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Bill Wolff

The Benefits of Facebook "Friends:" Social Capital and College Students' Use of Online ... - 0 views

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    This study examines the relationship between use of Facebook, a popular online social network site, and the formation and maintenance of social capital. In addition to assessing bonding and bridging social capital, we explore a dimension of social capital that assesses one's ability to stay connected with members of a previously inhabited community, which we call maintained social capital. Regression analyses conducted on results from a survey of undergraduate students (N = 286) suggest a strong association between use of Facebook and the three types of social capital, with the strongest relationship being to bridging social capital. In addition, Facebook usage was found to interact with measures of psychological well-being, suggesting that it might provide greater benefits for users experiencing low self-esteem and low life satisfaction.
Elizabeth Somer

How Mark Zuckerberg Turned Facebook Into the Web's Hottest Platform - 0 views

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    this page discusses the emergence of facbook
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    This page discusses the emergence of facebook. What is amazing is how facebook has redefined social networking.
Kelly Burns

Wired 14.12: YouTube vs. Boob Tube - 0 views

  • $1.65 billion in stock to be the cute little kitty-cat's home.
    • dracmere
       
      Thats a lot of money to earn just for a home made video. I wonder if this means that TV shows that feature funny home made videos are a thing of the past.
    • Bill Wolff
       
      Garfield here is being a bit coy--he means that Google paid YouTube $1.5 billion; the kitten owner didn't get anything but lots of aaaawwwwws.
  • It features a courageous but overmatched freshman named Brian Collins presenting the worst sports-highlight rundown in human history, culminating in the worst sportscaster catchphrase ever conceived: "Boom goes the dynamite."
    • sunflower123
       
      I completley agree..it was actually hard for me to watch because I felt embrassed for him! The only time that he actually did sound sure of himself was when he used his very creative phrase of "Boom goes the dynamite".
  • Until about five minutes ago, remember, almost all video-entertainment content was produced and distributed by Hollywood. Period. That time is over. There was a time when advertisers could count on mass audiences for what Hollywood thought we should be watching on TV. That time is all but over.
  • ...74 more annotations...
  • The price tag for YouTube, just to put the investment in perspective, is what Target paid for 257 Mervyns department stores and four distribution centers in 13 states
    • Bill Wolff
       
      I guess valueing Facebook at $15 billion is a bit too much, too, then? That's what Microsoft valued Facebook at when it bought a less than 2% share....
    • kristen peraset
       
      I can see why Youtube is worth what it is - the flow of information is so consistent and phenomenal...I guess no matter what, it's going to be worth a lot
  • Jarvis calls the phenomenon "exploding TV," and YouTube is exploding faster than anything else:
  • And there they are, in the bedrooms and dorms and cubicles of the world, uploading their asses off, more than 65,000 times a day on YouTube alone.
  • be somebody
    • kimmerzx0 C
       
      Youtube is also like the fascination people have with blogs, it is a way to get your ideas, opinions, views, and anything else that you, yourself, produce out into the world. Youtube lets you publish for the world to see!
  • But don't sell Google short. Not long ago, all it had was a search algorithm and a cool logo. Now, after reinventing online advertising, it has revenue of $9.3 billion a year and good reason to believe that neither of those daunting prerequisites is out of the question.
    • sunflower123
       
      That is unbelievable that google is making that much money a year. What did people do before Google was invented, I guess I can not even imaigine a life with out Google anymore. No body even thinks to use a paperback dictionary or go to the libarey to find information, not when you have such an easy resource like Google ready at all times.
    • casano85
       
      I could never sell Google short. Google is my go to website for EVERYTHING. I use google to search at least twice a day. I use Gmail as my second source of e-mail. I use Google calendar to keep myself organized. I now use Googleblog for one of my classes. I even use the scholarly journal search engine. It's convenient and i always find what I'm looking for.
  • Type in "sweet tired cat" and watch a drowsy kitten dozing off. The clip, which was viewed nearly 2 million times in two weeks, is 27 seconds of such concentrated cuteness that you might actually have a stroke and die. It's that excruciatingly adorable. And, as it turns out, extremely valuable. Google – as you may have read in every publication, online and off, in the entire freaking world – just paid #3 $1.65 billion in stock to be the cute little kitty-cat's home.
    • willis02
       
      This is rediculous. I do not know why everyone is making such a big deal about a cat falling alseep. Yeah the cat is cute but still to be watched 2 million times in just two weeks....what are people doing on their time off!?!
    • kimmerzx0 C
       
      I find it interesting to see what some people spend their money on. $1.62 billion could be used for so many more productive things and could help so many people in need, yet they spend it on a video of a cat?
    • needle10
       
      I thought this video was adorable and I'm not even a fan of cats. It's nice to watch something that wasn't rehearsed and is just naturally entertaining. This video is what I call short and sweet.
  • #6 And there they are, in the bedrooms and dorms and cubicles of the world, uploading their asses off, more than 65,000 times a day on YouTube alone. "If you aren't posting, you don't exist," says Rishad Tobaccowala
    • willis02
       
