Catfish is a contemporary documentary that portrays how social media has impacted individuals and society as a whole. Sometimes, these social media sites encourage people to get away from reality and the stresses of face to face communication. These people feel more comfortable hiding behind a computer screen as an alternate person or projection of themselves. Yaniv Schulman is the young man in the documentary that unfortunatley is a victim of Angela, a 40 year old woman who pretends to be a hot, young woman named Megan. Angela would call, write, and use facebook to communicate with Yaniv. Over time they developed a romantic relationship and a lust that led them to eventually meet, or thought Yaniv.
At the same time, Angela was sending Yaniv artwork through facebook that she claimed to have been done by her nine year old daughter abbey. Yaniv and his crew would send pictures to "abbey" and she would send them replica paintings in return. This made Yaniv's relationship with the family even more intimate as they had several interests in common. The relationship became so close and intimate that Yaniv and his crew decided to make the trip from NewYork to Michigan.
Upon arrival to Michigan, Yaniv and his crew didnt exactly find what they were looking fo or what they were expecting. They knocked on the door and finally meet Angela and realized that she had other children that she had not mentioned. Through a second marraige she now has two severly mentally retarded boys. These boys required 24/7 attention and care. When they meet Angela, everything seems to being going fine and when Yaniv asks about Megan and Abbey, Angela has excuses for why neither of them wre there. Abbey is supposedly at her friends beach house and is willing to come home to meet Yaniv. After being skeptical about hr existence, Yaniv and the crew are relieved to see that Abbey actually exists. What they would eventually find out, is that all the paintings were done by Angela and not Abbey.
At first, Yaniv felt used and pissed off, and now he was begginning to think tht there was no Megan. When having a casual conersation on the porch with Angela and the crew, Angela reveals that she will lose her hair due to kemo therapy. Later, we find out that she was lying about having cancer and this is a perfect example of her need to live multiple lives and avoid her real one. She feels most at ease this way. When Yaniv asks about Megan again, Angela tells him that she has a drinking problem and that she is in rehab more than 100 miles away. Yaniv is devastated and i becoming more skeptical about megans actual existence. Later, Yaniv Finds out that Angela has used Megans pictures to create an alternative personality on facebook. So in truth, Megan does exist, but she does not live in michigan and she does not know Yaniv. She is marrid with children living on the west coast. Yaniv is angry but iseventually able to forgive Angela because he realizes that she has issues when it comes to her life and her personality.
Throughout this course we have been educated about many ways Web 2.0 has an impact on our daily lives. The evolution of the Internet had rapidly evolved into somewhat of an alternate reality. Websites such as Facebook, Twitter and Myspace are all places people can go and potentially become someone they are not. The Internet can be a scary place and the film Catfish just goes to show how potentially dangerous it can be. With the internet always evolving, it is becoming even more diffilcult to actually know who we are talking to and who we are giving our information to. Personally, I do not think it is right for peopleto b making false identites to others because they are not doing it at the discretion of others on the web. Ultimatley, I think that people get bored and lonely sometimes and they find the democratized internet and social media to be a safe haven for themselves to project their beliefs and feelings.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Exit through the gift shop
As our society becomes more individualistic, people have found more ways to market themselves and their ideas. It has become even more difficult to differentiate in today's extremely competitive society. Therefore, I believe that people must look outside the box of traditional marketing in order to make a name for themselves and get their message across to their audience. One of the biggest issues with conveying a message is to first make the audience aware of your basic ideas. This has become easier since the creation of web 2.0, as it allows people to document and share their work to people all over the world. This presents a potential opportunity to share a message with people of different backgrounds and cultures who may interpret the work differently. Various interpretations can actually lead to uncovering ideas and messages that the author or artist did not originally intend. Basically, by sharing your work with people around the world, you can actually learn something that you may not have noticed by yourself. Essentially, I believe that the internet and web 2.0 is like a global university for students of all disciplines to share ideas and beliefs. Furthermore, I believe that this is a tremendous opportunity for individuals like Banksy to share their ideas. Its almost like the entire globe is the artists canvas.
