Last Blog: Excuse the Ramble

                Every day social media shows us the potential power individuals have in shaping local and global communities.  Depending on the size of the splash, the ensuing ripple effect can lead to irreversible changes in the trajectory of our world’s social and technological evolution.  Online social media is so important to our culture that the mere possibility of its suspension is a catalyst for change.  Celebrities are coordinating social media “shutdowns” to raise money for causes like AIDS charities.  Obviously, it all depends on whether or not we have the right platform to broadcast our messages from.  But in a world where stars can simply shut off Facebook or Twitter to get people to care about things, obviously there is seemingly unlimited potential.  And since we all began participating using the internet, the tremendous exchange of information has provided the foundation for much advancement.  It is a proud trend which has become tradition before our own eyes.

But as we return each day to the global forum of communication, it is important for us to remember that the stimulation of our technological triumphs may distract us from knowing the true extent of our current progress and discovery.  We have found that the definitions of both are subjective, mirroring our society’s qualms and divisions.  Some feel we have driven too far too quickly, while others press the spur of change further.  The debate over ownership of information has been waged for years, with both sides digging in.  We have seen the benefits of socializing information, but we cannot disregard the powerful driving forces of financial incentives and intellectual property rights in allowing for such information to be created.  Ever increasing technology will, hopefully, bridge the gap between supply and demand.

The ever fragmented attention span of the media-savvy public reminds me of someone flipping through channels to find something they are entertained with.  The cause being championed by popular culture one day might be neglected or forgotten the next.  Likewise, the demands of “hip” society can dissuade us from pursuing our genuine interests, making us less individualistic.  This is not to say that increased attention on certain issues doesn’t usher forth both awareness and improvement, just that our culture has a fickle bearing on what is important.  We are after all human.  We tend to be followers, and the less we know about the grand scheme of things the more prone we are to doing so blindly.  The power of social media in organizing petty consumer trends is what drives the economy.  Capitalism depends on us to play the role of the follower.  It pays for the taxes, grants, pensions, and other economic necessities which fuel our society.  So we have a double edged sword, but with one step back we take two forward.  We are cultured and encouraged to conform but our uniqueness allows us to reap the advancements of innovation.  Therefore, we must know when to be obedient participants in social media and when to question the path on which we are being led.

Stop Watching for a Second and Make Something of It

           Recently I’ve been feeling like I’ve been getting more and more of a media reality check than normal.  I used to be shocked at how ridiculous online media can be, but now I’m just kind of over it and I want to stop sitting on the sideline.  I mean you have television shows like Tosh.O which expound the ludicrous nature of how people act over the internet, but is it still a sideshow or the entire circus?  In the documentary we watched in class about that early web-guru Josh (something), he predicts that soon we will be yearning for 15 minutes of fame EVERY DAY.  I think we’ve passed that point a while ago with all the Facebooking and Twittering and all that stuff.  I think that what is happening is a revolution of incentive to express oneself through technology.  It used to be about getting your name out there, and for many it still is.  But I think people are starting to put themselves out there just for the hell of it.  Come to think of it, maybe that’s how it always was.  Anyways, in this remix culture we live in, more and more people are throwing stuff in for the hell of it.  I think music is the ultimate example of human expression in this way.  Anyone who creates new music these days knows that inevitably, their work will undergo a metamorphosis, an evolution.  In this way, new fans will arrive because the music will have been altered to suit their tastes.  And the process will continue to snowball.  One track will be glossed over, dissected, broken, re-assembled, twisted, spun, merged and combusted.  This is just inescapable at this point, just like the documentary we watched in class, Rip!: A Remix Manifesto, outlines.  But are people stopping making music? No.  Are people stopping downloading music?  Of course not. 

            I recently went to a large rave in L.A. where about fifteen different DJs were playing sets in the same night.  Each set was about an hour to an hour and a half long with many different mixes and mashups of songs.  I would see one artist play another’s songs right before that second artist played the first artist’s songs, each with a different take and expression of the other’s music.  At first it seemed complicated, troublesome even.  Won’t they get mad at each other for stealing beats?  Of course they won’t.  Why?  Mutual respect.  They know that their track was good enough for others to use and that in itself is worth putting it out there.  Today we see this exact phenomenon happening with everything that is put out there.  The globalization of information via the internet and online social media has made everyone who wants to play the game a player.  Although some of us obviously have superior resources and levels of experience as others, this is the most equalized our society has ever been since the cavemen days.  This homogenization of information is an inescapable facet of the progression of history and more and more people are becoming active participants in writing it. 

