Microblogging

Sometimes we all have a story worthy of more acknowledgement than what Facebook or Twitter can provide. Microblogging websites are the leading medium of choice for sharing these stories with the world. You can discuss embarrassing moments, complain about misfortunes that have befallen you, and share funny experiences on these websites. After posting stories on these sites, viewers are free to comment on them. A few commonly-visited microblogs include FMyLife, MyLifeIsAverage, and Lamebook. The comments can have a significant impact on the self-esteem of the person who posted the story, and this medium of sharing experiences can lead to cyberbullying as well.

FMyLife, or FML, is a website that allows users to post embarrassing stories, most of which have extremely unfortunate outcomes, and each stories ends with “FML”. Viewers can vote “I agree, your life sucks” or “you totally deserved it” on each of these posts, as well as add comments. Here is an example of a post on FML:

“Today, I saw an elderly man fall in a crosswalk, so I jumped off my bike to help. As I helped him across, the light turned green. I then watched across a 6 lane street as someone stole my bike. FML.”

MyLifeIsAverage, or MLIA, is a website similar to FML, except it consists of posts about average experiences in a person’s daily life, all ending with MLIA. Some of the posts also parody ones found on FML. On MLIA, a reader can vote either “average” or “meh” on a post, as well as add comments. Here is an example of a post on MLIA:

“Today, I died from not passing on a chain mail. This is the 117th time this has happened. MLIA.”

Lamebook is a website that is similar to FML and MLIA in nature except that the person who posts the piece on Lamebook is not always the person involved in the story. Lamebook is a collection of typos, poorly planned photos, and embarrassing conversations found on Facebook. Most of the posts are hilarious, and viewers are always free to comment on them.

Now that we have a fairly good understanding of how microblogs work and what they stand for, I am going to discuss the implications they have for users, viewers, and society as a whole. One article on nowpublic.com refers to FML as a “crowd-generated psychiatrist” of sorts, which is an accurate assumption. Internet is the best outlet for bad events in your life. You always have an audience, and the comments allow for feedback from the readers or your post. The fact that anyone can just vent on a website and usually get support, acknowledgement, and understanding is very powerful. Additionally, readers usually find humor in these stories, as well as comfort in not having the same experience.

There are some detriments to this system of sharing experiences online. Comments posted on the stories aren’t always endearing and helpful. Some can be very harmful to a person’s self-esteem, and cyberbullying definitely begins to creep in as a result. I read a post on FML a few years ago where a guy posted about his parents walking in on him having sex with his boyfriend. He had not told of his homosexual tendencies until this happened. Many of the comments were very hurtful because of the guy’s sexual orientation, and the comment thread effectively became a battleground for the war on the rights of homosexuals.

A person doesn’t always have a desirable outcome when posting a story on a microblog, but when they do, the acceptance and understanding by the audience can be very rewarding. The humor provided to the reader on these websites is also a plus. Readers and users of microblogs must conduct themselves responsibly and respectfully if these websites are to ever have more positive atmospheres.

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The Evolution of Childhood Play

The BBC News article “Children ‘give playground games a modern twist,’” discusses the trend of children’s pretend play to incorporate ideas from the media. Long gone are the days where you see children playing mancala and hopscotch on the playground. Nowadays, you are more likely to see children imitating popular television shows like Survivor or American Idol.

Is this transition in childhood play detrimental? Luckily, developmentalists are saying that this shift is just a different type of play. Children are just as inventive as they always have been, they are just experimenting with themes that they are learning from television. In terms of the violent nature of some television shows, researchers are saying that children have always engaged in play fighting as a way of understanding the violence they see around them. Children will imitate the behavior that they see on television, but so long as they are being properly supervised, this type of play is not found to have detrimental effects. If anything, it gives children the opportunity to make sense of the world around them.

Those concerned that more traditional childhood games are being lost can revive them by teaching them games such as four square, jumping rope, marbles, and hopscotch. Children pick up from their environments. If you do not want them imitating violent television, use parental controls.