      I dont see why someone can say if you are not blogging you do not exist. People have other things to do. Some people enjoy technology and blogging and posting and others dont. Just because someone doesnt like to blog doesnt mean they are not living. Maybe they are more private or scared to post informtion.
  • from a standing start about a year ago to more than 100 million videostreams a day. It was on YouTube, not Saturday Night Live, that the world fell in love with "Lazy Sunday." It was there that we found ourselves smitten, intrigued, and ultimately betrayed by Lonelygirl15. And it is there that more than 65,000 videos go every day, their creators posting what they think are video clips but that are also improvised explosive devices laying waste to the old order.
    • willis02
       
      I think that facts are amazing about how many people are watching these videos. 65,000 videos is crazy I dont see how people can keep up with adding videos or even just watching them on their spare time.
  • evolution of dance,"
    • vanamb16
       
      it is funny because as all of these are ;isted, i remember watching them...youtube has become so integrated into my daily life...
    • kaeanne
       
      This comedian preformed this dance at the class of 2011 freshman orientation! He was hilarious and told us to check out his website AND search him on youtube.
    • needle10
       
      I think this video is brilliant because it's original, entertaining, and shows real talent. Videos like this one is worth sharing but you have to sort through hundreds and hundreds of pointless ones to come across one worth your time.
  • "Noah takes a photo of himself everyday for six years." A time-lapse documentary of Noah Kalina over 2,356 days, it's a little thin on plot, but it nonetheless racked up more than 3 million views in six weeks.
    • patunya
       
      I think this is a very interesting video, When watching this clip it looks like the room is spinnig back and forth. I have also noticed that he doesn't wear very bright colors and he never smiles.
    • hawtho16
       
      This is odd. I don't understand the point of do this. I cannot believe that it was viewed by that many people in six weeks. Why would someone find this cool, I find it weird.
    • kimmerzx0 C
       
      I think this is interesting to see but the question remains in my head: where do people find the time to do this?
    • tangoa24
       
      I agree that this is horrifying and cruel, but I'm not sure about the hilarious part. I literally cringed for most of the video and had to turn it off after a minute or two. The look on that poor guy's face! It's amazing to see what kind of videos are posted, and I can't even imagine what it must be like to be the person millions of people have laughed at mercilessly.
  • It is horrifying. It is cruel. It is hilarious.
    • tangoa24
       
      I agree that this is horrifying and cruel, but I'm not sure about the hilarious part. I literally cringed while watching it, and had to turn it off after a minute or two. The look on that poor guy's face! It's amazing to see the kinds of videos people post. I can't even imagine being the person that millions of people watch and laugh at mercilessly.
  • to step in front of the whole world
    • hawtho16
       
      This is why people step on the train of you tube. They want to make something out of them self by stepping out into the world and I mean the whole wide world. Maybe they think something bigger and better will come out of the video or posting.
  • "Numa Numa,"
    • casano85
       
      I only watch videos that are pointed out to me on YouTube, but I never just go searching for videos. This one was hysterical. I have to admit I laughed aloud when I saw it. But then when I think about it, why does someone take the time to make these videos and post them? Yes it's funny, but you definitely have way too much time on your hands to make silly videos like these.
    • kimmerzx0 C
       
      I know this video was featured on VH1 as one of the most famous youtube phenomenons.
  • A recent Accenture study of 1,600 Americans found that 38 percent of respondents wanted to create or share content online.
  • "If you aren't posting, you don't exist," says Rishad Tobaccowala , CEO of Denuo, a new media consultancy. "People say, 'I post, therefore I am.'"
    • jrae3388
       
      I completely disagree. I have not posted a thing on youtube or virtually anywhere except for this classroom module but I still exist, and the world isn't going to end just because I don't post.
    • zimmer67
       
      I found these statements very though provoking. It was previously thought that to exist you needed to make your presence known to mainly those people around you but now with the changing technology has it become necessary to make yourself known to millions of other people you may never directly talk to or meet?
  • But don't sell Google short
  • "Noah takes a photo of himself everyday for six years."
  • #1 It features a courageous but overmatched freshman named Brian Collins presenting the worst sports-highlight rundown in human history, culminating in the worst sportscaster catchphrase ever conceived: "Boom goes the dynamite." #2 It is horrifying. It is cruel. It is hilarious.
    • maureen
       
      That is truly ashame. The more he read or attempted to read, the redder his ears became. I like to laugh at people just as much as the next person and, quite honestly, sometimes even more. I can appreciate being irreverent, but this was just too painful to watch. I hope his parents don't ever get to watch this or view the mean spirited comments.
    • kimmerzx0 C
       
      I am pretty horrified that they let him suffer like that, especially after you realize he isn't doing too well after the first minute.
    • needle10
       
      I personally did not find this to be hilarious at all. I felt so bad for the guy but it's admirable that he continued with it (knowing that he messed up and wasn't doing well). In situations like these, I put myself in the other person's shoes, which I think everyone should do, and then I bet they wouldn't be laughing.
  • Judson Laipply's seamless sampling of footwork to 30 songs, from Elvis to 'NSync, pretty much is.
    • maureen
       
      Funny, entertaining and I can understand why it has gotten 35 million views. I thought is was especially funny when he paid homage to the Brady Bunch!
    • kimmerzx0 C
       
      This video definitely brought me back to the days of my middle school dances. However, what is even more hilarious is how many of these dances I still saw recently at my cousins sweet sixteen.
    • zimmer67
       
