Week 9 Question 2: Just Like Me Only Better

When reading this article, I was surprised to see how similar avatar bodies and human bodies are in one way or another. According to the “Just Like Me Only Better” article, an avatar is what the gods were called whenever they came down to earth. The Second Life avatar bodies desire perfection in figure, features, and even hair textures, just as many human beings do today. The avatar and human life values are extremely close and almost exactly identical.

It was very amusing to me to see that people from all over the world and different cultures have the ability to choose their avatar fitting perfectly for them. For example, someone in the African culture is most likely to choose an avatar representing their heritage, and the same for someone in the Western culture or Chinese culture and so on.

It’s amazing how girls will choose avatars to represent their femininity and men will choose avatars to represent their masculinity. Not only that, people will select avatars to show and reflect their personality as well and not just their looks. Many details go into this process of creating the perfect avatar to reflect the beauty of a person, or the lack there of.

Week 9 Question 1: Mythinformation

As I studied this article, the author, Langdon Winner, made good points that really captured my attention. I fully agree with him when he says that knowledge is power, information is knowledge, and knowledge in turn enhances democracy and equalizes social power. This is true in today’s society because of the internet. People have the opportunity and chance in the click of a button to gain unlimited amounts of information and knowledge on anything they may choose.

I agree with the author when he states that the world has the ability and opportunity to become a better place because of all the things the internet and computers have to offer. However, I’m not sure that the idea of the internet helps improve the democratic process completely. I believe that in some ways, the internet definitely does help create a more equal and better democracy, but in other ways, it completely demolishes it. Many scandals occur in democracy in terms of elections and candidates because of all the internet’s powers and infinite possibilities.

As Winner states, the internet is something like a “people’s revolution”. Everyone so heavily depends on it that it’s almost impossible for people to not resort to the internet to gain access or information on various topics. At the time this article was written, he suggested that the internet was going to be a huge way for people to believe they’d find employment with amazing pay. But, in reality, Winner explains that the internet actually is a resource to find low paying jobs that don’t really allow employees to advance in the work force. But overall, Langdon Winner believes that this “computer revolution” is the perfect creation that is going to shape our society as we know it.

Week 9 Question 3: Facebook Sues Spammers

For this weeks media article of choice, I chose to use the AllFacebook website. I have never used this one in the past so I thought I would try it out and find something relevant to the things we learn and/or discuss in this class. Since we just completed our group of journals I decided I would look at Facebook this week to add on to the things we may not have already talked about regarding Facebook.

I then stumbled upon an article entitled Facebook Sues Spammers. I am glad to have read this article and found out the facts about spam on this website because I thought that this was something that the producers of Facebook allowed/were responsible for. But after reading this article I saw that Facebook is suing users who are putting false ads on Facebook that are spamming people into thinking they can attain something that they really cannot.

I also read that Facebook is in the Guinness Book of World Records for it's spam-fighting efforts. So after reading this I am glad to know that Facebook is fighting to stop these ads from appearing on our pages because they are annoying and fraudulent.


http://www.allfacebook.com/facebook-sues-spammers-2010-10

Week 7 Question 2: Cyborg Manifesto

This article was very in depth though I agree with most of my peers that her thoughts could have been summed up in a few pages if she stopped talking or wasting her thoughts on negativity. She seemed to be very bitter/angry towards the traditional ways of dualism and the "natural ways", and was hoping to use propaganda to change the status quo. The three things that stood out to me most were:

1) Ideas of the Cyborg

2) Rejections of real or Natural Things

3) Myth and Tool

Cyborg (from what I understood) was a combination of nature and technology, man and machine that moves beyond limitations of gender, traditions, and etc. She is against the belief of chemistry and forces and believes we can move about in a better unrestricted way individually first, and then together as a whole.

She seemed to reject natural or things that were "so-called" real because she does not believe in it. For example she talked about how cyborgs wold not recognize The Garden of Eden "it is not made of mud and cannot dream of returning to dust". She goes against nature and history and thinks we have to power to change the status quo.

As far as myth and tool is concerned she explains them by saying things we imagine or predict in the future are myths and things we have in the present are tools. When talking about not being able to communicate across the world face-to-face, I don't think she was saying it was not going to be a possibility I just think she was against it and more for literally face-to-face communication.

I tried to understand her points as best as possible and overall this article had me thinking about how the world would be if things were the way she perceived or believed they could be.

Week 7 Question 3: 'I like it On' Facebook Status Update Goes Viral: What It Means

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/05/i-like-it-on-facebook-sta_n_751756.html

Week 7 Question 1: A Cyborg Manifesto [outside research]

As I searched the web to find more information about the article A Cyborg Manifesto, I went through Wikipedia and other websites until I found a review from college professor Josh Jones of University of Texas. He gave a brief summary of what he thought Haraway's main points were and in addition added his opinions or things that interested him the most.

Jones was very interested in the fact that Haraway added more to the typical definition of a cyborg being just a combination of human and machine. As stated in the original article, a cyborg "is a cybernetic organism, a hybrid of machine and organism, a creature of social reality as well as a creature of fiction." (Haraway p. 516)

He mentioned that cyborgs are not interested in history or looking backward, but rather looking ahead and being innovative. He concludes his review with the importance of and effect that language has on impacts cyborgs. "Bodies are maps of power and identity" (Haraway p. 534) and language plays an important role on how power and identity is enacted.

http://complexrhetoric.blogspot.com/2009/08/review-haraway-cyborg-manifesto-1985.html

Week 6 Question 2: Personal Dynamic Media

This article really surprised me with how advanced things were back in the 60s and 70s. I mean I always assumed that there was someone out there that thought about creating something like that computer or laptop, but I never knew just how much was already created/invented back in those days. The Dynabook which was created in 1968, is what we know as the laptop today. It was originally created for children, though adults could use it too. It is pretty cool that word processing was on there and other programs that are similar to ones we use today.

This article reminded me of typewriters. When I was in Kindergarden, my mom was in college. She used to use a typewriter to do her coursework. I remember she would get angry often because the typewriter did not have a tool where you could delete or edit errors, so when you typed it had to be perfect. I also remember using one of those and being frustrated because I would like to type fast but I couldn't because of the mistake risk. There were similar problems with these early computer machines, but the idea and programs were definitely on the right track to an integrative future!