lackeydacky

[lackeydacky]

I agree with Nicholas Carr forsure. All media construct reality relates to this topic as the values of this medium have changed the way we read and think. The habits and activities we Engage in online are making us take in information in a completely new way. In turn we are becoming worse problem solvers, and we have a stronger reliance on the internet. Thanks to social media scrolling a mile and hour and taking in information in the quickest amount of time has become my generation's greatest talent. It has created a generation of speed readers, but this is not necessarily a good thing. Although we are taking in content and information we don’t really process what we are taking in. With social media the things we are watching are in and out of our minds within seconds, we barely seem to even remember what we were looking at one minute ago. When you read a book, the page you just read shouldn’t be hard to remember, so why is it so hard to keep track of the things you’re reading and seeing on social media. I think this is because we are taking in so many things at once that aren’t connected so there is no need to remember what you just took in. Everything we are taking in is for momentary entertainment, and isn’t actually important, so there is no need to remember what we just read. I think the internet is also making us very codependent. I think that google gives us the capability to be smarter as it gives us more access to information but it makes us way worse at using and taking in new information. I have realized that the way I intake information has changed drastically because of the internet and online media. The internet has definitely made my attention span way shorter. I often rely on google for any questions that pop into my head. Because all these answers are now so accessibleI have become almost reliant on google for things I could probably take a minute to figure out myself. I was listening to something on the radio about how google maps and online navigation has made us way worse at navagting and finding our way on our own. Barely anyone uses maps anymore and we have become almost completely co depentent on the internet when it comes to traveling or finding our way. In this podcast they talked about how before these tools were around people paid much more attention to their surroundings and where over all more aware when out and about. They said how going on road trips or just going places in your own city the “getting there” part used to be something we were more involved in. We would pay more attention to things we had remembered from the trips before and would make sure to stay aware of any new things. If you ever got lost you would talk to other people, get suggestions on routes to take, or places to visit. Maybe even make a new friend. Their point was that the internet is making us less intelligent when doing things independently and making us think differently, which I think relates to what Nicholas Carr. I realized when I went to Montreal that even when on the same street as my destination I would still check google maps. We’ve become so used to the internet that we don’t do simple things like following the numbers on buildings to find our way. So in conclusion, I agree with Nicholas Carr. Because media construct and changes our way of reading and thinking, in a negative way, then infact the internet is making us stupid.

[lackeydacky]

Instagram and Facebook are not worth giving away our personal information. Although in the past I have definitely given up my email and name for a free coin on some game, I don’t think people should be giving away their information so freely. I believe all media have commercial implications, which means that making revenue is the main intention in all media. This means we shouldn’t be giving away our personal information, as corporations don’t have us (or protecting our information) in their best interest.There are many reasons why giving away our information is dangerous. At this point in time any thing we do on the internet is being tracked. Even if we don’t give our name away our search history, times on our phone, and shopping trends are all tracked and used to formulate new ways of making revenue. Our shopping trends can be sold to companies so they can predict the new best thing to sell, or what to advertise. Some algorithms even know the best timing or can predict the mood which you are most easily persuaded to shop. For example if you are getting advertisements of fun things and clothing when you are sad you are going to be more likely to buy stuff to distract yourself. There are even people coming out about neuroscientists working with social media platforms to make apps like facebook and instagram more addictive. Using our trends on the app they change the platform so that it is scientifically the most addicting it can be. Social media is now so addictive that it is said to release amounts of “dopamine is associated with food, exercise, love, sex, gambling, drugs … and now, social media.”

Not only are media platforms using your information to get you hooked they are also selling it to other companys so that they can find the best way to get you to buy their stuff. “Facebook has faced intense criticism over how it’s shared user data with third parties. Most famously, the political data firm Cambridge Analytica harvested information on users through a seemingly innocuous quiz app.”Something I found really interesting was the reason that sites like google are free. It’s because they would prefer your data in comparison to money as people are more likely to use the app if it is free. By using the app google collects your data and sells it to advertisers so that they can better push their product. It was estimated that we, or in better words our data, are worth about $233 annually according to “PrivacyFix, which is an app made by the security software company AVG.

Just recenty I found out that there is a browser called “Brave” that keeps your information safe with small monthly payments. My girlfriend's dad has been trying to get me to download it forever and now it seems like it might be a good idea.

With all these other factors I don’t think it is worth it to give away our information for access to social media. We can see that companies will use our data in any way to make a profit, and that in exchange for social media we are giving away a lot more than we think.

In conclusion, because all media have commercial implications we shouldn't be giving away or personal information.

[lackeydacky]

