Mind Your Own Damn Business!

Everyone has somethings they choose to keep private. Whether it's a journal, diary, or maybe a shoebox with some pictures in it.

Philosophically thinking, however, what does one mean to be private? When someone wishes to be private it means, to which one within themselves there is something considered inherently special, personal, or sensitive.

The word "private" has so many different meanings, its difficult to really summarize it into a specific definition. You can't term the word private unless you include the word "Public." The word private to me means to an extent of which someone, or something, is secluded and general or specific information is kept away from outsiders and trespassers.

A scenario, which I can recall, which invaded my privacy was back when I was a freshman. Young and stupid I was still experimenting with Myspace.com and other Social Networking sites. I posted some really goofy pictures of myself (with no shirt on) and though it would bring attention to my profile. Sure enough...it did and it wasn't the attention that I hoped to get. After that day I took the pictures down and set my profile to "friends only." Sometime later on I receive a post from one of my friends that had my picture, which I have taken down, weeks back, in his grasp! He posted the picture on my comments, and repeated it so if filled the whole web page! I was so pissed that people could actually take someones picture and manipulate it into , then re-post it however they please. I was really embarrassing because I knew, their must have been more people to have access to the pictures.

From then on, I make sure I know what I put on Myspace.com, Facebook.com, Youtube.com, and Photobucket.com so people can't hack in, copy or steal my stuff, and manipulate as they wish.

It terrifies me to know, the pictures or videos you post, become property of the website. Thinking logically its like selling yourself, FOR FREE, so these large corporations. These corporations can change you picture, as they please, to promote their website. In worse case scenarios some large companies may sell some pictures, to industries, that promote Pornography, STD/ STI awareness, Tobacco promotions, and other advertisements. It might be rare, but when you decide to search yourself and discover someone who resembles a familiar face. You may start to recognize a specific bodily features like birthmark, scare, or tattoo! If that day every does come and you stumble across on a pornography website with your picture on it... it may get just a little embarrassing. =(

When I read the Wikipedia.com blog about "Sorveillance" I was baffled to believe people actually walk around with mini cameras and record their activities throughout the day. It reminded me of the show on MTV called "Fear" were people would go to these haunted places and wear these huge cameras, which would face them, and record their facial reactions.

It does sound fascinating, considering you get to see what others are watching from somewhere else. You can mount these little mini cameras anywhere, and just go! It's very much invading, if one were to consider others privacy. There are people in this world that wish to not be on camera and will press charges if they are captured on film--believe me I know the routine. In United States, audio sorveillance is allowed in most states, and by U.S. Federal law, and this allowance for recording by at least one party is also true in most other countries (Wikipedia). In believing these kids and teenagers who are running around with small cameras (even cameras on their phones), do NOT have a "release warrant" is considered under penalty of law an invasion of one's privacy. On the bright side of the spectrum, someone may consider this somewhat new form of technical Media a live documentary reality show. Maybe this is the new direction of new reality TV?

As I continued to read the "Wiki Blog" I came across a statement, which really caught my eye--especially with the First Debate on Friday September 26th, 2008. Sousveillance of a state, by its citizens, has been credited with addressing many problems such as election fraud or electoral misdeeds, as well as providing good governance. This promotes people's security and insure fraud will be at a low.

I am not certain, which side to favor, on if this little portable camera. Even now cameras are being placed all around cities and highways contributing to "The Big Brother System." Whether we choose to accept it in society or not, it doesn't seem like this little gadget is going to be modified and NOT taken off the market anytime soon.

The dangers of Internet privacy can happen to anyone, however, its the younger generation who is largely at risk. I believe, children and pre-teens must be educated about the potential risks of uploading photos and bits of information on the Internet. They don't realize how many people their are in this world, who have access to the Internet, and love searching about people.

