Blog 4

Angelo Simone

4/20/14

Blog #4

The Darker Side of New Media

                New media has affected society and individuals so profoundly that it can be compared to the invention of the internet. New media has changed the way we communicate to one another and how we make friends. It gives us a way to present ourselves to the public as we want to be seen, not just how others see us. We can stay in touch with old friends, make new ones, learn about current events, search for employment, let people know what is going on in our lives, and so much more. As many positive effects that new media has, there are also some negative ones.

The negative effects of new media are sometimes looked upon as the “dark side of new media”. http://www.stargroup1.com/blog/dark-side-social-media. This applies especially to sites like Facebook and Reddit. Facebook allows anybody’s profile to be viewed by everyone. This can harm someone who is trying to get a job and their potential employer looks up their profile and sees negative posts or inappropriate pictures. http://www.lifepaths360.com/index.php/facebook-and-society-how-facebook-affects-society-has-facebook-changed-society-5131/.Many relationships have ended by a significant other finding out their loved one is cheating on them through the posts on his or her profile. Negative posts about others can lead to rumors and ridiculing of the person mentioned. This can also apply to a certain business or company.

Reddit is a social networking website that allows viewers to share ideas, vote on issues, engage in conversations, and displays what is most currently trending on the web. However, Reddit created the torment and ridicule of an innocent family. In April 2013, missing college student 22-year-old Sunil Tripathi was falsely identified on Reddit to be the one of the Boston Marathon bombers. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2013/04/25/boston-bombing-social-media-student-brown-university-reddit/2112309/ His family was hounded by reporters and ridiculed by the public. Eventually the boy’s body was found in a river by Rhode Island and he was not one of the bombers. This posting of misinformation has potentially destroyed an innocent family.

 In this problem of the dark side of new media, I do not think it can be solved. Hearsay and rumors are just a part of human nature. Before new media misinformation was spread by newspapers, and before newspapers it was by word of mouth. In order to protect ourselves against this problem, we need to come to terms with the fact that anything can be seen on the internet; we have to be careful of what we read and say.

 

 

 

Works Cited

1.       http://www.stargroup1.com/blog/dark-side-social-media

2.       . http://www.lifepaths360.com/index.php/facebook-and-society-how-facebook-affects-society-has-facebook-changed-society-5131/

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2013/04/25/boston-bombing-social-media-student-brown-university-reddit/2112309/

Blog 3

Angelo Simone

4/5/14

Blog 3

Should Reddit be kept as a small potato?

                        Reddit is a social networking website that allows viewers to share ideas, vote on issues, engage in conversations, and displays what is most currently trending on the web. Numerous famous people including President Obama and Bill Gates have used Reddit. Anyone with an internet connection can join and participate in Reddit. Even though Reddit is considered small potatoes when compared to sites like Facebook or Twitter, it is culturally significant and should be kept on the internet.

            The main reason Reddit should be kept is that many people use it. In February 2013 Reddit had 55,024,811 visitors from more than 175 different countries. On March 23, 2013, Reddit had 4,206 active communities consisting of more than 2,094,953 redditors casting over 16,121,282 votes. http://www.symantec.com/connect/blogs/what-reddit-and-why-should-you-care. The numbers alone prove that Reddit is more than just an average viewed website.

            Reddit allows people to connect directly to authority figures such as politicians and media stars. President Obama’s August 2012 AMA, or “Ask Me Anything” was the biggest event on Reddit so far. http://techland.time.com/2013/10/01/the-six-most-important-moments-in-reddit-history/ Users would submit questions directly to Obama in order to get a reply. The event had so many users trying to participate in the discussion that the server crashed.

            The last most important aspect of Reddit is its ability to allow viewers to see what is most trending on the web. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reddit Instead of trying to sift through newspapers and watching the news headlines, Reddit simply displays what are the most popular viewed subjects at that time. This is extremely helpful in reducing time while researching a particular topic.

