Mark suggested that I replace our metaphorical blank page background with the image on your left. Unfortunately, when I logged on to change our blog's design I discovered that the background can only be replaced with images that Google provides us. I'll make those images available to you at some point so that we can switch things up in here; but in the meantime, I wanted to share this image of "social media city" and a post by Joe Corbett (one of many posts on social media that have used this image) who is Chief Operating Officer of iStrategyLabs -- a leading tech/digital/creative firm in DC, which is behind many of the cool things that have been and are being developed in the digital field in the area and worldwide. Even though the post was published in January 2009, it's still quite relevant. Joe talks about the importance of getting on board with social media and his concern for those who deny it's impact on industries across the board. One of my favorite exerpts is below and refers to the build-up of noise -- one of the components of communication we discussed today.
Do you think it's crucial for us to learn more about these technologies and participate in digital media?"One reason why people might be turned off to the social media revolution is because of the overload, and overlap, of services that are “the next best thing” or “the next level” in social media creation. Just check out these pictures; the first is one depicting social media services as a busy city. It is easy to feel the congestion and overall chaos of the social media world when you view it this way (...) I fully believe that being the creator of valuable content, that is freely-accessible by the rest of the world, is crucial to being both competitive and relevant across all future industries."
Do you agree that those who don't adapt will become "casualties of the social media revolution"?
Do you think that this is all overrated and we can probably live without having to overwhelm ourselves by tuning in?
Ahh it's a social media utopia! As for the questions you provided at the end of the blog, I have to say I'm a firm believer in that change is for the better. I don't really see why people are hesitant to hop on the social media bandwagon. It's a faster, more efficient, and dare I say, funner way for people to interact with one another. I'm not suggesting that we as human beings should completely abandoned the more traditional method's of communicating with one another, but rather, there should be a healthy medium. Where traditional and non-traditional methods of communication interact and make life easier for everyone!
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ReplyDeleteRobb Scott:
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely able to see the value in social media, however, with our lives becoming more and more online based, I feel people are losing interpersonal skills and on actually experiencing life. There's no actual benefit to updating your location for all the world to see every 15m [not considering consumer deals that come along with sites like 4sq], or posting pictures from the party the night before. Privacy is becoming less of a desire, so many of us are building up psychological noise (speaking for myself, I now dislike talking on the phone--why not just text it--and I find myself going to facebook as if it is a step necessary when starting up Google Chrome). I envy those who can resist the urge to get immersed in social media, but at the same time, I embrace it, and unabashedly participate in it.
Something I always find funny is that because of the internet's advancements, and social media's ability to connect so many people, it almost becomes unnecessary to leave the house, or to actually establish any sort of personal relationships; whereas in the past, those people would be considered hermits, or outcasts. Grocery shopping and all other forms of retail can be purchased online, we can IM one another rather than actually meet/talk in person, there's no need to write letters--or handwrite anything for that matter; while all of this is supposed to be connecting us, it is actually making us less connected, and less involved in the world around us. This may simply be just one extreme, but it's what creates my apprehension towards each 'new' vehicle through which social media is introduced.
The social media technology is so new, yet being integrated into our Comm107 curriculum so rapidly, that I wonder what an entry-level communications syllabus from the year 2000 would look like, or even 1990. It's hard for me to say yes or no to the revolution, it's happening whether I like it or not. I just don't have the experience and clairvoyance to make an macro-scale assessment about what is happening. This is the only world that exists right now.
ReplyDeleteTo what you guys have already said, I'd only say that what is important are not the social networks, but the fundamental shift in direction I mentioned at the beginning. Tools come and go. Before we had cars there were horses and beasts of burden. Before we had planes we had long train rides. But these modes of transportation are not as important as the change the fundamental change they brought about. And that's what we need to focus on.
ReplyDeleteWe are living in a period of transition and we have to approach all of these things with vision.
Great comments!
