PIRATES!

Whenever I hear that that the RIAA or some record/similar company is suing someone for a ridiculous amount of money for downloading a few songs, I become pretty angry. Where is the money they demand going? Into their own pockets! Okay, I will agree with everyone that stealing is bad, but look, (digitally) it happens ALL the time! For someone with a very eclectic taste in music, there is NO WAY that person can afford all the music to listen to. Additionally, (not trying to stray from the topic), but even software piracy is everywhere today. Having Microsoft Office and the newest Operating System on your computer is almost mandatory in this day and age regardless of the alternatives.

Dance crews that perform at competitions (where money can be made for winning) use mixes and mashups of MANY songs (most of the time popular mainstream songs). Is this a improper use of music? Without music a dancer can't dance!! (I guess to some extent they can’t) The remixing of songs that coincidentally we can hear at almost any night club, is this an improper use of music? Will the RIAA try to sue all DJ's and dance crews?

Maybe its only me, but I think what they are doing is ridiculous! They are trying to profit off of a very well established industry. Although I can't think of a solution, there shouldn't be such a high penalty on illegally downloading music! Seriously, 1.5 million dollars for 24 songs (http://torrentfreak.com/riaa-wins-big-against-file-sharer-15m-for-24-songs-101104/)? A quick Google search reveals that the national mean income is $44,400! At that rate, it would take this person ~34 years to pay off this debt, assuming all of it was saved. I kind of feel like its such a JOKE because there is NO WAY the average person can pay that off! If you read the article, the money is going "to fund new anti-piracy campaigns"... Reaaaaaaaally?

A simple Google search consisting of a title of a song ending with download will most likely take you to a website where you can download that song. Illegal? I pay for the internet, the internet took me there, my computer downloaded the song, I really didn’t steal anything, my computer did! Punish my computer! Seriously, the availability of content to download is so abundant. Maybe the RIAA should focus on eliminating the source (even though they will NEVER take everyone down), rather than going after innocent people who just want to listen to some good music as they go throughout their lives. No, not everyone can afford a million songs. Similarly, most upcoming artists can’t afford instruments, beats, etc. They sample and remix!!

Trying to stop remixing and sampling is like trying to put a choke on creativity. Again, this is nothing but a joke to me, you put a hold on someones creativity and they find a way around that hold. History can prove this for me. I do not support stealing whatsoever. If I like an artists music, I will go to their concert and support them. I can choose how I support my favorite artists, not the RIAA. If I like some music so much, yeah I will go buy it. If I don’t then I don’t!

How do you feel about this? I am curious on what others think about this issue.

The Future?

This class has stimulated my thinking of the future in terms of technology and the internet. Certain topics including the black box fallacy, panopticonism, and digital activism.

It really is amazing how fast technology and the internet are evolving. Our little "black boxes" are becoming the center of our lives more and more day by day. Personally, it has gotten to the point where I can not be away from my phone, it always has to be on me! This is not only because of social purposes, but also because it keeps me connected to my school email, potential messages from my boss(es), and even for my calendar. It is ridiculous how dependent I am on my Blackberry. It is interesting to see the capacity of devices such as the iPhone and Droid grow day by day. The other day, someone was showing me their desktop on their Droid, they were able to control it from their phone!! It won't surprise me when instead of laptops, we will do literally EVERYTHING through our phones and just connect them to large monitors when needed. There really is no end to the evolution of black boxes, and it kind of scares me how they will be in ten years.

Panopticonism made me realize how large of an issue internet privacy is. The idea that we are being watched when we don't know we are is really scary. The worst part is I feel that most of us really have no idea of how much we are really watched. We always hear stories of random people being monitored, wiretapped, tracked, etc. What if they do that to everyone? I know, it sounds kind of far fetched but honestly, you really never know! With technology in the crazy state it is today (and in the state it could be in the future), who knows to what extent we can be monitored!


I feel that digital activism has many benefits. If someone has a cause which they wish to get out to the entire world, they can do so by means of the internet. Awareness can be spread leading to possible donations or someone of high power looking at the cause and supporting it. However, I feel that the actual actions taken place we will see are pretty low. When have you ever seen an online petition actually work? I do not think I ever have. On another note, the internet has led to things such as flashmobs (100 single ladies in london and the valentines day pillow fight) which could potentially be useful for protest in the future. I do feel that with protest there must be a physical sacrifice (no, not your life) but the protestor must go out and do something rather than click around on the internet.