My Media Diet

I’ll start the review of my media diet from last Monday.  I woke up Monday and did my usual web surfing.  I started by checking my email and facebook, which took about ten minutes, and then decided to pursue more worldly matters.  I usually check CNN, the Wall Street Journal web site and Fark.com to get my initial news of the day.  I use the Wall Street Journal to read up on mostly business and finance news.  Fark.com is an interesting web site which reports “odd” news stories from all over the English-speaking world.  It’s sometimes pretty entertaining to the weird read stuff that gets reported.  CNN has a video streaming application that just spews out video reports of current events, each lasting about two to three minutes and playing continuously after each other.  I usually leave that playing in the background while I’m making my bed or getting dressed.  If I hear something interesting I go to the computer and watch the video of the report.  I usually spend about an hour or so reading or listening to the news.  I follow this up by doing my homework and going to class for the rest of the day I’m inside.  I usually come home and either read a book or watch TV, on Mondays watch Monday Night Football for several hours.  I spent only about two to three hours a week actually reading novels recreationally.  I like reading science fiction books and non-fiction history novels.  I’m making very slow progress on two of those right now.  The rest of the time I read anything printed, it’s my school textbooks or homework articles. 

Tuesdays I have class earlier so I tend to wake up and just check my email for a little while before heading out to campus.  I get out of class earlier as well and so if I don’t start my homework right away, I usually either surf facebook or download music.  I listen to a lot of music and am constantly getting more, new stuff.  Sometimes I like to use iTunes to download free podcasts or occasionally purchase tracks.  I’d say I spend about four hours a week on facebook, although usually I just have it up passively in the background.  Otherwise I play Xbox live until I get frustrated, because I’m not that good at it.  If all else fails I just turn on the TV and switch between Comedy Central and whatever Family Guy re-run or action movie is on.  I like watching premium cable shows like Boardwalk Empire, Eastbound & Down, and Dexter, but I do so very intermittently.  Most of my devotion to television is purely situational.  If something is on at the right time and I am in the right place, I will watch it.  I don’t keep track of show schedules but I do spend probably about eight to ten hours a week with the TV on.  This last week I watched a good bit of the MLB post-season.  I watched the majority of the majority of games that were on during the week.

Wednesdays are very similar to Mondays because my class schedule is the same.  Since it is the middle of the week I am more prone to working on important things like finding a job and researching anything finance, my major.  I like reading a wide variety of business news sites in addition to tech blogs to try to get wind of the latest consumer trends.  I rarely actually read the newspaper or magazines, instead relying on the internet for all of my information.  After I finish class and dinner, I’ll watch baseball and surf the web for several hours.  I usually find myself watching the Daily Show or the Colbert Report because although I like staying caught up with current events, I hate actually watching the news on TV.  I always tune in to the new South Park episodes because I’m usually in the right place for that at 10 PM.  Afterwards the TV usually goes off and I go out for the rest of the night or it stays on in the background while I play games or surf recreationally until sleep. 

Thursdays are my busiest class days.  I don’t spend that much time on any type of media outside the classroom discussions and lectures until I get home from school.  Afterwards is pretty much a repeat of Tuesday night.

Come Friday I am ready to dive into my books and news one last time before the uncertainty of the weekend approaches.  I’ll check my email and facebook as well as the news in the morning and then plan out the rest of the day and night using facebook, text messaging or phone calls.  In the afternoon I run errands and try to eliminate as much busy work as possible before the night comes and I go chill with my friends.  Saturdays and Sundays are lazy media days, unless I have to research for papers or talk to people about the previous nights adventures.  They usually consist of pro and college football watching and perhaps some Xbox playing and music downloading.  I don’t usually spend a lot of time reading on weekends unless it was raining the entire time like last weekend.  I read about 50 pages in my history novel last weekend.  Sunday night is when all the new episodes of HBO and Showtime shows come out and so I spend a few hours watching them before bed.

