Hey Bloggers! This week, I watched some really freaky technological advancements via ted talks. The videos I watched were Pattie Maes demonstrating the "sixth sense" and the inventor, Pranav Mistry discussing the potential of the technology. I felt as if I was watching Minority Report again, except for this was reality, and it has finally come the time where technology is literally running our lives. I find this to be very frightening, as I try to avoid my phone as much as possible, don't have cable, and hate Facebook, its pretty safe to say I have been fearing this emergent communication technology for years. It astonishes me each and every day when I watch students hide their faces when passing others, do everything in their power to look downward (usually at their phones) and implementing such a device into everyday life would only allow people to immerse themselves deeper into the information age. I find it a bit unsettling that this technology has taken so long to come out, as it was discovered in 2009 and here it is 2012 and for a $350 product, you would assume the trend would have come and gone by now. However, when I began browsing for reasoning as to why the emerging communication technology was taking so much time, I stumbled upon this website, Stuck Between Invention and Implementation. This describes, in detail, some excuses Pranav Mistry states as to why the process is moving so slowly.
All in all, I think this is taking us out of the physical world, as it is allowing us to isolate ourselves, with the assistance of our technological advancements, to become a individualized self-serving society which exists with minimal human interaction. Regardless of whether you enjoy the idea of the technology or not, It seems as though this could be a gateway to further technological advancements the world does not need. Interpersonal communication is vital for each and everyday life, with the use of the sixth sense, i feel that we will lose site of the physical world and communication, in its realistic sense, and what it used to be.This blog criticizes the Sixth Sense, Click here to Visit the site.
For more information on "the Sixth Sense" and the demonstration by Pattie Maes herself, click on the links below. Thanks again for following me :-)
In comm. 350 right now, we are discussing some of the different website builders such as Wix or Weebly.Personally, I have used Weebly in Michael Karlberg’s media literacy class last quarter where my team members and I, found it fairly user friendly. However, this quarter I had a bit of a different experience.
Firstly, when Jason Lind assigned our group websites, we played around with both website builders. Personally, I toyed around with Wix, and I am still kicking myself for not using this. Wix offers a lot of templates with a very diverse set of options to choose from. I felt that I could do several features in Wix which simply did not exist within the Weebly world. This includes, uploading an html or a table, moving pictures with text, moving images, and many more formatting complications.
My group used Weebly, and definitely learned the hard way that Wix would have been a better decision. I hope that through sharing this information on my blog, the followers will learn from this experience and avoid the tedious process of using weebly.
These templates were found at Moonfruit.com, this website seems awesome and a lot like Wix with these templates.
I really appreciate how moonfruit.com included a blank page, with few functions which you could edit and format yourself. I feel that this website would be a very good web builder for future experience.
Moonfruit template example
My final thoughts on using web builders and this emergent communication technology overall is that web builders offer a new context for communication but also require a level of knowledge regarding websites overall which complicate their overall goal. I feel that if you are a beginner, you are fairly limited with what web designers to use. However, there are sites such as moonfruit and wix which break it down for you and allow you to utilize their templates and make the overall process of creating a webpage much more user friendly.
Bloggers, I highly advise you to play around with these sites before diving into a specific web design. They each offer different tools and formatting options which need to be considered prior to making the web design so be sure to use carefully.
Good luck bloggers let me know what you find and how these web builders either work or don’t work for you. Thanks again for following me. Til next week bloggers!
Embedded to the left is a video intro to Webbuilders, this is also a great website it allows you to do more than edit a template. You can create your own website from scratch, domain name and all. It also allows you to import music and videos for free. Check it out! Learn more at:Webbuilders.com
A Moonfruit YouTube video is attached to the left. Moonfruit is a web builder which includes several contemporary features of web design. The video outlines Moonfruits' features including many great templates. The site is user friendly and the video is a great introduction to Moonfruit web design. Trust me, its well worth your while to watch this video. Learn more at Moonfruit.com
Social Media and Social Change, terms that have become somewhat intertwined in contemporary society. Particularly, among generation’s X and Y as they are seemingly repeating the civil rights movements of the 1960’s, demanding social change despite the sacrifice. Gladwell (2010) describes the 60’s civil movement where college students joined together and protested despite their lack of social media. Following this, Gladwell describes how the Mississippi Freedom Summer Project of 1964, a civil rights movement which taught schools, registered black voters, and raised awareness in the south, demonstrated the harsh realities of challenging the status quo. Volunteers and students were beaten, killed, tortured, short, bombed, and much more, all while trying to make a change for the better.
This really got me thinking about Cairo, Egypt when Mubarak imposed a media blackout during the social media revolution. This is an instance which has completely changed the face of social media and social change for me as it took a very dark turn. The citizens of Cairo demanded a change. They wanted to be free, and have the same entities which you and I do as citizens of the United States of America. Through the use of social media, activists were able to get strong support for the cause. It wasn’t until the media blackout was enforced, that things began to go to a whole new level. The activists got lost fighting a war against Mubarak, and wound up fighting for civil rights against their own people. Mubarak taking away their ability to communicate with others really changed the face of social change and the extent to which the people of Egypt would go to achieve the civil rights they long for.
Moreover, as Gladwell said in the New Yorker article,” High-risk activism… is a strong time phenomenon” (2010). This term is explained by the author to include the notion of “critical friends” or, the more friends you had who were dedicated to the regime, the more likely you would be to join them in protesting (2010). This really worries me. Particularly, this is due to the fact that social revolutions such as Egypt, Syria, and Lybia have gained power through the use of social media. Hence, the “critical friends” which act as a catalyst in convincing people to join the cause for which they otherwise, wouldn’t have been empowered.
When social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace emerge, the impacts of “strong-ties” have the ability to make a much larger effect on the world (2010). This is where the economist blog comes into play as Gladwell does miss a main point in his article. The foundation of social media can cause a revolution; it can influence billions, and change the world. This is because these strong ties are strong when displayed within social media, not weak. This can be seen in the Middle East and Italy where several thousand individuals are walking the streets protesting each and every day. A social movement such as this wouldn’t be happening if it weren’t for social media allowing individuals to speak up and join together for a strong foundational front who isn’t afraid to stand up for what they believe in.
Now, don’t get me wrong here, social media can enact social change in several different ways. For instance, the recent protest at University of California Berkley is an example of how social media was used to influence the social change in a safe, and honest way for the betterment of society overall. This video ( displayed right) shows the way that the students peacefully protested, and through the use of social media, were able to share their experience with the world. Also, several police brutalities and beatings have been displayed via social media which have caused social awareness while attempting social change.
The video, The Social Media 2012, is a very interesting and insightful clip summarizing the way that social media has changed the world overall. I have embedded it here for you to easily view as its well worth your while.
The quote “What happens in Vegas, stays on Twitter” is a perfect example of how social media can change society overall, whether we intend to or not. The effect of this can be good or bad for society overall. However, I believe that it has the power to enact positive social changes throughout the world while bridging cultures together.
The YouTube video also stated that there are 60 million Facebook updates, per day. This is a huge change for communication overall, changing the way we socialize with one another and interact on a daily basis.
Social media is emerging to include an environment where we no longer look for products we need, but rather, they will find us.Welcome to the world of Socialnomics, where social media can enact social change at the click of a button. What will you do with it?