It is a little humorous to me, considering the situation of researching people. What was once, and still is considered at negative word, "stalking," has become a slang term on Facebook.com, which actually means searching someone out. Even people who are the best of friends search through each others profiles to look and see if something has changed with their life. To me Facebook.com is like keeping all your friends in a nice organized binder with information, photos, and resources, to which you might need to know about them. It's almost like a game of flash cards to some extent--reviewing faces and information about a certain person. Some people become so obsessed with Facebook.com when someone sees a "pop-up" in the information column--which is like late breaking news; people automatically assume someone has changed something in their life.

If I could support my topic with a research hypothesis... "More and more today people are becoming obsessed with reality shows and real life situations about other people lives. If people love to listen to gossip and drama, about other people's life, has this become an addicting manner to satisfy one's cravings to benefit their life? In terms of Internet use, does this easy accessible information make it more desirable to satisfy one's need for outside dramatic information?" If my hypothesis is along the line of correct, then what does this mean for the future privacy of our social identity?

• Boyd, Danah. 2007. “Social Network Sites: Public, Private, or What?”
  Knowledge Tree 13, May. (Sourced September 25th, 2008) http://kt.flexiblelearning.net.au/tkt2007/?page_id=28

• Wikipedia "Internet Privacy" (Sourced September 25th, 2008) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_privacy

• Wikipedia 'Sousvillance" (Sourced September 25th, 2008) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sousveillance

Online Gift Economics

Theirs a saying that's been around for sometime now, "The Best Things in Life Are Free." The quote is supported by MasterCard and other corporations that want to draw people's attention to things they want. I love free things, I'll bet the person next to me loves free things. We all love free things!!!

What would the world be like today if people were to give out more physical free economic gifts? Well, it would be awesome at first, but eventually I believe that our economy would plummet and humanity would restore its primal instincts and we would all start taking things from one another. THAT'S NOT THE POINT THOUGH!

However... What if people could access other things, but in a different state of manner?
Oh Wait their is! The Internet! Of course the World Wide Web as a butt load of information, multi-media channels, and enough photos and profiles to sink a battleship. But do people really give gifts over the Internet? What? That doesn't seem logically correct or even remarkably possible. Well my friends nothing is impossible nowadays, with the technological advancements society has made over the last fifty or so years.

Just to be curious about gift giving here a little something from yours truly just to show how much I love giving back to the community. I hope you enjoy the videos posted as you continue to read my blog....enjoy!....

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A gift economy is a social theory in which goods and services are given without any explicit agreement for immediate or future quid pro quo (Wikipedia). This means that you give something for something else. It's kinda like paying it forward, only no kids die from this. Providing public goods poses two key challenges, however, the first of which is motivation. Getting individuals to contribute to the provision of a public good despite the temptation of free-ride. The second is one of coordination, being if a group of individuals are motivated to contribute towards a public good, they will need to coordinate their efforts and this will involve its own set of difficulties and costs.

People upload videos, post blogs, and open new profiles on Facebook or Myspace everyday. They contribute so much to the economy by sharing their lives, photos, and friends to your dismay. But... do you really have to upload a video, or even start a new profile? No Way! Just by typing in a few words in Google you are contributing to the online economy because you are accessing someone else's information that they posted. If you wanted to give back you could post a comment or start something new.

Could you image actually walking around in the World Wide Web? It would be like a Giant Mall filled with stores that you could play free games, watch free videos, and check out cool photos. To some perverts out there...Yes This means pornography too!

Online information has become so accessible and so easy to get that an infant can access political information. We tend, however, to overlook what we really have going for ourselves though. Over the last decade technology has advanced so far that we simply don't notice it anymore. I mean what the Internet has to offer society, considering all the web pages their are, the only things we really would have to do is eat and get up to go to the bathroom. Everything else can be transmitted through cyberspace right into our brains.

Websites have advance so much and information as reliable as finding a screw for a broken toy can be solved by asking a question online. Whether its blogging or just web surfing the information, odds are you are going to find that missing screw.

