To receive full credit, this blog assignment must be posted by Monday night, February 1st at midnight. If you post late, please email me your post directly at sdebross@uvm.edu as soon as you are able, and I'll give you partial credit.
Please read Clive Thompson's September 5, 2008 New York Times article "Brave New World of Digital Intimacy," and then, at this thread below, answer the following questions:1. IYOW, identify the thesis of Thompson's article, in one sentence.
2. What does Thompson mean by the phrase "ambient awareness?" Explain, and provide 1 example from your own life.
3. Describe TWO observations Thompson makes with which you agree, and TWO observations Thompson makes with which you disagree. Be clear and specific.
1.Thompson believes that social media eliminates privacy by creating an online version of one’s self whose actions are visible to all.
ReplyDelete2. Ambient awareness is passive socialization. You know things about people just by seeing their updates, not by interaction with them. A form of ambient awareness is my interest in some professional athletes; my desire to understand them, perhaps thus to become more able to close the achievement gap between them and myself. I feel like I somewhat know them through their autobiographies or articles about them, but we have never met.
3.I agree that social media allows the creation of broad, though weak social ties. I also believe that social media has taken a large step towards erasing privacy. I disagree that people who use social media “know thyself”, rather I feel that they “know thy online self”, creating a restricted, monitored image of themselves online. I also doubt regular use of social media makes people happier. News feed discourages me from using Facebook just because Im tempted to read it and then become depressed with wasting my time reading about essentially nothing of value.
1. Due to the constant update from the lives of everyone everywhere, privacy is gone and the option to remain private is no longer an option.
ReplyDelete2. Ambient awareness is like knowing everything about someone without actually meeting them. It is knowing someone by reading their constant status updates and feeling like you really know them and are with them constantly. An example from my life is when I’m on Facebook and see pictures from a party that I didn’t go to and feeling like I went to it and like I know everyone and everything that happened at that party.
3. He makes a distinction between generations by saying that for people over 30, “describing your blow-by-blow activities in such detail is absurd.” I disagree with this because I happen to know a great many people over 30 who participate in Twitter and Facebook. I think that Twitter has branched out of the generation of 20 year olds. For example my Great Aunt who is almost 75 has both a Facebook and a Twitter. He also makes the point that having more “weak social ties” can help you solve problems. He says that your close friends would not provide any new leads to finding a new job but that weak ties would. I do not agree. I believe that my friends could definitely provide new insight and helpful advice for any situation. I do not need acquaintances just for problem solving; I have a little more faith in my friends than that.
He does, however, make a good point about what it would be like to disengage from the online life. If you choose not to participate in the online adventure, people will still post unwanted pictures and talk about you. It is not as simple as just dropping out of the social loop - people will always make assumptions about you using what the find on the internet. Another good point is that even if all your friends are acquaintances you still “feel less alone.” Having an online source of ambient awareness does somehow make you feel less alone. Even if you spend the whole day by yourself, going on Facebook can make you feel like you’ve been with people all day.
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ReplyDelete#1 Thompson questions whether personal feeds like, Facebook and Twitter are destructive in their invasion of privacy, or if they are in fact making people more emotionally connected.
ReplyDelete#2 The term "ambient awareness," describes the constant conscious and unconscious flow of information. In particular the flow of social information, like tiny little summaries of life. my ambient awareness would be the voyeuristic way that I look through old friends Facebook pages. Allowing their pictures to fill in the gaps between my life and their lives.
#3 Where I agree with Thompson is in his observation that there is a lack of mental demand that goes with these short blips about oneself verses the long e-mail. It is so much easier to send a single line saying, "Thinking of you,"or posting daily updates than blasting off an entire e-mail. Also,I can identify with the increase of people who are just acquaintances becoming more intimately involved in your life. I met some young guys while in the Dominican Republic that are now my friends on-line and even though we don't speak the same language we are able to maintain contact.If it was just a telephone, and e-mail world then this contact may have been lost.