I never blogged or used Twitter till I came to UMD, and now I'm required to do both. If I don't, I fail classes. I become a casualty "of the social media revolution." I'm made to use these social networks because they're fast and efficient. Which is good. Change that makes life more efficient is necessary. It goes along with the transportation changes. People can't take horses on the highway, even if they hate how motor vehicles pollute the world.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to the first question I think it is clear that we must learn about technologies and social media because if we do not we will potentially lose ground to the rest of society. Whether we like it or not, technology becomes a bigger part of society everyday. It would be foolish to not learn about something that is so important. It would be very hard to tune out of social media because of how prevalent it is and how much it influences the lives and decisions of the people around us. To tune out would leave anyone a step behind in the sense that they would not have the same type of resources as everybody who is tuned in to media. Hopefully people can continue to adapt and not lose ground as media continues to grow around us.
ReplyDeleteWhile it may often seem as though it is necessary to be constantly updated and tuned in, I disagree. I remember at my old high school one of the more popular kids in the grade was probably one of the only ones in the entire school not on facebook. It was almost seen as an achievement to not be hooked onto facebook. While most people would think it would affect his social standing and maybe even his ability to stay connected with friends, the contrary is true. It seemed to not affect him at all. But at the same time social networks are a huge help when it comes to the easy, quick access to the latest information. Whenever there is a situation in a shut-in tight-lipped country like Iran or North Korea, many of the media check twitter for live insight into the situation from the eyes of those who are actually there. In addition that same kid in high school who didn't let his not being on facebook affect him--his girlfriend cheated on him, and the only reason everyone knew is because it was all over facebook.
ReplyDeleteI love the part of the quote that states that it's easy to see the negative parts of the information overload if you are looking at it like a unattractive, congested city, but if one wants to see the benefits, one has to look from a different perspective. People need to look at how the smaller parts and systems work effectively to create a more accesible world. Of course it will be overwhelming if you look at all the advancements and information as a whole! Yes, there are drawbacks to the overwhelming amount of information flooding the social media, but the accessibility of millions of sources and people is a hard achievement to ignore. In this day and age technology and Internet are required by many jobs and school, so people-- whether they want to or not-- are going to have to embrace this is technology centered society.
ReplyDeleteI think it is very important to learn about all of the technologies available to us today, particularly social networking and digital media, because not only does so much in our lives revolve around these innovations, but these new technologies make for more efficiency in our daily routines. As Darren said, people can't take horses on the highway - it is imperative these days to be perpetually aware of the new resources available to us.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that those who adapt will become "casualties of the social media revolution" because I think that's a little bit of a hyperbole. I know plenty of my friends who still don't have texting plans on their phones or who don't have Facebook and can still easily manage to keep in touch. Although it's a lot harder for them to do such, it's certainly not impossible.
Even though I am a huge user of all the new technologies out there today, I must admit that a lot of it is overrated and that I could live without out. While Facebook makes it much easier to stay in touch with my friends and keep up with events going on around me, it also is a huge distraction that I could do without on a lot of days. There was once a time where we could live without these technologies and I don't think it would be disastrous if we had to go through that again.
I actually agree with mbottoms that it is not so much of a necessity as it is a convenience to have all these diffrent tools to connect with others and keep updated; however, I do find it overwhelming having so many diffrent networks. I don't even know how many social applications I'm a part of now, some of which, as darren had mentioned, I use only for classes. Never the less, I now am a member of some things I have never really used, all for the ability to communicate with one or two professors or friends and I think things would just be easier if instead of just adding new ways to communicate, we find ways to improve on what we have now.