I feel that these ideas among others will definitely have a large impact on our society. They already do play large roles today: the internet is essential to 21st century life nowadays, our privacy and whatever we do can be monitored and we must be careful what we post on the internet, finally: there are weaker forms or protesting/spreading awareness of certain causes and they can be done through the internet.

My Media Diet

Your task for this assignment is to record your media consumption for 5-7 days straight. Take note of how many hours you spend reading, watching television, using the Internet, or engaging with any other forms of media. While you do not have to give an exhaustive account of every TV show you watch or website you visit, do note what types of books, TV, websites, etc. that you consume. You can also describe which particular shows you watch or sites you visit daily/on a regular basis. After listing your media diet for each day of the week (length of time, types of media), you should provide a brief analysis. Questions you might address in your analysis include: What does your media diet say about you? How do you think it might compare to the media diets of other people your age? What might your media diet suggest about American society more broadly? Are there changes you'd like to make regarding your media consumption? How might your social location influence your media intake?

It is hard to record how much time spent on social media since it is connected to my phone. I have a Facebook application on my Blackberry which notifies me of any new wall posts, picture comments, status updates, etc—basically anything under notifications. Also, I have a Twitter application which constantly keeps me in the loop for Twitter, all I have to do is go to the application and I am free to browse my Twitter “timeline”. It also notifies me of any “mentions” or “direct messages” that Twitter utilizes. However, I can say on average I spend 10-15 minutes a day using Twitter. For Facebook, I spend an average of 20-30 minutes a day.

Watching television really depends on the day. Lately, there have been Giants games, 49er and Raider games, Golden State Warrior games, and even San Jose Sharks games. Obviously I do not watch them all but I do my best to keep up. Along with these games there are specific days which television shows come on. Most of these shows are cartoons (yes, I still watch cartoons like Family Guy and the Simpsons), reality shows, and an occasional drama. On average I spend at least two hours a day watching television.

Also, going off sports, much of my time is spent checking the score of games if I can’t view it. As you might have guessed, there’s an application for that! This only happens on select days but I can say that I spend about 10-15 minutes total a day checking the score.

I feel that my media diet is probably comparable to many other college students and people my age. There are only so many shows that air on the television at certain times (disregarding the ability to look them up online). Many of my friends watch shows like Jersey Shore and use Facebook very much. I think that this media diet suggests that American society, or more specifically, American society considering college students, share most of the same interests. I feel that it is very difficult to find a college student without a Facebook. It has become a directory now rather than a social networking sight in my eyes.

I would definitely like to spend less time on my media consumption, especially considering that instead of watching “The Situation” try to get with girls half his age and shaking my head at Snooki trying to save a lobster put putting it in freshwater, I can do something with my life! I am kidding, but they do make more money than I do at the moment!

I feel that social location would definitely change my media intake relating to social networking, as for television I would probably keep the same habit. Before I transferred high schools, I did not even have a Facebook. As soon as I got to my new high school, I found that everyone had a Facebook! I was still a hardcore Myspace user. I only made a Facebook so I could be known throughout school, not to conform. Going to a brand new school where I knew absolutely no one was a challenge and I guess I can say that Facebook helped me get myself out there and let everyone know that there was a new kid!

It was very interesting analyzing my media diet through this assignment. Self-reflection is always a fun and eye opening thing to do.

Social Networking and Privacy

Your task for this assignment is to record your thoughts on the prevalence of social networking. How often do you use social networking sites/tools like Facebook, Twitter, or FourSquare? How much time to do you spend texting, tweeting, or checking status updates on your phone or computer?
Do you think the cultural move toward social networking, constant access, and the loss of privacy it sometimes brings about is a positive/negative trend on the whole? What are some of the benefits and drawbacks of this entanglement between our personal lives and technology?  Have you ever "over-shared" or texted, tweeted, or posted something you have regretted? Do you ever worry about your privacy when it comes to using these tools?

Much of my time on the computer is spent on social networking sites. Ever since Myspace, social networking sites have become somewhat of an addiction. Actually, it’s a serious addiction and I am sure many people share it. I feel that regardless what medium, what seems like constant downward spiral of how much privacy we really have is very negative. In general, if one is led to believe that he/she has privacy in say their own room, but there just happens to be some sort of breach (a webcam which spies on its users when not in use, for example) then one would obviously be very uncomfortable if they found out. In the same sense, we all use Facebook assuming that we are protected via the settings we apply. However, in today's society, with hackers and even the people who operate Facebook who have opportunities to possibly view our profiles, we really are not safe. One thing to keep in mind: we are putting OUR content on THEIR site! Just as we take midterms and place our answers on the teacher's questions, we are submitting our "information" to them. 