The parts where I disagree with Thompson are when he states that reading people's updates on a day to day basis can negatively impact ones emotions. For me, and my immediate circle of friends I don't know a one of them that has ever been that emotionally invested in facebook. However, I am a generation X'er and maybe for people of the later generations this isn't the case. Now another thing I more find creepy than disagree with is the who virtual admirer thing. When someone is following your day to day accounts and looking through your pictures I find that as unappealing as a stalker. Personal space is very important too me and the thought that someone is following my life, even if it is only through cyber waves, I find to be scary.
1. Online networking has created a new world in which people change how friends and relationships work, while privacy and lack of intimacy has become an issue.
ReplyDelete2. Thompson is describing ambient awareness as being a source of news and information that is always there in space updating people all the time. It is as if there is another world of ambiguous information that people might digest or disregard. It is always there though, in the background, like a scroll on television news or music in an airport. Twitter fits Thompson’s definition perfectly here because the updates are so short and sometimes meaningless, hundreds of these tweets everyday create a background of updates that people feed on. I used to follow lots of people or magazines and newspapers on twitter, and there was this constant drone of messages I would go through. It did connect me to these people in a way but it felt unnatural or a waste of time.
3. I agree with Thompson in that the constant feeds, an in particular the one on Facebook changes the web dramatically. The news feed for blogs, Myspace and facebook opens people’s privacy and changes how we surf the web. Facebook is particularly creepy because certain friends and pictures show up on the feed before you have a chance to personalize it. I would agree with the narcissism Twitter and blogging creates as well. A random teenager might feel empowered in a false way just because they share details of their life or explain “what is on their mind...” as Twitter suggests.
I disagree with the issue that people’s relationships are spread too thin. I think it is cool Facebook and Flikr can make all these connections. Sure it is impossible to know 800 people well but I think that goes with the new web ambience, people have friends everywhere and one can ask for help, information, or a place to stay from a variety of sources. I also disagree with the idea that people cannot keep good friendships or true loving relationships because they are spread so thin online.
1. Personal privacy has diminished through the constant and convenience use of the internet and social network wesites such as Twitter and Facebook.
ReplyDelete2. Ambient awareness is a sense of closeness through online and/or other technological contact. This sense of awareness has progressed through the use of social networks via the internet and text messages on cell phones. It creates a feeling of closeness and knowing another person without actually having made contact or personal converstation. An example of this is the networking I do on facebook. I have actually lacked in making phonecalls to close friends. I now rely on facebook for quick hello's. I am able to see what they are up to for the day without actually calling them. I have also planned events and party's using facebook as a way to invite people instead of sending out personal invitations or making a phone call.
3. I agree with Thompson on the fact that social networking broadens our horizons for job opportunity. Through networks such as Twitter, it is possible to gain access and insight about employment opportunities. I also agree that social networking has created a false emotional attachment to people. You may know what someone is doing, but it is impossible to actually get to know someone through blogs and short posts.
I do disagree with the fact the personal information is constantly being invaded. I have a facebook page in which I post pictures and have other people tag me in pictures and while I like reading peoples posts I don't post anything about myself unless I am traveling somewhere for a long period of time. I have never felt like my privacy has been invaded and unlike Andrea Anhan I also don't feel that I have to constantly keep up to keep my life private. If you are willing to put up a facebook page then you should be willing to share a little bit about your life.
I also find it a bit frightening that people think that Twitter can solve their everyday problems. Its crazy that people are so involved with Twitter that they are constanty checking it and giving responses. I dont Twitter, never have, and I don't plan on it. I guess I just don't understand the concept. To me they are the exact same thing as text messaging and I really cannot understand why someone would want to follow people through Twitter that they do not even know
1. Social networking has changed the way people communicate directly, and now allows people to know everything about everyone without even having to talk and have direct relationships.
ReplyDelete2. Ambient awareness is knowing things about a person or something without even having to know them directly or talk to them directly. An example in my life is my twitter account. At first I was very hesitant about starting one, but soon enough I found myself making one and checking it regularly. I only “follow” about 5 people I actually know, and the rest are celebrities, pro snowboarders, musicians, and stores. I use twitter to keep me updated on how people are doing, special updates, and secret events. Even though I am still ashamed of my twitter account, I am sometimes glad I caved in and made it. Through twitter I have found out about meet and greets with musicians that I listen to and secret concerts. Those few events are the only real ways twitter has directly benefitted me, otherwise it is just your everyday stalking tool.