Online Libraries- the New Theater

Ever since I began living by myself at college, with no parents to nag me, I have been watching some of my favorite TV shows and movie clips before going to sleep. This habit started as a rebellious- “I am mature and independent now” statement, but it developed into a daily hobby because of the easy access to this media online.
Netflix, Hulu and iTunes are the largest “online theaters”, enabling everyone access to all kinds of movies and shows for a trivial fee. Not only is the process effortless, the products are incredibly satisfactory. People can watch any movie, at any time, in any place, as long as they are connected to the server. Consequently, there is a major decrease in people’s interest in network television and cable. More specifically, Comcast- the biggest cable company in the U.S., has been experiencing a major increase in the number of cable-service-cancelations.
Interestingly enough, Comcast has been taking a friendly, competitive approach to this issue by advancing its own online applications and services. The company came up with a library of movies called Xfinitytv, offering all the popular TV and movie channels to signed members. In addition, Comcast developed couple of small advanced gadgets for its users such as a remote control to the TV through a laptop keyboard and a remote DVR programming Web browser.
The pitch which is most likely to restore the peace within the company is the incorporation of the iPad or the Android tablet into its future technology. Comcast is currently working on its Xfinitytv iPad app which will allow users to transform their iPads into an on-demand, light, comfortable-to-use, touch-screen remote. Nevertheless, Comcast hints about developing its revolutionary technology of a live TV accessible to watch on the compatible iPad screen.
While all these innovations will ultimately improve people’s media experience and will provide overall satisfaction, I wonder if this rivalry between monopoly companies to become exponentially more technologically advanced will ever cease. Whatever happens, I strongly believe we cannot ignore the social evolution we are all experiencing, at this very moment. We do require new ideas and tools to accommodate those social changes. Comcast’s approach shows us: “We need to work with the changing times instead of fighting them.”

If it's not on Facebook, it's not official!

“Mom, I’ve been meaning to tell you this…but um, he asked me out…we are official now”
“Wow! That’s great!...but how come I haven’t seen it on Facebook yet?”

I’m sure this scenario is either familiar or sounds true enough to be real to most of us. Our generation seems to be not only physically or mentally dependent on online social networks, but also socially dependent. The most influential social network these days is Facebook, which has over 500 million active users worldwide. Facebook limits its users to one of six different “relationship statuses”, and also gives the option not to post a status at all. According to a Time Magazine article regarding Facebook relationships, 60% of Facebook users choose to post their relationship status. Interestingly enough, most of them are either “single” or “married”. It seems as if Facebook puts social pressure on its users to share as much as possible through the network with their friends or with the general public. Consequently, users post their pictures, locations, and common friends, and in addition-their personal relations with their “partners”.

By giving their users the decision whether to announce their new or current relationships or not, Facebook creates this social expectation, which most people want to meet. No one wants to date someone who refuses to be in a relationship on Facebook, while a person who is open to suggestions would want to keep his or her options open by making sure the word “single” is loud and clear on his/her page. Furthermore, Facebook makes it easier to follow your friends’ or acquaintances’ relationships, while also giving some insights for the gossipers in society. After all, who doesn’t enjoy seeing ten “Likes” or multiple congratulating, and sometimes dramatic comments about his or her own changed relationship status?

Other than students following their friends’ teenage on /off relationship statuses, adults also utilize Facebook as a reachable medium to publicize their current love life situation. I mean, it is much easier rejecting a romantic date by “friend requesting” your fellow worker, letting him see your page, rather than saying “Sorry, I’m engaged” face to face, right? In the same Time article, an engaged couple shared an interesting story about announcing their engagement to the world via a simple Facebook status change. After receiving an angry phone call, they realized they forgot to tell the news to their own parents who ended up finding out through the network. Evidently, society believes Facebook provides the best and fastest way to announce, share, track and comment about personal relationship statuses of the people around us. Without this wide updating network, people would feel “out of the loop” and would be less entertained by judging others’ decisions or following others’ achievements. Once again, we fall into the online trap- getting addicted to being constantly connected.


So bottom line, to share or not share?

