Friend Game
Unfortunately, I am already familiar with this sad story of cyber bullying. A few semesters ago I did a research paper on cyber bullying and the disastrous consequences it may come with. I find it sick a pathetic that somebody could say such hurtful things to people who could potentially lead to one’s suicide. It can be similarly viewed in the most recent case that became so publicly viewed. The gay Rutgers student had killed himself because his roommate had videotaped him with another boy in a sexual way. Because of ignorance, stupidity, and his own low-self esteem, the boy had literally ruined someone else’s life.
If you had a problem with somebody, would you be able to confront them in person?
I think if you have a legitimate problem with how someone is acting, face to face time will solve anything. I am a firm believer in psychology and talking out your problems. Having a psychologist as a mother, talking is something I never had a problem with. For others who were not grown up in that matter, which is a larger percentage of people, social networking sites and instant messaging could be an easy place to hide behind in confronting issues with others.
Here I Am, Taking My Own Picture
So let’s face it. I came from a very vain generation. We think highly of ourselves as individuals and have become very self-absorbed and are extremely selfish in our own ways. Our cheap digital cameras and built-in camera phones have made us this way.
I found this article comical, yet true. While I am completely over my MySpace days, it is the iconic “MySpace pose” or the “helicopter shot” of the arm-length photograph that labels my entire generation. That is not complimentary at all.
I cannot help but ask myself, how many photographs have I taken of myself to show off to others?
Social Network Sites: Public, Private, or What?
Social networking sites are not only vastly growing among our social community but they are also becoming the main form of any communication we may have with others. As the younger generation is holding onto this and conforming willingly, an older generation stands hesitantly. No matter how strong a will, that older generation will never be able to stop what is happening. With advances in technology, the face of our social world is ever-so changing.
The only way to bridge the old and new generations together is to embrace the new wave of communication and learn more about it.
One area of these social networking sites that need to be addressed to everyone involved is a matter of permanency. Boyd says social networking sites are considered mediated publics and are similar to unmediated publics, such as a recreational park. Both places you can meet friends and share similar interests. What I found interesting is the four main components that makes mediated publics unique.
- Persistence. What you say sticks around. This is great for asynchronous communication, but it also means that what you said at 15 is still accessible when you are 30 and have purportedly outgrown your childish ways.
- Searchability. My mother would’ve loved the ability to scream “Find!” into the ether and determine where I was hanging out with my friends. She couldn’t, I’m thankful. Today’s teens can be found in their hangouts with the flick of a few keystrokes.
- Replicability. Digital bits are copyable; this means that you can copy a conversation from one place and paste it into another place. It also means that it’s difficult to determine if the content was doctored.
- Invisible audiences. While it is common to face strangers in public life, our eyes provide a good sense of who can overhear our expressions. In mediated publics, not only are lurkers invisible, but persistence, searchability, and replicability introduce audiences that were never present at the time when the expression was created.
Great first post Sarah!
Thank you professor!