      It's funny that they referenced this particular video. I actually met Judson Laipply, we booked him for freshman orientation this past summer. His act was awesome and really captivated the audience. I also remember hims specifically addressing the fact that you could find this video on youtube and directing the freshman to the site.
    • kaeanne
       
      I just made a comment about how I saw him at freshman orientation! Then I read this comment, we said the same thing!
  • 19 Until about five minutes ago, remember, almost all video-entertainment content was produced and distributed by Hollywood. Period. That time is over. There was a time when advertisers could count on mass audiences for what Hollywood thought we should be watching on TV. That time is all but over
    • maureen
       
      It's about time that Hollywood and the media elite realize that they do not have the monopoly on video-entertainment. You-Tube provides a great outlet for amateur singers, comedians, writers, and interactive storytellers. It's all part of the technological evolution, which is a force that appears to be unstoppable.
  • Noah takes a photo of himself everyday for six years."
    • maureen
       
      Interesting. I think he aged well in six years! The same eye contact, same facial expression, and the gloom and doom music were weird. I don't there there was enough contrast in the environment to appreciate the subtle changes.
    • needle10
       
      I really saw no point for this video. I've seen videos similar to this one that show women during their gestation period with the same concept, a picture is taken once a day everyday. That at least would be a cute keepsake for the parents and child but this video has no purpose, I kept watching it, hoping it would get to a point but it never did.
    • kristen peraset
       
      Isn't this what most of YouTube is? People, particularly young adults flooding sites like Youtube with obnoxious videos of themselves singing and dancing - sometimes both? I should know...I'm on there.
  • "boom goes the dynam it > >e."
    • jrae3388
       
      I couldn't help but laugh histerically at this video because I know how it feels to be put in the spotlight and freeze all of a sudden. I was in my first pageant my senior year of high school and when I went up for the question, I didn't understand it, so I just kind of stood there, stared at the person who asked me, couldn't make my mouth move and just walked away. Looking back it was hysterical, but at the time I was mortified. This poor guy, he's doing good, he just needs to boost his confidence! He's so stressed!
  • When you put together a million humans, a million camcorders, and a million computers, what you get is YouTube.
    • haines64
       
      I absolutely love this line! It reminds me of the original idea for YouTube and its use. Despite it now being commonly used in educational settings, let's face it - many still use YouTube simply for fun, for sharing, and for expression.
    • mccrar25
       
      This sentence really sums up what has led to the success of YouTube. It has revolutionize the way that people think and act. We are a "YouTube" society. We love posting our own videos and watching videos that others post. We use it for entertainment purposes and educational purposes. YouTube has become a major part of many people's lives all over the world.
  • So why is it worth nearly six times the gross domestic product of Micronesia?
    • mccrar25
       
      It is astounding to actually sit down and think about how much of a "You Tube" country we've become. I, like many others around the world, have probably spent hours in my lifetime searching and exploring videos on You Tube. It is becoming almost a second nature where we have grown to "just go to You Tube" or "just have to see this video." It is really changing our lives.
  • Google has recently bet the equivalent of 257 Mervyns stores that the rise of video-sharing is more than just the latest rage.
    • haines64
       
      In thinking about how much video-sharing has become mainstream, one could compare it to blogging. Just a short while ago, blogging was this 'new' thing for teenagers and young adults, that eventually became a common practice (just look at how many people have a Myspace even, let alone sites dedicated just to blog posting). I think now video-sharing is taking this same path, with more and more people finding it commonplace.
  • "The simple, wonderful, delirious fact is that people like you and me can now make and share content."
    • Jen Fitzgerald
       
      In 2006, Time magazine named YOU as their person of the year. This was in reference to the online boom of sharing, whether through social networks, blogs, or videos. The article talked about the new generation of computer users and their reasons for wanting to share their personal moments so freely. I am still wary of putting everything out there, but I do have pictures on MySpace.
    • Jen Fitzgerald
       
      I think I typed over someone else's comment. I am jgirl0910, not Kimmerz
    • needle10
       
      Youtube.com is enabling everyone to gain their 15 minutes of fame. You don't have to be on television anymore, you just need a camera and internet access and you could become a celebrity.
  • the hitherto futile aspirations of the everyman to break out of his lonely anonymous life of quiet desperation, #11 to step in front of the whole world and #12 be somebody , dude.
    • mccrar25
       
      I agree with this statement. We are living in a world where we are quite self-centered. You Tube, MySpace, and Facebook provide great examples. We love to post pictures of ourselves for others to see and share with others "how great the party was last weekend". Really, if you think about it, the Internet does provide many with a moment in the spotlight. Even large companies are aware of this by using You Tube videos for advertising purposes. They are much cheaper than paying actors or people to come up with commercial ideas and scripts. Instead, they can underpay people on You Tube to make a much greater profit, without the people even realizing it. They're just happy that their video is on TV.
    • vanamb16
       
      same idea with blogging....we want people to read our ideas and see us as humans....we get affirmation from their posts about us
    • daydreamr97
       
      This relates to the readings we did for Tuesday, too, specifically "We Are the Web." I'm curious what the sample population was. Considering how many people have blogs, YouTube accounts, webpages, and accounts on other subject-specific websites, I would think 38% was rather low. I wonder if they surveyed peope in general, or people using the Web.
  • including, but not limited to, a reallocation of the $67 billion that advertisers spent on TV in the US last year.
    • zimmer67
       
