Amateur Media: Shirky III

Shirky tells of an occurrence when, ". . .in the afternoon on May 12, 2008, and earthquake hit China's Sichuan province" (Shirky 293). The earthquake was devastating to many, but managed to be reported first not by professional reporters but by the locals themselves.

Shirky refers to this type of reporting as amateur media. People who had updated their statuses on their social media websites with comments about the earthquake and images helped to spread the news quickly. Even more quickly than a typical professional reporter would and quicker than the government would.

"Another reason word of the quake spread so quickly is that it reached a few highly connected individuals, who then passed on what they had heard to much larger groups" (Shirky 294). This displays the high connectivity that the Internet provides. Information has the capability of spreading like wildfire. Information about the quake spread which ultimately lead to more informed individuals. People began to find out about weak structures such as schools which were poorly built. The poorly built structures lead to tragedy during the quake. This led to infuriated protestors who would have otherwise probably not known on such a grand scale about weak structures. Since many people found out, these same many people were able to organize as a group and protest.

This theme occurs more and more often now that people are more connected due to the amateur media. Consider how we get our information nowadays. We find out about current events through a sort of "virtual word of mouth" such as blogs, web pages, people texting people what they read somewhere on the Internet on someone else's Facebook status.

It must be taken into consideration that many people can become misinformed this way as well. Naturally, with something like an earthquake it's somewhat difficult to get the major facts confused. But with something smaller. . .say a new local restaurant's grand opening, the details can get mixed up just like they would in the children's game "Telephone".

This leads to the same type of problem that we find with the Internet. We can't believe everything you read online. Likewise, we can't believe everything we learn from amateur media. There still needs to be some "fact checking".

Evolution of Communication: Shirky II

Communication is such an interesting form of human interaction. We communicate in so many different ways. . .words, actions, body language, writing, etc. These are only some of the more "common" ways of communicating. However, our forms of communication continue to evolve.

"Once something becomes ordinary, it's hard to remember what life what like without it" (Shirky 156). Shirky makes this statement regarding communication, namely email. Nowadays most American's feel that they need to be "connected" at all times. This connectivity is typically achieved through the Internet. Now that the American culture has experienced the Internet and some of it's capabilities, it seems crazy to live life without it or without something even better. After all, isn't that just the type of quest that Maslow's Hierarchy of needs suggests we are on?

Back the the World Wide Web. On the Internet people can communicate via email. This means they don't have to be in the same room or even in the same time zone to have a conversation. There doesn't need to be any face to face interaction or even any vocal use. Unless of course someone is communicating via a program which requires a web cam. . . .such as Skype. However, email truly is an amazing concept. But it doesn't stop there.

What's a even more advanced version of emailing? Texting. The use of text messenging is becoming a popular way of communicating. With this method people don't even need to go to a traditional desktop or laptop computer to send a message to someone. They can simply use their mobile phone devices to send snippets of messages to one another.

This has changed the way we communicate with one another drastically. There need not be any further waiting by the phone for an important call. We can simply go about our lives and check our voice messages, text messages, and emails as we please. Of course, this leisure view of communication technology isn't truly how it works for most folks. Most seem fairly attached to their communication devices to the point where they interrupt other activities. We've all seen it. People obnoxiously chatting away, caught up in seemingly nonsensical, irrelevant and unnecessary conversations while shopping for groceries, at work, walking the dog, at family dinners, and on and on and on.

Our communication has evolved to the point where we no longer need to interrupt our daily activities to chat with someone or wait for a call - no, now that we have the convenience of mobile communication, we choose to be interrupted. Funny how that worked out.

The Case of the Missing Phone and Other Pearls of Wisdom: Shirky I

True Story:

According to Clay Shirky's book, "Here Comes Everybody", a girl in New York is given a misplaced cell phone, which she gladly accepts, (which now classifies it as stolen) and thinks she's made off like a bandit. However, as the story unfolds further throughout the first pages of Shirky's book we find out that Sasha is actually not going to get off without a hitch. Enter the World Wide Web.

Ah yes, the World Wide Web. A place where people can connect with one another, meet, mingle, fall in love, and get exposed as liars and thieves. Here we run into the problem of making your life public via the web.

As it turns out, Evan (another character in the saga of the missing cell phone) creates a website dedicated to the tracking down of his friend, Ivanna's, phone. This page creates quite a following and quite a stir, ultimately leading to the eventual recovery of Ivanna's phone.

So what is the moral of the story? It's not necessarily that if you lose something or think someone has stolen something of yours that you need to go send out a virtual search party or dedicate virtual "lost" posters; rather, it is that you must be aware of what information is available about you online and who is viewing it.