3. I agree with the questioning of the “relationships” we have via facebook, and how we have hundreds of friends, and what kind of friends they are. I currently have 609 friends on facebook, and I have no idea of what more than 80% of them are doing with their lives. I have found myself “de-friending” people because I don’t know them, or haven’t talked to them in years. I don’t feel bad doing this, because I don’t feel the need to be “friends” with someone that I haven’t talked to since 7th grade history class. I also agree that “The information we subscribe to on a feed is not the same as in a deep social relationship,”. Since I have had my facebook, every year on my birthday I get “happy birthdays” from people that I haven’t spoken to in years. Quite honestly, I don’t really appreciate those wishes or care for them. It is a nice gesture, but I know that most of the people didn’t know it was my birthday, and they only knew because of facebook.
I disagree with “I can solve any problem on Twitter in six minutes.”. To me this is a bit ridiculous and unrealistic. The internet, especially social networking sites shouldn’t be the problem solver to everyday situations. If you are that dependant on things such as Twitter, you might have a serious problem. I also disagree that the growth of weak ties can be a good thing. I mean it is good to have connections out there in the world, but I don’t think that social networking websites are the best way of communication to reach out to someone for help. A more personal way such as a phone call or email would be more appropriate in my eyes. I feel that facebook and twitter have simply taken out the personal connection we can have with people, and instead now we rely on these websites to communicate and find out information about people.
1. Social networking sites, such as Facebook, and Twitter, are simultaneously altering the way in which many people think about privacy and their relationships with others.
ReplyDelete2. Ambient awareness is a phenomenon where people feel as though they know and are connected with someone that they may not have seen in years through online networking sites. They may not have seen or talked to this person in years but when they do meet face to face, they can just pick up where they left off on Facebook. Ambient awareness is this sense of being able to know all about another person and their life even you may not be actively engaged with them. Two people can be passively close through the use of sites such as Facebook and Twitter. I have found myself doing the same thing with friends from High School. Instead of calling them on the phone, I can just post a comment on their Facebook page asking them how life is and how their classes are going. It’s good because our schedules are so different and it can be difficult to catch them at a good time when you both talk on the phone. But at the same time, you don’t get to hear their voice or them laughing, so its not as though we are completely connected. There is still that element of person to person that is missing.
3. I agree that these social networking sites have made previously close relationships “immeasurably richer”, as Thompson says, but it doesn’t increase the actual number of relationships that could be considered close, or deep. I have maintained close relationships with people that I was previously close with before life on Facebook. But, I can’t say that I have actually developed any deep relationships via sites like Facebook. I also agree that the “…profusion of weak-ties can be a problem.” The immense amount of weak-ties people seem to be accumulating may potentially have the effect of taking up some of the time reserved for real-life, deep relationships. I have a friend who constantly needs to check Twitter to see what other people are doing at every moment of their lives. She checks it while out to eat with friends, or hanging out with friends. It becomes annoying because it feels as though she is disinterested with the people she is with, and more interested with the people she is not with.
I disagree that social networking sites such as Facebook increase a person’s social circles. Although, I guess it depends on your definition of what a friend is. In my opinion, just because someone has a lot of so called ‘friends’ on Facebook and they know about them because they read their comments on the news feed doesn’t mean they are actually engaged in a friend relationship. I feel that the word acquaintance is being confused with the term friend. In a way the term friend is being devalued through the types of relationships that form from following someone on say, Twitter. I somewhat disagree with the idea that sites such as Facebook and Twitter make people more philosophically aware of themselves and their feelings because it asks the question “What are you doing?” I know plenty of people who write things like, “Doing homework, then class, please text.” That to me does not sound like becoming more aware of one’s self. I suppose for some people this may very well be true, but last time I checked, “What are you doing: I love beer” was not answering any …”existentially frightening…” question.
1. Thompson argues that social networking sites are addictive and hard to avoid and keep weak bonds between many people, while at the same time the need to see people has become less important because the user is satisfied with the online updates of people he or she knows.
ReplyDelete2. The phrase “ambient awareness” means following a person’s life through stories of them, pictures, or rumors, without ever actually hearing it from the person.
