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It seems that the more evolved technology becomes, the more dangerous it is to society. I thought it was very insightful to use an article from the time period of Buffalo Bill, where technology and social media did not even exist. When looking at that article, by Friesen, I noticed how the author discussed how the camera was around during that time, but the quality was so poor it was useless in resembling a person’s portrait. What do you think the equivalent of social media back then was? I think newspapers was as close to social media as there was. As you all discussed, newspapers could not print an image, only words during that time. But with imposters, it illustrates how something similar to identify theft was possible. Technology has given people the ability to accomplish great things, but when in the wrong hands, it can result in life damaging criminal activities. As Friesen explored, identify theft then was just called ‘being an imposter.’ Maybe in that time people did not have to worry about identity theft because none of their personal information was online. Everything they owned was tangible. Now with identity theft, a credit card can give criminals the ability to steal one’s identity. With the growth of technology, the growth of criminal activities was seen as well. I like how you discuss the factors that lead to social media identity theft because this gives us concrete evidence. With your more recent article “How Social Media Networks Facilities Identity Theft and Fraud,” I like how it talks about how the platforms raise revenue through their targeted advertising. As I don’t see how this directly leads to identity theft, I am curious if the notifications that Instagram sends to users (if they have not posted in a while), lead to more identity theft. Is it the more a user is on a platform, the higher risk they have for their information to be stolen? Or does it relate to the more information they provide a platform, such as being tracked by advertisers. I feel like this connects to the problem of advertisers using users browsing history to know what they like. As this is not identify theft, it is using one’s personal information to target them for ads and revenue. It is as if the companies are imposters of the user to get to know what the user will buy, similar to the imposters of the Buffalo Bill era. I think the more advanced the world gets with technology, the easier and more prevalent identity theft is. It poses the question: will society create technology that can stop this crime for good? 

