Burkitt text

This conclusion to the book was very interesting to me. It really made things more clear in what it means to yourself with being a social person. It really showed me how your communication with others really reflects on what kind of person you are and will become. Social selves really opened my eyes to getting to know who I am as an individual. It really makes me want to work on my communication skills and the type of interactions i choose to engage myself in. I believe that the more that you know yourself and can be more comfortable with yourself that the happier you will end up being. At times throughout this book i was really confused and didnt understand some of the content but for the most part i really understand and can vibe with the ideologies within it. I really want to thank you Carol Perz for making this the course book and take the time to say i really have enjoyed your class all the way up to this point. You Rock!

Discourse of Attention

This article was a great article. It is interesting to hear the way TV makes us think differently, well have less of an attention span. I totally agree with that though because it is like hearing a book be read. There is a huge difference between listening to someone read you a book and actually reading a book by yourself. TV allows you to tune in and out when you want to while reading keeps you engaged at all times because without reading it there is no other way of recieving the message it is trying to put forth. I am starting to wonder if it is TV that has made it somewhat hard to focus when reading for the most part. It was interesting to me the part about how ADHD is often paired with the idea of people being stupid or something of it. I always wonder if i have ADHD because whenever i read i always get off on tangents so it takes me a little longer than usual to read something. Overall i really enjoyed this article.

WWW response

This article was a very intriguing one indeed. I really like learning a little history about this whole thing that has really shook up the way our society works in the past 40 years or so. The world wide web is really a very important part within our society just from me being able to post this blog to the whole backbone of this class. All of these new social medias wouldnt be able to exist without the World Wide Web. This article really had a lot of terminology that is used throughout the internet and helped to explain how this World Wide Web really functioned. It was interesting to think how it said "technologies that prevail dont have to be the best ones, they just have to be good enough." This just amazes me because who wouldve thought that the World Wide Web back when this was written wouldve became what it is today. The world wide web to me has changed the world significantly forever. I really enjoyed reading this article and it really made me look back and realize what i was actually typing this blog on.

Burkitt

 This chapter was very interesting to me. I found it very crazy thinking about how in the chapter it said "It is possible to sustain a close relationship with a family member or friend who lives half way around the world, and at the same time not know your next door neighbor." This statement is so true in today's society. With Facebook, email, text messaging, Twitter, and various other ways of communication visual and text, it is easy to have a relationship with someone in Europe if your living in the U.S. I also found it amazing the story of the man that went to pay his respects for Princess Diana. For him to admit that the death of Princess Diana was far more significant than his own mothers death. The matter of media saturation is definitely explained by this example. I can understand how this is true because of how many people obsess over public figure's Twitter posts and other followed activity by these figures. 

           I really vibe with the part about how we have kind of drifted away from the "late or high modernity" that we used to hold back in the day. Specifically with relationships, I can see how it says that now days couples stay together based on what they are getting out of the relationship weather it is emotional satisfaction or some sort of benefit otherwise. Relationships are no longer held together by the coming of children or because couples are married. Tradition is starting to change and if it isn't changing then it is becoming more and more irrelevant. This was really an interesting chapter that hit on many thought provoking points.

Virtual Death and Real Dilemma

           This article was very interesting indeed. I enjoyed it because it tricked me and i was truly shocked. The article is about how the internet gives people the power to lure people into giving there heartfelt feelings to support some sort of cause they believe in. The story about Kaycee Nicole Swenson really shocked me because there was so many people supporting her with the whole Leukemia bit. This just shows how you may have to do your research on things like this, or even other internet scams that may be out there. Although this was just a study im sure there are scams out there that use the same tactics in that they may be trying to get people to send their money thinking it is for a good cause and in the end get screwed.
           There is a part in the article that says "the internet has been characterized as a "identity laboratory". This just shows that people can easily use false identities on the internet to do different things. This factor about the internet is used in good ways and bad ways. Pedophiles easily use fake Facebook pages and request little girls and boys or vulnerable targets. The internet is starting to become somewhat of a safer place but still isn't the safest place to have a social life on, let alone making purchases online. Whenever I am using the internet I make sure that I know what I am on or what I am dealing with on the Web. Overall I really enjoyed this article.