I’ll often call one of my best friends from back home to hear what is going on at my old high school. If anything I just want to hear the gossip and how everyone is doing, however when I go back home and see these people I feel as though I know what has gone on in their lives even though I only have a brief idea. It makes transitioning back home easier because it will not feel as things have changed, because I already will have known.
3. I completely agree with what she says about weak bonds with other people. I have lots of friends that I would probably not keep in touch with if I didn’t have Facebook. I would not call these strong friends, but they were people I knew decently well in my life and it is nice to hear and see what their up to now and then. I feel if I didn’t have Facebook I would lose opportunities to see these people because I would not know when they were in my area, they wouldn’t be reminded of me on Facebook, and therefore they might potentially forget about me while lost in their world of other Facebook friends. I do not know quite what I think of this, but I feel there are good opportunities through once and a while remembering them and maybe giving them that call that might have been forgotten. It also helps me realize who my better friends are because when I go away for a while or don’t check Facebook, these people contact me anyway.
I also agree with how one gets to know more than they want at times. For example one begins to wonder about each other’s social lives through social networking because one can now see pictures of them or posts from their ex’s. How much information does one want to know and people gossip about what one puts on Facebook now, not about what one actually sees or hears from one’s actions.
I disagree with being connected constantly. I try to check my Facebook once a day, UVM email twice a day, and personal email twice a week. I believe that if it is truly urgent and that person who is trying to contact me cares about me, he or she will call me. I do not believe in keeping up with what everyone is doing every day, and I do not believe in posting what one is doing every minute. She makes it sound like everyone is doing this, however it is really only a small group of one’s friends that posts these comments and those people are always online.
I disagree with searching one’s profile and feeling as though the searcher knows about that person, even though he or she hasn’t seen the friend for two years. I do not understand how constantly viewing one’s profile can make up for not visiting him or her. I tend to use my Facebook as an email source, and not update my life every two seconds, therefore I believe my friends still want to see me and I still want to see them, compared to just seeing them online.
1. CLive Thompson is arguing that, while it may seem intimidating at first, massive attempts at social networking are becoming increasingly prevalent, and the positivity/negativity of it is yet to be truly determined.
ReplyDelete2. Ambient awareness is a technical term for picking up minor cues apart from direct communication. THis can include body language, sensing someone's mood, and in the age of the news feed, picking up information via social networking profiles.
I can't specifically think of any one example, because ambient awareness is such a critical part of our lives and interactions with others. The majority of our communications with others is conveyed through non-verbal signals such as body language.
3. I find that I agree with Thompson's analysis of the news feed's addictiveness. While a part of me really wants to not be sucked into the trivial bits of information regarding people I don't really even know, I end up looking at facebook as the first thing I do when I sign onto a computer.
I would also have to agree with Thompson's analysis of the Dunbar number, and the number of "true friends" one has, in relation to the number of "weak ties" that are strengthened by the use of online social networking sites. I would say that the vast majority of my facebook friends are people with whom i have practically no face-to-face contact or interaction. Yet I still like to be kept up to date in regards to what's going on with people I went to high school with, or even elementary school (people whom I haven't seen in over a decade).
I do have to disagree with Thompson's assessment that the proliferation of these weak ties is a good thing. While the benefits that he points out can indeed be beneficial, such as assistance with a job search, I feel that I would trust the judgement of those I am closer to over that of distant acquaintances. In addition, I feel like maintaining those weaker ties can take away from the strong ties taht have already been formed through face-to-face interaction.
I also disagree with the first paragraph of page 3 of the article, where Mizuko Ito talks about texting between lovers. In particular, the last sentence, "They also discovered that the little ping-ponging messages felt even more intimate than a phone call", strikes a nerve. For many years I refused to subscribe to texting because I felt it was way too impersonal (I still hold this view). I first signed up for texting last summer when I got a new phone, and, while it is convenient, I still prefer to have a conversation where I can at least pick up on vocal inflections and tone. I can't imagine people seeing texting as being more intimate, when it completely cuts out non-verbal communication cues.
1. Thompson states that social networking sites such as facebook and twitter have completely changed people's online habits, schedules, and general approach to becoming tech savvy.