      This made me think of the recent switch of political advertisements and commercials shown on tv to now being formatted and constructed to be soley used for youtube and geared towards the youtube audience. Recently, Obama created a video that has received millions of views on youtube and in my opinion it is one of the most influential and most well made political advertisements I've ever seen
  • It is horrifying. It is cruel. It is hilarious.
    • butler09
       
      Plus, it's excruciating! I felt so bad for him that I just wanted to turn the thing off! It has to be so embarrassing! But instead of eventually forgetting about it--or hoping you can forget about it--YouTube makes it public! It makes embarrassing moments that much more horrifying, and I can't understand how people can get such pleasure out of someone else's pain. It's kind of like a visual gossip center on the web, and though some postings are completely innocent (like the sleeping kitty), others are just plain cruel.
    • richar19
       
      This seems like it would be something that would be very stupid to do I would like to know who some of the people are that viewed this to ask them why!
    • alieraisu1
       
      I think youtube IS worth a lot of money. Why? Cheap entertainment.... it's ridiculous but it is true
  • the hitherto futile aspirations of the everyman to break out of his lonely anonymous life of quiet desperation, to step in front of the whole world and be somebody >, dude.
    • alieraisu1
       
      I think this is why Youtube is very alluring to kids and teens. The idea of fame really gets to them. I've seen it personally, and I worry that it is dangerous for them... But the allure of fame is one we can't fight easily against
    • alieraisu1
       
      I just hope this isn't inappropriate...
  • "People say, 'I post, therefore I am.'"
    • alieraisu1
       
      THAT is just scary. What ever happened to "I THINK therefore I am"?!!! Why is it we need to exist to random people that don't exist in our consciousness in order to BE SOMEBODY? It's silly and stupid.
    • Jen Fitzgerald
       
      Maybe I am behind the times, but exactly how does a free website become profitable? Is it just advertising, or is there another way to make money?
  • YouTube's fixed assets pretty much consist of a video
    • Jen Fitzgerald
       
      I need help understanding how YouTube makes its profits. I know advertising, but is there another source of income?
    • Asia Thompson
       
      This is funny because I just added this to my other blog. I love this guy's moves! He almost does the Fresh Prince of Bel Air dances better than Will and Carlton.
  • It's just a little outtake from a Ball State University campus TV newscast
    • Asia Thompson
       
      I feel so bad for this poor guy. It goes from bad to worse. I know what its like to get tongue-tied but the trick is to stay calm. The moment he felt embarrassed he just messed up more and more. Poor guy.
    • haines64
       
      I'm not sure I would go as far as to claim this. Yes, video-sharing and such is and will continue to have a major impact; however, I think watching TV has become too much of a social force with the general American population to say that it is on the brink of ending. New innovations, such as YouTube, may become popular quickly but this does not mean socially-ingrained innovations, such as the 'blue light' of TV, will disappear quickly.
    • haines64
       
      I am not sure I would go as far as to claim this.
    • jc ice
       
      This is so funny. And he really got all the dance moves right! I was actually surprised that he could dance that well.
    • jc ice
       
      Ithought this would have been more interesting if the background would have told a story, kind of like a personality stuck in time in his surroudings. Especially since his expression never changed, it might have added a little more for me than just watching his hair change.
  • Search around some more. Type in " evolution of dance," which has got nearly 35 million views in six months. You wouldn't think "Ohio motivational speaker's grand finale" would equal "mesmerizing," but Judson Laipply's seamless sampling of footwork to 30 songs, from Elvis to 'NSync, pretty much is.
  • "sweet tired cat"
    • Danielle Rabello
       
      So adorable... even comical (I was dying laughing) But also proves how far youtube has come to where we can post the most ridiculous videos online.
    • Danielle Rabello
       
      Just as any writer submits work to be published, Youtube can be seen as the 21 century's publishing through video. It is about making yourseld known and sharing your creativity with others. However, not all videos deserve to be credited as creative and meaningful.
  • "People say, 'I post, therefore I am.'"
    • Danielle Rabello
       
      This sort of evokes the idea of the machine and the person and how they are one in some ways. The idea that we teach the machine. I also find the idea that you must post to exist in the world. Do we really need to post all our ideas on the internet in order to have an identity?
  • "Boom goes the dynamite." It is horrifying. It is cruel. It is hilarious.
    • Kelly Burns
       
      Wow. This was hard to watch! I feel bad for him...but it looks like he did not prepare at all and actually should not continue on in the sportscasting world.
  • "mesmerizing
    • anonymous
       
      I wouldn't call this "mesmerizing", but it was creative. It reminded me of a scene in the movie Napoleon Dynamite.
    • anonymous
       
      I wouldn't say this video is "mesmerizing", but it is entertaining. I reminds me of a scene in the movie Napoleon Dynamite.
  • It's that excruciatingly adorable.
    • anonymous
       
      This was adorable. Everyone should watch "The Mean Kitty Song" video because it is really funny. Anyone who has ever had a kitten will appreciate this video.
    • anonymous
       
      This was adorable. Anyone that has ever had a kitten should also watch the YouTube video called "The Mean Kitty Song".
  • weirdly fetching Romanian pop song.
    • anonymous
       
      I found this song to be "fetching" also. I have seen other youtube videos with this song playing.
    • anonymous
       