17

I believe that overall learning should stay in the classroom. I don’t think that E learning is meant for everyone and strongly disagree with the policy of online classes being mandatory. I think that having online tools can be very helpful but overall learning should stay in the classroom. Communicating online is already a difficult process so bringing the whole affair online would make learning much more difficult. Certain electronic tools like google classroom, docs, and slides can be extremely helpful and should be used to our advantage but most learning tools should stay in the classroom. I agree that online learning is a good option to have, but that doesn’t mean it works for everyone or should be made mandatory. If you are taking an extra course or summer courses doing an online course can be an easier alternative than going into a physical class, but by no means should any online courses be mandatory. Some students need to be with others to learn and I think taking away that option is not fair. Hands on learners would have an extremely difficult time doing an online course. One thing that is easier to provide with in class learning is incentive. When in class the teacher is present and can help to motivate and keep kids interested and focused. When working online it is easier to get distracted and procrastinate. For online courses, Beyhan Farhadi, a former E learning teacher in Ontario says, “there was no way to compel a student to attend the online class or complete her assignments.” When a class is online there is not much involvement from the teacher other than marking and responding to emails so it can be really difficult to get students involved and really connect with them. E learning in Ontario has had a strong lash back and all students and parents I know have been against it. E learning is also complicated because not all kids have the money to afford computers, and not everyone has the time to go to the library every time they have to work. This creates an unfair divide between students and shouldn’t be something that students have to struggle with. One major thing online courses would change about our learning experience is communication, not only will you not be able to directly communicate with your teacher but now discussing with class mates is even harder. I find that class discussions are really helpful and with online classes this would no longer be possible. It would be way harder to get together and meet new people if everything is done online. Working with others and meeting new people are both very important parts of school and E learning will make those two things very difficult to do. If the teacher is less involved then most of our learning and research is done on our own. Even in the ideal online learning situation form and content are still going to be closely related to media. If you are writing a history essay doing it online seems like the perfect situation. You have all the tools you need and endless platforms to research on, but along with endless information comes endless distraction. Having all our work done online leaves us just clicks away from instagram or youtube. Along with a lack of motivation now we have to avoid limitless distraction. Although working online is a form with endless media to pick from, at the end of the day you need to have the self control to stick to the media that will help you with your work ( which most kids definitely don’t have) Finally, even if working online is a form where you can stay focused and you have the information I think it still limits the extent to which you can express yourself. I don’t believe writing on this platform is a better way to express yourself compared to being face to face in a classroom. In conclusion, even in an ideal situation, this form is not any better than working in class and therefore shouldn’t be mandatory.

https://peopleforeducation.ca/the-pros-and-cons-of-e-learning/

[lackeydacky]

16

I think that social media is a great way to share your talents and put your creativity out into the world. Social media can be a great platform for starting or promoting your own business. In fact I think that it has given more people and younger groups an easier way to make money and bring their ideas to the next step. Social media platforms like Instagram want this kind of business on their platform as it attracts a new audience. Now most people make an instagram or facebook when they start a business. Instagram has adapted to make running a business off their website much easier. You can add links to a website and they even created virtual price tags that you can attach to any picture. instagramshopping-760x400.png Other than businesses and actually making money social media is a great platform to push your talents or hobbies. People are becoming famous online by posting piano covers or art work which I believe is a good thing. Even though I agree that “all media have commercial implications” I don’t think that necessarily means they are stealing your talent or money. Your talent brings people to their platform which inturn makes them revenue. Their platform gives you exposure and can eventually also be a way for one to make money. On both sides there are people making a profit. If anything, social media makes it easier for people with no talent to become successful. For instance, most influencers on tik tok make short dance videos to songs, they aren’t even good dancers they are just attractive people. Even without being attractive these platforms open up many ways to become famous. There are clips on Tik Tok of people posting themselves doing absolutely nothing that end up getting over hundreds of thousands of views and likes. https://www.tiktok.com/@luvanthony/video/6661681878816263429?lang=en (Tik Tok guy doing nothing) These media platforms have made it possible for anyone to become famous and get their talents out into the world. Being able to create and see all this new content brings a strong creative aspect to social media which makes me enjoy it that much more. When I was younger, youtube enabled me and my cousins to create and release content really easily. Once social media came out we were able to advertise our music and with a combination of free media platforms we have made content and music that would have been really expensive too do 10 years ago. Because of the internet and social media platforms I can sell clothing with just a quick post or make and share music without spending any money. In conclusion I think that media platforms have made it way better and easier to create content and make a profit from your talents.

[lackeydacky]

8

Dear Instagram,

I think we need to take a break, it’s not you, it's me. Actually it’s kind of you. In the past I could use you to stay in touch with my friends and meet new people, but now you come with too many distractions. I spend loads of time scrolling through pointless entertainment and it’s a waste of my time. I can now see that form and content are closely related in media, and that instagram is no longer the right medium for my needs. I am no longer on this app to stay in touch with my friends. I now only seem to be using it when I'm bored, so I think it’s time I moved on. Once I can start to properly use social media maybe we can give this a try again, but for now I need some space. I'll check in every once and awhile, because I have a lot of connections that are only accessed through you. So I’ll just hop on and off to check if I have any messages, I won’t check my profile or start scrolling. Instagram will just be another way for me to check my texts. If you hadn’t been so helpful with direct messages and setting me up for jobs this wouldn’t work at all. Luckily I think we can find a middle ground where we can still see each other but for communication needs only. A lot of my modeling jobs have been possible because of you so I thank you for that. A lot of business connections are starting to be made off of social media and modeling is an especially helpful thing to have for some extra cash, so because of this I won’t be gone completely. Last year there was a period of time where I had the self control to only go on for 10 minutes a day. Recently I have been using any media as a way to procrastinate, so for the time being I think it would be healthy to take a break. I’ve said in the past that I would just use you for messages and once again I got sucked back into the void of endless scrolling and wasted time. To make sure this doesn’t happen again I’m going to need a little time away to get used to not being able go on whenever i’m bored. I also thought removing notifications would help me to not be constantly reminded of yours and others existence. As I think about it more I think that having notifications on could help so that I know when and when not to log on. If I see that the notification is important and is a message about a job or a friend reaching out then I will know to go take a look. Other than that this is goodbye, maybe in the future you will add some new interesting feature that will draw me back in but as of now there is nothing worth my time.

Thanks,

Sami