The fact that Banksy remains anonomous from his work throughout the documntary suggests two different things to me. First, I believe that he is so passionate about his work and is so dedicated to spreading his message that he believes puting a face to it would just hinder the message. Instead, the ar speaks for itself and delivers a message created by the viewers interpretation. This allows for many different interpretations from people all over the globe. Maybe Banksy is hoping that his ideas and works inspire others to eventually create their own works. On the other hand, he might also remain anonomous to prevent from being punished by the law. Because lets not forget, as nice as Bankys work is, it is considered to be vandalism of private property. But I actually appreciate that he remains annonomous throughout the documentary. I thought it gave the documentary a "cool feel."
I thought that the documentary was very similar to reality television in the manner in which is was recorded and edited. I thought that they did a very good job making the documentary. Especially the couple of scenes where Banksy and his camera man were climbing up steep roofs in order to get to the best location. At one point Banksy was five stories in the air applying his stensils while his camera man was even higher than that just to capture the best shot. This showed a great deal of dedication and belief about their objectives as artists.
I believe that the illegality of Bankys work also comes from the viewers eyes. Some people may see it as destructive vandalism that is polluting citys around the world. While others may think that it is actually enhancing the look of the cities. Personally, I believe that everything in moderation is ok, including street art like Bankys. Overall, as long as long as the street art is not harming anyone or anything, Im ok with it.
The fact that Banksy remains anonomous from his work throughout the documntary suggests two different things to me. First, I believe that he is so passionate about his work and is so dedicated to spreading his message that he believes puting a face to it would just hinder the message. Instead, the ar speaks for itself and delivers a message created by the viewers interpretation. This allows for many different interpretations from people all over the globe. Maybe Banksy is hoping that his ideas and works inspire others to eventually create their own works. On the other hand, he might also remain anonomous to prevent from being punished by the law. Because lets not forget, as nice as Bankys work is, it is considered to be vandalism of private property. But I actually appreciate that he remains annonomous throughout the documentary. I thought it gave the documentary a "cool feel."
I thought that the documentary was very similar to reality television in the manner in which is was recorded and edited. I thought that they did a very good job making the documentary. Especially the couple of scenes where Banksy and his camera man were climbing up steep roofs in order to get to the best location. At one point Banksy was five stories in the air applying his stensils while his camera man was even higher than that just to capture the best shot. This showed a great deal of dedication and belief about their objectives as artists.
I believe that the illegality of Bankys work also comes from the viewers eyes. Some people may see it as destructive vandalism that is polluting citys around the world. While others may think that it is actually enhancing the look of the cities. Personally, I believe that everything in moderation is ok, including street art like Bankys. Overall, as long as long as the street art is not harming anyone or anything, Im ok with it.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Andrew Keen Questions
1. Andrew keen is not very fond of Democratized media and the effects that it has had on our society as a whole. Keen especially believes that this generation of web 2.0 is destroying the young, creative minds of today's children. He believes that children are beginning to lose a sense of reality when it comes to playing today's realistic video games. Keen was also concerned about the effects of web 2.0 on big businesses and the government. He argues that mankind is slowly losing its creative thinking and becoming more and more reliant on the internet. An example of a modern deomcratized media would be Wikipedia. This is essentially a wiki and a encyclopedia combined into one. The problem with this is that anyone can make adjustments to the content wihout it being credible information. This can pose a major problem because some people may interpret this information as being accurate just because it is on the internet. Overall, Andrew Keen seems to be very pesimistic when it comes to the internet. I believe that as long as it is used in moderation and for the right reasons, the internet can be a worldwide university.
2. Douglas Rushkoff and Andrew Keen seem to having opposing viewpoints on web 2.0 and its effects on society as a whole. Rushkoff believes that the internet is a great place where people can interact instantly from all over the globe. In addition, the internet has increased the flow of information throughout our society and therefore it enables people to learn using a different approach rather than always sitting in a classroom. On the other hand, Keen believes that people are spending too much time on the web and he believes that people are beginning to become lazy and sometimes even brainwashed bythe webs content. I believe that we are predominantly a web based society and that this is just another step in the process of human evolution. I think that Keen and Rushkoff would agree with me when i say that I think just like anything else, everything is ok as long as its in moderation.