End of Books

This article was another very interesting article. It really spoke upon the way we read upon our media developed throughout our history. It talked about writing all the way to current day internet or hypertext. Hypertext is like a page of links and articles that are about the same topic. The present day internet is very similar to Hypertext. I like how in the article it talked a little about multivocalism being popular on hypertext. It went through multiple types of things that are posted on hypertext also. The thought of hypertext being talked about so long ago really amazes me because its so ahead of its time. I think that books are dying out in todays society but i do know that a large part of the population still reads books. I know that I have read on one of those E-books on Kindle but i feel like books are more in the interests of older generations. This article was somewhat confusing on the points it was making but for the most part i pretty much understand it.

Media Exploration Project

The topic i chose for my Media Exploration research paper is going to be on Children and Media. I want to know a little more about what can come of the future generations when media and online technologies are becoming so reliant in today's society. I also want to know a little about what drives most children towards these medias. Especially online medias because it seems like children getting lower and lower in age are starting to get Facebook pages and twitter pages and what not. I just think that this topic would be interesting to know for myself let alone just researching it for my paper.

Technomedia

        This article about Technomedia was very different. Before i had started reading this article i had no clue what "Technomedia" was. They defined it for me as being how smooth communication through means of the internet on different technological devices. From what i read in this article that is what i had gotten to be the definition of Technomedia. The article talked a lil about how much technology means to us in todays society. We really rely on technology in today's world. From Medical Machines, to Functional technologies that regulate certain businesses and utilities that are necessary for living in this world.
        The article also talked about Television. Television has become one of the most common technologies that people possess. People can easily have access to a television just like that. I like the quote in there that McLuhan had stated "media were the "'Extensions of man"'. That was very interesting to me because it is very true. Media is another way for people to communicate and do virtually anything else humans were made to do. This article was very interesting to me and i enjoyed reading it.

Personal Dynamic Media

This article really jumped out to me at the beginning. I like how it told about Kay and Goldberg's story of the Dynabook. I just find it crazy to think that somebody could hit dead on the head with this idea that came almost 30 years later. These genius' were obviously way ahead of their time! The fact that Kay and Goldberg kind of predicted that the computer would even be used by children someday is fascinating also. Most would've thought then that the idea of this "Dynabook" would definitely be too much for children to be using. Now days everybody uses computers. Computers have almost become as common as television, the only thing being they can be very expensive. I also liked how Kay and Goldberg sort of mapped out a lot of other technologies like the Medical records. It talked about how hospitals could keep records on a computer that a doctor could easily access. This is cool because in every business now all records are held on a computer. Unless your an anti- technology type person and like to do things the old fashioned way then you are using some sort of computer technology. This article in all was a very interesting article that taught me a lot. It makes me think, never think the impossible is impossible.

Second Life

This article really poked out to me. I like that it was on the whole Second Life online world. I enjoyed reading about second life in the previous article Just Like ME only better. This article was about how gender roles are on this online cyber world of Second life. I like how it was from a women's perspective. They did a study on these two women that go into the Second Life world with a male avatar. This was because it was figured that the woman would be objectified and attacked sexually. Another thing they talked about in the article was gender stereotypes. It said that most of the men and women that were in the online world were "attractive". Meaning that most of the men were tall and muscular and all the women were sleek slender and had big boobs. I feel like that is how most people who choose to engage in this online world would make their avatar to look "perfect" or what society today would think is perfect. I enjoyed this article because of the way people really create fake people to have two lives. To me it is kind of crazy.

