The Electronic Frontier

One idea I found to be interesting in this reading is that new technologies are creating new types of individuals and are changing the way that humans interact with each other. The relationship between humans and machines are becoming blurred and it is not very clear as to what could happen in the future. While we could work together with machines and increase the use of virtual reality for entertainment or communications purposes, this could create society to become more and more isolated towards the people closest to us. We would be able to talk to those who live far away, but the people in our very own homes would become strangers to us. For example, when I am home with my five other family members I have increasingly noticed that because of technology we are doing our own things in our own rooms. Instead of spending time with each other watching TV or just talking, we are each in our own rooms each on our own computers talking to others or watching a movie or just spending mindless, pointless hours surfing the internet. Even the dinner table is no longer a place where families can simply just talk. McLuhan was right when he said that "the machine is an extension of the body." We have become permanently attached to our cell phones; answering them at even the most inappropriate times.
Mead said that "Without experiencing the physical body a person cannot develop a sense of self." If we sit at our computers or televisions all the time messing around with cyberspace we are missing out on the experiences going on around us in real life and the things that make us real people. Yeah we could experience new things through some kind of intense virtual reality and "life-like" situations, but it simply could never ever be the same as experiencing something in real life. If technology gets so advanced that we are able to walk through the streets of Paris through VR, it could still not even compare to walking off of a plane, out of the airport and smelling the air of another country. Of course I'm thankful for all of the things that technology allows us to do today and am very excited for whatever the future brings, but I can't help but feel a little worried as to what is going to change.

Cyberspace; "fictional construct (or)... real and present"

When I think of cyberspace I imagine the process of looking through the internet on my computer, trying to figure out what web site I want to surf. Or I would think of virtual reality where you can do anything that you might not be able to do in the real world. The last thing I could possibly think of is the process of electronic storage of numerous computers and networks transmitting information. 

Of all the definitions given in the introduction I agree most with Howard Rheingold's definition of cyberspace, being "the conceptual space where words, human relationships, data, wealth, and power are manifested by people using CMC technology." This theory of "social space" gives me a better understanding of cyberspace being a non-fictional construct but a real and present social medium of interaction and information. 

I am extremely interested in the concept of "cybercounterculture and cyberpunks", where people want to "blur the boundaries between human and machines. " Its like I am reading a science fiction novel where these "cyberpunks want the human nervous system to merge with the computer matrix by making reality and hallucinations collapse into each other in an electronic universe." Could this really be a possibility?  the nervous system merged with a  computer interface? I can only hope that this can be a reality in our lifetimes.

"In this reality, to which every computer is a window...."

Communication, to me, is a form of survival. We, as humans, must be able to exchange thoughts and ideas in order to progress as people. Nowadays, we use cyberspace more frequently to communicate with others outside of our social network, but it was not until the mid-19th century that we could communicate instantaneously with the use of the telegraph. As time passes, we keep evolving; new ideas arise, people change, and our forms of communications are becoming more and more advanced (I only wish I was able to know what our next step would be towards enhancing communication that much further), but for now we have our beloved "cyberspace". I take the internet for granted to be honest. I am so used to being able to connect with one of my peers at the drop of a hat that I did not realize the actual steps that were taken in order to get where we are now! (I believe this excerpt from the reading talks about life from and after the mid-19th century) :

"Telecommunications continued to evolve and grow with the development of the telephone, radio, and television, and innovations such as cable television, satellite communications, and fax machines".

As we evolved as people, so did our meanings of the term "cyberspace". The term evolved due to it's growing popularity starting with the term's originator, William Gibson (1984). His idea of cyberspace was used in a much more science-fiction novel sense while others began to take the term seriously, including Michael Benedikt in 1991. Benedikt described cyberspace like a global network of information. After reading this, I believed his idea's were really ahead of his time. Yes, I read that his concept remains unrealized and unreal, but that isn't my point. The point is that without communication, these two people would have never even heard of each other, nor would have come up with such a concept, or any concept for that matter.

Okay, Okay! I know you guys are probably getting sick of reading the facts, but this is what I really enjoyed about the reading. I love learning about the past and how we got to where we are today. These two people (Gibson and Benedikt) were really the first to give cyberspace any meaning, and that is what I found to be the most interesting part.

In conclusion, if we don't know or understand our past then we will never be able to predict what the future may hold.

