Artifact 8-
http://hargatec.blogspot.com/2011/03/artifact-8-health-online.html
My response-
http://marissa-simon.blogspot.com/2011/03/artifact-8.html#comments
My summary for class (task 5 and 6)-
http://hargatec.blogspot.com/2011/04/summary-strand-3task-5-and-task-6.html
Artifact 9-
http://hargatec.blogspot.com/2011/04/artifact-9-spirit-of-sharing.html
Artifact 10-
http://hargatec.blogspot.com/2011/04/artifact-10.html
Monday, April 18, 2011
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Artifact 10
One idea I have for the focus of my fourth essay is internet addiction. For this artifact I read the article “Miss G: A Case of Internet Addiction”.
In this article by Virginia Heffernan, she begins to talk about an online addiction test created by Dr. Young, a professor at Bonaventure University in 1998. Dr. Young says that the internet is addictive because it allows a person to create new personalities and helps individuals fulfill psychological needs. Dr. Young’s test will suggest that any real-life task should be more important and more fulfilling than online interactions or social life. A question from her internet addiction test is “Do you neglect household chores to use the internet?” This could be a warning sign if you are spending more time on the internet or thinking about the internet then taking care of your real responsibilities. In the article, they later discuss how some things a person is considered “passionate” about but with the internet it is considered to be addiction. A person can be obsessed with poetry and art which is just being passionate about it. The word passionate is like addiction in the sense that you are really involved with something and spend a lot of time thinking about it or taking part in it, but passion is healthier than addiction. Being passionate is showing your emotions for something in a way that isn’t considered unhealthy or an illness like internet addiction. The article also touches on the issue that the internet makes females vulnerable to predators.
Internet addiction is a growing issue. The article discusses the 20-year-old college student, Gabriela, who is an internet addict. She sleeps with her laptop and stays up to all hours of the night because she is surfing the web. Everything she views on the internet she connects with other things she must research just to get basic information about and that will lead to more discoveries for her. It is all interconnected. Gabriela refrains from using the internet on her Sabbath day, but during this day she is constantly talking or thinking about the internet. It seems the internet has benefitted Gabriela in a way that some might find unusually. She is gaining knowledge all the time and happy with her life just the way it is. Her “addiction” of the internet hasn’t reacted against her just yet; it is still at a somewhat normal level. This article mentions the idea that we have seen many times throughout this class, the idea that “fantasy life and real life should, ideally, be brought into balance”.
I believe that internet addiction is a growing problem for many individuals all around the world. In some cases, like Gabriela, the addiction is handled in a way that one can carry on their normal responsibilities and be productive, even if the internet is always on their mind. It will be very interesting to see more cases of internet addiction as I continue my research for this essay. I would think that most people today have a little bit of internet addiction in them because of all the distractions the internet has offered us. We get on the computer as soon as we walk into our rooms and check our Facebook accounts, then we download music, look at Textsfromlastnight.com, creep on Facebook some more, and finally we start our homework. The distractions of the internet are the main reason people get addicted. There is so much to know, so much to look up, so much to see.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Artifact 9: The Spirit of Sharing
After reading this article I realized how important online activities are for businesses, organizations, companies, and in this case, it is very important for the museums. I guess I never realized how important Facebook and other social media networks are for those things. It promotes what they want promoted and brings the faces to their doors. I just have always thought of Facebook being about socializing with friends or stalking people’s pictures and lives. This can really be beneficial to the companies and museums and I am sure that more and more people will want to get involved with posting their products or advertising on the social media networks. For example, on Facebook you can be a ‘fan’ of something like the St. Louis Cardinals or Taco Bell (two I know I am a fan of on Facebook), and you can know facts about these things right on the homepage or it can tell you which of your friends are fans too. And as for Twitter, you can follow different organizations to get information, facts, deals, discounts, etc. All these things can bring potential customers and new faces into their stores or museums. If their motives are to get people through their doors and online web sites and social media networks are helping, then they should keep working to improve their sites and bring the people out to the museum.
The first impression I had when reading this article was that these online sites and social media networks would just keep people out of the museums seeing as they could get all the information they need right online with just the click of a button. People may be fans of the online things the museum is offering but that may result in lower turn-outs in the actually museum. Today everyone is about being ‘virtual’ and all the things the internet can offer and I think the museum is kind of an escape from today’s world. I’m not sure how I feel about all the activities online, but if it is helping them bring more people through their doors, then more power to them. I do think that having people use and interact with their handheld devices while at the museum could really distract them from the actual art and disrupt the beauty of being at the museum itself. I do believe that having wireless internet throughout the museums is a pro because many people have art classes or blogs about art and being able to participate in those things while at the museum could really help their projects and work about the art. Like we all know, everyone gets distracted from their work or from reality because of all the new technologies like Facebook, Twitter, texting, etc., so this could also be negative. They need to be able to stay on task while experiencing the art.