Internet Success Stories

Today’s culture is very fickle towards internet use. Researchers often conduct studies on health problems, mental and psychological deficiencies, and other ailments caused by constant connection to the internet. Parents and adolescents alike debate the pros and cons of constant technology use. In the end, most seem to conclude that constant connectivity and the internet cause nothing but harm. No matter how much evidence can be stacked up against the internet, a few success stories can be found that reinforce internet-lovers’ convictions. This begs the question: “Do the positive attributes of the internet compensate for being constantly connected to it?” There really isn’t a solid answer; this is just a thought-provoking discussion on the matter.

Internet success stories are frequent and noteworthy, but few are as well-known as that of teen pop artist, Justin Bieber. He began as a normal kid in Canada, but when his mom posted videos of his music covers on YouTube for their friends and family to enjoy, he became a YouTube star. A man named Scooter Braun randomly found one of Bieber’s videos and was so enthralled he had to find him. Braun took Bieber to jump start his career with the popular pop artist Usher’s guidance, and now girls ranging from ages three to 73 are screaming his name. After various number one hits, platinum albums, awards, and more, it has been made apparent that Justin Bieber is quite the internet success story. You might say that Bieber wasn’t technically “constantly connected,” but having any sort of YouTube presence indicates that the internet plays a significant role in a person’s life. Certainly no one can argue that Bieber was harmed by an internet presence. Although not everyone becomes rich and famous from being constantly connected, and almost none to this degree, many find musical careers, entrepreneurial endeavors, and other avenues towards success in this manner.

Now we know that constant connectivity can make you rich and famous, but can it save a life? This success story certainly suggests so. Nancy Makin weighed in at a whopping 700 pounds for over 12 years, and her weight gain only promoted hopelessness. When her sister gave her a computer, Makin’s life began to improve. She stated, “The anonymity of the computer gave me access to a world that would have just as well have left me alone, alone to die but I did not.” Online, Makin made and maintained many friendships. In these online friendships, she wasn’t judged by her looks but by her personality. She found love and acceptance through her constant connectivity, and as a result, Makin lost weight. She didn’t use any sort of weight-loss techniques; she just stopped overeating. The depression was no longer an issue, and her psychological state vastly improved. Makin now weighs around 170 pounds, and she hopes that her story will inspire others to do the same. Did her constant connectivity directly save her life? Well, no, but as a result of spending her time immersed in the internet, her health and mental state improved tremendously, thus increasing her standard of living and presumably prolonging her life. A lot can be said about the possibility of constant connectivity helping to improve peoples’ lives in this manner.

You will probably maintain your beliefs as to the effects of constant connectivity, but hopefully after reading this and examining the success stories, you at least did a double-take. Constant connectivity and the internet may be plagued with negativity, and some of it may be true, but some good can also come of this constant connectivity. Many people base their livelihoods on the internet and their ability to remain constantly connected. It is arguable that constant connectivity in this manner benefits these people more than it harms them. If standard of living can increase for these internet users, who are we to tell them that what they do is a detriment to their health and well-being?

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Constantly Connected, All Over the World

Not only are we constantly connected, but we’re widely connected. Not to hate on Lady Gaga, but her biggest contribution to my life was made possible through the very wide-spread use of technology and the internet.

This hilarious video highlights our ability to be constantly connected. (A parody of a song about being constantly connected, made possible by being constantly connected!) The men depicted are on active duty, stationed in Afganistan. This is perhaps one of the most inaccessible (to outside communication) positions on earth, and yet they are still in a position to watch music videos, video themselves, compile and edit the video, and distribute it! It is truly amazing!

I won’t say anything about the time this takes away from their other duties… Or maybe it’s great for morale? Whatever the case, these Army personnel are now able to be a part of mainstream society in a way that was completely unthinkable just a few short years ago. Now they’re stars, when in yesteryear, their only ways to reach the outside world would have been directly to a loved-one (letter, phone call), or as part of a propaganda/media initiative controlled by the “higher-ups” in the Army and politics.

These Army personnel now have almost as much societal freedom as you or I. Technology makes their lives more normal in an otherwise un-normal situation. I didn’t think of this until just now, but I wonder if this affects their adjustment in coming back home. Comments are welcome, and think of this: the more normal creepy is, the creepier normal is.