If you made it this far in my blog congratulations! Most of the people would have stopped two videos back and commented on the videos rather than the point I was trying to make. I really hope that you enjoyed the gift of laughter and this made your day so much better. Like good neighbors should people should always look out for one another--even though you may not know them or see them in your life, it's still good to give back to the Community...The World Wide Web Community that is.

Kollock, Peter (1999). The Economies of Online Cooperation: Gifts and Public Goods in Cyberspace. Retrieved 16 September, 2008, from the University of California, Los Angeles Web site: http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/soc/faculty/kollock/papers/economies.htm

Wikipedia Site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gift_economy

Pinchot, Gifford. The Gift Economy. Retrieved on September 16th, 2008, Sourced from: http://www.context.org/ICLIB/IC41/PinchotG.htm

Barbook, Richard. (1998) The Hi-Tech Gift Economy. Retrieved on September 16th, 2008, Sourced from: http://firstmonday.org/issue/issue3_12/barbrook/

Copyright Conflicts...Why Bother?

If I could make a statement for myself, but let my word be heard, I would say "Downloading music and movies should NOT be restricted to the public." Times are changing rapidly and the media market is pushing people to adapt to new styles. People are sharing information about themselves and posting pictures with profanity and illegal practices. Lifestyles that consist of web browsing, pools of entertainment, and the latest information. Why is it that people are being restricted to file sharing?

People have access to just about anything on the World Wide Web, with a simple hypertext and a two "clicks," they are ready to go. People, nowadays, rarely go out to stores anymore for entertainment, they get them "on demand," by the power of their own hands. Technology is forcing people to access new forms of media without leaving their homes. It unethical to think that such a brilliant resource is being solid by a couple of bad seeds.

Being a fan of both movies and music I have done my share of downloading. "YES I said it!" "I download & upload, I steal online files, I copyright!" To me its more like sharing a CD with someone you don't know, and then uploading the songs on your computer so you can listen to them whenever you want to. I realize companies by into the making of these Cd's, recording labels, getting the band to sign, release dates, shipping, and store space all cost money. In fact design and layout of the CD typically costs an average of $4,000 (Cost and Sales). Taking this into critical thinking these companies have to be making quite the pocket change. Warner Brother Records estimated roughly 2.5 million dollars in sales in December of 2007 for the Instant Karma CD (Warner Brother Records). Now this may be just a "guesstimate," but why all of a sudden are these corporations attacking their buyers?

If I could compare this situation metaphorically, its similar to a mother telling her child "no cookies until after dinner." Well, if mother didn't put the cookies in reaching range, the little kid wouldn't try to go for them, and if mom didn't make so many cookies maybe she wouldn't notice one missing cookie. The problem becomes a hassle when mom has eight kid's and each kid starts taking cookies--maybe sometimes two cookies. This is when mother notices that cookies are missing and comes after the culprits. Well... when mother waits and see that Junior who loves those chocolate chips so much comes back for one last cookie. BAM!!! Junior is caught and gets put in time out. The same thing works with File Sharing and Downloading.

With the creation of RockBand and Guitar Hero more kids are learning about the older bands their parents grew up listening too. What to curious children do nowadays if they want an answer. They look it up on the Internet. They find out about these legends of rock and roll and download more of their songs. discover new opportunities of creating music and learning from old music.

The music industry has changed dramatically over the years finding more reasons to start suing and protecting their profits from the real talented musicians. The online infringement of copyrighted music can be punished by up to three years in prison and $250,000 in fines. Repeat offenders can be imprisoned up to six years. Individuals also may be held civilly liable, regardless of whether the activity is for profit, for actual damages or lost profits, or for statutory damages up to $150,000 per infringed copyright.