People will do whatever they need to in order to get potential customers in front of them. The web has created many possibilities for this. More companies and businesses will be putting their name on the internet and social media networks to try and get ahead of the game. It has been working for many people and will continue to grow as the internet gets more advanced and even more popular than it is today. The ‘sharing’ between the online community and the actual community might just be what every company or organization is in need of.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Summary- Strand 3:Task 5 and Task 6
Task 5- Building Community: Metaworlds and Visual Chat
The task asks us to experience metaworlds and visual chat online. The main objectives of this task is to: 1) Paticipate in a virtual reality environment for at least a week; 2) Critique the graphic representation of individuals and community spaces; 3) Make fieldnotes responding to key questions and recording your impressions; 4) Apply what you know about online relationships and community building.
CMC is being impacted by the increasing use of multimodel technologies and the best representation of this is in Virtual Reality Environments, also known as, VREs. VREs combine the fantasy dimensions of traditional text-based genres of MUDs with the widely popular activity of text-based chat. These are known as metaworlds and visual chats. The first metaworld was Habitat and it was created in 1985. The idea behind this task is that we experience and discover what it is like to join and participate in one of the graphical communities. Our textbook says that they are fun and we would enjoy them if we have never done anything like that before. The participation in these metaworlds are interesting and entertaining.
As for the task, first, we need to sign up on a metaworld such as Active Worlds, worlds.com or vZones which our textbook recommends. vZones allows you to become a digital person. The first thing you need to do after you sign up is change the appearance of your avatar; they give all the new comers a basic body style. You can create your own avatar designing its' body type, size, clothing, hair, accessories and more. You meet people, chat and interact with people from all over the world, walk around, play games. You can control your gestures and body movements. Anything you type in the computer you can enter it into your world and it will show above your avatar's head in a speech bubble. There are different zones you can interact in and thats how you can begin to socialize with other people. When you join you start out with 50 tokens and you use the tokens to buy clothes, accessories, gifts for others, things for your apartment and everything else. You have to get more tokens as you go on. The text recommends that you meet people to show you around the virtual world. There is a monthly fee but getting used to these virtual reality chat spaces is easy and fun to use. They show what it is like to be in an online community. The text asks a good question, "How do you think the graphical (or visual) environment of vZones impacts on how people feel and behave towards each other?"
Task 6- Constructing Identity: Personal Homepages and Webcams
This task asks us to discover personal homepages and webcams. The main objectives of this task are: 1) Conduct an analysis of personal homepages for online identity construction; 2) Consider how the marginalized can develop identity and community online; 3) Make fieldnotes responding to key questions and recording your analyses; 4) Apply what you've learned from Central Issues: Unit 2.
Charles Cheung talks about the opportunity that personal homepages give for the reflexive presentation and narrativization of the Self. Others say that homepages are like bedrooms with posters and pictures overflowing them or like a mantelpiece filled with postcards and knick-knacks. Homepages mix private and public boundaries in an interesting way which is different from the past in communication technologies. Webpages are both mas communication and interpersonal communication. People that create homepages are interacting with their audience even if it isn't immediate. Homepages give a chance to show the hidden aspects in our lives and give people the opportunity to validate themselves.
As for the task, we need to look at different homepages, personal and professional and also view
homepages of marginalized people online. Another thing the task asks us to view is webcams. A good way to observe homepages and decipher them is by using Daniel Chandler's "Bricoleur's Web Kit" which provides a number of criteria for analyzing homepages. Some of the things you need to look at in the homepages are the types of activity which consist of inclusion, allusion, omission, adaptation, and arrangement. Another thing to look at is the types of content which consist of personal stats, interests, ideas, values, friends and personal icons. The last thing to look at is the types of structure which consist of written text, graphics, video clips, an access counter, guestbook, 'cool links' section, and email or chat button. When then have to look at the differences between professional and personal homepages. Observe balance between their public and private lives. When you look at personal homepages, you can type in any random first name go through the search. There will be hundreds of people with the same name but they will all have different homepages containing completely different things. You can also observe teh marginalized people online. Look how they are using personal homepages to communicate, assert, and construct their social identity. You can search different groups and cultures to see how they are interacting online. There was a special case study done on gay people in cyberspace. The internet has been a potential opportunity for gay people. The internet offers a safe environment for a gay individual. They can be open without feeling marginalized or discriminated. This shows them that they are not the only one. The text also asks us to take a look at webcams. They have been a growing part of CMC. Webcams have become more popular with young women. You can search Webcam World and find top-100 webcam sites.
