app, but it is a good way to keep spirits high. The website, patientslikeme.com, was very interesting to hear about. I never knew there was a website where patients can talk about their problems. The doctors then look at the website to see what the patients are talking about to try and make their visits better, Technology is helping patients and doctors with the problems they have. 

ePortfolio #2

Artifact 4a & 4b - Thursday, Feb. 24, 2011; 8:32 a.m.
http://marissa-simon.blogspot.com/2011/02/artifact-4a-4b.html


Artifact 5 - Friday, Mar. 4, 2011
http://marissa-simon.blogspot.com/2011/03/artifact-5.html - 8:26 a.m.
http://hargatec.blogspot.com/2011/03/artifact-5-thank-sex-for-making.html - 8:44 a.m.


Artifact 6 - Thursday Mar. 10; 9:52 a.m.
http://marissa-simon.blogspot.com/2011/03/artifact-6.html


Artifact 7 - Wednesday, Mar. 16; 9:45 p.m.
http://marissa-simon.blogspot.com/2011/03/artifact-7.html

Artifact 7

                This article was very informative. I knew that students had cheated, but I never really thought much about the extent to which some people will go to cheat. A student at my high school did the trick in which they take the label off of a bottle and them write notes/answers on it then places in back on the bottle. Because we were allowed to have drinks in class, they went to take a drink and then the answers were there. This student that got caught cheating was suspended for 3 days out of school. Needless to say, the teacher no longer allowed drinks in her classroom. When I think of cheating, I usually think of homework questions rather than tests. If two people do an assignment together then they tend to have the same answers. In my case, if I discuss the answers out loud with someone else I usually understand it better. Technically, this would be considered cheating. When people have the same answers it is cheating. At first, I figured that is what this article would be about. Never did I think that some teachers are taking extreme measures to make sure that students no longer cheat, specifically on papers and tests. It was very clever of Christe to sign up as a student for her own online class to see what students have questions about. Some students, such as myself, do not like talking in class in a group as much, so they won’t ask questions even if they have trouble with it. She finds out what students need help with and then confronts the student to make them tell her what they are struggling with. This is a very good teaching strategy because the student doesn’t have to come out of their comfort zone, yet still gets answers to their questions. Her idea of a phony website with the answers to the questions was brilliant. She says she only catches 3-4 students cheating, but there are probably way more that just don’t get caught. Also, I never thought of text messaging as a way to cheat. Teachers usually walk around the room during tests, but at a big University with huge classes, cheating would be a lot easier. For example, I am sure that students at Missouri State could cheat easier on exams than Fontbonne students because our classes are so much smaller. In this case, I could understand why the Missouri State teacher might be worried about students cheating, but not as much here. I am not saying it doesn’t happen, because it obviously does. Statistics in this article weren’t very high. Only 50% of students admitted to cheating, which is a high number, but in reality more students cheat than they admit. I do not think there is one person that could say they have never cheated. Exams are different, but homework is usually a given. Students that need help will ask for it. If the student that is giving the help is willing to share their answers, the other student will willingly accept.

Artifact 6

      When he was 15, Christopher looked at a Japanese forum website. He didn’t know that after a few years it would be evolved to have 7 million monthly visits with around 700,000 posts per day. It expanded from 1 discussion board to 48. I think this website is so popular because it is anonymous. People can say whatever they want without anyone actually knowing who they are. There is no registration therefore it is completely unfiltered. I wasn’t aware that this kind of website was available because everyone always tries to get information. I think people tend to be more brutally honest when their identity is hidden. They can say anything they want without getting in trouble for maybe saying the wrong thing. I thought it was interesting that their first discussion board was called /b/. Anonymous is a good word to describe the identity of people while they type on this forum, but it is also the name of the group that protested scientology. I found it interesting that most of the memes on 4chan posted LOLcats. This is funny pictures of cats. The irony is that a man was arrested within 48 hours because he posted a video of him abusing his own cat. Because it was posted on YouTube, the authorities were able to find and arrest him. Some may think this is an issue with privacy, just like the issues with social networking. People are more free and able to be their selves on 4chan. While there may be pros and cons to this, people have more privacy than they could imagine. Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace don’t have enough privacy while websites like 4chan have too much. When will people realize that they are the ones that make decisions? They decide whether or not they put personal information on those social networking sites. They decide whether or not they want to remain anonymous and post what they want. If you have a problem with it, don’t do it. It was comical to me that he said older people may be okay with it because they don’t necessarily understand it. Each individual understand that when they are on certain websites, they may or may not risk that other people can see what they do. I think this website is a great idea because privacy is such a popular subject. I don’t think I would be interested in blogging anonymously merely for the fact that I like to know who people are and what they are saying. I guess you could say I am a nosey person because I like to know things. Remaining anonymous is a great way to freely say whatever you please and getting your feelings out there. People that feel more comfortable using CMC than F2F communication can actually say what they are feeling without being judged. This may help people that have issues such as on the verge of suicide because they have so many thoughts that they just keep inside. An anonymous blogging website is a great idea for all people.

