a little insight into the technology that has changed the face of networking in this world..
and since its graded...... PLEASE SAY SOMETHING everyone. cheers. ((:
this is just an article i came upon in the Lancaster University alumni mag. how did i get it i have no idea. but anyways..taken from 994 youths aged 16-24, the stats are:
75% couldnt live without the net
45% feels happiest when online
32% believes they can access all info online and that there's no need to speak to a real person about their problems
82% turn to the net to look for advice/info for themselves and 60% for others
37% would use the info online to give advice to others.
76% believed the internet is a safe place "as long as you know what you're doing" and believe that they have the skills to sense and know if there is misrepresentation of any info.
the article however makes it sound like the internet is fantastic the way it plays a vital role in the young generations lives and how the online population have become the confidant for those who are struggling.
its odd however that they don't bring up the fact that their are still so many young people falling prey cheaters online. just that day a classmate told me about how her friend got cheated by a blogshop.. (ok that's next chapt but yes..) furthermore, the advices/infos on the internet can be put up by practically anyone, unless its an established website, but knowing the younger generation, wiki suffices for all info. in what way can these 'advices' help any of the troubled teens? no way. the fact that the internet has become their 'confidant' is really saying how they are isolating themselves and going into recluse as they reinforce the brick wall surrounding them. because on the net, i can pour out my troubles to... nobody actually. but psychologically i feel better. the problem however doesnt go away and when i go offline, it all comes back in a reality punch. what happened to human touch? what happened to humanity? what happened to listening? what happened to loving? nothing. everything is now virtual for them... i think it's quite a waste and feel quite sad for them.
social media, www, internet. all these are REALLY useful tools/technologies. but if overused/abused. say byebye to your personality and humanity.
this is the question that our lecturer posted to us last week.. and before i answer it, i shall give a lil overview on what social media is exactly.. the following clip is a really cute and simple version of what social media is..
basically, social media is the boom of web 2.0.. with the technology on the internet for anyone and everyone to give or share their input, information, or even entertainment.
i of course agree that Social Media is a very useful and helpful thing.. the benefits are really uncountable. with Skype, i can talk and even see my friends in australia easily! FREE!!! haha. that really amazes me all the time. Instant messaging isnt that fantastic to me, cause skype kinda just blows them all away. unfortunately, not everyone has skype, and a lot of people are not comfortable talking face to face now.. (i'll get to that later)
then we have blogs, where we can jabber on about what goes on in our lives, bore other people or entertain them, have a place to rant about our problems etc.. but what's great about the blog to me, is that it's an avenue for me to post my experiences (about my faith) to share with others. cause i believe that it's only when we share that we can grow spiritually.
next we have podcasts. which i think is a very good source of music/videos that can be downloaded, created, and definitely shared. however i dont use this because no $$$. hahaha. it's cheap really, just that you need a credit card to have a itunes account to dwld these podcasts. so yes.
i would think that the social networking sites are considered social media as well since they do allow posting of thoughts/insights, media, songs etc. everything really, and can post your blog's posts as it updates. i'm not exactly a fan of networking sites like Facebook and all. because i dont see why there's a need to have 'friends' that i really don't care for, and whom i would never speak to if i see them. but of course a friend of mine decided i needed one and set it up for me. and now i only log in once in a while to get photos and that's it. so i guess it's good cause if not the photos that are taken by others will always be lost and i would never receive them. there are other bonuses of course, eg. to keep in touch with new acquaintances that i made in Philippines when i there.. to really net work and ask for help if needed.
so these are all the benefits that social media has created and given to us nicely. however.. the thought of the increasing social media and the extend of its use giving more problems does make sense. in fact, i do believe strongly that social media can be used in a degratory way for mankind. its like a double edged sword.