From what I have seen from "Music History 101" the obscenities went from complaining about obscene gesture on television (From Elvis), Revolution movements(from John Lennon), Boogie Nights (enough said), Lyrics and vulgar content destroying children's minds and school shootings (Marlyn Manson, Limp Bizkit), copyright infringement over Cd's and file sharing(Napster). The copyright infringement has been growing steadily since 1999 when Napster was first created at Northeastern University by Shawn Fanning. (Seth Green's character in The Italian Job "Lyle/"The Real Napster" claims that Fanning stole the idea from him--that was actually Fanning in the movie.)

I realize that I shouldn't fall to one side of this case. I thought to myself, "if I were a music producer I would want to protect my profits and slap the hands that tried to take money from my pocket." Even if these corporation wanted to they couldn't post a copyright label on an MP3 or MP4 file. Evolution plays a huge role in society, as well as an effect on big business. If they want to survive they have to find an alternative route to promoting music. If I were to make a suggestion to these companies I would invest more money into band promotions or music on demand.

Another solution for movie and music lovers would be to sponsor and create more bit torrent sites. Bit torrent is a P2P site that allow file sharing to take place. People upload their music and share with other users. The page is like a MP3, MP4 web page farm, which you can pick and pull music as you please.

People break the rules everyday, whether its from running a stop sign, cheating on a exam, or ripping the "Under penalty of Law Tag" from the pillow you sleep on. Whatever the case maybe people still get away with downloading and file sharing no matter the risks. It's only up to the consumer to put a stop to all this mayhem. As the consumer, the listener, and the fans people demand that they get their music.

COM125: Assignment 2, Emailanator

Over the last four decades a revolution has taken place, in which new ways of communication through the use of technological advancements. With the combination of little resources necessary email has sparked a new form of written communication that not only makes messaging easy, but also allows one to post and transmit messages to a large diverse group with no costs necessary. People have the capability of sending web-links, pictures, documents, and other forms of written composure without so much as lifting a pen. What is it that really makes email so special should not be the question on any one's mind, but how is it that email became to be and where does this direction of technology mean for possible future advancements?

Nowadays World Wide Web has a composite of many different email sites such as GOOGLE, YAHOO, and many more. Today, nearly all business and schools runtheir organizations on email. By facilitating an ethical, fast way to transmit messages, and important documents within the blink of an eye these corporations expanded their communication skills nearly 400 percent! What once took two days to a week to send a letter across the country now takes a matter of seconds.

But where did email really come from and how did development make it like it is today?

The first email system was designed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1965 of a time sharing mainframe computer to communication (Email and Usenet, pg. 10). Email was first started as a file directory that was shared between network users in an office and it resembled more of a posted note more than a postal letter (Ray Tomlinson). Email wasn't exactly huge at its time of first use, but it was starting to become popular. More and more people wanted to contribute to email and make computers talk to each other. People would leave messages for others who were going to use that computer station next. The biggest problem of the electrical message was it only stayed on the one computer. Wouldn't it be exciting if someone were to get the message to another computer much like the postal service system.

Ray Tomlinson, a scientist from Massachusetts, was the mastermind behind the sending of the first email from one computer to another. Through use of the "@" symbol from the computer keyboard you could send messages from one individual to another. Soon afterwards, electronic mail messages were being sent, read, forwarded, and responded too by others. By 1974 there were more than a hundreds of military users of email because ARPANET encouraged it.

Email has revolutionized modern day society and made it apart of our everyday lives. It has become so powerful that it has secluded and denominated the use of faxing and writing formal letters. Email is so widely used that, nowadays, people can send messages through cell phones or any computer that connects to the internet. It has become so user friendly we can access it anytime we want to, save them, and obtain them later on. When we watch a commercial or see an advertisement we see email address just below the main medium. We receive messages everyday from all around the world from friends and large corporations. It fascinates me on how far we came from transporting messages from horseback, to mailing letters in envelopes, to sending messages through cyberspace. I strongly support that because of Web 2.0 and advancements in face-to-face cyber-media, email is going to become more formal in professional document signings as well as scholarly programs. This technological era, in which email is in current use, isn't even remotely close to what the possible outcomes could be.