ReplyDelete2. When Thompson uses the term "ambient awareness" he is talking about the ability to browse a large amount of twitters, pictures, or other information, and without reading each one intently to still be aware of the majority of what's going on. News feed on facebook is something you can scroll down and get the gist of things without reading each one very specifically. A good example of ambient awareness in my own life would be hearing or seeing the beginning of a TV commercial and automatically knowing what the rest of it will be about. I believe the producers of these commercials know about ambient awareness, and they are all competing for 24/7 brand name recognition.
3. I agree with Thompson on the case in which he questions whether having more and more online friends is a good thing or not. According to the anthropologist Robin Dunbar, a person can only keep close track of about 150 relationships with others at a time. But indeed, Facebook has created a world where having a thousand friends is commonplace. Do you really feel the need to be connected with a thousand people for the rest of your life? As more and more people discover and join Facebook, the number of friends will just keep increasing as well, until you will no longer need to leave your computer because there will be no one new in the world to meet. You will have already met them online! I also agree with Thompson's statement about how a profusion of weak ties can cause people to become emotionally shallow. He means that with being a part of so many people's lives on Facebook comes personal information like dating, what their emotions are, and any other aspects of their lives. It lessens the intensity of emotions that run hot or cold when you hear about these in real life. As Boyd writes, "They can observe you, but it's not the same as knowing you."
Some things I disagree with Thompson about include Facebook being a good tool to stay in contact with old friends for long periods of time. Sure, its great to find a friend on Facebook you haven't spoken to in a while, but in order to properly reconnect with people and have meaningful conversations, you should make an attempt to meet them in person. If Facebook is the only reason you stay connected with people you know you will never see again, does it really matter? I also disagree with the claim that social networking sites tend to teach people more about themselves and others. It's true that you can find out what kind of music and movies people are into, but besides basic information you could get by asking the person anyway, there really isn't much else. I went on my own Facebook profile to get some ideas for shallow comments and feeds, and I'm lucky I did, because the first thing I came across was an obscene picture posted by someone I don't talk to anymore. Who needs to stay in touch with people whom you don't talk to anymore and who also post pictures of their fecal matter in the porcelain goddess. Enough said.
1. Online social networking is a quickly growing and advancing pastime that constantly feeds a celebrity-addled generation news and intimate details about the people around them, which brings changes to social norms as well as a new level of connectedness that we as humans find intrinsically pleasurable.
ReplyDelete2. Facebook and twitter are really helpful in certain social aspects in that if one of hundreds of “friends” is having a certain event or not doing so well, you are instantly notified, and can rsvp or send condolences promptly with a click of your mouse. This awareness makes you feel like you have control and or security in your social life because it is well organized and straightforward. I know that it is almost impossible for me to remember anyone’s birthday, but when I check my news feed it automatically tells me, like a note to self that I never even had to write.
3. Agree:
1. I agree with the majority of ideas expressed in this article, and thought it was very provocative and engaging. The Dunbar number was particularly interesting; according to my personal facebook I have around 367 loose tie “friends”. I’d say its pretty accurate for the most part, but its hard to tell. Moreover, I agree completely that these inner circles are creating a new cyber class of relationships, and there I’ve seen countless attempts of people who know nothing about someone trying to create a relationship with them online, which is particularly desperate and depressing.
2. The second and most revolutionary idea that I agree with is that these websites are creating an cyber-village where people know everything about each other whether they like it or not, on both sides. It is especially true in urban environments, where online networking is very popular for social play.
Disagree:
1. I don’t think that a rapid growth of weak ties is a very good thing, and I am personally very selective with online “friending” because a lot of the stuff on my facebook page is relatively intimate. I also think it is meaningless, and if I don’t know someone well enough, I certainly don’t want them snooping through my entire timeline and my pictures, it’s just creepy.
2. I also don’t feel that these websites are identity constraining, because I have seen a lot of people undergo identity shifts and be unaffected by their online social life. Although that might be true with certain social circles, where that would be frowned upon which I would try avoid.
1. People will sacrifice their own privacy in order to know about other people's business, even if they don't know that person.
ReplyDelete2. "Ambient awareness" is knowing without really caring. When I think of ambient awareness in my own life, I think of my classmates who I don't personally know. I see them weekly, sometimes daily, and I superficially understand the state of their lives, whether good or bad, but I don't think it's my business to really care.