Artifact 5

I was completely shocked by this pod cast. People that create porn websites were the ones that played a big role in starting online shopping. I was shocked that a few years ago pornography websites were the most popular. Porn sites have gotten more hits that any other website. Even though they say men were the creators of the website, they are not the only ones that watch it. Porn is the creator of social networking websites, such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc. because people began talking. It is also the reason that internet video chatting and video players were popular. Video chatting, such as Skype, has only been popular the past few years, but I am sure some people used that as an opportunity for pornography. People used video players, such as Windows Media, was used on porn sites. It is also a money making business. People link their credit cards to websites where porn is offered because they pay for what they are viewing. This is when people began buying online items such as groceries because their card was safe when they linked it to a porn site, so it would be safe on other sits as well. Chat rooms were popular years ago as well, but private chat rooms were used to distribute porn just like the websites as long as you have a membership. Now that I think about it, I could understand why porn would be the start of online shopping because people have had the urge longer than computers were created.

Artifact 4a & 4b

Artifact 4a

                When I first started watching this video, I wasn’t exactly sure what I was watching. I thought the girl was helping the man with some kind of experiment. As the camera got closer to her face, I found out that she is a robot. She looked very normal from a distance, it was almost frightening. Technology just keeps evolving day by day. Someday we won’t be able to tell the difference at all between a real person and a robot. It is hard to grasp the fact that something that isn’t alive could look like it was. Even though I had trouble hearing what the men were saying, I think she was following the orders of what they were telling her to do. She was able to bow her head up and down without hesitating. That is the part that looked the most realistic. The blinking was a bit off when you were able to look close up, but it was still incredible. I don’t agree with making robots as people mainly because they are not necessary. What would happen if robots that looked like people began taking over the few jobs that were left? They wouldn’t need to be paid therefore they would be easier to deal with. Unless there is an absolute need for them, such as an experiment too dangerous for real people, I do not think they are necessary to have. In movies, you sometimes see a robot is a maid or a butler. I am sure it would be a nice luxury item to have if it was possible to get them, but real alive people are more reliable that a machine. 

Artifact 4b

                My first thought when I saw this video was when this came out? Most people use mechanical pencils or pens these days if they even write, so why would a company come up with a pencil sharpener? It is common for people in class now to take notes on their computer. Most teachers have papers submitted electronically, or they want a hard copy that is typed. A pencil is usually used by math classes or to write rough drafts for a paper. It seems to me that this is a waste of a product because it won’t sell. However, it was very interesting to see that sharpener with two different spots. The first spot sharpened the pencil so that you could see the lead, and the second spot sharpened the lead therefore you definitely had a sharp end to your pencil.  When I was in elementary school, I used those pencils all the time and I know it was extremely frustrating to sharpen a pencil but it still wasn’t sharp enough! The creators of this pencil sharpener should know that this would have been nice years ago, but not now. Thank goodness for computers with the backspace button because pencils and erasers would be a lot more common if we didn’t have one. This just show how much technology has evolved. We used to use pencils that needed to be sharpened, but now we use computers that are easier and quicker. What will be next that will replace computers? It would be cool if we could just say words and they automatically became typed out for us. Who knows? It may happen someday. I just hope I am around to experience it!

Artifact 3

Nicholas Carr’s book “What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains” made me think a lot. Even though I know most of the positive and negative effects that the internet has, I never really thought about how it personally affected me. The good news is that our generation didn’t really start using the internet until middle school rather than my 11 year old brother that has had a Facebook for almost a year now. I thought it was very interesting that he brought up the question “Is Google making us stupid?” When you think about it, people do not necessarily have to do research the way they used too. I speak for most people when I say that whenever I have to do research on a topic, the first thing I do is go to Google to see what kind of articles pop up. It is much more convenient for people to use Google because we are used to doing it so much. Technology is addictive to a point. He began to see correspondence in his technology use to his lack of concentration. He couldn’t even sit to read a book without thinking about his email. I think a lot of people can relate to him because technology is such a huge part of our lives. We take advantage of little things, such as maps, because now we have MapQuest and Google Maps that you can go too rather than mapping out your route on the actual map. We were more abstract thinkers before we decided to rely on the internet for many important and unimportant parts of our life. Whether it is for a class, entertainment, or information, the internet is the technology that makes our lives easier. He compares technology to a clock, because the gears all work together so well. When the gears move and grind together, our lives are going on while using the internet. I found it interesting that he said “we like to be interrupted.” If I am on Facebook and someone chats me, it is an interruption to what I was previously doing, however I don’t mind it because it shows that someone wants to talk to me. Whether I am doing homework or not, I am usually always on Facebook which is very easily distracting. When Carr talked about the guys that checked their email 30-40 times a day, I was shocked at first. After a while I realized that many people probably check their email that often. If I am waiting for a teacher to post a grade, I check BlackBoard and my email quite often. Technology is very distracting, just as Carr says, because it is so overwhelming and there are so many things to do on there. When you forget the reason you got up, your short term memory isn’t working as well. When you are on the internet 40 times a day, there is no way you can obtain all the information and recall it when you need to the information.

