Catfish

To me Catfish was just plane weird. I felt as though it had taken what we had discussed in class about the cyber world becoming it's own form of reality and just twisted it into something that was just so ridiculous that it was actually scary. The documentary is about a Michigan woman who essentially created this life for herself. She created fifteen people on facebook that in real life do not exist. She then met this man named Nev and using this fake person she started to connect with Nev, who was a photographer.

I can understand having some sort of a connection on the internet. However, this woman was so wrapped up in her own lie that she actually thinks that she can live in the real world and maintain this lie. However, that is very far from the truth. Nev and his friends who have been filming this entire adventure eventually catch onto the lie and the woman then reveals the truth, which was in fact a lie as well.

This woman is trapped. She has two severely handicapped boys that demand her attention, a husband who is slow to say the least, and a little daughter who loves to paint. This woman reveals that he dream was to become a dancer but that dream was short lived. I can understand the pain of losing a dream; however, that does not give her the right to lie and deceive innocent people like Nev into thinking that she is this person.

She using pictures of family friends and creates identities without their consent. She goes beyond lie and right to stealing. She stole a person's identity and used it as her own. I can not understand this for my life. Then to make the whole situation even worse she lied about having cancer. To me I can understand lying about yourself, but to lie that you have cancer is a whole different issue. That is a serious condition that kills millions of people. Cancer is not a joke. It is not something that is commonly thrown around in everyday situation.

Nev is hurt and betrayed by this entire situation, and I do not blame him. He had been lied to for no good reason. He had thought that he had made a connection to this perfect girl. A beautiful woman who appreciated his photography, they shared similar beliefs and made a legitimate connection. However, it was  lie.

This relates to our class because we have discussed the influence of technology on the world and on our own perception of reality. We have discussed the power of technology and what it can do for the every day person. However, I feel as though this story is an extreme. The internet has given this rather simple woman an entire new life. She had complete control over everything because she was everybody. She was able to handle every situation. However, is that real? Does she live in her own virtual reality? How? She is controlling everything, that doesn't seem like reality.

Exit Through the Gift Shop

How did this documentary compare to reality TV?

It seems to me that this documentary followed a lot of the same criteria that reality TV does. It's edited, and fixed to make it watchable. However, it is not quite like reality TV. Reality TV can be viewed in two different genres. The first is that of the mainstream reality TV that we see on MTV. For example, Jersey Shore and Real World are considered reality TV because they take the lives of everyday people and record them. However, it is not exactly reality because they take random people and then put them in a n environment that is something that they are not used to. However it is made to be watched. It is a solid form of entertainment that is viewed for the purpose of entertainment.

The other form of reality TV is much more real. For example the educational shows where the man goes and visits different countries and then has to become accustom to their traditions. That is reality TV. That is much more like this documentary. Thierry Guetta is the man behind this documentary. He is constantly filming no matter what. Because of this constant filming it is much more real.

This brings up the question of perception vs reality. Street art is relatively unknown because it is not something that is seen being preformed on a daily basis. The point of street art is to be done anonymously and in secret where the only thing that matters is the art, not the artist. With the introduction of the camera into the unknown world I wonder how much of this is actually true. For example, Banksy chose to be darkened with a voice altering devise when he talked. This was to hide his true identity and to make his artwork even more of the focus.

To me this did not work. Banksy is the most famous street artist. However, all this constant talk about who is is taking the focus off of the art. I feel that when someone is that famous and such a public known figure then I think that they should be able to reveal themselves because they know that their artwork has lead them to this fame. The reality of the situation is that he has become famous. The perception is that he is still not important, however that is not reality. He is important. I guess, Banksy is just making the statement that his artwork is more famous than himself.

Grade Update

Illustrator Vectorized Photograph

Recreated Vector Image

Original Vector Image

Democratized Media

1. How does keen define Democratized media, and what are his main issues with this trend? Use examples from the web in the form of links.

Kenn defines Democratized media as the change, through the term Web 2.0, that has occurred resulting in the ability of anyone to publish information on the Internet. For example, Youtube (youtube.com) and iReport (http://ireport.cnn.com/) allow for armatures to publish any thing that want. Due to this fact, Keen argues that it amatures are destroying what it means to be a valid source, in the case of iReport, and also what it means to be a musical artist, in the case of Youtube.

2. Compare and contrast Keens take on Social Media with Douglas Rushkoff's. Which one speaks to you and your own experiences and why.

I think that the internet is a very positive thing. I think that giving the people the ability to create their own works and to publish them allows America to be what it is today. Who are we to deny someone the right to make a video and publish it. I have made this point in class that if information is out there then it is our job as observers to make sure that the information we seek is credible. I do not believe that the amateur creations are hurting the credibility of information.

Wisdom of the Crowd Response

I am doing a response of Gina Sirico, Katie Messina, and Brent Houseal's blogs.

Social Media and the Wisdom of the Crowd Postings

Whither the Individual?

As we join groups and social networks from affinity sites to Facebook, are we extending and expanding identities, or increasingly conforming to the cookie-cutter profiles demanded of these interfaces? Is the loss of “personal space” and “reflection” so many users complain of merely the necessary surrender of “ego” as we learn to participate as members of a more evolved “collective organism” of “hyper-people?”

Facebook does not make people conform to one “identity”. Facebook gives off many different options for people to associate themselves with. It is impossible to conform to one identity when there are options that can apply to everyone. For example, a person can change their name, their sexual orientation, marital status and religion. And even then their religion does not have to be anything that is recognized as an actual religion. For example, on Facebook a friend of mine follows the religion of “Julesism”; it is obvious that this religion does not exist however it is stated that she follows it. How can someone conform to an identity when they follow a religion that does not exist?