The task asks us to experience metaworlds and visual chat online. The main objectives of this task is to: 1) Paticipate in a virtual reality environment for at least a week; 2) Critique the graphic representation of individuals and community spaces; 3) Make fieldnotes responding to key questions and recording your impressions; 4) Apply what you know about online relationships and community building.
CMC is being impacted by the increasing use of multimodel technologies and the best representation of this is in Virtual Reality Environments, also known as, VREs. VREs combine the fantasy dimensions of traditional text-based genres of MUDs with the widely popular activity of text-based chat. These are known as metaworlds and visual chats. The first metaworld was Habitat and it was created in 1985. The idea behind this task is that we experience and discover what it is like to join and participate in one of the graphical communities. Our textbook says that they are fun and we would enjoy them if we have never done anything like that before. The participation in these metaworlds are interesting and entertaining.
As for the task, first, we need to sign up on a metaworld such as Active Worlds, worlds.com or vZones which our textbook recommends. vZones allows you to become a digital person. The first thing you need to do after you sign up is change the appearance of your avatar; they give all the new comers a basic body style. You can create your own avatar designing its' body type, size, clothing, hair, accessories and more. You meet people, chat and interact with people from all over the world, walk around, play games. You can control your gestures and body movements. Anything you type in the computer you can enter it into your world and it will show above your avatar's head in a speech bubble. There are different zones you can interact in and thats how you can begin to socialize with other people. When you join you start out with 50 tokens and you use the tokens to buy clothes, accessories, gifts for others, things for your apartment and everything else. You have to get more tokens as you go on. The text recommends that you meet people to show you around the virtual world. There is a monthly fee but getting used to these virtual reality chat spaces is easy and fun to use. They show what it is like to be in an online community. The text asks a good question, "How do you think the graphical (or visual) environment of vZones impacts on how people feel and behave towards each other?"
Task 6- Constructing Identity: Personal Homepages and Webcams
This task asks us to discover personal homepages and webcams. The main objectives of this task are: 1) Conduct an analysis of personal homepages for online identity construction; 2) Consider how the marginalized can develop identity and community online; 3) Make fieldnotes responding to key questions and recording your analyses; 4) Apply what you've learned from Central Issues: Unit 2.
Charles Cheung talks about the opportunity that personal homepages give for the reflexive presentation and narrativization of the Self. Others say that homepages are like bedrooms with posters and pictures overflowing them or like a mantelpiece filled with postcards and knick-knacks. Homepages mix private and public boundaries in an interesting way which is different from the past in communication technologies. Webpages are both mas communication and interpersonal communication. People that create homepages are interacting with their audience even if it isn't immediate. Homepages give a chance to show the hidden aspects in our lives and give people the opportunity to validate themselves.
As for the task, we need to look at different homepages, personal and professional and also view
homepages of marginalized people online. Another thing the task asks us to view is webcams. A good way to observe homepages and decipher them is by using Daniel Chandler's "Bricoleur's Web Kit" which provides a number of criteria for analyzing homepages. Some of the things you need to look at in the homepages are the types of activity which consist of inclusion, allusion, omission, adaptation, and arrangement. Another thing to look at is the types of content which consist of personal stats, interests, ideas, values, friends and personal icons. The last thing to look at is the types of structure which consist of written text, graphics, video clips, an access counter, guestbook, 'cool links' section, and email or chat button. When then have to look at the differences between professional and personal homepages. Observe balance between their public and private lives. When you look at personal homepages, you can type in any random first name go through the search. There will be hundreds of people with the same name but they will all have different homepages containing completely different things. You can also observe teh marginalized people online. Look how they are using personal homepages to communicate, assert, and construct their social identity. You can search different groups and cultures to see how they are interacting online. There was a special case study done on gay people in cyberspace. The internet has been a potential opportunity for gay people. The internet offers a safe environment for a gay individual. They can be open without feeling marginalized or discriminated. This shows them that they are not the only one. The text also asks us to take a look at webcams. They have been a growing part of CMC. Webcams have become more popular with young women. You can search Webcam World and find top-100 webcam sites.
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