      I thought this Romanian pop song is "weirdly fetching" and I have seen many videos with people lipsyncing to it.
  • When you put together a million humans, a million camcorders, and a million computers, what you get is YouTube.
    • anonymous
       
      True! I like YouTube...I find it very entertaining.
    • anonymous
       
      I think YouTube is a great entertainment site. It is interesting to see what people can come up with.
  • therefore I am
    • anonymous
       
      "Therefore you are" in the "computer world"...this does not mean that you do not exist in the "real world".
    • anonymous
       
      This relates to the digital world, but this does not mean that one does not exist outside of that world. This is where I think people are getting confused with what reality really is.
  • Or try the accurately titled "Noah takes a photo of himself everyday for six years." A time-lapse documentary of Noah Kalina over 2,356 days, it's a little thin on plot, but it nonetheless racked up more than 3 million views in six weeks.
    • Joan Vance
       
      This was probably the worst video I've ever seen. I can not believe 3 million people actually watched it. How boring. I tried to think of how it would be if I were to take a photo everyday and I think I would actually try to look good for each one and maybe switch up hairstyles and makeup.
  • You'd better also see "Numa Numa," which stars a chubby young man in his New Jersey bedroom lip-syncing to an insipid but weirdly fetching Romanian pop song
    • Joan Vance
       
      HAHA...That video was actually funny. I actually saw this one before. I don't watch many you tube videos so I was surprised to see one in this article that I have seen before. I have always wondered do people get paid if their video gets viewed a certain amount of times?
  • "If you aren't posting, you don't exist," says Rishad Tobaccowala, CEO of Denuo, a new media consultancy. "People say, 'I post, therefore I am.'"
    • Joan Vance
       
      I didn't even know what a blog was until last semester when I had to do them for Intro to Advertising... according to Mr. Rishad Tobaccowala I didnt exist. Maybe I still dont exist in his eyes because I have never posted anything on Youtube, I barely watch the videos. I can not believe how serious people are these days about the internet. IDK maybe I am missing something....but reality is not inside the computer.
  • Type in "evolution of dance," which has got nearly 35 million views in six months.
    • anita sipala
       
      I can see way it received nearly 35 million views. It is hysterical. I can remember dancing to these songs and making a fool out of myself. It was great fun.
    • anita sipala
       
      I can understand why it received nearly 35 million views. I think it is hysterically funny. I can remember dancing to these same songs and making a complete fool of myself. I loved it.
    • anita sipala
       
      I can understand why "evolution of dance" has gotten nearly 35 million views in six months. It is hysterically funny. I remember dancing to these same songs. I acted like an idiot and loved every minute of it.
  • aspirations of the everyman to break out of his lonely anonymous life of quiet desperation, to step in front of the whole world and be somebody
    • anita sipala
       
      Everyone longs for their moment in the limelight, their two minutes of fame. It reminds me of the people who try out for "American Idol." They do it for a chance to be on TV. They don't care if they sound horrible. They are like the guy in the "Muma Muma video.
    • anita sipala
       
      Everyone is looking for their two minutes of fame. It reminds me of the people who try out for "American Idol," they have no talent. They just want to be noticed, like the guy on the "Muma Muma" video.
    • anita sipala
       
      Everyone is looking for their 2 minutes of fame. It reminds me of the people who try out for the TV show, "American Idol,"they have no talent. They just want to view themselves on TV. The guy on the "Muma Muma video probably did it for his small minutes of fame.
  • OK, guess. But that guesswork begins in a very special, very poignant, and potentially very lucrative place: the hitherto futile aspirations of the everyman to break out of his lonely anonymous life of quiet desperation, to step in front of the whole world
    • Lauren Mecum
       
      This part about anonymous life made me think about Sherry Turke's article, "Who am We?" and the idea that people use anonymity as a disguise. People can be something they are not and take on a whole new identity, whether in a blog or a game.
  • "evolution of dance,"
    • Lauren Mecum
       
      I think videos like this are good for the internet. They are a form of entertainment and can amuse you. I don't think that it is misleading in anway.
    • Lauren Mecum
       
      I think videos liek this are good for the internet because they are used as entertainment. I don't think that they are misleading in anyway.
  • YouTube's fixed assets pretty much consist of a video interface and a cool retro logo. So why is it worth nearly six times the gross domestic product of Micronesia?
    • Lauren Mecum
       
      I personally don't have a problem with youtube making money. I think it is a great source of entertainment and it doesn't mislead viewers as much as other sites. It is all up to the poster. If you post a video on youtube it is your credability. Its like anyone discovering a new invention, I say good for them. It was a good idea and many people enjoy using the site.
  • You'd better also see "Numa Numa," which stars a chubby young man in his New Jersey bedroom lip-syncing to an insipid but weirdly fetching Romanian pop song. Or, what the hell, live dangerously. Type in "sweet tired cat" and watch a drowsy kitten dozing off. The clip, which was viewed nearly 2 million times in two weeks, is 27 seconds of such concentrated cuteness that you might actually have a stroke and die. It's that excruciatingly adorable.
    • Lauren Mecum
       