            Also, Facebook allows you the opportunity to put random things into the categories that interest you; in other words, many things that you “like” or are “fans” of show up in your interests and activities. Once again, how can you conform to something when things just show up in your profile? There is so many options for people to be different that there is no way that someone is conforming to one identity.

            Yes, Facebook does ask its users to fill out a generic profile. However, that does not mean that each person cannot be an individual. Each person has their own set of likes and dislikes that allow them to be different from everyone else. This can be used in Facebook and other social media sites as well. For example, MySpace allows a person to create their own background to their site which reflects their own personal style. This is the same from blog sites as well. Facebook does not do this, but every person enjoys different music and movies.

            Also, the thing that makes Facebook different from other social networking sites is that Facebook has the ability to accept or deny friends. The purpose of social networking sites is to connect with people via the internet. However, unlike the other networks Facebook makes it able to connect with people that you already know. Most people do not request friends they have never met and also do not accept people they do not know. It is because of this fact that Facebook does not necessarily need for people to create their own background to their sites. There is no need to create an identity when users already have an identity outside of the internet that is most likely known to the people who are viewing their sites.

            Most people Facebook stalk. It is one of the many things that Facebook allows us to do. However, people allow this as soon as they accept a friend request. People look at each other’s pictures and wall posts to see who were are hanging around with and what not. However, we do not usually type in John Smith and go creeping on all the John Smith’s that are on Facebook. When we do creeper we do it on people that we are interested in or made some connection in the real world.

            There is no doubt that there is a loss of personal space in the cyber world. The ethics that go along with social networking sites are very different than that in the real world. What is socially acceptable to do on Facebook is not necessarily accepted in the real world. For example, no way is it acceptable to go and stalk someone. However, on Facebook when you are safe in your house and the other person has no idea, it is common knowledge. It happens. Everyone does it.

            In the real world you can control who sees what. If you want to keep a personal journal that no one reads then you have the ability to do so. If you want to have a private conversation with someone then you can. However, on Facebook and other social networking sites there are limited amounts of privacy. What you post of someone’s wall is free information to everyone who can view that person’s wall. How can there be personal space when everyone can view everything and you cannot do anything to stop them?

            The social networking cites and this concept of cyber friendships has created a new age of mannerisms. Not only are their appropriate courses of action in the real world but now there are socially acceptable ways of interacting on the internet as well.

McLuhan Assignment 1

For my medium I decided to choose the television. The television has opened up the whole world to the casual population. All of the images in this television represent something important that happened due to the television. The television brought the world together. Everyone was able to view the events of September 11th. When Georgia Bush addressed the nation after the attacks it brought the people of the United States together. The television brought the Vietnam War into the homes of the American people, which is why many of the people were against the war, because they could now see how awful war was. Without the television we would not feel as connected as we are and that is why the television is an important medium.

McLuhan Assignment 2

For my second McLuhan assignment I decided to do texting. The world of the telephone has changed dramatically over time. My grandmother still has a cord phone in her kitchen. It represents how far technology has come. Now, it is so much easier to get in contact with someone just on the cell phone. Texting allows for an easier communication because essentially it is just like a written voicemail. However, that does not mean that it is always used like that. Many people, including myself, use texting as a legitimate form of communication. It is for this reason that texting is a serious medium in the world of communication. However, the cell phone is also used for other things besides texting. Many cell phones have internet access which means that a person is constantly connected with the rest of the world. This is another reason why the cell phone is an important medium.

Social Media Question

Today many TV shows and advertisements try to look amateurish or "homegrown" to emulate what is often seen on the Web. Do you think professional production values will continue to drop, or do you think amateur user-generated content will get better over time? WHY


Perhaps I do not watch enough TV but I have not see enough amateurish or "homegrown" content for me to believe that this sense of "do it yourself" content will continue to cause professional production values to drop. I feel that these "homegrown" videos are part of the Justin Bieber-like idea, where a small town boy with a dream can make it in the big world of the music industry. Having said that, I believe that with the new technologies being available to people, the user-generated content will continue to grow and get better over time. However, I do not think that they will ever pass the professional production.

What social media sites do you find yourself using the most and why? In your opinion why is Facebook so much more successful than MySpace, and do you think Facebook is "here to stay" for the long term.

I use Facebook the most. I use this for many reasons. First, Facebook allows me to connect to people that I am not able to see on a regular basis, or who are geographically unavailable. Also, Facebook allows for more privacy protection than MySpace or other social networking sites. I believe that it is this fact that makes Facebook more successful than MySpace. Facebook has better privacy settings and also has more applications that come with the Facebook network.

I believe that Facebook is here to stay. Facebook has completely evolved from what it's purpose was when it first started. It started out as a college network site. Then it was passed down to high school and then down to middle school. As it evolved more and more people were able to create a Facebook account. Technology is becoming more and more available to younger generations and therefore it will never be erased.

Why is transparency such an important concept in the Social Media world? Is it MORE or LESS important in the offline world? Why?

Transparency is becoming such an important concept in Social Media because the internet is so much more vast than the offline world. It is because of this fact that it is MORE important than it is in the offline world. In a financial disclosure there are only certain people who have access to that information. However, in the online world anyone has the ability to hack into the file and see the information. It brings up the idea of ethics and privacy. Technology is a dangerous world.

Three Mediums

        The cell phone can be considered a medium. Through phone calls and texting cell phones can transport a message from the sender to the receiver. Because cell phones are becoming more advanced, cell phones are able to also connect to the internet which allows for more information to be distributed.

 The Computer is another medium. This medium can be dissected into other more specific forms of media such as the internet and email. The internet is able to connect billions of people, which is something that the cell phone and TV cannot do.

  The TV is another form of media. This allows information to be viewed by the mass population.