I think my media diet says that I am interested in my surroundings.  I would bet that most people my age spend more time actually watching TV and less time reading the news online than I do.  That said, I would bet that I am on the lesser end of the reading spectrum when it comes to literature.  I spend a lot less time actively using facebook and TV as a medium of entertainment.  I am not quite sure where I fit in amongst our society, but I am less caught up on pop culture.  I think the internet society we have become serves to both distract and educate us.  It’s a fine balance between both competing for our interests.  The fact that I leave the TV blaring when I’m already on the internet is a testimony to this.  I would like to see myself spending less time watching TV and more time reading journal articles and novels, but alas I can’t escape the lure of passive entertainment.  As a college student I know that I am heavily influenced by those around me to take part in some of these trends.  I feel like we are at the cusp of the wave though.  Everything we do is being studied and marketed towards.  Our habits are both a reflection and forecast of the American dream. Satisfaction of knowledge and participation keeps my media diet the way it is.

Technology and Social Interaction (#3)

I think the affect technology has had on social interaction has been both negative and positive, yet the overall outcome of this transition is still unclear today.  Technology has become so rapidly accessible by the masses that comparing what life was like even ten years ago is hard.  The sheer amount of things one can do with the internet to solve problems, answer questions and meet the demands of the 21^st century work force is essential for anyone’s success today.  People will always find ways for technology to solve their problems, but aside from the internet’s ascent to an occupational necessity it’s changed the way people will interact forever.  Mass social media answers questions people have about each other instantly.  Waiting times are diminished and decisions can be made more quickly.  The mysteries behind faces solved, people can find what they are looking for with relative ease.  People are opened up and the ice is broken.  Groups are formed, relationships made, enemies identified, and change is directed and calculated.  The very basis of this change is social and there will always be people who resist this social convergence.

But, as more and more people put down their newspapers and get their news online, the more rapidly information travels and the more efficiently people can control their lives.  Or so they think.  Sure we can communicate and make plans more efficiently, but the penalty of staying out of the loop increases exponentially as time goes on.  As the tide of the digital divide swells and retracts with passing advancements and trends, more people are realizing they need better life preservers to stay afloat.  Coupled with the dramatic increases in technological participation has arrived a dynamic re-assessment of the rights the people share.  Capitalism will always favor those who have the best cards at the table.  The enormous educational and commercial prospects of social media were realized immediately after its conception.  That said, we who connect to this vast portal of information have become specimens of study.  This sample we belong to encompasses all of the desirable aspects of an adaptive, prosperous society ripe to be opened up and splayed out.  The cause for this?  Understanding how the puzzle fits together and what the next big piece will be. 

          If there’s one thing the internet and its ensuing social media have done for me, is put me in my place.  When I really take a step back and look at the big picture, it’s like I’m looking out at the ocean while aboard my little raft.  I feel like my immaterial digital surroundings drain out of my palm whenever I try to scoop them out.  The few drops that remain make up my digital reality and quench my thirst, for the time being.  Therefore, I am prone to de-valuing most of my surroundings.  So much out there doesn’t match my preferences or attract my interests and so I let it drip away.  In this search for real substance I am led down many petty pursuits and find my share of fool’s gold.  For all the information that passes through my conscience I accept and absorb very little with good taste.  My trust is undermined and the knowledge I do accumulate never truly satiates my thirst because I know it is somehow incomplete.  And so I live and learn and the cycle continues.  The real question in everyone’s mind is when and how will the cycle become easier? That is exactly what internet researchers hope to achieve.  They want to supply demand as efficiently and personally as possible by reading your mind.  One day my palms will overflow with the water I want to drink.

          Until that day, we all have to pay the toll to ride the ride.  I believe that much of scenery along the way will be rolled along with us.  The trends of social change brought on by the internet have travelled too far with us to be discarded so easily.  The relationships we make with others through technology have certain face values we might not be able to find in the “real world.”  Therefore when we do find things or people we want or need, be it online or offline, they are still important to us.  They become material.  In my opinion, the trend we all are undergoing towards technological fulfillment will become increasingly real to us.  I hope that we don’t start to take this convenience for granted.   We might have to rebuild some obstacles to retrain ourselves how to cope with the challenges technology can’t solve for us.   

