Tech User Quiz Result Analysis

  I took this quiz that was asking the question "What kind of tech user are you?" and the result was interesting.  The results you may see in my post from November 5, 2009.  My result essentially said that I use technology as if it is attached at my hip and create pieces of media that I share with others.  I believe that is inaccurate.  Technology is not something that I crave and use as if I need to in order to carry on my life.  In fact, that is rather extreme and I would put myself in a different category.  The different category options are digital collaborators, ambivalent networkers, media movers, roving nodes, mobile newbies, desktop veterans, drifting surfers, information encumbered, the tech indifferent and off the network.  I know that I use technology and the internet on a frequent basis, but mainly because I must in order to gain certain information that would not be available or as easily available.
   I believe when it came to searching for the group or label from this quiz that I mostly fit into and right away I feel as if I can eliminate "Stationary Media Majority" section of types of users list.  I feel confident that I am neither a mobile newbie nor a media mover as I stated above and I have had my cell phone for several years now.  With that said it comes down to digital collaborator, ambivalent networker or roving node as options to be called.  As regards to the possibility of being a roving node, I do not see that as being fully encompassing.  The label does not take into account my feelings about progress in technology and mass media in relation to my life.  In addition, I am definitely not a digital collaborator because this sense of confidence that is mentioned in the description is not placed in the place that I would place it.
     That leaves me with the group that I feel fits who I am, and that is ambivalent networker.  I believe that I use my mobile device to help me run my social life.  Though I am nervous about the level and pace of progress of technology and how that affects the connections people are making with other people.  That is the type of tech user that I am and how I arrived at my conclusion, even though the quiz came up with another choice.

Facebook and all that jazz

   Facebook is a social networking site that seems to be changing constantly.  That said, the way people, such as myself, change in the way they interact with this.  One evolutionary activity involving facebook is that people have been sending invites to groups and causes, and people are just accepting these invites on a whim.  This movement is ironically called "Click-Through Activism", which was termed by Monica Hesse in one of her articles from The Washington Post.  As for me, I join groups or causes for various reason, whether it be that I truly care about the thing or I want to help drum up some support for a friend's cause that they are passionate or just cause others have joined it.  I try my best to not just join any group, but even the ones I do care about and join on facebook I do not usually do anything further.  Personally, I see little happening that was directly caused by the the groups or causes on facebook and people, myself included, just being content with the fact that all they did was join the thing.
   While that activism was evolutionary in the person to site activity, facebook itself evolved in many aspects, most notably the addition of the news feed.  I must say that I never had a facebook before the addition, but I heard about it.  The people that had a facebook before the addition had mixed reactions when the addition came because some loved it, others really did not care and since some felt it was the worst thing to happen.  The interesting part is that those that hated it were mainly hating it because they felt violated in their privacy rights.  They may have been so back in the day, so to speak, but now a days(several years after the addition) there are very good privacy settings that can be used for the feed and your profile.  Though I must note that what many fail to understand is that anything put on the internet can ultimately be accessed as long as someone has the will to do it and the advances in technology that are happening around the world.
     I do not want to leave this blog on a soar note, so I have one more evolution.  That is the evolution of the effect facebook has on person to person interaction.  This has happened mainly due to the posting of a person's relationship status("single","in a relationship","engaged","married","it's complicated","in an open relationship","widowed", or just not post anything) because people now rush to post it and change it depending on their situation.  Furthermore, if someone is in a relationship and they list who they are in it with, but then break-up people rush to be the first to change it. This makes for relationships to be on edge for those that care about their facebook profile reputation.  Also they allow people to find out alot about a person without talking to them, which would normally not be known unless people talked to that person or a friend of that person.  This changes how people interact from the beginning.
  The evolutionary steps that I have mentioned are just a few.  With just these few changes in a social network that is not even ten years old having a huge effect, where do you see the next big change coming from and what effect will it have?

What type of Tech User would I be?

I am a Media Mover, I have a wide range of online and mobile habits, and I am bound to find or create an information nugget, such as a digital photo, and pass it on. These social exchanges are central to my use of information and communication technology. Cyberspace, as a path to personal productivity or an outlet for creativity, is less important to me.

Feminism

    I went to a panel discussion on contemporary feminism featuring three women who spoke about becoming and being a Feminist in their life.  I do not have a substantial backround in ideas of feminism nor do I have friends that are openly expressed that they are feminists.  This panel, through hearing their personal experiences, gave me great insight into the thinking of people who become feminists and what their ideas are.  Previous to this panel discussion, my view of feminists has been one of extremism and obscurity.  My perception of them was in a sense that they are FemiNazis.  The discussion changed that and I now have a greater respect for feminists.  Though I do have one problem with the panel.  That is that one of the panelists claimed to essentially be a feminist at a very young age, meaning before middle school.  That is utterly rediculous, but I guess everyone has a right to their own opinion.  Well I guess there is still much to be thought about.