2. Douglas Rushkoff and Andrew Keen seem to having opposing viewpoints on web 2.0 and its effects on society as a whole. Rushkoff believes that the internet is a great place where people can interact instantly from all over the globe. In addition, the internet has increased the flow of information throughout our society and therefore it enables people to learn using a different approach rather than always sitting in a classroom. On the other hand, Keen believes that people are spending too much time on the web and he believes that people are beginning to become lazy and sometimes even brainwashed bythe webs content. I believe that we are predominantly a web based society and that this is just another step in the process of human evolution. I think that Keen and Rushkoff would agree with me when i say that I think just like anything else, everything is ok as long as its in moderation.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Partners Thesis
One of my partners for the thesis response was Lauren Hoheusle. She spoke and wrote about the topic of folksonomy. After speaking with her and reading her response i concluded her thesis to be "Again, I think we just need to find a happy-medium as a society between professionalism and the new advancements in technology, for things to work out for everyone." Furthermore, she gave examples of both how the internet is both a positive and negative influence on today's society. Her comments had validity because she referenced specific examples from our class readings, videos, and discussions.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Whither the Individual
In terms of the social sites that we use in todays web based society, I believe that they are both enhancing and hindering our true identities and potential as human beings. The use of these sites allow for instant communication to millions of individuals all over the world. On the other hand, some people believe that our society and young individuals are beginning to hide behind a computer screen and a user profile rather than conventional face to face interactions. Both the positives and negatives of this increasingly cyber world and expanding user personalities are portrayed in the documentary "digital nation."
In the documentary "digital nation" by David Rushkoff and Rachel Dreztin, they look into specific web based programs and observe and study the effects on the individuals while using these programs. They look into programs such as second life, world of warcraft, military gaming, and children being subjected to a virtual world.
I believe that second life is a fun and educational way to meet new people and gain new experiences. I say this because while in second life people may approach others that they would not normally approach in real life. Its a kind of place where people are more willing and comfortable just being themselves and maybe to try new things.
World of Warcraft on the other hand seemed to be less beneficial as users sometimes become addicted to gameplay and eventually it takes over their life. As we saw in digital nation with the young boy rushing through his dinner just to get back to his beloved game. I believe they said that particular boy played up to 10 hours a day and sometimes would stay up all night playing. I had a friend in high school that was very similar to the boy we saw in the documentary. Basically, the game took over his life, literally!
One of the best selling video games out right now is the new call of duty game. This is a highly realistic and addictive game. The U.S army built a center where people of all ages can come and play the game 24 hours a day. Some people are outraged at this because they are comparing a video game to actual warfare in an attempt to recruit these war hungry individuals. I believe that it is not ethical for the army to recruit these people on the basis that they enjoy a game. I believe games should be separate from reality. Especially when it comes to war.
One of the biggest problems I had with the documentary was when they put the young children in a virtual world at seaworld and made them believe they were actually there. After being subjected to the virtual world, the children were brought back in a week later for some questioning. They were asked whether they had been to seaworld and the children responded by telling them that they do in fact remember visiting the animals. I believe that this study was morally wrong and studies like this should not be lawful in the future because your messing with a young growing mind.
I believe these sites, games, and studies allow people to be something they are not but wish they could be in the real world. It gives them a chance to meet new people and gain new experiences as well as portray who they actually are on sites like facebook. Furthermore, I believe these sites and games can be both good and bad for the user. It can allow them to go outside the realm of their everyday life but at the same time when does it become dangerously real to the user? I believe it becomes too real when the game or site begins to deprive your actual daily life. Basically, I believe the user has a problem when it is affecting their studies, health, and or job responsibilities.
In the documentary "digital nation" by David Rushkoff and Rachel Dreztin, they look into specific web based programs and observe and study the effects on the individuals while using these programs. They look into programs such as second life, world of warcraft, military gaming, and children being subjected to a virtual world.
I believe that second life is a fun and educational way to meet new people and gain new experiences. I say this because while in second life people may approach others that they would not normally approach in real life. Its a kind of place where people are more willing and comfortable just being themselves and maybe to try new things.