My Experience with Social Networking (Response to #2)

I have watched social networking evolve throughout my lifetime.  At first the big rush was towards AOL and its instant messaging service.  Many of my friends and their families would communicate with each other through screen names.  Before I knew it, everyone was doing it and so naturally I had to also.  I went through half a dozen screen names over the years before blogs and LiveJournals started showing up.  I felt like only the really artsy or presumptuous kids made those, basically as monuments to themselves.  My involvement on that front was severely limited because I didn’t see the allure of sharing my life with others online.  At that point, that level of dedication to online social interaction was reserved for very few of my friends and acquaintances, it was still a new thing. 

It wasn’t until my second or third year of high school that MySpace became huge.  Before I knew it, it had become a necessity for anyone who wanted to stay in the loop.  News, events, gossip, conversations, and meeting new people all became accessible through MySpace.  It opened new doors to who you could talk to and reach out to.  In many ways, MySpace removed some of the social barriers of real world interaction because it was so simple to use.  You could share information with people you would normally not have the chance to do so with.  It became a way to inform others about yourself and thusly attract attention.  Through this trends grew and the ripples of popularity were felt.  MySpace was unique in the fact that it was fully customizable and one could make sure their page was unique from others’.  After another couple of years, MySpace became enormous.  Everyone and their dog had one and the novelty of the web site was, in my opinion, fading fast.  MySpace had come to include everything.  The sheer amount of advertisements flooding my message box and my profile page made it clear to me that MySpace had become naturally permeated with internet lust.  The “social network” that was MySpace was becoming too big for my taste, there weren’t enough regulations about who got in and could spread their crap everywhere.  I eventually stopped logging in because there was nothing new about the MySpace experience any longer.

It was then that I turned to Facebook.  By then I was an upperclassmen in high school.  Facebook had earned the reputation at my school for being exclusive because only a proportionately small number of kids used it instead of MySpace.  It was like the “New World” of social networking.  As soon as I joined Facebook I felt as though it was the more professional, less imaginative, and less individualistic version of MySpace.  Everyone’s page was the same format, albeit the efforts one could put into describing their “interests” and favorite music, etc…Pretty much the only difference between people’s Facebook pages was the number of wall posts and pictures.  I felt as though I conformed to using Facebook because by this time I was dependent upon some sort of online social network to keep in touch with my friends.  It wasn’t so much Facebook itself that hooked me, it was just the same services and features I had grown accustomed to through MySpace which demanded my membership.  Since I joined Facebook, I have gained hundreds of “friends”, made dozens of regretful wall posts, been tagged in way too many unflattering pictures, been invited to way too many events I don’t care about, but I wouldn’t trade any of that away because I can’t afford to be left out of the loop.  The benefits of such simplified and universal communication outweighed the negatives.  There’s no way for me to go forward without it, however I reached its limit of usefulness for me a while ago. 

Now, I would consider myself to be a Facebook hermit.  I’ve got all the friends I really want or need, and many I don’t.  I have little or no interest in catching up on people via picture or wall stalking.  Basically all I do is wish people happy birthday, occasionally comment on status updates and write links to YouTube videos on certain friends’ walls.  And that is really all I ever wanted to do.  I don’t worry about my privacy because I either don’t care what people think when they “stalk” me, or I know that like me, many of them don’t care either.  Sometimes I delete wall posts that are a little too revealing for the general Facebook audience though, mostly due to the fear of future employers getting a hold such things.  When I look back on this social network phenomenon, to me it is like a cycle of discovery, interest, adaptation and apathy.  I have reached my apathetic stage and even though I log on Facebook almost every day, it’s usually only for about five minutes at a time before I get bored and log off.  I would have to say that while this social network has become stagnant for me, it will probably not remain so for long.  Only time will tell when the next Facebook-like online social network will emerge and either further filter my online activities or funnel me along into the next big online trend which demands my and everyone else’s participation.  It is a metamorphosis of the link between social convergence and technological advancement, and it will drag us all along for better or worse.