      It is interesting to see how our entertainment spectrum has changed. Technology has evolved and now allows us to watch videos and tap into the lives of others. Sometimes i sit back and think how my grandmother and dad felt when the telvision first came out. What were they thinking when they could view all sorts of stories. Are their feelings anything different that what we feeling after we watch our youtube videos.
  • t was there that we found ourselves smitten, intrigued, and ultimately betrayed by Lonelygirl15. And it is there that more than 65,000 videos go every day, their creators posting what they think are video clips but that are also improvised explosive devices laying waste to the old order.
    • Melissa Foster
       
      When I watched this, I couldn't help but think of the scene in "Napoleon Dynamite." Still, I thought it was pretty interesting how he really did show a kind of chronological "evolution of dance."
    • Melissa Foster
       
      The whole idea of "being somebody" on YouTube brought to mind those six girls and two boys in Florida who attacked another girl on video. When I first read that news story, I was appalled by their behavior and curious as to whether the concept of Internet fame had desensitized them to their deplorable actions.
    • james caposele
       
      I have been watching Sportscenter since I was born. This is by the far the worse commentating job I've ever seen. He was only a freshman but come on! They left him out to dry, it should have been stopped after the "dynamite" comment.
    • james caposele
       
      My cousin showed me this awhile ago. It is really funny but I have to give respect to the guy...he can dance. Elvis and MC Hammer would be proud.
  • When you put together a million humans, a million camcorders, and a million computers, what you get is YouTube
    • james caposele
       
      Youtube is the best website ever created. If my friends and I are bored Youtube is always there with ridiculously funny clips to keep our amusement for hours.
  • Type in "sweet tired cat" and watch a drowsy kitten dozing off. The clip, which was viewed nearly 2 million times in two weeks, is 27 seconds of such concentrated cuteness that you might actually have a stroke and die. It's that excruciatingly adorable.
    • Jennifer Dougherty
       
      I get that this is cute. I will grant that. But what is the point? I don't understand why so many people watch this video. At least the Numa Numa guy is entertaining.
    • Jennifer Dougherty
       
      Ok, this guy is really creepy. Who thinks to take a picture of themself everday for 6 years. Who has that much free time and dedication. More importantly, who thinks this is interesting? I think it is a great idea for a child to chronicle growth, but this is weird.
  • But that guesswork begins in a very special, very poignant, and potentially very lucrative place: the hitherto futile aspirations of the everyman to break out of his lonely anonymous life of quiet desperation, to step in front of the whole world and
    • Jennifer Dougherty
       
      Just like blogs have made writers publishers, YouTube has made the average person a film maker. Think about, everyone looks for their 15 minutes of fame. YouTube grants them access to the entire world. I'd say that gives them more than 15 minutes.
  • A recent Accenture study of 1,600 Americans found that 38 percent of respondents wanted to create or share content online.
    • Jennifer Dougherty
       
      There are plenty of people, myself included, who have this creative side. This need or desire to "make" something meaningful. For me, it is to write. Most of us don't think we have an outlet for our creativity because, afterall, we are not gifted writers, film makers, and thespians. YouTube gives us an outlet to express ourselves. I believe that is why YouTube and, for that matter, blogs, have taken on a life of their own. It is a catalyst for creativity for the every day person.
  •  
    Ithink the point is that there is still a light coming out of the window. So is YouTube the remediation of TV?
  •  
    entertaining videos, dancing, life on video
Ashley Taylor

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jrae3388

How Mark Zuckerberg Turned Facebook Into the Web's Hottest Platform - 0 views

  • Now venture capitalists like Bay Partners are scrambling to fund almost anyone who has an idea for a Facebook application.
    • jrae3388
       
      I can't believe that those annoying applications that I am constantly ignoring have people begging Facebook users to create so that they can pay them for it. That's outrageous! I wish I was a bit creative to where I can create an application that everyone will want to be apart of. Only one can dream
Gail Ramsey

Wired 14.12: YouTube vs. Boob Tube - 0 views

  • As for Sacerdoti's so-called postroll ads, even the most self-satisfied marketer wants to know who in the world would stick around to watch – or, more to the point, who can prove that anyone did.
    • dracmere
       
      This brings up a good point. I do not know of many people that would stick around for a commercial after the video. I usually am ready to click on the next video after the one I am watching is done.
  • Wait until their commercials make it onto YouTube and hope they go viral.
    • dracmere
       
      This option seems to work. I have seen many Superbowl ads make it onto Youtube, which probably allows more people to see them then the Superbowl did.
    • goulds28 gould
       
      Because many people watch the Superbowl only to see the commericals uploading them onto youtube would increase even more the use of the internet instead of television cable.
    • kimmerzx0 C
       
      If the commerical is effective enough to capture its audience, then it should no doubt appear on youtube so that people can see it again and again.
    • anonymous
       
      I think this is a good option.
    • coffma46
       
      When I am watching a video...I don't care for the advertisement even if it relates to the video I am looking at. I usually just want to watch what I have to and then close it out.
  • ...33 more annotations...
  • As for Sacerdoti's so-called postroll ads, even the most self-satisfied marketer > wants to know who in the world would stick around to watch – or, more to the > point, who can prove that anyone did. >
  • "They've got the audience,
    • sunflower123
       
      An the audience today is mostly a younger crowd that is geared more towards technology and watching veidos on computers, what a difference in only five years.
  • YouTube actually encourages this – so long as the free posts are accompanied by paid versions.
    • sunflower123
       
