Technology and Social Interaction

Technology’s influence on social interaction has been transformed in recent years. In my opinion it all began with e-mail. The electronic mail’s ability to send messages worldwide instantaneously led to the foundation for social media websites that exist today. I will be honest the benefits of technology have brought to society are amazing. However, the social interaction revolution aspect is kind of annoying. When I joined Facebook I was slightly confused regarding proper etiquette. Do you accept invites from people you rarely spoke to in middle school? Is it acceptable to comment on matters that do not concern you? I found it hard to believe that some people had 500 “friends”, and I think this because of different interpretations of the word are recognized. I think technology, in terms of social media websites, has made it acceptable to consider people your friends although face to face interactions with some may be limited to “Hey, how’s it going? O, kool cya.” Or in other occasions people may feel more comfortable talking to a person via Facebook than in real life, since communication is asynchronous online allowing people to pick and choose topics to discuss. I think technology has had a negative impact on face to face interaction, instead it acts as a barrier and promotes online chatting.
The Internet can be a valuable asset for helping meet people online. My main reason for this is because the scope of people the Internet can bring together. People with certain tastes may not be able to find other people with similar likes during daily life. However, since the Internet has no geographical limits it can allow people to find others they may like to socialize with. This opinion may seem contradictory to what I have stated above, but it is different. I think the Internet should be used as a platform to break the ice and promote face to face interaction. I do not think virtual relationships are healthy. As we have seen in class, games like second life can lead to virtual relationships, and this perpetuates the idea of online interactions as opposed to face to face.
I do think the anonymity the Internet provides allows the voicing of opinions that may not be heard in face to face situations. People should be held accountable for the comments they make online. However, the undisputed fact that is in favor of social interaction online is its ability to bridge people across borders. I think this coupled with the convenience factor allows the Internet to be the best way for people to discuss and interact regarding various issues. However, it will be interesting if we can move past communication online through text. The next phase technology may play in social interaction is to allow webcams provide video of our comments. This make the environment more similar to that of a face to face situation. I also think it will decrease the amount of comments that are inappropriate since the user’s face is exposed.

Did you know video games can be helpful?

Former California Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, fought relentlessly to pass legislation that would prohibit the sale of certain video games. I think to much emphasis is placed on the possible negatives of video games rather than the possible positives. Obesity is caused by lack of activity, and legislators use this as they key argument against video games. However, they fail to mention nutrition and the larger role it plays in child obesity. Do you think if kids playing video games were consuming vegetables, sliced fruits, grilled chicken, and organic fruit smoothies that an obesity epidemic would be as prevalent? Believe it or not, but basic science points out that the body metabolizes even in a static body state. Therefore, I think the blame on video games should be decreased and people should focus on its benefits.

Gaining proficiency at using video game controllers at a young age can help a child feel more comfortable with fine motor tasks such as writing. Through the development of hand-eye coordination, cognitive thinking skills and cooperative playing skills, children sharpen their fine motor skills and real-time decision making abilities, which in turn enhances their learning ability. Keyboarding, typing and manipulation of some sort of game controller with multiple function buttons contribute to improving fine motor skills. Sometimes a problem with fine motor skills may surface while playing video games even before a child learns how to write fluently.  In this way video games actually act as an indicator for future problems that a child may have.  

Children also get a sense of independent achievement when they play games that have levels to complete. There is an actual sense of accomplishment and pride when a child completes a level of play in a video game. The desire to reach higher levels becomes a strong motivator. Because the opportunity to improve is based solely on the player's ability. The player's confidence increases along with the level.
Contrary to belief of some video game critics, studies show that video games stress cooperation action rather than autonomous.  When children, or adults, play video games together, the use of cooperation and teamwork  is essential to accomplishing many tasks.  Both of these behaviors are deemed to be prosocial.  When playing a video game with a newcomer, or novice player,  an expert player often shares advice and assists the newcomer, even when they aren't requested to.  This establishes a sense of unity between two players and helps them to better their chances of completing the task assigned to them in the game.
I can personally speak to these benefits discussed above, and have experienced implementing them in reality. Situational awareness is key to not dying in a multiplayer game, and the same can be said for when one is driving. In order to make crisp lane changes, avoid accidents, prevent speeding tickets one needs to be able to monitor multiple things. I consider myself an above average driver because, I constantly check my rear view and side mirrors to check for surrounding cars and police, also monitor my speed, observe the flow of traffic, and look 200 feet ahead to see any obstruction. Video games have helped me in various aspects of life much more than having any possible negative influence.

