Reed Ch. 3-7

In chapters 3 through 7 in Digitized Lives, Reeds touches on five pretty interesting topics. The first is how identity is perceived online. It’s interesting to see how you are perceived online. It is understood that people can mediate what is posted on a status or what pictures they post. That is a part of what makes an online identity. Another aspect that was talked about in class was what happens when you type your own name into any search engine, and the results that come up. Do we as individual have power over how our name gets responded to in that manner? For instance when I type my name “Jennifer McIlvaine” into Google, the first link that comes up is “cooking with Chef Jennifer McIlvaine in Umbria.”  Now it’s really cool to know that there is an Italian chef with my name, but that’s not my virtual identity. Just some interesting thoughts about how you are interpreted online. 

The next thing that this book brings to attention is how new technologies are possible creating or solving problems related to our desire for greater equality. The points that we came up with in class were that there is a noticeable gap in the wealthy and the poor. This creates a technological gap between the gadgets that some people have the ability to own. That was an interesting point but I had initially thought about how the internet has brought racial injustice to the limelight. As we have seen in the recent years it is easier for people to illustrate any racial discrimination just by bringing out your phone and recording them. This creates a way to open a dialog about what is really happening. So both the points about the wealth gap that is immersing and the social injustices that is being illuminated are both important points that technology is bring about.

Another point that Reed makes is about the presences of the Internet in our lives and how that affects our personal relationships. This is a significant component in our millennial lives because our social lives and relationships have been on the internet since middles school for most of us. One of the points that was brought up is that there is now this permanent record of all your conversations. If you say something to a friend, who later becomes someone you no longer trust, they have a concrete evidence of a possibly incriminating conversation with you. One of the good things about this technological medium in our relationships is when you are having a kind of heated conversation with a friend or a significant other you have a moment or two to think about how you want to respond. This is instead of face-to-face conversations that you have to think of a response immediately and you may accidentally say something that you don’t mean.

The reading from this week has shown me that there are a lot of positives and negatives to the moving technology, but it is never the fault of the tech. The internet is neutral. It becomes what you make of it. 

Ubiquitous Computing Expert Group

Going through the process of understanding ubiquitous computing and its integration into our society has been very eye opening for me. It’s really amazing understanding what is already on the technology market and what is right around the corner. Ubiquitous computing, which we found to also be referenced to as pervasive computing, is the growing trend towards embedding microprocessors in everyday objects so they can communicate  information. The words pervasive and ubiquitous mean “existing everywhere.” Pervasive computing devices are completely connected and constantly available. A technology trying to embed PCs into everyday objects to make conventional PCs invisible.

There are three main stages of computing that lead up to today’s standards of ubiquitous computing. The stages being the mainframe, and PC era, and then finally ubiquitous computing. The mainframe era was the time when there were multiple people using one machine. The example of this is when this peaked in the 90's, everyone had a PC in the home but it was one computer for the entire family. In the PC ear there was one machine per one person. Finally ubiquitous computing is when there are multiple machines per one person. This also shows us that the continuous connection is actually the opposite of virtual reality. Virtual reality immerses the person into the computer generated world, where computers are being embedded into the real world with ubiquitous computing.

The idea of having ubiquitous technology can be embedded into any aspect of your everyday life. We showed this in class by bring the groups together to think of different technologies in different areas. These being wearable, healthcare, home, automobile, and commercial technologies. For every category each group came up with multiple examples.  There are advantages and disadvantages or each category.

One of the categories with the most examples was for wearable technology. This would include things like Bluetooth jewelry, fit bit, smart watch, and the smart phone. The convergence of these technologies on one person would make that ubiquitous. The advantages for this wearable technology outweigh the disadvantages in my opinion. You have unlimited data that is at your literal fingertips 24/7. This data can tell you about your work, social life, family, and even your health. With the tracking technology of a fit bit people can see and keep record of their health. The only real disadvantages of this is to have to constantly keep you multiple devices charged. There could be a future around the corner, where all our wearable ubiquitous computing is in one single device. 