So often we carelessly post images or various types of text online without thinking about who is viewing it. In the case of the missing cell phone, Evan was able to do some good by using the web to gain a following big enough to spur the NYPD on to actually dealing with his case. Others are less fortunate.

"Human being are social creatures -- not occasionally or by accident but always" (Shirky 14). This is true for the Internet as well. We, as humans, are drawn to the social interactions of the Internet such as social media spaces and web pages that allow interactions such as conversation. When you write something somewhere on the internet it is published there and stays there potentially even after the work or comment is "deleted". How can this be an unfortunate occurrence for people?

The age old example displays it best. Suppose you are employed, even happy with your job. But you happen to post something on your social media site that explains how you can't stand your boss or how you were out doing drugs over the weekend. . .whatever the case may be. Then suppose that your boss or someone at your place of employment somehow runs across this comment which inevitable results in you losing your job.

Moral of the story: don't steal from people and beware what you post on the World Wide Web for all of the world to see.

Hark!: Tapscott V

How do we get people to listen? How does a person express their thoughts to the multitudes effectively? In the past, perhaps shouting it from the rooftops was the most effective way of getting a point across. But now, media is the best. And not just media, but social media.

As one example, consider the quickly spreading phenomenon of "Going Green". People everywhere are beginning to be more conscious of how they effect the planet with the way they live and the things they consume. Going "Green" is not just a big-city fad anymore. Thanks to the Internet and social media, living a more "earth-friendly" lifestyle is becoming habit for people of all American cultural backgrounds, be it rural, urban, suburban and the like.

Tapscott puts this statement out there: ". . .a majority of young people in the United States are changing their own behavior and becoming green consumers" (Tapscott 271). Tapscott goes on to list several examples of Net Geners who are taking the time to effect change within their spheres of influence to bring about a more earth-friendly culture. It no longer matters as much where you live but who you are connected to and what thought patterns you share and develop as a result.

"Nowadays, every young activist or volunteer has a printing press at his or her fingertips" (Tapscott 274). Literally, every time someone updates their status on Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, etc. their thoughts, opinions, and ideas are impressed upon those who might view their post. It's like walking around with a megaphone broadcasting your views to the world (or at least to those who would listen). So, if you think that we should all venture after the pursuit of finding uses for grey water, you might post it. After posting it, one of your contacts might see this post, consider your idea and pass it on to their network of friends. Thus, ideas are spread, change is made, and more people are connected by an idea.

This is the new way of spreading information. And who knows what will be next? Who knows what path this type of communication will set us on? Ideas that spread like wildfire may have less time to be fully considered first. . .

Vote For Me: Tapscott IV

'"Politics today is entertainment. But you don't really find out what's going on by watching TV." --Tina Sturgeon, 30, Portland Oregon' (Tapscott 260).

This statement is true on multiple levels.

Consider the presidential elections of 2008 - McCain vs. Obama. How were the Net Geners involved and influenced? Because there is such a high level of connectivity among people now due to the Internet and other connective sources, there is a higher level of communication and idea sharing happening. This means for the political arena, as well as many other areas of life and society, people are being bombarded with ideas, opinions, and thought-provoking material that perhaps they would not even have let their mind wander to otherwise.

Net Geners are not notorious for being highly politically involved at this point. But during the 2008 presidential elections, Facebook was brimming with "advertisements" along the outer columns of their pages promoting the Obama campaign. Truly, this seemed slightly biased and a bit manipulative as it was being placed in the gaze of every "Facebooker" with nearly each login. Obama became somewhat of a fad to many social-medites (not at the sole hand of Facebook, of course) without many truly knowing what he is all about.

Net Geners ". . .expect to collaborate with politicians--not just . . .listen to their grandstanding speeches. They want to be involved directly. . ." (Tapscott 244). This small step of appearing on the web in a variety of ways makes a politician appear more accessible and more understanding of the Net Generation (whether this is actually true of the candidate themselves or of the people behind the campaign).

It is very true, however, that the Net Generation feels compelled to interact with political parties in a more non-traditional way. After all, they can communicate with virtually anyone in the world about anything at anytime. . .why not have the capability to communicate with those who help establish the "law of the land." Communication is becoming commonplace and is breaking down previously acknowledged boundaries between society and government. Government is becoming a much more public phenomenon than it appeared to be in the past. This can be attributed to networking, the Internet, and the Net Generation.

The way we address politics and political campaigns will begin to change more and more as the years go on. Time will tell what the next big wave of communicative commonplace in the political realm ends up being.