1stly, there is a WHOLE LOT of people now addicted to FB. always needing (let me emphasize the NEEDING) to log on just to plant their farms, feed their animals, cook their food whatever. and really, if these games are educational, or they just wanna waste 10 mins of their time while resting or waiting that's fine. but these people are really addicted to this! wanting to play every moment they can, rushing home to play and playing for hours in a row! even playing at work. of course they say it's not an addiction and that it's fun... but really. bejewelled has been around for ages, only now that it's on FB and they can compete with their friends in terms of points every adult wants to play it. it just doesn't make sense.
and remember when i talked about how people are uncomfortable talking on skype cause its face to face and voice to voice and real time and everything. i work with a lot of youth. and i think its so odd how a lot of them cannot open up to me (or any of my friends) face to face but they can if its online. they don't know how to explain their feelings, they are not even in touch with their feelings because everyone posts their thoughts and nobody really cares about the other person online. not really anyways because if there's real care, it wouldn't be on a public network like FB or blog comments. so yes, in this way social media is promoting the self centeredness that we already have and are just encouraging everyone to try to outshine the other with the highest ratings, or most friends or whatever.
i dont think that social media is an invasion in privacy because those who delve into it or use it, knows that it is opening up some part of their lives. so yeah.. its the users who are giving up their privacy.. not the cause of the technology. however, i strongly believe that social media is degrading the human brain and just making the younger generation more and more stupid. because now they dont know how to express themselves OUTSIDE a blog. now they have a free 'world' where noone (ie their parents) can touch them, and the can cuss the F-word every other sentence or so. and now they have a channel that not only invites but promotes gossip. it's really sad to see the younger generation stumbling over words as they come out of their mouth and not being able to think of a witty comeback in a word battle because online, you can wait and think (or check online) for a good comeback! its really quite sad.
in conclusion. i'm not a fan of social media. the only thing i like is skype but nobody skypes as much. and of course im' okay with blogs if its for a good use/cause. other than that, i think IM is a total waste of time because you don't even vaguely care about any person that you can only speak to online and not face to face.
well, one of the things i learnt this week is about the beginnings of the internet..
1stly, the internet originated from some defense thing for the americans! so it basically started as a tool to keep them safe.. used by the army i think. but yes, thought it was classic that america invented the internet because it's all about freedom.. on the internet, you can do plenty of things that you may be restricted from in reality. eg. vent your frustrations via a blog.. or make new friends from across the world thru social net working sites.
another thing i learnt is that there are different 'versions' or 'types' of internet. there's web 1.0 which is basically a webpage that is a read-only, very passive type. in other words something that is one way, no interaction or communication except for maybe a simple feedback form. very HTML and javascript based.. like an informational web site! eg, my church website..
then there's web 2.0, 2nd generation of the internet, which uses syntax.. which is a programming thing that is actually a combination of symbols, and characters that creates the site. ( a little lost in the understanding here.. even though i researched more into it..) but yes. a lot of internet programming Jargon here. no worries. its simply a site where you can upload and maybe download stuff. whole lot of interaction, information sharing, collaborations, and really a more active and less limited platform where you can actually change the face of the site.
eg. this blog! hahahaa. or let me show you my personal reflection blog..
then last of all there's web 3.0 which is obviously the 3rd and predicted generation for the internet..known also as a semantic web.. where the computer itself can analyze, compute and compare data.. where it will become a world where machines and communicate with machines without human intervention (except maybe to fix the machines in times of breakdown...) but yes. sounds like a vision into the new vision but yet, not a very promising future.. (think iRobot...)
My views on these different generations are rather contradicting.. there is of course the numerous advantages of these different platforms and the advancements.. with web 3.0, it would be a lot less tedious to search for things that have been searched by other people before.. it would be a whole lot easier to search for information and to share videos and interact with people. it might be in fact so easy that it would evolve til our lives can be fully lived just by logging on to the net!
but then again, it's during the long and tedious searching of something that hone my skills and scanning, understanding, summarizing, and filtering a long article. it is when i slowly find for the video i want or music i want that i stumble across music (that may not be in the same category) that i happen to like!
i guess though there are plenty of perks with the web 2.0, and i love that we can interact and network and the global communication system isnt so 'global' anymore.. really, my friend in europe can be in the unit next to me, from the speed and way we communicate.... sometimes, the slow way filled with obstacles help mould and challenge (in a good way) the growth in me mentally.