My Daily Activities

Ever since the existance of Facebook I must admit I've had difficulty going a day without checking my messages on it. Everyday, at some point,I usually go on Facebook to contact my friends and check messages and invitations I may have received to events. Facebook comes especially handy when something happens that you'd like to let your friends know about but don't have the time to let them know individually ( for instance, losing my phone). Last week, within minutes of losing my phone and getting a new one I sent a note to all of my friends on Facebook to call or text me with their numbers and I have retrieved most of the phone number.Other than Facebook, I use Myspace. Myspace generally is looked upon a site where people are more 'exposed' than Facebook. However, I think otherwise. Maybe because when I first signed up for Facebook it was accessible to only college students,it made me feel like that's safer. But I think Facebook contains way too many fields for information.
After a week into this class I've realized how interesting Twitter is. It's a great site to network on similar topics of interest without the need of containing a section for updating 100's of pictures. I will be using Twitter a lot more now!

McLuhan Remix

This is a post I just put up on my own blog, thought it would be a good addition to The Social Moose as well.

So, I recently heard from Jamie O'Neil, an assistant professor of digital media arts at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York. Canisius is a Jesuit school, like my own Fordham University--in traditional parlance, we are sister schools. And Jamie is a media ecologist who was prompted to contact me by my friend, sister media ecologist, and fellow Media Ecology Association board member Ellen Rose from the University of New Brunswick. That's in Canada, you know...

So, Jamie is also a performance artist, and he has an alias, Kurt Weibers, or I guess you could call it a stage name, pseudonym, or what have you. Here's the deal, in his own words:

Jamie O'Neil is a video/performance artist, writer and teacher. In 2002, he created the virtual identity of Kurt Weibers for usage online, in videos and live performance seminars. Kurt Weibers is the spokesman for Global Point Strategies, which developed Navel Software for organizational change, as well as numerous motivational presentations on topics ranging from creativity, listening, time management and synchronicity, to quantitative research methods for understanding culture. Kurt Weibers works as a reporter, business consultant in Norway and a DJ / VJ (on the side) the latter role being the reason for his involvement in the McLuhan Remix project.

This write-up is taken from his McLuhan Remix website, which is worth a look. It includes some explanation of the remix or mash-up phenomenon, and its relationship to Marshall McLuhan, as well as a short video essay entitled, naturally enough, McLuhan Remix, which is made up of three YouTube videos. You can play them continuously on his McLuhan Remix page, but I will also embed them here for your convenience, dear reader:

McLuhan Remix: Prologue 1/3



McLuhan Remix: The Medium is the Mix 2/3



McLuhan Remix: Epilogue 3/3





There's other interesting material on kurtweibers's Channel on YouTube, which you can explore if you care to.

The bottom line, for me, is not so much that McLuhan was prescient, but simply that he was identifying the characteristics of electricity, electrical technology, and the electronic media environment, much as Lewis Mumford had done before him. Most of what is being hailed as new and unprecedented about contemporary digital technology is, in fact, characteristic of electric technology in general, and was recognized by media ecologists like Mumford and McLuhan over the course of the 20th century. That is why McLuhan is more relevant than ever today, as we continue to electrify just about everything we can. You might say that what we are doing is in one sense expanding the electronic media environment, but in another filling it in or filling it out, or to put it another way, coloring in between the power lines. Remixed drinks, anyone?

Digital Ethnography

In class we viewed some of the YouTube videos created and uploaded by my friend Mike Wesch. You can take a look at his YouTube channel Digital Ethnography by clicking on the title, and subscribe. But let's also embed some of his outstanding videos here at The Social Moose.

We can start with the final version of his award-winning The Machine is Us/ing Us:



And his outstanding follow-up, Information R/evolution:




And how could we not include A Vision of Students Today?



And here's an extended lecture that is well worth an hour of your time, An anthropological introduction to YouTube:

websites

I've recently discovered three new websites involving social networking. Here are my thoughts on them:

Meebo.com

Pros: This site basically acts as an outlet for you to connect online to your instant messaging accounts. The sight is a host to AOL Instant Messaging (AIM), Yahoo, MSN, and Google Talk. I've found that it is a great way to keep in touch with people instantly when you are on a computer that does not have the instant messaging program you use.

Cons: The only downfall is that some of the screen names are saved differently than at-home IM programs. For example, at home I put in everyone's first and last name on display, and now I don't know their SN. It is a problem on meebo because it usually only displays the person's sn.

Overall: Great!

Woome.com

Pros: This site is mostly for meeting people instead of reconnecting with people you already know. You can friend, or "favorite" a person, and then instantly chat with them via webcam.

Cons: The webcam sessions expire at 2 minutes. Clearly not enough time to get to know anyone. Also, I found it is more of an online dating site than anything else.

Overall: Mehh...

