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Cynthia Tavlin

The Shallows/What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains - 4 views

www.nytimes.com/...Lehrer-t.html

Internet brain cognition the shallows

shared by Cynthia Tavlin on 07 Jun 11 - Cached
  • Cynthia Tavlin on 07 Jun 11
     
    Has anyone read this book? I started it a few days ago. Noticed that reviews, like the one I linked to, were skeptical. Basically, Carr, who is a journalist, not a scientist, cites studies on brain plasticity and research that the brain changes in response to actions to conclude that the way we read and synthesize information online has changed the way we think (for the worse). I like how the NYT review puts new technology in a historical perspective.
  • ...2 more comments...
  • Mary McNamara on 08 Jun 11
     
    I was browsing through some new books at the library today and stumbled on Brooke Gladstone's "The Influencing Machine." It's an illustrated (graphic novel style) approach to how media has developed and our interactions with it, but she includes some commentary on Carr's ideas when she discusses technology. It's a good book to browse through, and from what I read quickly, she gives some positives and negatives of technology's impact.
  • Melissa Mijares on 08 Jun 11
     
    Mary - a graphic novel, you say? I love graphic novels -- I wonder why she chose that format, though?
  • Mary McNamara on 08 Jun 11
     
    Well, if I had to take a guess, I think she did it since one of her main points is that media isn't an external force outside of our control -- we can shape it, caring about it enough to respond and filter it. With a graphic novel, the images draw you in because they're abstract; the reader plays an active role by seeing themselves in the images and connecting all the images/words together to make it make sense. It engages so many of our senses at once. I love what Scott McCloud has to say about this, and the following talk that he gave actually relates more to how comics have been impacted by technology: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXYckRgsdjI
  • justin_mason on 09 Jun 11
     
    The idea that media has the potential to shape how we reason reminds me of Neil Postman and Marshall McLuhan. As an undergrad, I was basically obsessed with Postman's "Amusing Ourselves to Death" and the idea that some forms of media -Postman was especially thinking about TV- are inherently shallower than other forms and that the predominant medium tends to set the standard of what makes a good argument. Anyway, I wanted to find a YouTube video of Postman but instead found a really good video of Mike Wesch talking about Postman: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09gR6VPVrpw&feature=related
Elisa Varon

Digital Privacy - 2 views

www.msnbc.msn.com/...d-i-care-about-digital-privacy

media culture

shared by Elisa Varon on 06 Jun 11 - No Cached
  • Elisa Varon on 06 Jun 11
     
    I'm interested in the idea of digital privacy (or lack thereof). It seems nobody is particularly worried about their privacy online, and I'd like to learn a little more about this
  • ...5 more comments...
  • michelleamills on 06 Jun 11
     
    After reading your article and thinking about my own opinions on digital privacy, I think that people aren't too concerned with their privacy because the virtual world seems so gigantic. I feel like a very tiny part of this world so I am more apathetic and unconcerned when it comes to my personal privacy than I should be. Sounds horrible, right? We, as a society, also tend to be very open about ourselves - even posting where we are at that second to everyone on our facebook!
  • Suzanne W. on 06 Jun 11
     
    wow...scary stuff!! i think that's a great topic with a lot to explore. a lot of content and some interesting psychological implications...funny how a lot of people ignore the issue since the evidence is pretty terrifying. but good to be aware since it affects us all.
  • Rebecca Martin on 06 Jun 11
     
    Interesting to also consider the ways in which teens view privacy - particularly in comparison to the ways in which their parents view it: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/digitalnation/relationships/identity/famous-for-15-minutes.html?play. Glad I could bring danah boyd into the conversation here!
  • Maggie Murphy on 06 Jun 11
     
    Elisa, I actually just got an email from Ravelry.com (an online knitting community) saying that their account database had been hacked and that I should change my password anywhere where I used the same email address and password to log in. I just went through this a few months ago when the Gawker Media servers were hacked! It's hard to rack my brain to remember every single website where I've signed up using my primary email address and go-to password. There are probably hundreds! God forbid I have accounts with that information that also have my credit card associated with it. It's scary to think about how much of me is spread all over the internet, and I can't even remember where in order to protect myself.
  • Cynthia Tavlin on 07 Jun 11
     
    I think I fall into that category of people who care about privacy but then contradict themselves with their behavior. From the personal to more organizational, this report on cyber hackers was on NPR today. http://www.npr.org/2011/06/06/137000302/latest-hacks-could-set-the-stage-for-cyberwar
  • Maggie Murphy on 07 Jun 11
     
    Um, I can't think of a more bone-chilling phrase than "cyberwar."
  • Mary McNamara on 07 Jun 11
     
    Steig Larsson made hacking look pretty cool. But it's interesting to think about how much is possible in the hacking world that we tend to forget about since our everyday use of technology has been so woven into our routines. Just saw this article and I found interesting to see the many sides of hacking: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/jun/06/hackers-how-and-why-they-hack I always make fun of my dad for being a computer hypochondriac -- he always thinks that someone is hacking into his computer, so he has a million anti-virus and security programs (a combination which I think is actually destroying his computer). But it is a valid concern, though I think you have to just find a balance for your privacy since in extreme cases, your privacy can be a bit restricting.
Rebecca Martin

Mind Control & the Internet - 0 views

www.nybooks.com/...mind-control-and-internet

internet culture human-computer interaction

shared by Rebecca Martin on 11 Jun 11 - No Cached
  • Rebecca Martin on 11 Jun 11
     
    This book review seems a good companion to Justin's post below on artificial intelligence/human-computer interaction. The reviewer ties three different books together under the theme of how humanity seems to be integrating itself with its digital machines - including discussion of brain-computer interaction (whoa.) and Google's search algorithms or "contouring."
  • tomdiscepola on 11 Jun 11
     
    The section on the ideological dissemination of information as it relates to Google is eye-opening (and really worrisome). I think when we talk about Singularity, "fear" will continue to be at the center of our discussions. For some, the biological integration with machines is just too radical to fathom, though the daily use of the Internet is now commonplace. I think we can rightly call certain technologies "external minds" (@ Mary, above) - so it's really not so much the shifting sense of what are bodies are as it is the effect - or danger - of increasingly personalized information certain technologies host that should be cause for concern.
  • Ilyssa Wesche on 15 Jun 11
     
    Later in the article she talks about the same concepts as Jesse Schell, in terms of racking up points for online activity, though she draws the conclusion that your information will be sold to advertisers. Really a fascinating article!
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