ReplyDeleteYes, I believe that keeping up with technological advances is an integral part of modern society. It is becoming more and more difficult in today's world to connect with today's events, especially if certain bits of information are published early through sites like Twitter. While I believe that one should learn about social media, I do not think that one would necessarily become a "[casualty] of the social media revolution." The main method of communication is still through speech, and although one may not receive certain information as fast as one might through other methods, sooner or later, if the information is significant enough, one will definitely hear the bit of information discussed in conversation with others. Modern society, with mostly young people to blame, do tend to hyperbolize the social media expansion. In my junior year, I experienced an e-fast as part of my AP Language and Composition class. We were not allowed to use any any electronics for the purposes of communication, entertainment, etc. Personally, 24 hours without a cell phone, computer, or television was not as hard as I thought it was going to be. I participate in many extracurricular activities like It's Academic and volleyball, so besides the time used for school and sleeping, I only had a few hours of actual e-fasting. Overall, while social media is expanding exponentially, one does not become a "casualty" through limited participation.
ReplyDeleteDo you think it's crucial for us to learn more about these technologies and participate in digital media?
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't say it's 'crucial' in any way to engage in today's social medias and technologies; like many others have said, I have several friends who don't have facebook; in fact, only 400 or 500 people from my high school grade were on facebook out of a total of ~600. Alot of groups and events were done through facebook- among the ones I was in, these included spirit night committees, senior scavenger hunt, senior assassin, senior prank, and countless grad parties. While my friends who didn't use facebook in no way were excluded from these events, it was certainly easier to find out about them and receive news about them with facebook.
I think 'casualties' is a little harsh; after all, people can sign up and join these sites at any time. Social media sites are a bonus to, not a necessity of life.
I think that it is crucial for us to learn more about new technologies and participate in digital media because it is only going to become even more popular. Sites such as Facebook and Twitter have become very popular in the past few years and who knows what other sites are next. Sites like this have attracted not only young, but older users as well. Schools are now beginning to use digital media to communicate with students and even teach curriculum. Most jobs always want employees to know how to use computers and use email. It is crucial to learn about digital media because it is everywhere. People who won’t adapt to these new technologies will be left behind and out of date since everything is becoming technologically advanced. Even though digital media is very popular I think that it is overrated. Digital media doesn’t allow people to have privacy. Facebook and Twitter allow people to see too much about other people’s lives. I think that people could survive without digital media because people have been able to survive this long without it. It’s ok to have sites where people can communicate and keep in touch with each other but when people become addicted then it is a problem.
ReplyDeleteIt is important to learn about new technologies, as it has always been in the history of humanity. If people were as critical of the basic farming plow as some are of "that stupid Twitter," we probably wouldn't have survived a long winter. Digital media is quickly becoming the only media. Even traditional newspapers all have websites that probably get more hits than their number of physical subscribers. Same with pretty much every major TV network. It's not a matter of "joining" digital media, but just recognizing its omnipresence.
ReplyDeleteOne only needs to look at the 2008 election to see a casualty of the social media revolution. While there are many, many more factors that contributed to Obama's win, McCain's inability to use the Internet (and seeming misunderstanding of the platform) very quickly alienated him from young voters--who were already pretty infatuated with Obama. If we can let knowledge of an informational platform control our decision about who will be the leader of the free world, we are all already casualties of social media. At the same time, I want a President that is up-to-date on the latest technologies.
There is no question that we can live without social media, the Internet, even electricity. It's just that people don't want to anymore. We're so connected to other people and the digital world that, like Montag's earbud-wearing wife in "Fahrenheit 451," we cannot--and refuse to--see the physical world as it really is. Similar to that book, the world's governments are fighting wars over resources while the populace obsesses over the latest Twitter post by Paris Hilton.
I love Facebook. It's a great way to connect to my family and friends, and I've used it many times for practical reasons, such as scheduling events, talking about work, school, etc. My problem with Twitter is that there is no real "profile," no page on which to see someone's interests. We have to comb through their tiny comments to see if we can get a glimpse of who they really are--and then, we're still only seeing their digital persona.
I don't necessarily think that Twitter is a passing fad, but I think it will be gradually phased in to better, more full-featured services, such as how one can already connect their Twitter to their Facebook account and the newly-released iTunes Ping music/social networking service.