      I like the idea that U-tube is welcoming to let others use their site to post commericals
  • A lot of those upload monkeys have a nasty habit of posting clips from TV shows or enhancing their clips by adding music tracks – which, of course, are somebody else's property.
    • willis02
       
      I just finished reading the article assigned next week about plaigerism. It is true that many individuals think that just because it is on the internet and free access does not mean it is free to use. There are a lot of consequences that come along with stealing other peoples work.
    • vanamb16
       
      wouldn't the artists be getting more publicity if people put their music/videos online? it's free exposure....
    • coffma46
       
      Even though these things (music and photos) arent of the person's creation it is something the person admires and they just want to promote it on his/her page.
  • YouTube refused to sell ads appended to either end of a video
    • willis02
       
      I think a lot people come on youtube to watch highlights of their favorite show and not be distrubed by commercials. Everywhere we go we seem to see ads and this is the one place you wouldnt get any annoying breaks or pop ups. I think it would be stupid to start.
    • kaeanne
       
      I agree, I think that youtube participation would downfall greatly if commercials were added to the videos.
  • #2 "They've got the audience
    • Elizabeth Somer
       
      Though younger crowds are generally geared towards new media, I think older crowds are catching on and are becoming crazed by it as well.
    • kimmerzx0 C
       
      As it said in our article about Facebook, the average age of the fastest growing users is over 35 years old.
    • vanamb16
       
      they have such a broad audience...my dad is hooked and it seems as though everyday my mom is showing me a funny video that her sister sent her...my brother watches tv shows and my cousin posts videos. it is universal
  • So what about "Evolution of Dance," for instance? To put together this medley, did Laipply license 30 songs?
    • Elizabeth Somer
       
      The guy that created "Evolution of Dance" came to Rowan and spoke to us about this. He did have to receive copy right license I believe. The law is the law. The internet is not a "free for all"
    • needle10
       
      What if someone else videotapped his performance and posted it on youtube, could he get in trouble for that if he didn't get permission to use those songs?
  • "I think its the beginning of the end of youtube as we know it," wrote a poster named SamHill24. Another, Link420, declared simply, "ITS OVER!!!! youtube is screwed."
    • zimmer67
       
      This was interesting because as we have seen in the history of new technologies there are always many who are just not comfortable with change. As the past has shown, opposition does not always indicate whether something will succeed
    • anonymous
       
      Even if YouTube is "screwed" there will be a replacement instantly.
  • In short, what if there were a missing link between the old model and the glittering new one? What would happen then?
    • butler09
       
      I want to ask if this is even possible, but then again, look at where we are. Technology is never-ending, and there's no doubt that there will someday be a breakthrough. The question is only when.
  • AS SOMEBODY ONCE SAID, 100 million people can't be wrong. They can, however, be useless. It turns out that success is 1 percent inspiration, 99 percent monetization.
    • butler09
       
      Media reflects the desires and whims of the audience. YouTube already has this, but when there's a sharing attitude prevalent that doesn't restrict the everyday, ordinary Joe Shmoe from posting, it's hard to come up with profitable ideas. No one wants to see commercials; that's why internet clips are so popular! People post what they want to see how they want to see it--and they don't stick in a 30-second add for cookies with it!
    • Jessica Bloom
       
      This statement kind of made me laugh. It is totally true. I guess if so many people are using Youtube, it obviously can not be wrong. Also, I think how they are called useless is funny. As long as people are enjoying the videos, then who cares if they are useless? In their own minds they are successfull and that's all that matters!
  • #11 A lot of those upload monkeys have a nasty habit of posting clips from TV shows or enhancing their clips by adding music tracks – which, of course, are somebody else's property.
    • butler09
       
      This is a major problem. There is a code of ethics that needs to be followed, but a lot of people don't care about that. Maybe some don't realize what they're doing, but still, it's illegal. We inherently accept that lying is wrong, that stealing is wrong, that plagerism is wrong. What's the difference between that and breaking copyright laws? Is that some sort of "golden opportunity" that people can ignore? No! But maybe they just figure they won't get caught. Few others appear to.
    • haines64
       
      I'm suprised YouTube users (and people in general) aren't against this. For that matter, maybe I should phrase it as more people not publically being against this. It seems very sneaky to me to encourage this behavior, especially considering the ethical implications.
  • YouTube refused to sell ads appended to either end of a video
    • richar19
       
      I would think it would be smart of them to sell ads. A lot of people view things on youtube every day and they could make a lot of money
  • As for Sacerdoti's so-called postroll ads, even the most self-satisfied marketer wants to know who in the world would stick around to watch
    • daydreamr97
       
      It's true, most people probably won't watch ads after the vdeo. I can't speak for anyone else, but I usually wont even watch the credits. Maybe if video makers did what filmmakers do now, have a bonus scene after the credits. You would see a video, the credits, a short ad, and final a bonus scene. A lot of people still wouldn't watch, but it's a possibility.
  • Which may suit the users just fine. One of the biggest obstacles to advertising success is the damage that success could inflict on the YouTube experience, till now an oasis of relative noncommercialism in a world of brand inundation
    • daydreamr97
       
      It's a good point. A lot of YouTube videos make use of copyrighted material, and although they credit the original creators, users seem paranoid about what the companies will do to them. By opening the site up to advertisers, it becomes even more likely that the big companies will start censoring what users can post.
  • But speculation abounds that copyright holders have just been waiting for someone with deep pockets, such as Google, to acquire YouTube, whereupon the lawsuits will fly.
    • daydreamr97
       