Linkedin.com

Pros: This networking site allows people to look for a job, look to fill a company's position, or to simply interact with former colleagues and classmates. On this site, you can post your resume, past experiences, skills, training, etc. Also, someone can write a recommendation for you to give you an extra boost in the job market.

Cons: Not enough people know about it yet! While I am still finding people to join my network, I am discovering that most of the people I know (professionals or students) haven't heard about linkedin.

Overall: Great!

Following and Followers

About a week ago, most of us signed up for twitter. Even though, I have not been using it much yet, by viewing other people's tweets, I've noticed a few trends. While everyone uses it to let other's know what they are up to, businesses use twitter to inform others of what is going on, but also to create awareness about their respective business. Currently, I am following NYTimes, Starbucks, CNN, and CBS. In terms of news updates, every source I am following is quick to tweet anything news worthy, but I've noticed NYTimes' updates are a bit more frequent. Additionally, it is interesting to see how professionals use twitter to create awareness about their company, what events they are attending, and how to get others involved with their company. If companies master using twitter (and any other form of social media) to their advantage - it can probably be very beneficial. But it also brings up the question - whether or not businesses should follow those who follow them? Could it be better for business? It would be interesting to find out...

My daily habits

I have been using the internet since the mid 90's with the start of aol.com, to this day I still have an aol screen name but it is rarely used because I like the fordham.edu interface better. Prior to college that is all I used, following the news feed religiously. During high school I was really into underground metal so of course I was always on undergroundmetal.com searching all my favorite bands and looking for something new to pop up. Once my senior year came around I slowly got out of the metal phase (i still listen occasionally) and started to love underground hip-hop, I never would want to get off the comp because of always having something new at my fingertips. After high school I stopped using the internet frequently due to playing water polo for Fordham every second of everyday. For three years I was out of the loop, never up to date on current events or music. Finally I stopped playing and began to use the internet again for informational purposes. Recently I have become an internet freak again constantly needing to read some sort of newsfeed or listen to new music. I cant help myself from browsing the internet for hours with out any concept of time. Going from my fordham account to youtube and never stopping from there. Anyone have any  sites they can suggest to make me stay on the internet for that much longer?

My ski dream!!!

SKi Video check out this video...i'm an intermediate skier pushing myself doing some expert trails... this video shows what i'd like to do one day, except the fall at the end...i'd rather land it successfully. also, another thing i want to do is to jump from a helicopter onto the top of a mountain and ski all the way down...its funny, i just got into skiing last year, and i picked it up really quickly...i'm actually buying my own skis next week...just something i wanted to share with everyone...enjoy...

The Window to the World

My daily dose of the internet is served with a spoonful of news with a side french fried potatoes. I most frequently check out a website called Drudge Report. Drudge Report is a website that is full of the news of the world. The website does not do any actual reporting, but instead it provides links to the stories of hundreds of different news outlets. This allows drudge report to connect users with what seems to be the most unbiased news stories all the time. The website is free from faction because it does not have any agenda, nor does it have sponsors that need to be kept happy by stories' content. Additionally, there is no organizational slant on all the stories. There is no one sending memo's around Drudge Report to only link up conservative or liberal stories. Drudge Report has become my best friend recently. Ever since mid semester last year when I obtained an internet ready cell phone, I have checked Drudge Report nearly four to five times daily.

global community

      In the introduction to the book, several questions were posed in regards to the current debates involving cyberspace. One was, "Is cyberspace creating a global community?" To this, I would answer yes. Whether through the Internet, texting, or some other form of communication through technology, we can instantaneously connect with people from all over the world . The Internet, or more specifically social networks, allow us to connect with people we know or meet friends from all over the world. 

      Personally, Facebook has helped me reconnect with people from my past. In 5th grade my best friend moved away to Georgia. I had her mailing address so we attempted to keep in touch. However, after a few months, we slowly lost touch. After 10 years of not seeing or talking to one another, I got a Facebook message from her. She told me she was moving back to St Louis and that we should meet up. It turned out she moved into a house only three blocks from me. Since that summer we have become close again. If it were not for Facebook, we probably would never have seen each other again. 

My Daily Media

I don't really follow a routine with the internet, but I am always on it. Whether it's sending .mp3's over gmail to A&R's and managers, or browsing Youtube, I am always in touch with the world wide web. I do check Facebook and Myspace almost everyday, but I am slowly stopping because I have found Twitter! Twitter is a much more simpler site, but allows me to update my status, which is what I really appreciate. I'd rather only see what my friends and some of my favorite musicians are doing at the moment than being friends with them on Facebook or Myspace (Much less junk is thrown your way on Twitter). I also enjoy looking at ESPN and a few other sites that amuse me. I'm still open to find other websites that I may enjoy, and I hope over the course of the class I will. See you guys tomorrow...