Social Media Campaigns

As previously mentioned in one of my blog posts, I am not a heavy Facebook user. Last December I remember receiving several emails from Facebook where friends were encouraging me to join a campaign. I thought nothing of the emails until my inbox began to fill with more messages. Friends were encouraging me to change my profile picture to a cartoon to support a cause. I followed instructions, but did so only to prevent my email from further influx of emails or further harassment. I wondered about the possible impact this campaign could really have on society. I went back and took a closer look at the campaign by actually reading the emails, and to see their possible impact.

The Facebook cartoon character campaign encouraged users to update their status to: “Change your FB picture to a cartoon from your childhood. The goal is not to see a human face on FB until Monday (Dec 6th). Join the fight against child abuse and copy and paste to your status!” The popularity of the campaign instantly caught on and within 24 hours Facebook transformed into a social network of childhood cartoons, featuring “Rugrats” or “Tom and Jerry” as your Facebook friends. The Los Angeles Times reported that one out of twenty searches on Google related to cartoon images that weekend.

While the walk down memory lane of childhood cartoons was pleasant, the effectiveness of the campaign was questionable. It was nice to see that thousands of people cared to raise awareness about child abuse, but the campaigned failed to do anything more than just that. The viral phenomenon spread through the internet and stirred awareness on some level. After all, we are still talking about it two months later. The truth of the matter is that this campaign failed in the most part to inspire people to research child abuse and create a change. How many people researched numbers for child abuse? How many Santa Clara students rallied to write a letter to a local anti abuse campaign?

People tend to supports these bandwagon trends because it the easy way to show you care and requires minimal effort. The ideal goal of the campaign was to raise awareness about child abuse, but there is no evidence to support that Facebook users are now more informed about child abuse or more likely to speak against child abuse. Had the campaign asked everyone to change their profile and donate a dollar to support anti abuse organizations, the campaign may have been more effective and raised about $100,000.

Eventually another web trend will become viral and ask for your support. This time rather than just changing your profile picture to Johnny Bravo or updating your status to the suggestive location of your purse, make an effort to become more informed and lend your support to local organizations spreading awareness. ­­­I am guilty for following a trend for the sake of not being hassled, but after searching deeper into the campaign’s purpose, I have come away understanding that campaign can have an impact if organized properly.

Social Networking and Privacy

On any given day, you are guaranteed to encounter multiple students texting on their way to class or bobbing their heads to the beat of an iPod. Our generation is known for instant communication through the touch of a screen and impatience in receiving responses; many would say we have become a technologically dependant generation.

   Both cell phones and computers allow talking with people through instant messages, Facebook, and text messages to be quick and simple. The concept of instant communication also allows for speedy research and homework assistance. Communication has evolved dramatically in the past five years. With access to websites such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and YouTube, word spreads like rapid fire. Social networking unleashes constant access to the lives of millions of people across the world; most people you will likely never meet. Yet you have access to their daily routines by means of tweets and status updates. Clearly, social networking has allowed for broader access to the lives of strangers or mere acquaintances. This is seen as a pro and con. Many people enjoy staying in touch with people whom they cannot see daily and live across the country. It has made long distance relationships easier through the use of “face time” and  Skype.

   On the other hand, social networking has broken down barriers of privacy and has caused various complications. All of your so called “friends” have access to tagged pictures of you and access to your latest adventures. You may not want others see to these pictures, but they are available for viewing unless you specifically change your privacy settings. I have encountered such problems when I prefer to keep friendly hangouts from public view but they manage to end up on Facebook. To avoid such occurrences, I have simply changed my privacy settings to stricter limitations. I prefer to use Facebook to keep in touch rather than exposing my life to all of my friends.

   I personally spend about an hour or less a week on social networking sites that include Facebook and Twitter. I use these sites to remain updated on the on goings of my friends’ lives and Twitter specifically for the latest information on sports teams and news. I access these sites through my laptop and smart phone. I admit that having access to the internet throughout campus has increased my usage of social networking sites. When walking to class, I take that time to catch up on my Facebook news feed and twitter updates. However, I am not constantly checking these sites and can survive days at a time without access. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for many of my friends. I do text daily but only to communicate with family and friends when necessary. It does not serve as my source of entertainment and is something that I prefer to keep limited.