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

1.      http://www.symantec.com/connect/blogs/what-reddit-and-why-should-you-care

2.      http://techland.time.com/2013/10/01/the-six-most-important-moments-in-reddit-history/

3.       http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reddit

Angelo Simone

3/30/14

Blog Project

 

Top 10 Things to Beware of from Using New Media

1.       Promoting negative behaviors through online gaming: Violent and explicit games have always been a hot button issue when involving teens and young adults. The people using these types of games can access them via the internet through their gaming system. Instead of parents watching what their children select at a store, the kids can simply order any game they want through the internet. There is a great deal of people, young and old, who sometimes become obsessed with these violent games and fail to distinguish reality from fantasy.

http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/medias-positive-negative-influence-teenagers-10506.html

2.       Information can be seen by anyone: Many people forget that the internet is a global network and that whatever they post online can be seen by anyone in the world with an internet connection. This was the case of Lindsey Stone, who posted a prank image of herself giving the middle finger at an unnamed tomb in the Arlington National Cemetery. This photo outraged numerous viewers who saw the picture and demanded her to be fired. Consequently, Stone was terminated shortly after by her employer for the incident.

http://hotair.com/archives/2012/11/22/lindsey-stone-loses-her-job/

3.       Search engines can be misleading: Search engines like Google and Yahoo don’t always give the same results to everyone. They actually look at the location and person who is inputting the information and produce results based on that bias. Search engines also may lead people to false information and uncreditable sources. When using the internet and search engines, one should always be careful and check their sources.

http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/it-security/search-engine-bias-what-search-results-are-telling-you-and-what-theyre-not/

 

4.       Facebook causes depression: Facebook can also lead some people into depression. These people are so obsessed and dependent on what is posted on their profiles that when negative posts happen, they become clinically depressed. People that have become obsessed with Facebook start to fall from society. They live their lives on their computer and do all of their day to day activities from watching their Facebook. These types of people do not even leave their homes or go outside in the real world. Even if it does not get to that point, many people spend the greater part of their day always checking their Facebook from phones and other mobile devices.

http://guardianlv.com/2013/08/facebook-causes-depression-new-study-says/

5.       Rumors can be easily spread: Ever since the beginning of time, word of mouth has led to hearsay and rumors. Up until the internet, it was usually kept only to the people who heard it firsthand. Now with the World Wide Web, the entire world is the audience susceptible to these rumors. Such was the case when Obama was rumored not to be an American citizen.

http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/barackobama/a/obama_citizen.htm

6.       Identity theft: The internet has become the main avenue for identity thieves to steal credit card numbers, social security numbers, money, and much more. This was the case for Maurice J. Larry, who was was sentenced to 174 months in prison for stealing $2,240,096 through use of the internet.

http://www.irs.gov/uac/Examples-of-Identity-Theft-Schemes-Fiscal-Year-2013

7.       Innocent people can become the accused: When grainy photos were released of the Boston bombers, a photo of a similar looking boy was posted on Reddit and said to be one of the real suspects. The boy had gone missing a few weeks earlier and soon his family was tormented by the public and the media. The body of the boy, Sunil Tripathi, was later found and cause of death was determined to be suicide. He had nothing to do with the Boston Bombers, but his name and his family were dragged through the mud all because of a misconception online.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2013/04/25/boston-bombing-social-media-student-brown-university-reddit/2112309/

8.       People are not who they seem: On the internet, people communicate simply through electronics without ever having to meet face to face. Megan Meier was a young girl who thought she had made a new friend on Myspace. He was a young, attractive boy who she grew quite fond of. The boy was in fact created by an ex-friends mom trying to get back at Megan. After Megan’s new cyber friend told her to kill herself, Megan indeed took her own life.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/2007/11/16/mom-myspace-hoax-led-to-daughter-suicide/

9.       Facebook consumes lives: People that have become obsessed with Facebook start to fall from society. They live their lives on their computer and do all of their day to day activities from watching their Facebook. These types of people do not even leave their homes or go outside in the real world. Even if it does not get to that point, many people spend the greater part of their day always checking their Facebook from phones and other mobile devices.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/teens-being-consumed-by-facebook/story-fn6b3v4f-1226208373062

