Have you heard about Mobilize.org?

I choose to finish this assignment with my free blog on mobilize.org, a positive organization started by Millennial's. In 2002, millennial's used social media to challenge tuition increases at UC Berkley. Millennial's are adult organizers born between 1976, and 1996, who are working together to improve their communities. Mobilize.org has held summits to identify social problems, and propose solutions to issues on campuses and in communities. It encourages change for the future and promotes leadership. I recommend you check out the website and see what they are doing and planning for the future.


Although I live across the country, I get to check out the great work my daughter is contributing to this organization. Thanks to social media and mobilize.org for utilizing technology positively and giving hope to the future.

Facebook, FTC deal emphasizes privacy

Guynn, J. (2011, November 13). Facebook, FTC deal emphasizes privacy. The Anchorage Daily News, p. A8.

In this article Facebook could announce a deal with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sometime this month on privacy. The FTC is letting internet companies know that regulators are planning on protecting the privacy of users. The public is concerned with the lack of privacy that is currently offered with the use of the internet. The FTC is particularly concerned with the companies that collect personal information and what these companies are doing with this information. According to the CEOs' from Silicon Valley and all over the world the message is being received clearly. Lawmakers agree that online privacy has been an issue for sometime now. That legal issues dealing with privacy in the past was handled  by anonymous lawyers. However, because of the volume and speed of data that is being sent globally, online privacy has now become a public issue and global privacy law firms are forming. The FTC will be seeking a "do not track" system according to Guynn which will make it easier for the consumer to keep companies from snooping on their activities. There have been a dozen privacy bill introduced to congress so far this year. This settlement with Facebook would prohibit Facebook from making public information that is was shared privately without the consumers permission. Facebook will have to agree to this for 20 years. This is only the beginning, because of the speed of technology I don't see them keeping up with those who want your information will find a way to get it. How much privacy do we really have, because we all know "Big Brother" is always watching!

Small Change; Why the revolution will not be tweeted

Gladwell, M. (2010, October 4). Small Change; Why the revolution will not be tweeted.  The New Yorker, 86(30), p. 46.

In this essay by Gladwell he starts out discussing the protest that took place in Greensboro, North Carolina by four black students. They were protesting the prejudice that took place towards blacks. They were standing up for civil rights. This one particular sit-in was the result of other protests prior to  known as sit-ins throughout the south, and as far as Texas within a month. Eventually the numbers grew as the word spread around the country. These four black students were close friends, and had face to face contact. These strong ties are not the same today with the use of social media. This revolution took place without the internet, facebook or tweeter. Today these tools are used to get the word spread quicker for activism, but the platforms of social media are formed from weak ties. However, these weak ties could also lead to motivating groups to protest, but over the internet protestors could be across the world. The article ends with a teacher from NYU who demonstrated the organization and power of the internet. The internet and social media as shown in this article can be used for good but have relationships that are not strong.

"Where I Lived, and What I Lived For

Thoreau, H. (2011). Where I Lived, and What I Lived For. In S. Cohen. (Ed.), 50 Essays (pp. 403 - 409). Boston: Bedford/St. Martins. Print.

In this essay, Thoreau is writing about living life with just the essentials. That he would rather live in the woods and go without the complexities of places like the post office and railroad. If you have ten fingers and toes you can function and just live simply. "Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity," he states. Taking care of yourself is more important than acquiring things. What is the point in acquiring things if you don't care for your body. That if your are not healthy enough to get sleep, to invent and use the inventions then what good is it to have things. He also discusses being rushed and this reminds me of society today. What would he think about the technology and how everything we do is rushed. The internet is replacing the post office, microwaves replaced the oven. The internet and social media created a society today where all we do is rush and expect everything now.

"Games"

Johnson, S. (2011) ."Games". In 50 Essays. S Cohen. (Ed.),(pp.196-201). Boston: Bedford/St.Martins. Print.