Buffalo Bill & How Social Media Networks

Identity Theft is a term that is often related to social security cards, bank accounts, online information, and hackers. However, identity theft is nothing new. The idea of taking people’s identity as their own has been around since biblical times. A notable era of prevalent identity theft is the Wild West era, which was in the 19th century. Friesen discusses the life of Buffalo Bill and the many newspaper articles that would be released with incorrect information, as well as death announcements for the same man. Identity Theft in the 19th century wasn’t known as identity theft. It was known as being an imposter or impersonating somebody else. It usually didn’t have anything to do with stealing anything, but instead dealt with claiming to be somebody you were not or a claim to fame by relation. Buffalo Bill was a symbol for the American Frontier. He worked on a wagon train, the gold rush in Colorado, and rode for the Pony Express. He also served as a scout for the Union Army during the last years of the American Civil War. He received by killing 4,280 buffalo during an 18-month stint for the Kansas Pacific Railroad in the late 1860s and was deemed to have an expert shot. He then began performing in shows that depicted life as a cowboy on the frontier and the wild west. His legend began spreading when he was 23 years old. So as far as the wild west was concerned, he was a celebrity. The article by Friesen explains that because the technology wasn’t available, and social media wasn’t invented or even thought about, identity theft was a lot easier. Impersonating somebody, or claiming to be somebody you weren’t, was very easy. Cameras were being used in the 19th century, but due to the lack of quality, it was easy to resemble somebody and be mistaken. Also, newspapers often would just print a description of the person and not an actual image. As Friesen states, anybody with a mustache, goatee and long hair could and would pose as buffalo bill. There were so many people who were either claiming to be buffalo bill or claiming to be related to him in some manner, that it made piecing history together rather difficult. They would have to trace his exact travel paths to see if the crimes these people are claiming happened by Buffalo Bill were possible in the time and space it happened. For instance, on March 22, 1876, a newspaper article came out that claimed Buffalo Bill shot the town sheriff through the heart and killed him. However, after researching Buffalo Bill’s true whereabouts they knew that he had just performed a show in Indiana and then continued to Pennsylvania and Ohio, which would have made it impossible for him to be in Texas on that date. There were multiple Buffalo Bills, but there was only one William “Buffalo Bill” Cody, and even more imposters of buffalo bill. The crimes were stacking against buffalo bill, and sometimes he would get arrested for it and other times it would be his imposters. Nobody truly knew who the criminals were or who was responsible for the crime. This was popular in the 19th century. Likewise, people were able to die multiple times due to incorrect information being printed. Mark Twain made the famous statement “The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated” and Buffalo Bill wrote a letter to his friend saying “The newspapers think it’s up to them to kill me off every little while. During the Indian Wars, they killed me about once a month, now about three times a year. But I’m still kicking.” People would take on the identity as Buffalo Bill mainly to possess his invisibility of never being caught and also being a dangerous man. Also, this allowed many true criminals to get off the hook and this one man to take the wrap for all of it. As Friesen says, imitation was not always flattery. In some ways, technology has made it easier for people to steal other’s identity, and in some ways harder. Of course, there are privacy settings in place, encryption, and levels of security on certain information that is online. There is less protection on social media. People’s identities are now able to be duplicated online and transformed into a new person. Although it does not seem common, social media identity theft affects millions of consumers every year. The harm for the victim racks up in hours spent solving the problem and cash to provide the technical support. This issue is not on the cover page of mainstream media concerns but with the increased hacks, it soon will be. There are many factors that, combined together, are the reason for social media identity theft: the lack of knowledge among the consumer base about privacy settings, the at-ease nature people have with social media, the business aspect of social media platforms, and the lack of discipline of these platforms to implement and police user-friendly and hacker-proof sites. The way these platforms up raise their revenue is through targeted advertising which happens through the access of personal information in the database. Because of this, platforms usually encourage and often times force, to some extent, that users share personal information. These platforms have also the ability to track someone’s social media presence and how often and influential they are through algorithms. They can send personal messages encouraging posting, tweeting, etc. For example, Instagram will send a notification letting you know that you have not posted in weeks and that everyone is wondering what you are up to. Obviously, this is not the case but the simple reminder that you have not posted in a while triggers the instinct to and the more social you are on these platforms, the more you risk identity theft. The most common personal information facts that are later used to steal identities are full names (especially middle names), date of birth (which is the majority of the time required by sites to be filled out), hometown, relationship status, school location/graduation dates, pet names and other information. The answer to this issue is not canceling all social media accounts. The first step is to become educated on how to protect yourself and those around you. Take advantage of the present privacy settings provided to you by whatever social platform you are using, make unique passwords and different passwords for different sites and change them often. Simple steps like this can significantly decrease the likelihood of someone getting access and being able to steal your identity.

Like in the western times, there was no guaranteed way to prevent your identity being stolen. It is not something many people plan for. The two readings also show that this issue has been around for centuries and the means of stealing may have changed but the human urge has not. 

How Social Media Networks Facilitates Identity Theft and Fraud: https://www.eonetwork.org/octane-magazine/special-features/social-media-networks-facilitate-identity-theft-fraud

Buffalo Bill Murder? Identity Theft in the Wild West: http://goldentoday.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/BB_Summer_2015_newsletter.pdf

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PowerPoint

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/17hzHVymgN_SbTzM1O4J_00MVWXKrFqR-_I23gFvgZuU/edit?usp=sharing

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“On a recent visit to Dixons, a large high street electrical distributor, I found a large basket on the floor containing the stores remaining CD Walkmans, all on sale at a cut down price of £9.99. Today’s consumers want the listening possibilities and choices that MP3 technology gives them.” -Michael Bull, Investigating the Culture of Mobile Listening: From Walkman to iPod

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“Following up on the Walkman, the Discman, the Mini-discman and various sorts of USB MP3 players, iPods have brought mobile listening practices to a whole new range of ‘hype’ and ‘coolness’, besides offering a set of technical improvements and an increased storage capacity.” -Raphaël Nowak, The multiplicity of iPod cultures in everyday life: uncovering the performative hybridity of the iconic object

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Related News Story

When the Walkman was first introduced almost 40 years ago, no one could have predicted how portable devices such as the Walkman, cassettes, and the iPod would not only shape how we listen to music, but also how we interact with each other, grow up, and even learn. The iPod was introduced in 2001 and the first iPhone had its release only 10 years ago but has already impacted almost every aspect of our lives.