Book Group Presentations

Today in class two groups presented on their book reviews. The first group that presented reviewed a book called Future Perfect by Steven Johnson. This focus of this book is about peer to peer networking, how it works, and how it could be helping or harming our society. One thing that they talked about when it came to peer to peer networking was the ways in which it changed journalism. Journalism as a peer to peer network helped information management. What this means is that the news that you care about is probably what you are most likely to pay attention to. The example used in class was if your child scrapped her knee, you are more likely to care about that than a bombing in an overseas country. A better example of this, I believe would be that we as Americans care about new of our troops more so than the news of another countries troops. The group also mentioned how peer supported news makes the news cheap to come by. This can be seen by people uploading real-time YouTube videos, and live tweets and other social networks. A question that the group brings forth is “are the internet and the web pushing us into a positive direction.” The answer is that it all depends on your view of what is positive and what is negative. They talked about example of peer to peer networking which is torrent files, Wikipedia, or any social media such as Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

Another aspect of a model of peer to peer networking that the group mentions was centralized networking, which is all intelligence that lays in the center of the networks, which made it easy to attack.

They concluded their review of this book by mentioning some examples of what peer innovation are. These include a Kickstarter which creates peer backing one another and crowd funding. Another peer innovation would be the prize back challenge and these sparked innovation whereas patents slowed down innovation.

Finally it can be concluded that peer to peer networking leads to more participation and thus more profit. This is because the internet and web is decentralized and has peer to peer architecture, and this allows anyone to voice ideas and opinions.

This group did a good job laying out all of the information provided in the book and gave a good understanding of the principles that need to be taken away from Johnson’s work. 

Virtual Reality Expert Group

Today in class the expert group that presented was the group doing virtual reality. This was a really well done presentation and I was very impressed with how they presented all their information. They began by explaining the difference in virtual reality and augmented reality. Virtual reality is defined by google as, “the computer-generated simulation of a three-dimensional image or environment that can be interacted with in a seemingly real or physical way by a person using special electronic equipment, such as a helmet with a screen inside or gloves fitted with sensors.” Augmented reality is a technology that superimposes a computed generated image on a user’s view of the real-world. The example of augmented reality that the group mentioned is the Google Glass. These allow you to see the real world while also interacting with the technology.

The group then went to talk about the history of virtual reality which was very interesting to hear about because there seemed to have been multiple failures in this area before getting to where we are today. The group talked about flight simulators, Weinbaum’s “Pygmalion Spectacle”, and Heilig’s Senorama in 1962. They also discusses Jaron Lanier who popularized the term “virtual reality” and founded the company Visual Programming Languages (VPL) Research. This also led to arcade games going 3D in the 1980s. And finally in the 1990s Jonathan Walker demonstrates “Virtuality.” None of these were apparently very successful in the beginning.

Talking about the current state of virtual reality was more interesting. They discusses Palmer Luckey. They also discussed the Oculus DK2 and CVI. These are said to have very slow adaption and will not be in everyone’s hand yet but the technology looks very promising. This was where we got to see the Oculus used in class and it was very interesting. I wish I could have been one of the people to try it out but there simply wasn’t enough time in class. From what I saw the uses for the Oculus look really promising. We talked about how it can have effects on tourism where you can virtually go anywhere and experience it almost as if you’re really there. This would be particularly good for educational purposes. Classes could visit famous museums in virtual manner and get in depth perspective rather than just reading about something out of a textbook.

Some of the possible downsides of this that were discusses were that if this were to try and be incorporated in an entertaining film, it would be difficult to know where the viewer is looking and they could be missing things without knowing it. Another possible downside is if the simulation had a more motion active screen it could cause possible motion sickness to the view. But those things seem to be small hurtles.

The possibilities for this technology seem endless, for now it is just marketed as something to add to the development of games but this could be great for the health industry, film, tourism, education, and so much more.

Reed Ch1-3

Digitized Lives: Culture, Power, and Social Change in the internet era by T.V. Reed was an interesting class reading that discusses the directions that digital technology takes in the modern world. In the first few chapters Reed discusses the emergence of a digital culture, what that means, and those digital divides. As he was setting up this information one factoid that he states just blew my mind. “If Facebook were a country, it would be the third largest nation in the world. YouTube broadcasts more in a day than all major TV networks have broadcast in their entire history. In the history of the world, counting every language, there have been about a hundred billion printed books; the amount of information contained in that number of volumes is uploaded onto the Web every month.” (p. 3). These statistics just give real perspective to the actual amount of information being created and readily available every single day, to every single person with internet access. This kind of immense information overload is what he touches on in a form of a digital divide. The fact that the amount of people with internet access is so much less than those who do not have internet access (in terms of population percentage) is showing a huge gap in income, education, and literacy. All of this is shown through statistics that Reed lays out in the beginning of the book.

