Coincidence?

Our generation has seen an influx of new and useful (and some not so useful) technology. But surprisingly, it seems to me like the more advancements we (society) makes, the more people are longing for the past. Is it a coincidence that in the world of today where hover cars and jet packs are plausible (but not so pratical), that the vintage trend is so popular?

The 1960s was the era of mod futuristic tendencies and astronauts. But today people are searching antique stores for old furniture and playing the Super Nintendo. Why is it that when the infinite future is ahead of us, people are spending their time rumaging around in the cast-offs of the past? Maybe people are afraid of what the future holds and the technology it could pose. This isn't out of the question, there a lot of evidence of this in books and TV shows. Take all the dystopian future novels like Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale and Bradbury's Farenheit 451. It's easy to be pessimistic. Whereas the past can seem safe, and easy to navigate. We already know what's happened in it, there's nothing there to surprise us unaware.

The technology of the future can be promising though. There's been many advancements for the better of society as well. Break throughs in medicine and further safety in travel and everyday living. Like many things, I think looking at future technology requires a balanced prospect. Things aren't going to be 100% perfect or 100% horrible, we can only hope for a nice middle ground.

The story of Ivanna’s lost phone in Ch. 1’s Here Comes Everybody can be compared to so many other stories that resulted from the collaborative effort from those with a shared experience in this decade. What began as a common story of a phone getting lost in a cab, resulted in a homemade detective pursuit among a large group of people previously unknown to Ivanna and led to the recovery of her phone and an experience. This story framed the future of collaboration.

To Write Love on Her Arms would be one of those stories. TWLOHA is a movement about reaching out to others that started on the Internet. They began with a simple myspace blog that generated stories from teens from all over the world about dealing with depression and substance abuse. With these stories came the heartfelt thankyous to the site’s creator for giving them a place where they didn’t feel alone.
In stories like Ivanna’s TWLOHA and many others there’s a declaration of the phrase ‘power in numbers.’ None of these events could have taken place if there wasn’t a way to connect to so many outside of our zip code simultaneously. At all other times in history we were limited to location. Today, our world can be as big as the world itself and what that can accomplish is mind blowing.

Even in the simple stories I’ve recounted these collaborative movements left considerable impacts on individual lives: these people were understood. These people not only had someone to listen, but they also had support. They received help from others in way they could never accomplish alone. When you can have a large group of people come together with a mutual understanding, change can occur. It can occur anywhere in the world, at any time, by anyone. This is the power of connectivity. This is the power of understading.

"Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean." - Ryunosuke Satoro

Rebecca Black - Friday (OFFICIAL VIDEO)

By now, I'm sure everyone who doesn't live under a rock has seen the video "Friday" by Rebecca Black. If not, I've posted the video to the blog so you can watch and get addicted:




Its amazing what the Internet can do. After the first two weeks of this video going viral, it had an amazing 8 million views and after the past week, it has more than tripled to a jaw dropping 28 million. Seeing the power of social media puts me in awe and disbelief. The only problem with this instance is that: what significance does this have? Who cares? Sure the video is funny and the fact that it's supposed to be completely legit makes it even better. But why are we wasting our time and energy on this, a pointless music video? The Internet has a vast potential and incredible capability, so why are we wasting our time and breath over some funny video? The same goes for the whole Charlie Sheen news. I hear people quoting him in class and every other hashtag is "winning". But who cares? Obviously Americans and anybody else who utilizes social networks and media. Why can't we put as much effort into the awareness and intervention of the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan? Imagine what we could accomplish if we focused our efforts on helping out a devastated country instead of this video. I think we need to step back and look at what the Internet has done for us. It is an amazing tool that has the potential to do great things if used correctly, but instead we waste our time on Rebecca Black. Now I posted the video on my Facebook wall so I can't say I'm so self-righteous, but I also have been trying to help out any way I can with the victims in Japan by supplying baked goods to the bake sale which donated the funds to disaster relief. I think we need to get our priorities right as Americans and set an example for others to follow. Individually there is only so much we can accomplish, but we have the tools to band together and make a difference. We can't sit around and make excuses anymore, because we have the tools at our fingertips, now all we have to do is get our priorities straight.

Ambient Findability: the idea of being findable at all times. A completely connected environment has caused us to marvel at the smart-phone that holds the world in our hands, and slink back in caution at the idea that we too, are accessible. Are we afraid of the hidden stalker? In reality, how many of us feel like the target of a psychotic stranger determined to take down who’s path he finds? Could it be that we’re afraid of our co-workers, friends, or family searching our name and finding something they shouldn’t? Is it the fear that we too might become stalkers?