Random Interactive Media film

Well I went to the bookstore for the 6 time this semester, 5 more times then I have ever been in any single semester, and still no book for our class. It makes me a little sad to say I cant be blogging about are class readings but im guessing we will all be another week behind. So instead of blogging about that, I browsed youtube.com for some related movies on Interactive Media and of course I only found non-sense, one of the films I found was on Hans Rosling at a Scandinavian Interactive Media Event . For some reason I can not embed this video, so if you search Hans Rosling im sure it will come up.

Marketing Books in the Digital Age

This YouTube video provides a great deal of insight into the book publishing industry as it functions in the digital media environment:




Or not.

Happy Pills!!!

Over the winter break I was in Barcelona with a few other fordham students on the Spain Trip. the trip was amazing, the sights, the parties, everything... there was one interesting place that we came across in the commercial district of the city. The place was called Happy Pills. It was a small store with the name "Happy Pills" on it and the Red Cross symbol underneath. so many ideas went running through my mind about what the store could be selling...turns out it was a candy store with candies packed like prescriptions with labels to cure wacky "diseases" like sitting at home during football sunday...and many others....it was a funny store...just thought I'd share with everyone..

A Missing Link

Fordham University's Web Site


http://www.fordham.edu/


oh alma mater Fordham...

daily media

    Everyday I tend to check the same couple of websites: Facebook, CNN.com, Yahoo.com, etc. I most commonly use Google as my search engine, because it is my homepage. I also check my Fordham and .Mac email. Some blogs I look at every so often include celeb gossip sites like Perez Hilton, What Would Tyler Durden Do?, and I'm Not Obsessed. Other technology I find usedfule on a daily basis include my iPod (which has AIM, Facebook, and Internet through WiFi) and my cellphone, which I use for texting (it's a very basic cellphone). 

   When I have more time on my hands I usually glance at YouTube and find some entertaining videos. Here are a few that I enjoy:

Stealth Cat

Nintendo 64

Charlie Goes to Candy Mountain

Media Usage

The internet is an endless source of information and resources. My daily usage of the internet consists of checking email, at least several times a day, checking facebook, and mostly doing some type of research. Three out of my five closest friends currently live outside of New York, one of them is just several hours away by car, while the other is overseas. Checking email frequently allows us to have conversations and communicate with each other on a regular basis. Even though it may be difficult for us to talk on the phone because of time differences, and schedule conflicts - emailing each other regularly makes us feel that in one way or another everyone is quite close. Also, I help come up with different projects for local youth groups, so many a times I spend my time doing research --> looking at other organizations and figuring out how they do what they do, looking for team building activities, and other useful information for youth group leaders. Throughout the day I tend to check the New York Times website regularly to get my daily dose of news. Additionally, I use the internet to instant message friends, check bank statements, and buy books.

How I use the internet

It's sad to say... but I use the internet more for Facebook than anything else. Dom's right... it is an awful addiction. Otherwise, I typically use Firefox or Safari to check my school e-mail and my G-Mail account. I don't usually use iChat because I'm not much for talking online, but if I am on, I'm usually invisible! On a day to day basis I also check the gossip blogs Dlisted and Perez Hilton... they're so funny, I seriously can't get enough. Somehow by reading about the lives of celebrities it makes me feel a little bit more normal. I also still use MySpace a lot even though it seems to be the least popular social network of people our age. I mainly use it for music! So many bands have Myspace profiles putting up their own blogs of updates, tourdates, new songs, and music videos. One of my favorite bands, Valencia only put certain things on their MySpace so I feel the need to check up on them basically once a week. I also can't help but check any new updates for the band festival Bamboozle. I go almost every year and it's a big deal for me. Another website I go to often is Threadless, a website where people can post their own designs they created for T-shirts. If you have an account you can rate the t-shirts and help choose which one will actually be printed for people to buy. You can even make money off of the t-shirt if they're re-printed more than once! It's pretty cool and a great place to find completely unique t-shirts which nobody else will have.
Yet another weakness I have when it comes to the internet is watching TV shows. I am a HUGE tv buff. I have so many favorite shows that it's so hard to keep up with them all. I usually miss the new episodes when the air on tv and end up watching them online. This is probably what takes up most of my time when I use the internet. I watch a lot of The Office, Lost, and That 70s Show. The fact that ABC has EVERY episode of Lost online has definitely effected my studying habits... oops.