One point that Reed visits in the first chapter is the question of a real-world verse virtual world divide. Reed discussion of the emersion of cyberspace and how that had been introduced in many different forms since then (such as e-commerce). This divide is something that I hadn’t really considered too much before reading this book. I previously just assumed it as a part of this world. Reed addresses this by stating, “This makes cyberspace a somewhat different kind of place, but it is still a place in the world.”  Unless you are an engineer, cyberspace is not something that the average user thinks of as an actual physical space but it is a space in the world. There are everyday average people who could look normal is every way to you, but online in the cyber world they could be an immensely successful blogger with a fairly large cyber presence. In this way I can completely see the digital culture that Reed is trying to describe to his readers. 

Convergence Group Presentation

The expert group that presented in class today covered the topic of convergence in a technological world. They began this presentation with an explanation of what convergence is in the most basic form of the definition. This being that convergence is the process of different things coming together. This in the tech world means that technology evolves and becomes more integrated in our lives as we have a higher adoption and demand for it. The example of this used in class is how you can contact anyone from your phone, computer, or even apple watch. A great illustration of this seen in the presentation was from the video that they showed of how  a typical desk used to look covered in books, newspapers, phones, notepads, etc. Then it was all shown how it can be all used in one place: on a computer. In other words a convergence of technology can be seen in the physical world through a Swiss army knife.

The greatest example of convergence that the group used in their presentation was when they started talking about how cars are convergent to technologies today. Modern vehicles have so many features to them it’s astounding. Cars are not only designed for safety but they also have cameras on the back and side of the car to prevent you from getting into or causing an accident. You can also see GPS being incorporated into cars with the ability to check your phone messages through Bluetooth and also check weather reports. You can do all of this while warming your car seat and listening to Netflix through the car’s Wi-Fi. This convergence of GPS, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth into the car industry has been extremely successful and seems to have no end to the possibilities for future cars.

The group touched on emoji’s towards the end of their presentation. Talking about how they are present in technology and how it is integrated into our everyday communications. Some of the things that classes discussed were how they are not necessary considered a language but they could be a very informal form of communication that can be understood through multiple cultures. A heart emoji means the same in the English language as it does in the German language.  

The last thing that class touched on was what could be the possible end of convergence in the technology age? It’s extremely hard to predict when it will be “enough” of the integration. There were example of how a typical home might look like in the future of how the television was touch screen and the mirror in the bathroom was part computer. That is interesting to think about seeing as we already have “smart” refrigerators and coffee makers with computers inside them.

Overall it was a good presentation on convergence in technology and the group did a particularly good job involving the class throughout. 

Tapscott Part 3

During class on Thursday we discussed the third part of Tapscott’s book, Grown Up Digital. Our group talked about the points that he makes about how to get Net Geners to volunteer and work effectively for a civil society organization. My personal favorite point made by Tapscott is to “Show integrity yourself.” He states that civil organizations should be honest, considerate, accountable, and transparent. “No BS to the generation with finely tuned BS detectors.” I couldn’t agree with this more. In a world where it is very easy to take out your phone and verify facts or claims of any organization you cannot throw around statistics that are modified or claims that are modified in any way. If this happens even once to the most reputable organization it could ruin years of trust building with their members.

Another one of Tapscott’s points is to forget the guilt trip. He claims that it will not work on the Net Generation. This is something I have to agree with. If the organizations volunteer work isn’t something that directly affects them they may not be as inclined to help out. However this doesn’t mean that nothing gets done anymore. We can see that things actually get done on a vaster scale. The examples used in class are the site of GoFundMe where a huge number of people can donate smaller amounts to add to a greater amount of money than if it were raised my just targeting a smaller amount of individuals for a great amount from each person.