There is no doubt that we are in a transition period. From factory workers to the robots that have taken their place, we are entering a technological age, and turning back looks slight. So, we must deal with our reality. A few years back we experienced a revolutionary transition period that initially led to an up rise in divorce: women entering the workforce. During the feminist movement women were aspiring to careers outside of the home. This financial independence meant that women didn’t have to be married for financial support.
Initially, this lead to an increase in divorce as women became pickier about how they chose to live. The children of this generation felt the painful consequences of divorce and since then the rate of divorce has decreased. May we say, lesson learned?

With connectivity comes information, and with information comes responsibility. It’s true that technology comes with freedom that can lead anywhere from a life of convenience to losing the value of privacy, but as we adjust to the medium, through trial and error, we will learn how to attain balance. This new medium not only allows us to be connected, but also to work within a spatial environment, limitless in space, unlike the linear reality we live in.

Civilization is the progress toward a society of privacy. The savage's whole existence is public, ruled by the laws of his tribe. Civilization is the process of setting man free from men. –Ayn Rand.

United.

Going off “The Good Thing About Facebook”, people can really unite and spread the word about a disaster as big as Japan. The world knew about the earthquake and tsunami within a few hours not only because of the news, but also because of social networking sites. However, worldly problems like Japan are not the only disasters that plague Facebook, Twitter, and blogs.

When the “Rainpocalypse” hit Indiana, the Animal Rescue Foundation in Muncie was flooded. The helpless cats, dogs, and a few pigs were trapped in cages trying to stay above water. Though none drowned, the entire rescue center was under water, which ruined the food, medical supplies, and so on. I volunteer there on a regular basis and had already started following them on Twitter (@munciearf). As soon as it was safe, the owners and regular volunteers raced to ARF to evacuate the dogs and cats. Through constant tweets asking for foster homes, every animal was put in a foster home within the day. They also started tweeting that they needed food, medical supplies, cleaning supplies, and general help. People started re-tweeting to their own followers to spread the word and within the week the Animal Rescue Foundation had hundreds of volunteers cleaning up the rescue center, dropping off food for the animals, and spending their own money to replace the medical supplies.

Being able to contact people through these social networking sites has given them a chance to help others in need. It really shows how connected our society is even though we don’t realize it. Whether it’s a disaster like Japan or the Animal Rescue Foundation, Shirky does a great job in saying it brings everybody together.

Did you hear?

As I was reading the blog “Gossip Girl”, it reminded me of so many websites I have encountered over time. People feed off of scandal, gossip, and rumors. Here are a few I’ve seen:

collegeacb.com – A website that has anonymous posts by sorority and fraternity members that bash a certain person or post a comment that can be read by all. Most are very mean and I would not want to put on here, but the posts sum up to which sorority is the best, which is the worst, and same goes for fraternities on campus.

postsecret.com – A website that allows people to anonymously, well, post a secret. It allows them to get it off their chest, but gives others satisfaction in scandals.

@oceanUP – A twitter account that updates it’s 92,000 followers of what celebrities are doing, where they’ve been, where they’re going, and posting pictures/videos of them walking out of buildings. This allows readers to indulge in gossip and rumors of others. @oceanUP tweets gives their followers an immediate update so it’s always new and changing when they get wind of a celebrity’s scandal whether it’s true or not. Just something for people to talk about and spread.

Again, these websites give people an inside look on others lives to satisfy their own need for gossip and scandals.

When Others Are Oppressed No One Is Truly Free"... Albert Einstein.

The Internet: Is it a new outlet of the entrepreneur? This is a place where anyone can go and be heard. There are no resumes, recommendations, or qualifications for that matter. Here, it’s not who you know, but what you know.

In Ch. 3 of Shirky’s Here Comes Everybody there’s a story about a former politician who loses his career because of a questionable statement he said at a party. At first this story went unheard because the reporters at the party found it unimportant. A few days later though, a blogger had recounted the event and it had caused a stir on the Internet. His reaction led to a reaction among reporters and in the end the politician…well…had lost his ethos.

Why is this story important? Because if this was 15 years ago, the only way this man could have made as big of an impact as he did would be to acquire the formal education of a reporter and then find company that was willing to give him a chance. With today’s technology our voice isn’t trapped within the walls of formal education.
It’s true that source credibility has been a complaint of many who use the internet to search for information. This is a new medium that doesn’t discriminate against anyone’s opinion, and that includes your Uncle Carl who has had a half built time machine in his basement for the last 30 years.


But as we’ve seen in the example of the blogger who destroyed the opinion of a politician, if you do have something valuable to offer, here’s your chance. Why should there be such a thick line between the hobbiest and the ‘professional’? Knowledge is an interpretation of life experience and those who assume authority on anything will find out, like the reporters, that even that is subjective. This new medium allows an opportunity to see things from different angles and hear more voices than the select few who followed the path of the industrial era.

“Sometimes I'm confused by what I think is really obvious. But what I think is really obvious obviously isn't obvious...”-Michael Stipe