3. I agree with Thompson's observation that people think their lives are soap operas and they're the stars and other people actually care about every second of every day that they live, because we live in a society obsessed with celebrities. A girl I knew in elementary school constantly updated during the birth of her baby on facebook- I agree that I read all the posts, but only after the baby was born (hadn't checked facebook once in the entire time) and mainly because I was stunned. I agree that these sites are addicting, they are like car crashes- you can't look away. I have not observed my friends using facebook updates as jumping off points for real life conversations, and I don't feel that my social circle is larger now that I have facebook. My friends are the people I see regularly, or if we are living in different locations, the people whose facebook pages I would have bothered to check before news feed.
1. The growing circle of online acquaintances many people have can both detract from the intimacy of their relationships, while strengthening otherwise weak ones.
ReplyDelete2. Ambient Awareness is the not-quite-passive not-quite-active absorption of large amounts of information or cues that, on their own are useless. But when complied together the subtle or small bits of data benefit from the mathematical law of large numbers, meaning that patterns emerge and a greater understanding is gained through the large number of small observations.
3.
Agree with
-I think the assessment of the Dunbar number is very important in our lives. The forgetting of old acquaintances for new ones is an easily documented phenomena and it gives me a reason as to why I can't remember the name of that really short guy in my high school math class
-The idea of using Twitter as a huge advice board is something that I'd never thought of. What's more it has finally helped me to understand Twitter and why someone would want to be connected to so many, I see it can be a potent tool.
Disagree
-Andrea Ahan's situation with an ex-boyfriend is exactly why I don't like facebook. Even if the guy wasn't trying to mess with her, then that means that facebook has induced paranoid tendencies independently, a far more frightening prospect.
-I also disagree with the idea that a person can't walk away from the online world. I would argue that it wouldn't be a bad idea for us to all step back and ask, how many pictures of me with liquor bottles do I need posted online. I know several people who've deleted accounts and have never been happier. When you rely on it too much, when you think you can't walk away, that's when maybe you should.
1. Thompson writes that, while the constant connection of social networking sites can be convenient and habit-forming, it may also be inhibiting people’s privacy and effecting real-life, personal relationships in both positive and negative ways.
ReplyDelete2.Ambient Awareness describes the constant contact with others, via the internet and cell phones that allows us to pick up on the emotions of other people as if we were physically near them. A sort of ironic counter example from my own “cyber life” comes from one of my close friends. As her Facebook ‘status’, she wrote: “Don’t put your life in your status.” I thought this was a bold, and quite reasonable statement, because so many people update their Facebook constantly with what is going on in their lives. Honestly, not many people really care that you’re “going to a PaRtYYYyyy :P.” or “so excited for your broomball game.” etc.
3.Agree:
“Facebook and Twitter may have pushed things into overdrive, but the idea of using communication tools as a form of ‘co-presence’ has been around for a while.” (Thompson)
He says this in the context of a timeline when texting had already been invented and popularized. He also mentions as a specific example that couples will “ping-pong” text one another, which means that they will write back and forth rather than have a phone conversation, because it is easier to text from work, or when other people are around. I can definitely recognize this as a true observation.
“Merely looking at a stranger’s Twitter or Facebook feed isn’t interesting, because it seems like blather. Follow it for a day, though, and it begins to feel like a short story; follow it for a month, and it’s a novel.” (Thompson) I would have to agree, that Facebook status updates become more interesting over time, when following certain people, because the updates begin to relate to each other, or follow a pattern.
Disagree:
“And when they do socialize face to face, it feels oddly as if they’ve never actually been apart.” (Thompson)
I do not use Facebook as a means of socializing necessarily, but as a way to plan ahead, stay in touch, or network. I value the time spent in person with my friends much more than sitting alone at my computer popping them a message to invite them out or something. I have two best friends whom I only see in person a few times a year. It certainly feels amazing to see them face to face, and I can definitely tell that we’ve been apart.