This leads to another way to get Net Geners to volunteer and help out a cause. The organization must design around the eight Net Generation norms. Giving them lots of options for ways that they can help a cause is a great start to this. This can be see, especially in younger people, that if all your organization does is ask for money and donations then you probably aren’t going to get a lot of attention. But if the organization asks for volunteers to let’s say help clean up a certain part of a freeway, or to just bring further awareness to an issue people could possibly be more willing to volunteer their time when they can’t necessarily donate $20. A good local example of this would be Orphan Acres in Idaho. They ask for more than just cash donations. He asks people in the community to help get awareness for the good work they do for the abandoned horse. He also asks for help around the ranch with labor to build an new barn and help feed and clean up after the horses. There are a lot of college students who are willing to give some hours on a weekend rather than give money.

Expert Group: Mediated Spaces

The expert group that presented in class was on the topic of mediated spaces. A mediated space can be anything from school classrooms, to community centers. They could also be virtual "rooms" such as Facebook, twitter, or snapchat. With all of these mediated spaces there are some rules that are strictly laid out, and there are also some unspoken rules that are simple social norms.
The group that presented took the class out in different sections and some went to different levels of the cub, and one group went to the WSU stadium. I was in the group that went to the stadium and that is what I will be discussing here.

In the mediated space of the public stadium we made note of some of the things that an individual can and cannot do in that space. The first thing is that during a game you are allowed to scream and cheer and this is used to energize the crowd and players on the field. However, while screaming is allowed you are not allowed to scream profanities and this is the accepted social norm. During a game we also noted that there are some accepted norms when it comes to clothing that is worn. Guys don’t necessarily have to wear shirts, and some girls go with only a sports bra on, and body paint is common. Without the stadium as a mediated space this would be very bizarre and often frowned upon behavior.

The stadium was a mediated space was organized in this manner in order to bring full attention to the field, and thus the players on it. The stands surround the field and the lights concentrate on the center of the field. There are separate sections in the stands for students, visitors, and WSU alumni and this makes them the audience for this mediated space. The tech that was present on the field was the scoreboard, announcers, banners for advertisers, and the stadium lights. All technology is included to help center around the players and influence the action on the field.
Our group also took note of the times when a game is not happening. The stadium is used for people who want to just take a walk, run up the steps for a workout, or take graduation pictures. All these instances get influenced in the space by the tech present and the social norms allowed by the space.

The expert group did a really good job getting the class involved and discussing the different mediated spaces and what that means for different social components both in a physical aspect and also in a virtual aspect.

Tapscott Part 2

In part 2 Tapscott tackles the differing affects that a Net Generation has had on different institutions. These being Education, Business Management, Consumerism, The Family, Democracy/Government, and Activism. The aspect that I would like to focus on in this blog post would be the family aspect and how growing up in a revolutionary digital world has changed the average family dynamic.

Tapscott outlines how a family dynamic has changed since the baby boomer days. Now that advancing technology needs to be constantly checked up on and kept up to date with, kids of a family actually have the advantage because they have grown up with it. Parents are turning to their children to learn how to use a new device or to access and new application. My personal experience with this was not as extreme as I hear from some of my friends. I’ve heard that some parents even needed help accessing, and getting a little lesson on using, the internet. My parents weren’t like that. My dad is a computer engineer and my mom was a programmer before she stopped working. They both are actually really well apt at figuring out technology. However, I do notice that I am more aware of upcoming technology than they are today. I’ll mention a new app or device that has been recently released and they will not have heard of it. In this way we are a family that is collaborative because once I mention something that’s coming out that is worth having on their radar, they become users and we have bonded over a new tech. Our family even has a little Apple Vs. Android civil war happening. For the longest time I just loved iphones and my dad would say that Android is the thing to have. I agree with him for the most part now, but it is an example of how a family can change and have very different conversations than in previous generations. In other words, I can talk to my parents like equals instead of the previous norm of them teaching me a way, or the new norm of me teaching them current ways.

This is an excellent example of what Tapscott was referring to as a new dynamic. This is also a good example of one of his “seven parenting guidelines from the kids who have grown up digital.” The points to which I am referring to are the “collaborating parenting” and the “customize parenting.” I have always thought of my family as a collaboration of intelligent minds rather than a set of parents talking down to their children.