“Schools incorporate portable devices in learning process” by Diane D’Amico describes something that would have been unheard of a decade ago; instead of raising hands to answer a question, every student got onto their phones. They weren’t texting their friends or browsing on social media, but answering a question their teacher asked. When the students typed out their answers, the results appeared on a white board. To many people, this might seem crazy or baffling but it is actually the opposite. One high school principle adopting this program stated that “If you had asked me a few years ago, I would have said we’d be crazy to do this,” but with the program in place he said “now that we have it, I don’t know why we weren’t doing it before” (D’Amico). This is more beneficial to a learning environment because students not confident enough to say something can do so anonymously. According to some students, it’s easier to say how they really feel and they don’t have to take turns to answer, which typically leaves many student’s questions or answers unheard.

Since the Walkman came out, the combination of teenagers and portable devices has been seen as distracting. More than just seen as distracting, many see devices as making kids less intelligent and less engaged. But D’Amico talks about Pinelands Regional High School where the school understands that there is no turning back with technology so they are embracing it. This school was the first “bring your own device”, also known as BYOD, school in the area and they have actually seen a decrease in discipline problems. The principal of a nearby middle school, Andrew Weber said that “The concern is always discipline and kids misusing them. But the students don’t want to lose the privilege so we’ve really had no problems” (D’Amico).

One teacher, Barbara Horner, stated how students have more responsibility to get the material when it is posted online which helps the students become more accountable outside of class and stay engaged. Horner also said how much time she saves not making copies and handing out paper, and the students love it because it is simply “how they do things” (D’Amico). She predicts that eventually with the use of portable devices in and out of the classroom we won’t need books. Understanding the history of portable devices helps make this transition more effective. Through the betterment of each device, it narrows down the aspects that are most effective and productive. Without the Walkman, cassettes, and the iPod, the iPhone would not be what it is today; a beneficial technological device that can bring areas not directly related to music, like education, to even greater heights.  

Schools that go with the evolution of portable devices are accepting the fact that technology will only continue to advance and teenagers especially are quick to embrace new trends. Just as the Walkman evolved into the iPod which was overrun by the iPhone, the next portable device advancement is unknown but could be right around the corner. Educators who can use this change to their advantage to give children the best possible education in cohesion with technology are the ones who will be most successful.

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Mobile Devices: Summary

In an article written by Raphael Nowak in 2016 called “The multiplicity of iPod cultures in everyday life: uncovering the performative hybridity of the iconic object” the idea that the iPod not only allows individuals to bring music to their daily lives, but also creating different ways and experiences for people to engage in everyday activities is explored. Nowak begins by focussing on past sorts of MP3 players that brought society mobile music such as the Walkman, the Discman and the Mini-discman. But the iPod “brought mobile listening practices to a whole new range of ‘hype’ and ‘coolness’, besides offering a set of technical improvements and an increased storage capacity” (Nowak 189). Being able to listen to music on the move has changed the digital era of music technologies. Today, Apple is removing their iconic iPod from the market because of new technologies such as the smartphone. Nowak believes this is the “perfect opportunity to think about how the hybridity of the object has been used by listeners in a myriad of practices, and how such hybridity has turned the iPod into an iconic object that symbolizes the place given to material artefacts in contemporary society” (Nowak 189). What makes the iPod important to this digital era, is that it’s hybrid technology offers music technologies and assimilates with other objects that create cultural opportunities. Nowak describes these opportunities through everyday uses of the iPod. He describes two patterns- ‘individual cognition’ and ‘algorithmic socialization’ as to why the hybridity of the iPod is so iconic. Later he uses data collected from a study in 2010 and 2011 on “the question of mobile listening practices” (190). Young individuals were asked what their uses are for the iPod and how it is mixed with other ways of music consumption in their life.