From Computer Power and Human Reason

This article was very interesting. I didn't feel like it was too hard to understand either. There were a lot of things within this article that somewhat amazed me. For instance, the conversation the computer had with the person. It wasn't really a normal conversation either, the computer was acting as a therapist. It was interesting to see that the computer was asking very relevant questions within the interview. Even though the man had to give the computer a script in order for ELIZA to be able to converse, i still find it amazing that it was doing what it did. The biggest part is how long ago this experiment was done. Technology has come so far and is more important then ever now days. I feel that we as humans are becoming more and more dependent upon technology and it might not be a positive. This was another thing that was brought up in the article. Without technology, especially in the medical field, there would be a lot more death and a lot more difficulty preventing it. I still believe that i liked the ELIZA part of this article but it was an overall good article.

The Technology and the Society

This article was very insightful to me. I appreciated a lot of the stuff that Williams was talking about and relating in this article. The article started off talking about a couple of psychological views on technology and society that were very interesting to me. It talked about Technological determinism and symptomatic determinism. These two viewpoints basically were talking about how technology affects society. From what i understood Technological determinism says that technology itself creates different new ways of life. So because of the coming of this new technology society is changed. While symptomatic determinism says that technology is a new tool that helps with this new way of life instead of creating it. It also talked about television. It talked about the history of television and what the invention of television sprouted from. It also talked about the many ways television is used by society. I enjoyed this article although i don't understand little parts of it still, it is very informational.

Just Like Me only Better

      The article Just Like Me only Better was a very intriguing piece. It really went in depth on explaining what avatar meant. It talked a lot about graphic online representation of self. It amazes me the types of programs that there are now days. Especially the whole Second Life thing. How people go into detail about how they want there avatar to look. The one thing it reminded me of was the movie Avatar. It never really clicked to me the title of that movie. How the man would go into that machine and then be able to control an avatar. I had always just thought Avatar was picked as the name of movie because those blue monsters are called avatars. I clearly had the wrong conception of it. I believe that a lot of people enjoy programs like Second Life because sometimes they have low self esteem and can't engage in face to face communication or they might feel low of themselves and aren't happy with their image as a person. It doesn't surprise me that people like to pay special attention to the way their avatar looks either. I really enjoyed this article and opened my eyes up to something new.

Community media

         This article really speaks out to different social groups. The article talks about Community media. Community media is any form of media that is created and controlled by a community, either a geographic community or a community of identity or interest. Community media is separate from commercial media, state run media, or public broadcasting. I think that it is something that is meant to change peoples thoughts or perceptions about different social groups or even minority groups. For instance when it gave the example about "Zoom Black Magic Radio" which was the only black- oriented station in Fresno, CA at the time. This community media station gave people of Fresno knowledge of black culture, from civil rights to the music. 
          The article mentions self- expression throughout it. I agree that without self- expression, people won't be able to have their thoughts and feelings about things heard by people. It is important for us as the people to get our points across to others in our nation. The reason is so that we can fulfill this vision of democracy. I agree with the statement that some believe media is undemocratic. I believe that not all media is undemocratic, but majority of it is undemocratic. The reason being is that I feel like a small number of elites like the article said is controlling what information is being fed to us. This article was interesting in that it talked about politics within media and social networks.

Uses and gratifications response

          This article was very interesting to me. The article Uses and Gratifications talked about why people use these Social network Services such as Myspace and Facebook. It gives a little background on how Myspace came about and what the original uses for the site were. It also gave background on how Facebook started and how it went from a Harvard.edu- only Social network, to a public social network that now has millions of network members. The article really analyzes why people use these social networks. It is said in research that college students spend about 100 minutes per day online. That to me was a very interesting observation because just looking at myself, I can say that I do spend about 100 minutes online. Thetry article also talks a lot about motivations for using these social networks. Entertainment was among the reasons repeatedly stated for using social networks. I believe entertainment is a big reason why people use networks like Facebook and Myspace. Speaking from personal experience, when I am bored I go on my Facebook just to look at my networks activity. Also social interaction was stated to be one of the motivational categories for SNS use. Many people i know go on Facebook just to talk to new girls. People like to reach out on there and make new friends.
           One thing i found very funny was seeing the study done on the 50 undergraduate students. The results brought about a few reasons why people use Social networks. One of the reasons was curiosity about others. This made me laugh because when i was in a relationship while being a user on Facebook a while back, I know that I was always on my girlfriends page trying to see what she was up to. Also just with other females that i have been interested in, i would go on their Facebook pages and see what they were all about and what they were up to. This article analyzed Facebook and Myspace very well. I feel like it did a good job of trying to answer the questions it was seeking.