Artifact 2

William Powers' book Hamlet′s Blackberry: A Practical Philosophy for Building a Good Life in the Digital Age starts by explaining how people are constantly on their phones without even realizing it. He was inspired to turn off his phone because of the people around him that didn't have phones. I have never realized how often I check my phone even if I didn't hear it ring. I rely on my phone for communication usually through texting, but occasionally phone calls. Powers began by studying paper which is interesting because his book is about the new technology that has replaced paper. He states that paper is "eternal" because it will always be used, just not as often as it used too. So many people are connected with their cell phones, sometimes they take advantage of the privilege it is to own a great piece of communication.  He uses some of Shakespeare’s language which is why he cites Hamlet in the title because it was recorded on paper.  In his search for answers Powers’ searched through history to read material from other philosophers and thinkers during times throughout history when great technological change occurred.  This includes among others Emerson, Thoreau, and Socrates and he searches for references to the changing connectedness.  I thought it was very interesting to think about how philosophers from as far as two thousand to two hundred years ago were discussing how a greater sense of connectedness from the world was changing the way they lived.  The most substantial example for me was the post office example that Thoreau mentioned people’s reliance on going to the post office to hear from their correspondents constantly.

 These days, when people receive letters in the mail, it is more meaningful than receiving a text. Letters take time to write out and it feels as if the person took time out of their day to write you.   There is also a sense of more permanence when you receive a letter, as opposed to a text, which will get deleted once your inbox is full. Sometimes people are not able to use the phone so letters are a good alternative. I have a friend that is at boot camp right now and I received a letter in the mail the other day. It was one of the best feelings ever to hear from him again after over a month of no communication at all whatsoever.  I will not be able to see him for 6 months so letters are the only form of communication between the two of us. Even though people use phones as their main form of communication, it is not always possible.  Another advantage of paper records is they are useful for recording history and although electronic data can be used to do this as well, it’s hard to know how sustainable these records will be as opposed to written paper records.  Overall I found it very interesting to think about how technology has changed the interconnectedness of our communication with one another over time.  This does not just apply to the cell phones and other modern gadgets, but written alphabets, printing presses, and the internet have al radically changed the era that they were invented in.

Artifact 1

http://mashable.com/2011/01/04/internet-surpasses-television-as-main-news-source-for-young-adults-study/

I am not shocked at all to find out that the internet is the main source for news for adults ages 18-29.  Although I did find the numbers to be a bit shockingly high, because the amount of people that use the internet has doubled since 2007.  If I ever need to find out current information then I go to the internet. I occasionally watch the news for school closings or if I have extra time in the morning, but it is not my main source for information.  Not only is the internet a more frequently used place for news than radio, television, and newspapers, but all of this is available on the internet itself.  Television shows that you miss live are available on the internet and I frequently watch shows there myself.   Many people have also started to listen to radio programs on the internet when they are at work and using their computers.  Along the same lines you can use the internet to read newspapers and this is often a free service, which makes it more convenient than having a hard copy of the paper.  The fact that the internet provides each of these other three forms of media readily on the internet it’s easy to see how they are quickly coming obsolete.  The internet provides all of them in one easy and opportune place.  The internet also has its own forms of media, such as videos and podcasts, which can provide news and entertainment that you can’t find in other places or forms of media.

CMC Unit 3 & 4

     In unit three I learned about invisible technology, which is something I had never thought about.  A modern example of this idea is Facebook, we often log in unconsciously, it has become such a part of the fabric of our lives that we log on constantly without even noticing or thinking about why we are doing it.  I was surprised to discover some of the myths that people have with technology.  People at one time were genuinely concerned about disintegrating in a car that was moving too fast or going deaf when using the phone too much, its incredible to imagine living in a world like that.  I was interested to find out that technological determinism is the idea that technology is the major player of historical influence in the world.  In other words technology is the sole factor in what changes changes the world as opposed to social constructivism, which implies that the way people use the specific technologies is what makes the world change.  Social realism helps us understand the relationship between technology, culture, and social interaction.
     In unit four I learned that CMC is seen as a form of bad communication by some people, because the quality of communication is reduced and it also effects peoples ability to communicate face to face.  Basically what I learned from this chapter is that the major critics of CMC are worried about the deterioration of our face to face communication skills.