      In Steven Johnson's essay on "Games", he is  comparing the differences of reading an playing video games. Johnson discusses his view points on both while he believes "we should encourage our kids to read more". Johnson is a writer and believes people who read more are likely to go explore more of the arts, museums and just get out. He compares reading to other media such as games, television, movies and the internet. Johnson feels that these new forms of technology and culture do have other advantages besides "just hand and eye coordination" as Dr. Spock suggested. These games also have educational rewards and he agrees that games do stimulate the brain. However, games still don't allow you to experience all that books do.
     
The games that are being played today are not necessarily games from the past. Technology today is just like reading once was. The games now have ratings on them and parents can monitor what their kids are playing. There are a lot of educational games that are for learning.

"Jobs Told Us What We Wanted Before We Knew"

Robertson, J. (2011, October 6). Jobs told us what we wanted before we knew. In Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved fromhttp://www.adn.com/2011/10/06/2107216

/apples-jobs-told-us-what-we-needed.html

                                              STEVEN PAUL JOBS

( The beginning)

                                          FEB 24, 1955 – OCT 5, 2011   

Known as  a businessman, a visionary, and a creative genius. Yet he is recognized for being the pioneer of the personal computer. Jobs changed the world of communication and technology. In the late1970’s, Jobs was the co-founder of Apple computers. Jobs started his business out of his parent’s garage. After a few years and clashes with the CEO he helped hire, Jobs was fired from the company he founded in1985. However, this did not deter Jobs, he founded NeXT Company that same year. This workstation was advanced and designed for the educational sector, but was too costly. Being a businessman in 1986 Jobs purchased The Graphic Group, which we now know as Pixar. By 1996 Apple brought NeXT and by late 1996 Jobs was back at Apple and CEO by 2000.  In 2001 he launched the iPod, which offered 1,000 songs.  In 2007 he introduced the iPhone touch screen and later that year the Apple App Store. By 2011, Apple had become the second largest company in the United States. Thanks to his brilliance we now have the social media. Without the pioneer of the personal computer, we could still be using a typewriter. His last invention marketed to the public is the iPhone 4S, however that doesn't mean it was his last invention. It is not just a phone it is a; personal computer, calculator, radio, camera, video viewer recorder and much more. With this new phone you can stay connected to the internet or up load and update your facebook page instantly. 

Learning to blog

This should be an interesting assignment, I will be learning how to use some of this new technology. It is like being a kid again with a new toy. All that we have been learning in class so far this semester has progressed and lead us into this assignment which is pretty cool. I know if it wasn't for school I would have never made time to blog.  I took Professor Gramse advice and started working on this assignment right away. Like the caption above I find myself still using pen and ink. But with all this technology I don't want to get left behind so social media world here I come.

Teen killer: social media led to murder

http://curtissocialmedia.blogspot.com/2011/11/blog-post_11.html

In this blog by Curtis the article is about a teenage girl through texting had a fight over a guy which lead to the death of another teen girl. Curtis states "I feel that the usefulness of this text is to show that even though you can pick a fight through texting and the internet, doesn't always mean your safe from danger and you should always take it seriously." I agree that this is a very useful article to share with not only teens but adults too. Once something is in writing you can't take it back and it could very easily get blown out of proportion. You can't really hide behind a text or the internet, because you definitely are not safe. I think Curtis did a good job with this post, he included both the link and video clip of Rachel Wade the convicted murderer. I have attached a copy of the link to Curtis's page above and the article below, check it out.

http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/state/teen-killer-says-social-media-led-her-to-murder

One-Third of Adults Used Technology to Break Up

Christina, Ng. (2011, November 14). One-Third of Adults Used Technology to Break Up. [Web log post].Retrieved from http://www.abcnews.go.com/blogs/technology/2011/11/one-third-of-adults- used-techonology-to-break-up/html.


According to author Ng,“A survey shows more than on-third of adults have broken off a relationship via Facebook, email, or text message."