Burkitt Chapter 2 Post

          Chapter two of Social Selves was all about dealing with our own self- identities. He states a lot about how our surroundings and self conscience shapes what our identities are. Burkitt talks about the pragmatist's view upon ourselves. He talks about how with pragmatism people are able to bend their worlds in the ways they want by doing what they feel is right in their minds. I like the way pragmatist approach things. I feel that we as individuals can control a lot of things in our lives if we applicate ourselves in the right ways to be set up for success.
          In this changing world there are more and more ways for people to create opportunities for themselves and shape their worlds. More ways for people to show people what they are about morally. Online social networks are just one of the growing ways for people to do this. People online can create their profile to look and promote what they want to be seen as. Creating and showing off their identities. I really enjoyed this chapter because Burkitt showed me a different way to look at myself.

The Medium IS the Message

           The article The Medium IS the Message by Marshall McLuhan is a very interesting article. It really makes you look at things in ways you wouldn't usually look at them. He has some very good points within his article that support the message he is trying to get across. One thing that I enjoyed about the article is the way McLuhan used Shakespeare's work to support his message. It seemed as if Shakespeare understood the idea that The Medium IS the Message. Especially in reading the part about how in Romeo and Juliet it states "But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It speaks, and yet says nothing". It shows how TV is just there sending the message of whatever is being shown. But really it is not real communication because it is just a box portraying things.
            This can also be said about the example of the lightbulb. The lightbulb is just a bulb and is the delivering factor with lighting. But in fact what the light bulb creates is many possibilities for people to do things under this light. It creates a sort of social medium in the end. This article was very thought provoking but at the same time, i caught myself not understanding some of it. Although the things within that i did understand really intrigued me.

Response To : Antecedents and Consequences of Online Social Networking

       The article Antecedents and Consequences of Online Social Networking was written by a man named Adam Acar. Adam Acar is a PhD candidate in the Department of Communication Sciences at The University of Connecticut. The purpose of this article is to examine the psychological aspects that go into online social networking. How personal and environmental factors affect individuals use of all of these online social networking services. Since there hasn't been any recent studies that have explained these unknown wonders, this is Adam Acar's goal to explain these things. He looked at the way that self- esteem, body image, and anxiety all affect use of online social networks. He also wanted to strengthen our understanding on how these online social networks came about and what they are becoming.
        I personally enjoyed this article because this is a topic that society now days is extensively involved in. It seems that everybody has a Facebook, Twitter, or now Instagram. I know for a fact that I myself engage in and enjoy using these social networking services very much. One study that really stood out to me was the study about the number of people an individual will send Christmas cards too in a real life social network compared to the number of people in the online social network. This study shows that there were a significant amount of people in the online social network then the real life social network. Anxiety plays a big role in this. Anxiety is less prevalent when using these online social networks. These online social networks are changing today's society. The way people communicate is changing every day and these online social networks have a big part in this change.

Introduction

Hello Professor and fellow classmates! My name is Keith Smith. I am a 2nd year going on to my 3rd summer here at SJSU. I will be a third year this coming fall. I play football for San Jose State. My position is Linebacker and I am number 31. I love the game I play and that is why it is at the top of the list of my interests. I have taken about 2 or 3 communications classes and am thinking about pursuing that as my major. I feel like if you know how to communicate or talk with someone then you can do anything you want or get anything you want. I chose this class because social networks are becoming more and more popular in today's society and it would be cool to study some of them.