Sociality in an Electronic Century

     Sociality today is far different from the way it was before the internet and the web. People used to communicate with one another in their communities, schools, and employments. Now people communicate and build relationships with people they've never actually met. They simply go on a website and create an account or join a site with different people. The whole idea of how we communicate and interact has changed. But has technology allowed this change in technology to be good or ill?

     However, I don't think the web and internet used to socialize and create communities with others not local but at a far away place is a bad thing. I think the danger lies in not being careful or conscious of your online or web exploits. Because this leads to the danger of being exploited and used online. This could be an ill of socializing online with people you've never met. But I think similarly to Rheingold when it comes to the dangers of online socialization "because what you know, as always, can make the critical difference between being exploited by your use of social media and enriching your life and community by your use of the same media" (210.) People change along with the world and technology, we all change. But not all of us utilize care when going online and socializing with people online, or in chat rooms, twitter, Facebook, Instagram, blogs, etc. It is up to the people engaging in this new type of social life and community online to be aware of what they are exposing to others in an era in which almost everything is accessible online. Meaning, it is great to explore and create connections with different kinds of people online that people could never or do not have the opportunity to meet in person. But the responsible socializer remembers that the same media being enjoyed is also capable of causing great harm if their not careful with their information.

     Conversely, even though people are now more than often creating new communities and making connections online. It does not mean they are not valuing their in-person communities or connections. But only expanding their reach of contact through the computer medium and the available communities which permit socialization. Hence, we as people should view this online based interaction positively because "with the help of the internet, people are able to maintain active contact with sizable social networks, even though many of the people in  those networks do not live nearby" (210.) Therefore, with the use of the internet people are capable of creating strands of connectivity with others. Allowing people to grow as individuals because it permits them to experience others influence and own experiences without having to be nearby. Including the fact that communicating with others online allows for the growth of social skills. People are not introverted and they can speak with others about things in which they have similar interests. This encourages online interaction  socialization. This is true because with the internet "people now find support, information, and a sense of belonging in a digital networks as well as physical communities" (209.) The internet gives people the chance and opportunity to socialize with other people who may like writing, drawing, photography, politics, business, and gaming. They may not find these same people in their physical communities. But they can create these types of online communities of socialization and communication online regarding their similar interests. The internet or web allows for this type of socialization. It does not mean that people won't interact with their physical environment.  It simply means that they have the opportunity to socialize in person online. They get to grow both by proximity and distance, and this is possible because of the internet and web.

     On another point, we discussed what our personal thoughts about what we want to learn from this course? I had to think about what I really want to take away from New Media Studies. I'm not going to lie. I really had no expectations when I first signed up for this course. I'm not too technology prone and I did not have a topic in mind during and for the conclusion of the course. If I have to think of something regarding this course. Personally, I've always been interested in the use of mass media on bilingual students and if it hinders or assists bilingual students in the learning and reinforcement of the English language. For example, if a bilingual student, Spanish/English is trying to understand a concept better. If an interaction with mass media, maybe mass collaboration with a group of peers and others would assist in the transmission of knowledge and learning or if it would lead to distraction and a failure in communication. Or if the bilingual student engages in a website that houses people of similar interests in writing and if that interaction allows them to engage more with the English language and results in a strengthening of the bilingual students writing and reading comprehension. Well, that covers some of my thoughts about what I would like to discuss regarding the impact of mass media on a group of students whose first language is not English and their learning processes.
    

Omar Martinez on Web Literacy

Really, I have to say, I'm impressed. I had no idea of the complexity of web literacy. Especially, the importance of web literacy on the youth. Don't get me wrong, I understand that the youth is bombarded by technology on a daily basis. And I, like many other people, think of it as something that just happens with the changing of the times. But the good things that come with the explosion of technology and its use in our daily lives also downplays the dangers of the web and repercussions of its use.

For example, after going through the activities on the site. I found the activities on "privacy" on the web. I knew there were cookies that tracked where you've been on the web and what you've done. But I did not realize how much information was gathered about me and my searches on the web just by the use of cookies. And through the activity I found that there is not just one type of cookie but there are so many different types of cookies which do so many things and utilize my data or information in various ways.

Not to mention, these cookies keep a record of my information and send it to companies to tell them what I supposedly like, dislike, want, and look for through a reading of the data from my use of the web. Had I known my information was being utilized to such an extent I would have thought twice before checking my personal banking information and using my credit cards to make purchases on the web. Personally, I had no idea the impact of the web on the privacy we or I should say I hold dearly.

Furthermore, having a two year old nephew who is constantly on my cell phone and on his IPad. I can see the use for such activities to be used in schools and by educators to inform children of the dangers of the web. Making these children, including my nephew literate about the web and its implications is the first step to him and others being safer and more intelligent about what they put on the web and how they use the web. Because it is important to learn that the web is a source from which a plethora of information can be derived and utilized. But to understand how they can protect and maintain their privacy and not become victims of big business and scams. Because just as easily as we can get information from the web it can collect information from us.