Regardless, it's good that there is a class in which we can discuss such contemporary issues as these. Sometimes, reading a bunch of books by dead people can get dry.
Rant over!
We are living in what is now considered the digital age, so a failure to learn about new technologies, and participate in them could be a real detriment to a person.
ReplyDeleteCompany's are looking for any way to expand their brand. To do this, they have turned to the new outlets of social media. A company will need a person that can successfully navigate these new outlets. If a person is not able to operate in the new realm of social media, they will be passed by, by someone who can.
Can we live without all this social media? Probably if we had to, but social media has become so ingrained in our culture that I think it would be hard too.
I finally got a facebook at the urging of my friends in March. I used to see my sister on it and think that it was dumb. But ever since i got one, I'm always on facebook. Facebook has become part of my everyday routine.
So I think that it is important to learn about social media. It is a new frontier and is fast becoming part of our culture. I people who fail to adapt will end up being left in the dust.
The idea that those who do not adapt to the changes and developments in the means of communication and social media become "casualties" is definitely interesting. I don't think that it's absolutely necessary to be connected and up-to-date with all the new forms of social media, but connecting with others is definitely hampered without "basic" means of communication. Since many of us use Facebook several times a day or text others constantly (with the exception of being in class) some immersion into developing social media is a necessity to remain in contact with friends. Recently I "friended" my teachers from high school since Facebook is the most convenient means of communication.
ReplyDeleteTo address another question presented, it may not be necessary to understand the media to use it. Most social networking sites, blogs, and other means of media are formatted to be highly usable. In many cases, just the knowledge of typing may be necessary to fully utilize sites such as Facebook, Twitter, etc. Many programmers and those with significant computer skills bemoan the fact that the ease of use of Facebook and Twitter inhibits further personalization of individual sites.
~Anupama Badami
“Wait…you mean you didn’t hear about senior skip day today?”
ReplyDelete“I can’t believe you didn’t know they broke up!”
Ah, who could forget those dreaded comments. There is nothing worse than feeling misinformed—it brings you back to the first day at a new school, the time you didn’t do last night’s reading and were totally clueless when the teacher called on you, the day after the Super Bowl when everyone is asking you if you were happy with the outcome, when you actually had no idea who had played.
In this way, it can seem extremely “crucial” to participate in social media. No one likes to be the odd man out, and if you’re tuned in to Facebook or Twitter all the time, you never are.
It is easy to get caught up in the “creeper” aspect of it all and actually start to believe that it is EXTREMELY CRUCIAL THAT YOU KNOW WHAT TOMMY IS DOING AND WHO HE IS DATING AT ALL TIMES. It can seem like the end of the world when you meet someone interesting and they don’t have a Facebook to creep on. Do they even exist?
However, when we take a step back, I believe that it is not crucial to participate in these social medias. Can they make your life easier? Definitely. Can they provide a fun time or a great homework distraction? Absolutely. But are they crucial? No. If you don’t hear about a senior skip day because you don’t have a Facebook, life goes on. In fact, in many cases it’s probably beneficial to not be tapped in to these social medias. That way, future employers, sports coaches, and family members have nothing to hold against you, and you can completely control the first impression that you want to give off—you can rest assured that no one was “creeping” on you the night before you meet them.
I feel like there is a lot of pressure in our day and age to be "plugged in" and be on the latest social networking sites, have the latest cellphone or gadget, etc. I think the key is that we should try to find a healthy way to balance all of the technology available to us. There are many beneficial aspects to media, but then there are the dangers of getting addicted and becoming reliant on these tools. In ancient Greece, the words "meden agan" were inscribed on Apollo's shrine at Delphi. This means "nothing in excess"- which is something that I think we need to keep in mind in this day and age. There is nothing wrong with social media, as long as it is used in moderation.
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