Who's Really Behind Marketing?: Tapscott III

Who's really behind what gets marketed? Is it the companies who create the product? Is it anthropological masterminds who can determine what society will inevitably want? Or is it the consumers themselves?

Just as American culture has shifted to a more technologically-based way of living, marketing of product has changed as well. Tapscott points out that "Net Geners, as we will see, are a new kind of shopper" (Tapscott 187). How so?

People of the Net Generation know what they want out of a product. They don't need to be told what to want as much as they need to be asked. Marketing seems to be taking a shift from the companies producing something which they then tell the population they need, to now the population displaying what their demands are.

It's becoming more and more important for companies to actually understand what consumers wish they had and figure out a way to make that happen as opposed to figuring out a way to make consumers want what they have made.

Net Geners have been ". . .immersed in two-way communication from childhood" (Tapscott 186). Because of this "two-way communication" Net Geners are used to having a "say" in what they get and are affected by. The Information Age has given the capability for people of all ages to gain information and a knowledge-base in virtually any topic. Therefore, more people are more knowledgeable about more things. These same people want to have input feedback and offer up opinions to contribute their own thoughts derived from the knowledge base they have obtained.

The days of salesmen telling us what we want are fading as the population begins to have more of a voice when it comes to consumerism. Net Geners are ". . .no longer passive consumers of the broadcast model" (Tapscott 186). Take a look at Apple, for example. This is just one company on the cutting edge of listening to the Net Geners and other generations who would like to have a say in what they are buying. This form of communication then production, tends to create products that match what the consumers want or wish their gizmos and gadgets to do.

This two-way communication style between consumer and producer is a great deal more effective as it gives the consumers voice a place and at the same time ultimately gives them what they were asking for.

Computers In Schools: Tapscott II

Technology is infiltrating many aspects of our lives. Regardless of how we feel about this, it is happening. As Americans, we generally use various forms of technology in our everyday business and personal lives with virtually no objections to it. But, what about technology in school systems? What about students brining laptops to class?

According to Tapscott, ". . .almost every American school provides Internet access and about 95% of schools have high-speed connections" (Tapscott 142). He goes on to give both positive and negative examples of the use of computers in schools. Some studies show that computers don't make much of a difference, while others show an improvement in learning due to the use of computers. So what is true?

Clearly, like any tool, computers can either be positive, negative, or indifferent depending on their use. This is why studies on technology in the school systems vary so much. If you use a hammer to drive a nail into a piece of wood, you are using the tool right and will get positive results. On the other hand, if you use a hammer to throw at a car that cuts you off on the highway and you are cited with a ticket from an on-looking officer, you will get a negative result. Finally, if you use a hammer as a lawn ornament, you may enjoy the look of it but it offers you no positive or negative results - it is indifferent.

Similarly, a computer in the classroom can either enhance the learning process, distract students from it, or merely be likened to a lawn ornament with no real purpose or use.

The issue seems not to be about the students learning to use the technology properly and to their benefit; rather, it is more with the teachers learning the teach about the use of computers and learning how to teach a technologically inclined generation. It is just as important for the students to comprehend how to absorb lecture-based information as it is for teachers to learn how to teach from a technologically interactive point-of-view.

It's not that one needs to replace the other-- both need to work hand-in-hand to enhance and broaden the learning base. As Tapscott puts it : "It's not what you know that counts anymore; it's what you learn" (Tapscott 127).

More is More: Tapscott I

The Net Generation. A generation of people fluent in technology; namely, the Internet.

In the book, Grown Up Digital, author Don Tapscott illustrates what it looks like to live a lifestyle laden with technology that is rapidly advancing. He says that "technology is like the air" (pg. 18). For those who grew up with technology, it's as common and expected as anything else in our society.

We use technology on a daily basis to communicate, produce and find information, create and/or view art, etc. There are countless ways in which technology is used on a daily basis. It has literally infiltrated our lives; rather, we have welcomed it in. But is this all good? Are we benefiting from it all?

Yes. There is great benefit, but it is also important to not turn a blind eye to the negative side of technology. In reference to the Net Generation being immersed in technology, Tapscott wrote that "their immersion has not hurt them overall". (pg. 10) Maybe it's just a bit too early to make these types of claims. There is an article that was published several weeks ago stating that a 16 year-old-girl was set to have surgery due to serious carpal tunnel injuries in both of her wrists. The injuries were caused by excessive texting. There are other teens and young adults as well who are literally addicted to being "online" and have a need to be somehow connected to the Internet at all times.