And Mozilla's web literacy site develops activities such as the privacy activity among others which help make people literate about the web. In this electronic age, literacy of our resources, especially one as great and perilous as the web is a definite, whether inside or outside of the classroom. It is our responsibility to educate ourselves and the youth. And Mozilla's web literacy allows us to do just without having to be educators but individuals that care about the online identity of our family members, for me, my nephew.   

Omar Martinez Blog #2/Mass Collaboration

     Personally, I found Rheingold's idea of "mass collaboration" to be interesting and true. We as people tend to do a lot more together and to accomplish things by cooperating than we are able to do alone. If we focus on a certain topic, communicate, collaborate, and coordinate as a group, we are able to process  much more. Especially, because we live in the digital age. The use of technology allows people not only to cooperate but to do so without having to be right next to each other or even in the same place or country. We can utilize the online community(s) to expand our knowledge, understanding, build new ideas, and expand on ideas or problems which are currently hard to solve.

     Additionally, because we can use mass collaboration and "have gained access to digital tools that enable us to share what we know and aggregate small contributions into large knowledge repositories, a new level of collective intelligence is possible" (Levy et al 160.) Hence, Levy adds that since we have the world wide web, and places such as twitter, wiki, blogs, and online communities within the web. We are able unlike before to give small tidbits of our own knowledge to large pools of people or spaces on the world wide web. Within these spaces, people other than ourselves are able to make their own contributions. Thus adding so much more information and creating a source of intelligence which would not have been possible without the cooperation, and collaboration between numerous amounts of people through the medium of their computers and the world wide web.

 

     Furthermore, this idea of mass collaboration and a collective intelligence not only allows access to greater sources of knowledge. But allows people to construct a sense of trust among one another and others. For mass collaboration to succeed, it is important for people to "know who to trust and not to trust" (Dunbar et al 149.) We have to build trust in order to have successful cooperation and to build the collective intelligence. If we as people do not trust or confide in those with who we wish to build knowledge. Then no constructive communication, collaboration, and organized development of information can be done.

 

     Thus, the idea of mass collaboration is an extremely important and useful one. Especially, if it occurs in this electronic day and age. With technology running rampant all over our lives and having the youth ingrained with technology since their little. For example, giving children an IPad and/or laptop. They are already learning to use technology but are working on making their own YouTube channels, twitter accounts, and blogs. Already they are building upon and working on mass collaboration. It relies on us to teach ourselves and the youth how to utilize cooperation, and collaboration to build upon their knowledge and add to the collective intelligence in a positive manner. But mass collaboration permits us to as a species grow and resolve issues that we could not have resolved alone.

 

 

Omar Martinez Mass Media Studies First Blog

     During last weeks class. We discussed the beginnings of mass media and how much it has grown from its original state to its current state. The change has been extreme and at an alarmingly fast-pace. Technology has grown from a tool to get work done faster and more efficiently to a tool which is utilized in multiple facets of society today.

     Not only is technology used for work today but has become widespread in the use of mass media. Today, children all the way to adults use mass media in their everyday lives and recognize little, if at all, the impact that mass media has had in their lives. For example, mass media has a way of stealing our attention and allowing us to dawdle in the digital world doing things that are less than productive.

     This outgrowth of mass media from its meager beginnings and its use by coders and software engineers has become a tool for the transmission of information at light speed for mixed images, sayings, games, sounds, and much more. Pulling us further and further away from the topics which should concern us and drive much of our attention to spending time checking social media sites such as Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Blogs.

     Not to mention, that mass media has allowed children or young adults to grow up technology driven and consumed by its use to keep in touch with friends, colleagues, and all kinds of social media that draws their attention further from the reality which concerns them. These kids and young adults have become so accustomed to having this mass media and technology at their side that they can barely function without it. They have even become convinced that they are versatile in many areas because they can do other things at the same time they use technology.

     But we discussed this such issue in class. These particular youths are not really being versatile, but going from one task to another or task-switching. They are simply placing their attention away from one thing onto another thing. They are not in reality doing two tasks simultaneously. But this is yet another example of how mass media has affected the youth of today. Mass media has made it more difficult for the youth to comprehend the fact that their attention is driven away from one task and lost in the cell phone, tablet, laptop, and or iPod.

     Furthermore, the expansion of mass media and technology has led to the creation of online identities. These media have given people the ability to utilize technology to hide themselves in the mass media world. People no longer have to identity themselves or present themselves as they really are in life. This frightens me because it has had terrible consequences, especially with the youth who are infused with technology and the use of mass media since childhood. Mass media has given the youth the ability to speak, and make assumptions about other youths on mass media without the fear of consequences; leading to cyberbullying. The bullying of children and or adults online by a person(s) with digital identities. What makes it worse is the fact that cyberbullying is difficult to prove and to identify the person and or persons doing the cyberbullying. And with the development and advancement of mass media it is being made harder to control.

     Therefore, yes, mass media has grown by bounds and leaps with time. But mass media has also created an advanced world in which people can be more efficient workers and productive members of a technological society as well as unproductive and dangerous members of said society. With the ever developing area of mass media come and have come great rewards but we have also attained risks. Only time will tell if the risks are worth the rewards.