World of Warcraft on the other hand seemed to be less beneficial as users sometimes become addicted to gameplay and eventually it takes over their life. As we saw in digital nation with the young boy rushing through his dinner just to get back to his beloved game. I believe they said that particular boy played up to 10 hours a day and sometimes would stay up all night playing. I had a friend in high school that was very similar to the boy we saw in the documentary. Basically, the game took over his life, literally!
One of the best selling video games out right now is the new call of duty game. This is a highly realistic and addictive game. The U.S army built a center where people of all ages can come and play the game 24 hours a day. Some people are outraged at this because they are comparing a video game to actual warfare in an attempt to recruit these war hungry individuals. I believe that it is not ethical for the army to recruit these people on the basis that they enjoy a game. I believe games should be separate from reality. Especially when it comes to war.
One of the biggest problems I had with the documentary was when they put the young children in a virtual world at seaworld and made them believe they were actually there. After being subjected to the virtual world, the children were brought back in a week later for some questioning. They were asked whether they had been to seaworld and the children responded by telling them that they do in fact remember visiting the animals. I believe that this study was morally wrong and studies like this should not be lawful in the future because your messing with a young growing mind.
I believe these sites, games, and studies allow people to be something they are not but wish they could be in the real world. It gives them a chance to meet new people and gain new experiences as well as portray who they actually are on sites like facebook. Furthermore, I believe these sites and games can be both good and bad for the user. It can allow them to go outside the realm of their everyday life but at the same time when does it become dangerously real to the user? I believe it becomes too real when the game or site begins to deprive your actual daily life. Basically, I believe the user has a problem when it is affecting their studies, health, and or job responsibilities.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Social Media and Web 2.0 Questions
1. When we watch television and modern day commercials I am astonished over the quality and graphics of the video. Instead, some companies are putting out commercials trying to look "homegrown." I believe this homegrown approach fits some but not most situations for modern day advertising and media. For example, I liked when they used it in the movie paranormal activity as it added to the authenticity of the movie. Overall, I believe that there is a place for the "homegrown" approach, but I also believe proffesional production practices will continue to dominate the market.
2. Personally, I find myself using facebook more than any other social media site. It allows me to stay in touch with my friends and family around the world. In addition, when I have a group assignment, I like to set up a message thread to make for easy communication between the group members. It allows all the group members the ability to brainstorm with each other online and delegate responsibilities. I believe Facebook is so much more successful than Myspace because it was originally created for college students o socialize rather than for sharing music and what not. I think Facebook will be here for the long term as long as there are tech savy college students. And lets be honest, todays students are not becoming any less tech savy.
3. Most mistakes made by social media companies are a result of astroturfing and transparency. Astroturfing is used by both politicians and companies to in order to make the online user become a follower of the product or person. In 2009, Facebook changed its privacy policy and reported that it owned all the content on their site including all pictures of the users. In addition, Facebook has been reported and accused of giving out users information to online advertisers. Transparancy is a very important marketing and advertising tool but it must be used honestly and fairly.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
McLuhan Photoshop Final Post
Photoshop Project Update
This is the first time I have ever used photo shop and a Mac computer so i have been struggling quite a bit with both of them. After playing with photo shop for a few hours i seemed to have begun to understand the basics of the software.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Modern Mediums
American sign language is a medium used to convey a message just like any other medium. It allows for the deaf community to communicate a clear and specific message to one another using different hand and body gestures. The rules of the language allow deaf people to communicate as if they were using a written and spoken language.
The iPhone is one of the most modern and efficient mediums out there. It allows someone the ability to make a call, email, text, or even just surf the web at high speeds. Modern communication has the ability to instantly convey the message in a clear output. The iPhone/cell phones allow modern society to communicate at an instance from any part of the world.
Google has changed the way we view the internet and use the internet as a modern society. It has basically put the world and its information at our fingertips. We can instantly search for pictures, articles, journals, and basically anything you can fit into the search bar. This allows modern society to access information instantly that may have taken weeks or months to retrieve before google and the modern internet.
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