SISummer11

http://branchout.com/ is the new Facebook app that initiates networking for potential jobs...

I came across this article in First Monday where Erika Pearson compares Goffman's metaphor of performance to Granovetter's strong and weak ties and creates a context in which she discusses the relevance of online identity - The idea that online performance is relative to investment in a given network giving individuals the freedom to explore the function of mediated identities in building nuanced relationships.

An app that uses your info and location to show you that strangers around you could share interests and could be possible friends. Really? Come on, now. We need this? It's like a funny little trust-detector. I can see how it could be cool, but I just don't know about this one. Our whole idea of and interaction with 'strangers' these days is pretty interesting -- something I've been looking into as a result of this course, which led me to this article!

It sounds like Sonar is going to help us come up with "appropriate" opening lines. I think this is interesting because there seems to be a perceived fear that increased online interaction has a negative impact on our ability to interact in a face-to-face social setting. Sonar seems to be an example of technology that becomes marketable as it will assist and support human to human interaction. Kind of creepy in definite "big brother" fashion, but something that might be attractive to people who feel they (or their child/family member) have lost their ability to socialize in person. Although having an app do it for you...is that really helping?

This is a newsletter about the virtual education movement as it confronts state politics, as chronicled in the "Liberating Learning Wiki Project." According to one report, NJ has been approved for two virtual H.S. in the next two years.

Found this wiki - the point of it is to "build a 'best of the web' reading / watching list for school leadership regarding using social media for school advancement. Rather than talk about how great social media is we're using social media to build this reading list." It's got a TON of information in a useful format. Check it out.

Perhaps a manifestation of lessons from JSB? In his keynote speech from Unit 3 he ends noting that organizations should use crowdsourcing, not as a PR opportunity, but one that enables legitimate democratic engagement.

Is technology promoting free speech or helping dissidents in controlled countries? "We see more and more people around the globe using the Internet, mobile phones and other technologies to make their voices heard as they protest against injustice and seek to realize their aspirations," Mrs. Clinton said. "There is a historic opportunity to effect positive change, change America supports," she said. "So we're focused on helping them do that, on helping them talk to each other, to their communities, to their governments and to the world."

Just came across these fairly recent article on Danna boyd. (yes, that's lower case 'b.') She's been involved with some pretty interesting online studies that focus on teen and young adults. Some of her research has included topics such as, "Online White Flight," "Digital Self-Harm," and Privacy Techniques." I found it particularly interesting that on the topic of Digital Self-Harm, she discovered that vicious anonymous questions on a teen's profile weren't examples of cyberbullying but were posted by the teen herself!

Thanks for bringing her into the conversation, Mary Beth! danah boyd is definitely one of my favorite researchers. I read large portions of her dissertation as part of HIB my first semester in the program here at Rutgers, and a lot of what she's said has stuck with me since. You can read it here: http://www.danah.org/papers/TakenOutOfContext.pdf. I also recently attended a webinar from the Berkman Center, where she's a fellow, in which she summarizes nicely a lot of her work under the broader theme of "Embracing the Culture of Connectivity." You can watch it here: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/2011/05/academicSM.

This article raises an interesting parallel to our discussion this week on communities and gaming. It considers the idea that young people are experts at how to use computers, games and programs, but not how to make, develop and craft those games and programs: "It's the difference between reading and writing. We're teaching them how to read, we're not teaching them how to write. The narrowness of how we teach children about computers risks creating a generation of digital illiterates." Potentially raises a new line of questioning into the issue of educating millennials and being born into the digital age.

A friend of mine fowarded me this article. What is interesting is what Dr. Bidwell says about the impact of digitization and ereaders. The impact of digitization: That's a vexing question and has all sorts of implications for our profession. Digitizing early books is a major achievement. Some people wonder whether we're digitizing ourselves out of a job. I don't think so. It is marvelous to have digital versions of an early book on the Web, but there's nothing like the multiple examination of early books to see how it was produced and received. What about e-readers? You're talking to a curator of printed books. I have nothing against readers. I like to read the printed book.

The mayor of Chicago has implemented a plan in partnership with Comcast to bring cheaper high-speed internet to low-income families and students. They have also created Smart Communities centers to educate people about computer use.

I've been researching the "global digital divide" for my group project and one of the things that factors into a global digital divide is governments that control the flow of information and prevent access and use of technology. This is article provides a quick summary of government censorship tactics regarding social media and blogging under repressive regimes.

One aspect of the digital divide that we didn't delve into much in this week's discussion is that of net neutrality - tiers, based on increased cost, that enable access to to "premium" content and faster broadband speeds. This articles provides some great links to other sources on the issue of the digital divide, net neutrality and what some see as a right to the Internet.

In this interview, Charlie speaks with a Google exec and the Tanzanian business woman whom she is mentoring. They discuss how their conversations led to unexpected opportunity for both womens' businesses. I thought it was interesting how simple conversation between two groups of people that would normally not speak to one another could lead to big tech opportunities for folks in a developing country.

Last summer, a news report appeared on local tv in Huntsville Alabama that was so over the top, someone thought to put it up on YouTube.  Someone thought they could autotune it and turn it into a song.  a few weeks later, Antoine Dodson had the #3 song on the iTunes R&B chart.  There are dozens of covers of the song, which the Gregory Brothers (the autotuners) encourage at the end of the video.  How has social media changed what we think about fame? Antoine, like Rebecca Black, ended up doing national TV appearances, and eventually made enough money from selling his song to buy his family a house.  

Quarterly Home Page | Quarterly Issues | © 1998 by Washington University CALLER INTELLIDATA: PRIVACY IN THE DEVELOPING TELECOMMUNICATIONS INDUSTRY Cite as 76 Wash. U. L.Q. 351 George Orwell's 1984 discusses the implications that technology and information gathering can have on privacy.[1] It describes a world where Big Brother monitors the everyday conduct of its citizens through technologically advanced equipment.[2] In 1984, Big Brother is the government.

 Rebecca Black's song Friday is popular for all the wrong reasons.  Filmed for the sole purpose of having someone see it and having her earn actual fame for her talent (a la Bieber), it was shared via social media so much for how bad it was that it blew up.  Her internet famo turned into television appearances and actual fame.  But is this an actual trend? I'm going to post another link in a second...

I actually thought this was just the next iteration of Rickrolling. I guess people actually like the song?

Interesting thing about Rebecca Black. Her Mom actually put up the money ($2,000 or so) for her to record the song and video to dissuade her daughter from seeking a career in the music industry. Funny how things work sometimes.

Research on the Information Society, the Digital Divide and Information and Communication Technologies for development

Moustafa Ayad (MS '09) will present (via Skype) "Addressing the Digital Divide through Technology for Development." Ayad is an independent subcontractor specializing in social media and networking training for journalists. He works on a variety of projects funded by the U.S. government that aim to enhance Internet freedom and technology development in the Middle East and North Africa.