“It is also possible, though, that this profusion of weak ties can become a problem. If you’re reading daily updates from hundreds of people about whom they’re dating and whether they’re happy, it might, some critics worry, spread your emotional energy too thin, leaving less for true intimate relationships” (Thompson)
I have to say that I both agree, and disagree. It must depend on the person, how much emotional energy they have, and how much self control they have to drag themselves back to reality if they’ve spent too much time in front of a screen. I have never personally felt like my emotions for loved ones have spread too thin, especially because of technology. Then again, I am most likely on the lower end of the spectrum for Facebook use, and I don’t use Twitter.
Thought this fit with the other e-waste shot from last week.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Pete
http://www.andrewmcconnell.com/ghana04.html
1. Social networking sites have changed the way we connect with both our closest friends and loose acquaintances. These sites have also changed the way we view privacy.
ReplyDelete2. The facebook and twitter updates we post every day allow for our distance friends to get a look into our lives and daily routine. Constant updates and information about friends and acquaintances makes us feel much more socially connected without any direct connection, a phenomenon known as “ambient awareness.” I find myself experiencing this with my close friends who are far away. While I only see them on breaks our constant communication, especially with a form such as skype, makes it seem as though we are still a big part of each others lives.
3. I liked that the article pointed out that social networking sites can be beneficial when looking for jobs, or other forms of help and information that may not be available within your closest circle of friends. These sites can also be very helpful when organizing an event, raising awareness about an issue, etc. By allowing us to easily contact a larger circle we can get and share information quickly.
He also says that the extreme amount of information from “weak ties” can “spread your emotional energy too thin, leaving less for true intimate relationships.” I feel that by constantly focusing on or receiving updates from distant acquaintances we are less able to focus on our own lives. It seems that people are often more concerned with what everyone else is doing than with living and doing things themselves.
I completely disagree with the idea that stopping to consider (and update) how you are doing every day can help a person to “know thyself.” In my experience (the majority of the time) those who are constantly updating their status are far less concerned with knowing themselves than with posting a status they believe will make them look “cool.”
Social networking sites are far from “identity constraining.” If anything i feel they allow people to experience others ideas, thoughts, style, etc. Tufekci makes that point that people cannot play with their identity because their audience is always checking on them. This point seems invalid since the audience in social networking is never fixed.
(1) The thesis of this article is that the nature of the human condition is one that requires a certain standard of social interaction, however the new terms in which we define our social connectedness has removed personal interaction and has created a climate of intense personal scrutiny in a privacy less forum.
ReplyDelete(2)Ambient awareness describes the social attitudes within the new technology of instant social connectedness. It basically identifies the emotional interactions with others based on a similar model of peer by peer social codes, and relies on the constant influx of personal expression through non-personal means to define ones social "circle," which in today's current climate could be called a social "black hole."The idea that one must adhere to the new media, or otherwise be left out of close multi-personal relationships, creates a system of pressure for acceptance and conformity, as well as a carelessness for ones own privacy even down to the most mundane day to day life experience.
I can relate, in that I once had a Facebook account, and I checked it once every 5 hours, and I cared very much at how my page looked, what my pictures might say about me, what people were discussing on large Facebook forums. But I came to a point, when I looked at my friends list, and realized only about 20 of the 500 were actually close with me, and the others were social media connections, Facebook started to make me feel alienated from reality. I felt that by creating a Facebook, and giving into that world, I was creating a somewhat false reality, and that I was furthering a standard of inconsequential experience and connections in my own reality, my own world.
(3) Thompson makes reference to the idea of privacy being a necessary tool in this new world of instant media, and I agree wholeheartedly. I think that in order for social media to exist and to expand properly, it must be regulated by its users, in terms of what one wishes to have broadcast and who they want to see it.
Thompson also made reference to the ideas of connections which are not close and that are merely internet acquaintances, can be used as incredibly powerful tools for self promotion and personal success. I believe that having the ability to connect oneself and use that connection to create a niche market or to further ones career can be very beneficial. However, it also is something I don't agree with fully, because within this social tool, there is a great deal of room for exploitation. As we read in "Feed" the nature of the machine, or the corporate world, is for greed, and I believe that we are not far from corporations creating fake users to pump promotions and commercials to the public.
Also I do not agree that the social media connects a person to thyself, and that only through personal interaction, and not screen to screen contact, can one grow socially. If you leave yourself only the friends you have on the internet, where would you be if it all went down. Alone.