Nowak attributes the cassette player and the Sony Walkman to opening “the era of private mobile listening,” which were followed by the boombox, iPod, and now smartphones (190). The iPod specifically attracts attention because of how iconic the object is as it allows an private experience of mobile music. This could have started what society sees today: social introverts. It introduced a way for people to isolate themselves using music. It also evokes attachment, as users feel attached the song files on their iPod. If there is a band someone likes and they have their songs on their iPod, they feel like they have an emotional attachment to this certain music. Nowak uses studies to illustrate that “mobile listening practices emphasize the solitude of users, who can focus on the music they listen to privately while commuting or travelling.” This is similar to car-stereos where drivers can adjust the soundscape of the car to match where they are going or their mood. Being in the car is a private space, the iPod allows this mood-matching music listening when being in public spaces, and still be private. The iPod even has the ability to be docked to speakers, thus being used to listen to music with more people in a confined space. This mood also creates a ‘filmic experience’ that users feel because it is like they are similar to characters in film hen listening to their iPods. Even though the iPod is ‘on its way out’ because of new mobile technologies, it gave people a music accompaniment and “the activity of listening as ‘musical journey’ (197).

What the iPod also does is embed itself into a network of objects and ways of consumption. The iPod does not work without using iTunes. Requiring this software takes time for each individual in their daily lives. The experiences of the iPod are depended on the conditions that users have time to explore songs on iTunes and use their computer with iTunes.

Norwak’s article focuses mainly on how the individual is impacted by the mobile devices and of the iPod. In the book “Investigating the Culture of Mobile Listening: From Walkman to iPod,” the chapter by Michael Bull explores how the iPod impacts communities and society together, as the chapter is called “Consuming Music Together.” This was written in 2006, so the author mainly focuses on the stereo bringing mobile listening to life, and then compares it to the emerging iPod. Bull focusses on the cultural coda of the iPod, the iPod in the home, at work, in the car and how society changed from the stereo. Starting with the stereo, Bull lists the ways users of the stereo interact with their environment. The stereo can block out external sound and Bull relates to Norwak as they both believe that having a mobile music-listening device gives “ many users the desire and ability to move through space and time accompanied by their very own ‘soundtrack’”(Bull 134). This gives a film-like experience as people can journey through their day. Bull discusses how this makes people feel connected with culture and their environment and relates back to Norwak’s claim that mobile listening brings a ‘hype’ and ‘coolness’ to individuals. Bull also describes the isolation that Norwak discuss users feel while listening to their own music. What Bull further describes, in which Norwak does not, are the social interactions listening to music on mobile devices creates. For example, “The headphones dangling from the ears represented a ‘do not disturb’ sign making it harder for others to initiate contact with the user,” and this is a social cue that the stereo cannot create (Bull 135). Music becoming mobile gave users the ability to sync their music with their activity, such as “they walk or cycle through the city or as they use their privatised sounds to jog or work out in the gym. The body works in rhythm to the music and by extension to the outside world” (Bull 135). It gave people a way to turn boring, meaningless time into a time where they could relax and gain control over their time. Bull continues as he compares the stereo to the iPod, stating that although the stereo introduced this mobile listening, it was in a restricted way. This is where the iPod brings a way for users to better synchronize their mood with their environment. The iPod was crucial in allowing music to be personally selected and mobile. Bull explores the topic of music and driving deeper than Norwak. Bull believes that because of the availability of music in the car, driving without music is meaningless. Listening to music produces a much more “powerful sense of connection for many drivers as they listen to their favoured music through their iPods” (Bull 140). This also affects society as users no longer have to listen to commercials and advertisements from radio stations. It allows users to be more free and have control of content.  Overall, Norwak and Bull both argue that the mobile music-listening device have transformed people’s everyday life but Norwak focusses more on an individualistic level while Bull believes it affects more than individuals, but society and communities in all different environments.