Childhood Walk

Childhood walk to my best friend's house.  Thought using a camera and making the journey was more unique than using google street view.  Leave feed back on this Google Doc about what you thought!

Blog post is dedicated to my brother Baker and our 17 year friendship

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Citizenship/Identity

Monday February 24th, 2014 in class Alec Couros talked with the class about digital citizenship and digital identity.  These are two phrases I have been well aware of growing up in the era of technology.  When Facebook started to trend globally there was a definite shift in the online experience.  Using your name and pictures to identify who you were online to family, friends, and the world.  Having the freedom to post anything you want, wether it be pictures, statuses, or a video that people just “have to see!”  These are all things that seem harmless, but they are a big part of how you are portrayed online.  The other scary truth about Facebook is you can’t control what goes up about you all the time.  Friends and family have a role in your online identity too.

 
Thinking about how easily a picture can be taken out of context or a post can be perceived in the wrong way are concerning factors while on social media, but having to worry about what friends post about you is another stress.  Alec said Monday, “There is no long “Digital” Citizenship and “Digital” Identity.  There is just your citizenship and your identity.”  Thinking about the way technology has changed and will continue to change makes that statement completely accurate.  You can no longer in this time be immature on Facebook and Twitter, but expect it not to affect the way you’re perceived by others in the community.  Who you are online is now a bigger first impression then face to face communication.  Tweets, status updates, and pictures all play an important role on how you are perceived to society.   

Social media is a great place to connect with friends, family, and meet new people, but you do have to be aware of the way you are representing yourself on the internet.  Technology has opened new and exciting possibilities for us, but it has also created new problems in our society.  In the movie The Social Network Erica Albright says, “The internet is not written in pencil Mark, it’s written in ink” (The Social Network, 52:56).  That line has stuck with me and makes me think about the content that goes on the internet regarding myself.

Photo credit: The Internet is Forever: Tips for Managing Your Online Identity. Mochi: Empowering Asian American Teenage Girls. Retrieved February 27, 2014, from http://mochima.com/blog/page/5/?p=shmbckppk

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Sext up kids

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Sext up Kids

Amanda Todd

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Live Binders

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My Live Binder

Google Docs

Poll Everywhere

Flubaroo Extension

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Technology and Relationships

Today in class we watched a video of an extravagant wedding proposal.  A man and his girlfriend had pulled up to a parking lot where they were met by several of her friends and family.  From there, the guests all began to take turns singing and dancing to a song as she walked along a path.  A camera was following both behind and in front of her, catching the amazing experience on film.  As you watch the video, you can’t help but think about how special it is that he loves her so much that he would put so much time into creating that moment for her.  As the video goes on, she continued towards the beach and was eventually proposed to.  

This video has 2 million views and over 17,000 likes.  However, the question stands as to what his actual intentions while he was preparing this surprise for his girlfriend?  There is nothing wrong with documenting that kind of moment, but to make it public for the world to see may take out some of the intimacy.

Too often in modern society we see through social media, pictures of moments shared between couples.  First dates, kisses, anniversaries, marriages, gifts, and much more.  When I see pictures of people kissing and I know they took the picture, I can only think of how awkwardly long they had to hold that pose to get that picture.  Those intimate moments shared are not so intimate due to the fact that they are only for show to the rest of the world.  Technology has already helped to discourage people from simple face-to-face conversations.  I worry that technology could be accountable for the demise in relationships, due to the publicity.  A relationship, or marriage, is shared between two people.  The world does not need to be of witness to every moment experienced in that couple’s lives. 

Having said all of this, I am a fan of social media. I enjoy having access to it and posting a few pictures of my friends and I, so I can look back and re-live the memories.  I also enjoy seeing pictures that my friends from other cities post so that I can feel somewhat connected to them when I do not see them as often as I would like. My fear is that people will miss out on the moments that will be forever important to them, all because they wanted to beat 100+ likes on Facebook, or to receive comments such as, “You two are the cutest!” Next time you are about to take a picture or video of a cherishable moment, either with friends or a loved one, ask yourself what it is really for; the memory to look back on, or to see how many likes and/or comments you can receive by posting it on social media.

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Technology and Me

For my first post I thought I would try a Vlog just because it is something I have not attempted before!

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