While the relationship is going good, especially in the beginning, all 
the Facebook posts are, all good. However, when the relationship turns bad, teenagers and adults are using Facebook and other technology to end the relationship. This survey pointed out that the technology is also used for starting new relationships, and investigating that person before the actual first date. A relationship isn’t valid until they are “Facebook official” wrote Ng (2011).  Technology and social media have taken dating to another level, and is central in initiating relationships. If you meet on Facebook or through other technology then I guess this could be appropriate. Surprisingly 42 percent polled would first contact someone in person for the first date, but the other 68 percent use other forms of technology. After reading the article I find nothing will be personal anymore thanks to social media.

Feds: Cyber Criminals Hijacked 4 Million Computers

Esposito, R. & Ferran, L. (2011, November 9). Feds: Cyber Criminals Hijacked 4 Million Computers. In ABCNews.com. Retrieved from http://abcnew.go.com/Blotter/feds-cyber-criminals-hijacked-million-computers/story?id=14915648#

Link  http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/feds-cyber-criminals-hijacked-million-computers/

                                                                   In this article an Eastern European group of cyber thieves hijacked approximately four million computers all over the world, to include   the United States. The accused seven hackers stole 14 million dollars of income using a malware scheme. It reaped profits from internet advertisement deals, by not allowing computers to install anti-virus software and reroute unsuspecting customers to their site. During a four-year period they hacked into, and infected different U.S government agencies, and sites such as iTunes. They operated out of their home countries of Estonian and Russia, but used sites from the U.S and all over the world according to the FBI. However, today the FBI and some of their allies are capable of using the same technology to globally catch criminals. Assistant Director Janice Fedarcyk, said the internet is a useful tool, but it can also be used for bad intentions. This is reason for skeptics to be aware of what sites they are using when on the internet and social media. This article can be related to our assignment on social media because it too is rapidly evolving.But rest assured as long as technology continues to evolve, both the criminals and government agencies will evolve too. 

Social Media CIA Tweets And Facebook

Dozier, K. (2011, November 5). Tweets, Facebook help CIA build world picture. Anchorage Daily News, p. A1.
This article’s topic is the CIA Open Source Center’s use of social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook to track events and trends around the world. The author’s purpose is primarily to inform the public about this new tool the government uses to monitor emerging international news and measure the effectiveness of American foreign policy. The article claims that social media has changed the political and informational landscape in the Middle East. The CIA, for example, knew through their monitoring of social media, that the uprising in Egypt was coming but they were powerless to do anything about it. At the same, even though internet access in some poor nations is limited, the CIA  has a powerful new information-gathering tool that rivals traditional methods. Dozier supports her claims with current case studies and interviews with CIA Open Source Center Director Doug Naquin and a CIA spokesperson, who assures us that this technology is not being used to spy on Americans. This article demonstrates that Facebook and Twitter are key resources for following fast-moving crises and news around the world.

"Televsion the Plug-In-Drug"

Winn, M.(2011).Television the Plug-in Drug. In S Cohen. (Ed.), 50 Essays(pp.447-438). Boston: Bedford/St.Martins. Print.

In this essay by, Marie Winn, in 1949, it was predicted that television would take over the way of living, change children’s habits and a be real asset to family life. Television influenced, changed communication, the quality of life and family rituals. The first television set was expensive, there was only one in a household. This was great, it brought families together for quality time, everyone would gather in one room. Family rituals were formed around the television such as mealtime, going to bed at a set time and holidays. However, the early writers and their predictions did not see into the future. They did not see how the influence of television would change and diminish these same rituals. As households became more plugged into this drug, the more time children would spend watching these television images. This in fact, has diminished family relationships, communication and interaction with real people. “Culture has been transformed by Television” (pg 439). The influences of television dominate children and family lives today.

As a society we are so busy with more mothers working, children are left to watch more television, face book friends and play computer games, rather than spending quality time together. The introduction to the television is comparable to social media today. Social media is the new “plug in drug” in some households today. With social media and the mobile devices you can stay connected and in touch instantly. Studies have shown the importance of eye-to-eye contact, real life relationships and having physical contact.  Cultures and societies are changing rapidly as social media continues to evolve.