I feel that with the cultural movement towards constant access and social networks leads us to overlook privacy sometimes. When logging onto Facebook and Tweeting, and even texting, I do not feel the need to think about privacy, it is something which I overlook. Whenever cases arise in the news which blast privacy settings, I do sometimes consider what I have up on social networking sites. One thing which really bothers me is that we were told to clean up our Facebooks and Myspaces as we were applying for colleges. I thought to myself that it would be extreme if an admissions rep had to look through my Facebook profile along with my application in order to make a decision. My high school was a little crazy though. 

I feel like texting is an issue which really has not been as dealt with as others. I am sure every day, more and more text messages are sent throughout the world. I send who knows how many per day. The privacy for text messaging is limited to the sender and receiver. However, I am sure that our service providers have some sort of access to them. I would think that when used for the wrong purposes, (for example, a group of criminals texting each other before they commit a crime) text messages could be read. I don’t know if it has ever happened but I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a mechanism in place to prevent things from happening.

Unfortunately, I don’t think the issue of privacy will ever be resolved in our society. More and more loopholes will be found or created by the inspired individuals who populate our world. We can choose what we put on the internet though. We also choose to have Facebook, Myspace, and other social networking profiles. I feel that in the end, the user is in control of privacy, it’s just what the user puts out for the world to see. Whatever is typed, posted, tweeted, Facebook status’d, etc. is basically in some way or another: public.

Technology and Social Interaction

Your task for this assignment is to describe your thoughts on how technology influences social interaction. Do you think the spread of technology has had a positive or negative impact on your everyday face to face interaction? What about for people more generally? What do you think about using the Internet to meet other people (via online dating sites, Craigslist, message boards, fan sites, online gaming, or virtual worlds)? Is connecting to others via online communities a viable way of creating meaningful relationships, or are we neglecting our everyday relationships in favor of these "virtual" relationships? Do we, as a society, need to focus on creating more "real" spaces/public spheres for people to connect, interact, and discuss meaningful political and social issues? 




I think technology has had a general negative impact on everyday interaction. With Facebook , many doors have opened for social awkwardness and unwanted attention. For example, the relationship status changes provide a large amount of awkwardness as it is publicly announced. Also if one has items which are only meant for friends on Facebook and has parents or relatives wanting to add them... what does one do? What would be the real reason to their parents/relatives for "rejecting" their friend request? Although it seems petty, it still calls for an awkward situation. Another extreme awkward example: if the Facebook user is a very religious person and a pastor or leader in the religious group that the user is in finds a very racy picture (drinking, partying, etc.) of the person... how should the pastor feel? 


For me personally, I feel that communication through the internet has made me lazy. Video chatting and the ability to collaborate on tasks and projects through the internet sets aside the personal interaction that one would get when working with a team. I feel that personal interaction is key to success in collaborative efforts.


There are some positive aspects! For example, through the use of Youtube people have become well-known by the community that watches them. This has led to people with extraordinary talents becoming social celebrities. 


Technology has created a whole new social culture also. Instead of phonebooks, we now have Facebook which we assume almost everyone we meet is on. Instead of calling each other, we send short text messages to send our messages. We can freely express our thoughts in short Tweets whenever we want for the world to read. Internet meems become the hot things that everyone must know about, not the latest fad or celebrity gossip (for example). Sexting and posting embarrassing videos of people has also become a huge issue which can essentially lead to extreme actions. (the Rutgers example we discussed in class also falls under this-- the victim committed suicide)


Using the internet to meet other people who share the same interests (such as car enthusiasts, video game lovers, etc.) is great! I do not think it should be used for dating though because of all the possible risks. While using the internet to meet people through these virtual communities is great, I personally think that we should have more personal interaction with someone physically there. If we all only communicated through the internet, we would be socially awkward when actually seeing each other in public. I feel that if more and more social interactions are placed online then there might be no reason to even see people in public. I really hope this doesn't happen! 


I do strongly agree with the proposition that we, as a society, need to focus on creating more "real" spaces/public spheres for people to socialize with each other. When I think about it, there don't seem to be too many. I am sure there have been attempts to create some sort of place but none have been successful.