Thursday, January 26, 2012

Is Google Getting The Scoop on You?

After reading the article Google Article in the Atlantic I have decided that Google is crossing the line on user privacy, by enacting a method of specific advertising to the user, Facebook does a similar thing by advertising through the like button but this is breaking the boundaries of privacy on a whole new level. Google will use things such as web searches, web history, and related links through social networking to map a digital you, finding your likes and dislikes which then they use to advertise to you. For the company this is a splendid idea since as the article states, “advertising that makes up 96 percent of its revenues. Still this is a harsh reality to most loving Google users.

Since learning about this, I would surf the internet less, through Google products. Advertising isn’t what I’m fond of so having a list of advertisements on my screen isn’t what I consider great, but besides that there isn’t much more I would change from my every day web life. It would be another thing which is only needed to be worried about if you were using it wrongly. All in all Google will be interrupting our privacy, but its just another thing we all have to deal with consciously or not.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Digital Ethics Advocacy

Question: What role, as a student, do you have in shaping and influencing--through your actions and advocacy--a more ethical digital society?
 
  As a senior in high school, I am pushed into the gulf of unethical behavior.  There is no way of passing it; however, being in such a place I have the best chance of doing some good.  I do this by first living my own ethics code and never making excuses to change it.
    By doing this I am able to show others that I’m not just all talk, but that I take digital ethics seriously and that I don’t put up with unethical digital behavior. From my example, they can see the benefits and hopefully choose to make better decisions with their digital behavior in the future.
   With my example of ethical digital behavior, I influence others so that they, in turn, will be a better example.  This creates a chain of good behavior which can reach many.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Frontline Digital Nation response

PBS argued in the movie Frontline Digital Nation that the social aspects of life are becoming more corrupted as technology advances. More specifically PBS argues that,  the more prominent digital media is,  the larger social gap is created in its wake. An IBN employee states in a interview with  PBS that, “all our meetings are over second life now…I have never meet any of these people on my team before, only through second life.” PBS is suggesting that even though the use of virtual technology such a second life makes it so meetings can be held without being in an office, it is still lacking that human experience and is instead inserting only the speech part of communication into work. In conclusion PBS ‘ belief is that even though technology can change the way of life, you will have to also give up some important factors of life; such as being able to talk face to face and being able to do things with your coworkers outside of the office. Things which many take for granted, but technological advances may end up disturbing.
 I believe that PBS is right, because many people nowadays consider texting or even online chatting a way of meeting new people. More specifically many young teens are often hooked to their phones or computers while chatting away with people who they don’t know. Social networking links you with your not only your friends, but also with the friends of your friends in an attempt at closing that social gap. In reality however the chances of the user actually ever getting to know that person in real life is slim. Even online video games such as World of War Craft allow you to chat and even voice chat with other players of the game. Technology is creating a larger social gap, by creating a false sense of security in the fact that you may have three hundred Facebook friends when you truly only have a few. I conclude that even though technology can help break social barriers such as distance, it can also create a false sense of well being and make you loose the human element than many of us need.