Politics and Media

         Mass media in today's society has become almost like a branch of the government in a sense.  There are the presidential debates, press conferences, public announcements, etc, which are essentially pseudo events.  They happen in the sense that they physically take place, but are fake in that they try to portray a certain reality that is not realistic.  For example, the presidential debates that are televised are real to the point that people are actually at the televised location, but the debate is not true to what a debate really it about and lacks the time needed to do so.  This example in particular puts the focus on the candidate's ability to look good physically and verbally, but does not put much emphasis the intellectual content or the real issues that are important to helping the country.  This led to John F. Kennedy and Barack Obama getting elected.  These political events allow those in politics to have a direct link to the public and control to some degree the information what reaches the masses in the United States.
        The interaction of the politics and media has another side.  That is the side of regulation, which involves mass media and the FCC (Federal Communications Commission).  This involves the big media giants all the way down to those individuals who make their own media available to the public.  The FCC regulates specifically the radio, television, wire, satelite and cable, which with technology of today creates a very grey or hazy area in which the two "dance".  The issues of today that deal with politics and media in relation to regulation are the ownership consolidations that are happening and the other is the question of what is best action to take when dealing with the public interest.  This "dance" is fluid because it is constantly changing.
          Now the final point I am looking to cover is this idea of gatekeepers for politicians having to go on television shows that not just news, but comedy based.  For example, during the 2008 presidential campaigning of the candidates there were several appearances on Saturday Night Live.  These appearances included, Obama, Clinton, Palin, McCain, where they went with the flow of the normal satire of the program.  In the presidential election, there was no such media gate keeper that had such a dramatic affect.  This is clear because soon after Palin's appearance on SNL, her popularity plummeted and vice versa Obama's appearance gave him greater popularity.  What is interesting now that Obama has been elected, comedians seem mixed about him because they now have months of which he has been in office.  Though his actions have not been prolific as he proposed in his campaigning.  In the spirit of politics and media coming together, here is a video.

Pseudo-Events and the Current Status of the Newspaper Industry

          Today, there is a rampant growth in the media of pseudo-events.  These events are events that are in a sense "fake" because while they might have happened or will happen, but they are staged and scripted for the news.  Example of an event is the Presidential Debate that occurs around the time of the campaigns for the positions of the US President because that event is unrealistic when thinking of a real debate, which would take much more time and not the minutes that the candidates are given.  The person that is chosen to moderate the event is there mostly to provide "star power" and ask questions.  The presidential candidates are given miniscule amounts of time to respond to the question or truly debate with the other opponent.  The questions being asked are for the most part not the meat of what should be asked to figure out how good of a job one might do in the position.  Also there is a huge crowd usually, so the person before becoming president has to be able to speak quickly, succinctly and in an educated fashion.  Though that is not all, for the candidate has to be able to do the job in effect before doing the job.  The event is scripted in advanced for the most part and the candidates are very cautious and not candid in their responses.  The purpose of the event is to push a certain type of person and personality into the spotlight that people would vote for no matter how qualified.
            Then there is the hyped event of December 21, 2012 that many in news and entertainment media have claimed that the world will have apocalyptic events occur.  Though this is not definitively a pseudo event by definition, it needs mentioning because not all events are clear as to whether they are a pseudo event or not.  Since this is an event that is being predicted it is not real in the sense of happening, but media and entertainment are making it out like this event is definitely going to happen.  They have come out with stories and even a movie set to be in the theaters soon.  The date is supposed to be a time when there is a cosmic alignment and tectonic plates causing many earthquakes and tsunamis.  I do not know what you think about this possibility, but when I first heard about it, I thought that while it was very unlikely due to my life experiences that it is terrifying to think about the possibility of it even happening.  The purpose of this event is to cause hysteria and skepticism in society.
             While news media are causing society to be more fearful of the future, society is doing the same to news media when it comes to the newspaper industry.  In the United States, there has been a decrease in newspaper readership since news went on the internet.  A perfect example is the Boston Globe, which is run by the New York Times.  If that company can not stay in business, then what hope is there for small newspaper companies?  Well, I believe that people in American society no longer sit while eating breakfast and drinking coffee to read the newspaper.  Today, people are constantly on the move and rather read the news on the internet because that can be done while checking emails and social networking sites.  This change is big because while it opens the door to less reliable news outlets, people will be able to check out many diverse articles on the same issue and discern the truth.  Where as with the newspaper there is just one company's view.  Furthermore, fewer trees will be used to make paper, thus theoretically saving more trees.  Times are changing and companies have to adapt, that is what sparks innovation.  The future seems to hold much promise for innovation as things seem to be changing only faster and faster.

The music industry has consolidated over the years, but this increase does not have a direct affect on the diversity of music out there.  Interestingly, there has been changes in television channels that started out playing music 24/7.  An example would be MTV because back in the early 1980s the channel played music for the most part.  Now the channel plays very little music, and focuses on commercial value with many reality shows and advertisement.
            Recently I watched MTV for an hour.  There was nothing during that hour that was on that was not trying to sell something.  The show that was the focus was the reality show "Made" that showcases young people getting changed into something else that they wish to be.  During this particular episode there was this young girl who wanted to be made from geek to beautiful for prom.  The episode is an advertisement by promoting a certain lifestyle, look, consumerism, makeup and clothes.  This is all within the “content” aspect, never mind the regular commercial parts of the hour.  In effect there were the “official” ads, but the “content” was its own commercial.  The girl wanted superficial beauty through makeup, the prom dress and a boyfriend.  The person termed “Made Coach” was a model who has been in many magazines and was wearing tons of makeup.  There is a larger advertisement within the “content” that was selling a lifestyle and image that it suggests every girl should want and want to be.  The difference between the content and official ad was that one was advertising subliminally and the other was in your face.
            The other example of consolidation that I want to discussion is the Billboard charts.  The Top 100 used to be as recently as the 1990s filled with diversity and less commercial music.  Now the list is filled with music that is very similar and the artists for the most part (about 70% of the most recent list) belong to just a few big companies.  Jordin Sparks’s Battlefield and Kelly Clarkson’s Already Gone are very similar.  Though there is a great deal of underground and local based music groups/singers the companies have made it tough to make it “big”.  The Billboard Top 100 is a perfect example of how consolidation of power within the music industry has changed the way it works.