   I believe that our generation should spend less time glued to social networking sites and their cell phones, but they do have their positives. We have better access to scholarly information on the net and receive instantaneous updates on worldly affairs. I know that I enjoy the plethora of information available on the world wide web which allows for easier and streamlined research. At the end of the day, the positives of social networking and internet access outweigh the negatives. 

Media Diet

Monday Feb, 28th
-Wallstreet Journal (30min)
-Internet Surfing (3hrs throughout the day)
-Various NBA blogs
-Various Laker blogs
-Formula 1 news
-Read twitter of NBA reporters and players
-Check scores for NBA and tennis
-TV (3hrs)
-House
-NBA games
-Jeopardy
Tuesday March 1
-Wallstreet Journal (30min)
-Internet Surfing (5hrs throughout the day)
-Various NBA blogs
-Various Laker blogs
-Formula 1 news
-Read twitter of NBA reporters and players
-Check scores for NBA and tennis
-Facebook (10mins)
-Stream NBA games
Wednesday March 2
-Wallstreet Journal (30min)
-Internet Surfing (3hrs throughout the day)
-Various NBA blogs
-Various Laker blogs
-Formula 1 news
-Read twitter of NBA reporters and players
-Check scores for NBA and tennis
-Hulu
-TV (2 hr)
-Basketball games
-Modern family
Thursday March 3
-Wallstreet Journal (30min)
-Internet Surfing (6hrs throughout the day)
-Various NBA blogs
-Various Laker blogs
-Formula 1 news
-Read twitter of NBA reporters and players
-Check scores for NBA and tennis
-Research for term papers
-Watch Top Gear Show
Friday March 4
-Internet Surfing (2hrs throughout the day)
-Various NBA blogs
-Various Laker blogs
-Formula 1 news
-Read twitter of NBA reporters and players
-Check scores for NBA and tennis
-TV (3hrs)
-Various sports
-Seinfeld

Analyzing my media diet one can easily see a pattern emerge. The amount of time I spend reading sports articles, blog posts, and comments daily is amazing. I am a big sports fan, and I love how the internet is able to provide constant updates, analysis, or news to feed my sports appetite. I can recall ten years ago the only way to watch your favorite basketball teams was to wait for nationally televised games. The only way to have an idea whether or not your team won was to wait for highlights on ESPN, or keep refreshing websites that slowly update the score. Today there are around the clock updates provided by news reporters that follow the team to their home games, on the road, practices, and post games via twitter. In terms of TV use I consider it light and for the most part used to watch sporting events.

Two things that are lacking in my media diet compared to other people my age are heavy Facebook use and texting. My lack of use of these two forms of media makes me an outlier in terms of weekly use when compared to a similar demographic. However, most of my friends do not use Facebook excessively either, and think the reason behind this is our passion for sports. I personally do not care for corny status updates, liking comments, or commenting on peoples profiles. I have a facebook mostly to organize with friends a time to get together to play basketball. In terms of texting I use it more than Facebook, but not for ongoing conversations throughout a day. I average 200 text messages a month, which is nothing compared to other students who sometimes average in the thousands.
In terms of making changes to my media diet, I believe a decrease on time spent on the internet can increase my productivity. The basketball season conveniently coincides with the school year and is on break during the summer. I should prioritize the essential media outlets I want to read and try to avoid spending hours on end on the computer. Another important idea I would like to implement is setting certain times I use the computer, and not use it as a tool to prevent boredom. However, it is more difficult with several school assignments requiring the use of a computer. When doing research for essays I can easily spend six hours on the computer. However, during those ours I am constantly side tracked by checking scores and sports twitter updates.
My media diet may not speak to the majority in terms of how my demographic utilizes different forms of media. Although we may not share similar activities done on the computer, we do utilize the computer for long period of time. Several research studies have pointed to the decrease in productivity of college students because of increased distractions. I think the move to e-books, and the ease of using the internet for research will continue to prevalent in today’s society. It will be important to possibly implement techniques that help keep people focused on one task only and not be sidetracked.