10.   New media is killing small businesses: New media actually comes as a convenience to most of us who use it. People can now shop, pay their bills, send mail, and keep in touch with friends through the use of an internet connection. For small businesses however, this is taking their customers right from under them. Why go to the post office and pay for a stamp to mail a letter when you can just email it for free? If you are part of the businesses being affected by this trend, you know that it is actually a battle just to make ends meet nowadays.

http://www.sterlingeffort.com/internet-killing-small-businesses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

1.       http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/medias-positive-negative-influence-teenagers-10506.html

2.       http://hotair.com/archives/2012/11/22/lindsey-stone-loses-her-job/

3.       http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/it-security/search-engine-bias-what-search-results-are-telling-you-and-what-theyre-not/

4.       http://guardianlv.com/2013/08/facebook-causes-depression-new-study-says/

5.       http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/barackobama/a/obama_citizen.htm

6.       http://www.irs.gov/uac/Examples-of-Identity-Theft-Schemes-Fiscal-Year-2013

7.       http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2013/04/25/boston-bombing-social-media-student-brown-university-reddit/2112309/

8.       http://www.foxnews.com/story/2007/11/16/mom-myspace-hoax-led-to-daughter-suicide/

9.       http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/teens-being-consumed-by-facebook/story-fn6b3v4f-1226208373062

10.   http://www.sterlingeffort.com/internet-killing-small-businesses

Facebook Effects

Angelo Simone

Blog #2

Effects Facebook Has Had On Society and Individuals

            Facebook has affected society and individuals so profoundly that it can be compared to the invention of the internet. Facebook has changed the way we communicate to one another and how we make friends. It gives us a way to present ourselves to the public as we want to be seen, not just how others see us. We can stay in touch with old friends, make new ones, learn about current events, search for employment, let people know what is going on in our lives, and so much more. As many positive effects that Facebook has, there are also some negative ones.

            Facebook has a significant effect on society in a global sense. Facebook is free and available to everyone. Price for membership is no longer an issue. A person’s social class, status, and wealth no longer matter. Facebook has also linked communities and people around the world as one. Those who are a member of Facebook are now part of a global community. Facebook increases an individual or community’s ability to be heard; no one is isolated from society any longer. Everyone now has a voice that is audible to the entire Facebook community.- http://www.lifepaths360.com/index.php/facebook-and-society-how-facebook-affects-society-has-facebook-changed-society-5131/

 

            Facebook has created a new way for people to communicate with one another. A person with a relative or friend in another state or country can now talk to them by simply messaging their Facebook. Individuals who are looking for jobs can browse all of the businesses located on Facebook and read reviews and likes from other people and/or customers. The same applies to companies researching potential employees by allowing them to read the job candidate’s profile. People who are looking for a service like babysitting or plumbers can browse all of the related businesses and pick the one that looks best to them.

            On more of a negative note, Facebook allows anybody’s profile to be viewed by everyone. This can harm someone who is trying to get a job and their potential employer looks up their profile and sees negative posts or inappropriate pictures. Many relationships have ended by a significant other finding out their loved one is cheating on them through the posts on his or her profile. Negative posts about others can lead to rumors and ridiculing of the person mentioned. This can also apply to a certain business or company.

            Facebook can also lead some people into depression. These people are so obsessed and dependent on what is posted on their profiles that when negative posts happen, they become clinically depressed. People that have become obsessed with Facebook start to fall from society. They live their lives on their computer and do all of their day to day activities from watching their Facebook. These types of people do not even leave their homes or go outside in the real world. Even if it does not get to that point, many people spend the greater part of their day always checking their Facebook from phones and other mobile devices.- http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/mar/12/social-network-bad-mood-friends

 

Ultimately, whether the pros outweigh the cons of Facebook is more of a personal opinion. There really is no definitive answer to this question. Facebook really just falls into society’s wants of getting their information faster and easier. Freedom to view and be viewed has actually come with the invention of the internet, long before Facebook was even around. It is up to everyone to use Facebook wisely and for personal gains rather than losses. The internet and Facebook both have the same fundamental rule: Beware of what you post, because it can be seen by anyone.   

 

Works Cited

 http://www.lifepaths360.com/index.php/facebook-and-society-how-facebook-affects-society-has-facebook-changed-society-5131/

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/mar/12/social-network-bad-mood-friends

 

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