Now, this isn't to say that all technology is bad or will harm you physically or otherwise. It is simply worth pointing out that there needs to be more education in regard to technology. Most new innovations require some sort of education. Take the automobile for example. We don't get to just start driving without any sort of education-- it's not a trial and error sort of thing.

Perhaps our society would benefit from knowing the pros and cons of various types of technology (Internet, cell phones, computers, etc) from a younger age spanning from the physical, mental, and social effects of technology. The more means we add to our culture, the more awareness and alertness is needed in order to enjoy the new additions in a healthy way.

Then and Now: Baron II

Over time the legitimacy of information in its various forms has changed. Merely verbally saying you would do something used to imply that what you said would actually come to pass. A handshake was once generally good enough to seal a deal and establish at least some level of trust. And what is it now? Have we moved into a time where a signature is required to prove everything? Or is even this becoming outdated?

As Baron states, "Seeing for ourselves is often a way to determine trustworthiness, whether of a memo or a person. Seeing, after all, is believing. Or is it?" (pg. 117)

By the nature of our culture, we have tended to believe that if something is visually displayed, then it must be true. Whether that be a photograph or handwriting-- it must be true. Consider a signature, for example. "Since Hancock's time we have come to invest a lot of meaning in a signature--it carries the identity and the individuality of the author". (pg. 125) However, even in my office we have "e-signatures" on file (scanned images of signatures) in the event we need to "sign" something for someone who is not present (with their permission, of course). The signature is now visually displayed, and may even appear hand-written; but it is, in fact, merely a copy of something that was once hand-written years prior.

We see this same issue happen on a daily basis with programs like Photoshop. Now many photos are referred to as "images" rather than photographs due to their heavily edited and altered nature. So what does this all come down to?

In the past, we could see images, signatures, etc and believe what we saw with a great degree of success. Now, there is much more wisdom in researching what you see in hopes to discover the validity.

Change: Baron I

Dennis Baron mentions in his book, "A Better Pencil" how Plato proposed that writing would "produce forgetfulness", while Socrates speculated that written words "don't mean what they say" (pg. 3 & 4). In their day writing was still relatively new and perhaps scary and threatening. However, writing has prevailed over the years.

We know that in the present day cultures with writing use this tool on a daily basis. In fact, contrary to Plato's thinking, many people write information out as a means to remember it. Writing has become so common that we have a plethora of writing tools that each come with multiple variations of themselves such as pencils, pens, markers, chalk, cell phones, computers, etc. Almost anything that will make a mark can be used for writing, even in the digital world. This is now a very common and commonly accepted phenomenon-- yet, it is not free from scrutiny.

In the days of Plato and Socrates, things that were written down could be destroyed and made irrecoverable. This may be one reason why writing appeared to be a source that was not considered credible to them. It was not like the spoken word-- which once spoken can not physically revoked and can always be recalled by the hearer.
Baron brings up the fact that in the present day the statement, "'I want that in writing' is a common reply that most of us have made to some statement likely to be forgotten, denied, or retracted" (pg. 5). Writing now gives more credibility (though it is still not 100% credible). It gives physical and lasting evidence of a promise, thought or action-- even still this form of writing can be destroyed, forged, or not-complied-with.

Language Beyond Words: Achebe I

Chinua Achebe illustrates many aspects of a Nigerian culture in the late 1800's in his book, "Things Fall Apart". Although it is a novel, some parts of it read like an ethnography.

In reading this book with the topics of literacy and orality in mind, there were certain events that seemed to help show how the culture of Umuofia operated in terms of language. For example, there are a few mentionings of common sayings such as "when the moon is shining the cripple becomes hungry for a walk" or "a man who pays respect to the great paves the way for his own greatness" (pg. 10 and 19). Such small caplets of language can teach so much. Only a few words are needed. Perhaps it can be implied that critical thinking is needed to fully understand the gestalt meaning of such tiny phrases.

These types of sayings or proverbs are common in many cultures today as well. Even in the American culture today. . .a country on an entirely different continent than Nigeria, we say things like, "a picture is worth a thousand words"or "look before you leap". Within these little caplets of language there are lessons.

Language is an important part of culture regardless of the means by which it is conveyed. Early on in "Things Fall Apart", Okoye comes to attempt to collect a debt from Unoka. Previous to Okoye bringing up why he is there, there is a wonderful display of cultural protocol. The two engage in simple, warm conversation and share a kola. This act displays civility between Okoye and Unoka. They speak with their actions until finally Okoye explains that he has come "asking Unoka to return the two hundred cowries he had borrowed from him more than two years before" (pg. 7). As all of this verbal and physical language is unfolding, Okoye notices, "groups of short perpendicular lines drawn in chalk" (pg. 7). Here is yet another form of communication. Unoka explains that, "each group there represents a debt to someone, and each stroke is one hundred cowries" (pg. 7). Well, at least he keeps track.

There are countless other displays of language throughout this book as other cultures become involved.

Storyline: Ong II

Verbalized stories of an oral culture have come to have a certain cadence and plot to them that is often times different from that of a literary culture.

For example, it makes complete sense that the Iliad and the Odyssey would have been written with such rhythm (regardless of the validity Homer's methods or identity/identities). Even if an individual can read, they are more capable of recalling what they have read if there is some sort of "flow" to the story. As Ong puts it, "One of the places where oral mnemonic structures and produces manifest themselves most spectacularly is in their effect on narrative plot, which in an oral culture is not quite what we take plot typically to be" (pg. 138)

Individuals in a literary society are typically more familiar with a plot that follows Freytag's Pyramid. This requires that the story remain fairly linear with a defined beginning, climax, and end. In the case of Homer's works, they are very episodic and tends toward action first, details later. Why does this work?

As Ong stated, ". . .episodic structure was the only way and the total natural way of imagining and handling lengthy narrative. . .starting in 'the middle of things' is not a consciously contrived ploy but the original, natural. . .way to proceed for an oral poet approaching a lengthy narrative" (pg. 141). There was no way to try to put things of such length in order on paper. Everything was committed to memory. Imagine telling a story, and all you can remember is the highlights, the climaxes. As soon as you begin to verbalize those high points you begin to recall the events leading up to the more memorable moments in a story. This method is slightly reminiscent of journalism in the written form-- write the highlight and then work your way through the details.

Telling a story from a "start from the middle" perspective probably only solidified these key points in the stories as they may have been told first over and over again in episodic format. This is not a format typically followed in modern literate culture.

Consider an individual recalling an account of their day. They may begin by telling of the events that happened at lunch, and may preface it by saying that nothing noteworthy happened before this. Or they may tell of something that occurred later in the day, then suddenly remember what happened earlier on and take the listener back a bit on the timeline. In this example, there is a need to at least faintly fill in the linear structure in terms of time. Most literate societies of today's world need for things to fit inside of measurable increments of time-- we tend to see this in a linear way. Using this as only one of many possible examples, it makes sense that our stories would push to follow suit.

Literacy and Culture: Ong I

It's easy to forget that writing has not always been in use. It's easy to read history about civilizations and cultures that communicated with primary orality. . . and read the history as though it were a fairy-tale-esque story of some far off land.

We don't need to be told the stories of the early civilizations of Mesopotamia by our elders-- we read the history. And we believe what we read.

The current American majority grows-up learning how to read and write with the goal of eventually incorporating these functions into every day tasks with ease. Our culture requires this. And to achieve this goal, we must engage in "study" an activity that we have built entire infrastructures around by necessity. But not every culture thrives off of literacy.

In Orality and Literacy, author Walter Ong brings to light the concept that, "Human beings in primary oral cultures, those untouched by writing in any form, learn a great deal and possess and practice great wisdom, but they do not 'study'" (pg. 8-9). According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, to study literally means to be in a "state of contemplation". In fact, the dictionary goes on further to note that the word study can also mean "a building or room devoted to study or literary pursuits". By this particular cultural definition, a literate culture not only creates such a concept as 'study' by which to absorb written materials, but also assigns actual geographical spaces in which this activity should be carried out. These brief definitions only begin to hint at how deeply engrained literacy is in literate societies. Everything from thought processes, learning styles, building structures, community interactions and social norms are touched-- not to mention countless other avenues of every day living. How does this compare with the "untouched" cultures that Ong speaks of?

He elaborates on the fact that these cultures left untouched by literacy learn through "apprenticeship. . .discipleship. . .assimilation. . .[and] participation-- not by study in the strict sense" (pg. 9). There is no expectation to see any such room set aside for the purpose of studying. A culture based on orality functions free of writing. Is this meant to be an easily comprehensible concept to an individual from a literate society? Ong thinks not. He states, "Fully literate persons can only with great difficulty imagine what a primary oral culture is like. . .a culture with no knowledge whatsoever of writing or even of the possibility of writing."

Since it's easy for individuals of a literate culture to take writing for granted, great care must be taken to absorb and study the information on primary orality without trying to fit it into the confines of literacy; rather, understand it as a separate entity-- and then begin to see how orality and literacy compare.