      This is exactly the fear of users. They use songs and video clips, and even though they aren't making money for their videos and most of the users do credit the original artists, they know that big companies can come along and tear their work down. Which isn't fair, when you think about it. All art is influenced by other art. In previous generations, it was okay for kids who became artists to begin by tracing and kids who became writers to begin copying other writers' styles, and kids who became directors to use action figures and a script drawn from other scripts. It's how people grow and discover who they are and what they want to say.
  • one killed aborning by copyright infringement issues
  • Photobucket,
  • "we are at the very, very beginning of online video."
    • haines64
       
      Yet Zuckerberg was at the beginning of the social networking when he started Facebook and now look at what has come from it. If anything, it is likely that YouTube had a more direct startup (its target audience was not initially as limited as Zuckerberg's). Despite being at the beginning of online video, YouTube is becoming a social norm.
  • fatally intrusive
    • haines64
       
      One of the things I find most annoying with TV shows online is the pseudo-commercials they include while loading and throughout the programs. If YouTube started using pre-video commercials, I personally would probably use the site less.
    • Gail Ramsey
       
      If they have to run an ad, I think it should be done at the end or at least have the option to skip it. I think having it at the beginning sometimes hurts things in the end because people are impatient and they may just skip to another video or site else that does not have the ad first.
    • mccrar25
       
      This is rather true. Sure, Google is a billion dollar company now, but what will happen five years from now? We live in a world where everything is constanly changing. Technologies are being upgraded and replaced. New companies are putting old ones out of business in a matter of months. No one can predicat anything in the digital revolution.
    • mccrar25
       
      This is rather true. Sure, Google is a billion dollar company now, but what will happen five years from now? We live in a world where everything is constanly changing. Technologies are being upgraded and replaced. New companies are putting old ones out of business in a matter of months. No one can predicat anything in the digital revolution.
  • But even 100 million daily streams and $1.65 billion into the evolution of this species, how it will actually thrive is a mystery. "If anybody tries to answer that question
    • mccrar25
       
      This is rather true. Sure, Google is a billion dollar company now, but what will happen five years from now? We live in a world where everything is constanly changing. Technologies are being upgraded and replaced. New companies are putting old ones out of business in a matter of months. No one can predicat anything in the digital revolution.
  • It, too, was a peer-to-peer revolutionary – one killed aborning by copyright infringement issues .
    • mccrar25
       
      I have never thought about this before. This YouTube revolution is very similar to the Napster craze. People who use YouTube post television shows, music videos, songs, and commercials for anyone to access. This really isn't much different from the concept of Napster's music sharing. In fact, YouTube can probably bring up more infringement issues, because it crosses over a wider range of genres.
  • . It, too, was a peer-to-peer revolutionary – one killed aborning by copyright infringement issues .
    • mccrar25
       
      have never thought about this before. This YouTube revolution is very similar to the Napster craze. People who use YouTube post television shows, music videos, songs, and commercials for anyone to access. This really isn't much different from the concept of Napster's music sharing. In fact, YouTube can probably bring up more infringement issues, because it crosses over a wider range of genres.
    • mccrar25
       
      have never thought about this before. This YouTube revolution is very similar to the Napster craze. People who use YouTube post television shows, music videos, songs, and commercials for anyone to access. This really isn't much different from the concept of Napster's music sharing. In fact, YouTube can probably bring up more infringement issues, because it crosses over a wider range of genres.
    • mccrar25
       
      have never thought about this before. This YouTube revolution is very similar to the Napster craze. People who use YouTube post television shows, music videos, songs, and commercials for anyone to access. This really isn't much different from the concept of Napster's music sharing. In fact, YouTube can probably bring up more infringement issues, because it crosses over a wider range of genres.
  • It, too, was a peer-to-peer revolutionary – one killed aborning by copyright infringement issues .
    • mccrar25
       
      I have never thought about this before. This YouTube revolution is very similar to the Napster craze. People who use YouTube post television shows, music videos, songs, and commercials for anyone to access. This really isn't much different from the concept of Napster's music sharing. In fact, YouTube can probably bring up more infringement issues, because it crosses over a wider range of genres.
  • It, too, was a peer-to-peer revolutionary – one killed aborning by copyright infringement issues .
    • mccrar25
       
      I have never thought about this before. This YouTube revolution is very similar to the Napster craze. People who use YouTube post television shows, music videos, songs, and commercials for anyone to access. This really isn't much different from the concept of Napster's music sharing. In fact, YouTube can probably bring up more infringement issues, because it crosses over a wider range of genres.
  • It, too, was a peer-to-peer revolutionary – one killed aborning by copyright infringement issues .
    • mccrar25
       
      I have never thought about this before. This YouTube revolution is very similar to the Napster craze. People who use YouTube post television shows, music videos, songs, and commercials for anyone to access. This really isn't much different from the concept of Napster's music sharing. In fact, YouTube can probably bring up more infringement issues, because it crosses over a wider range of genres.
  • The second big issue is the nightmare of protecting intellectual property. As eager as Madison Avenue is to push stacks of chips online, in the back of its mind is Napster. It, too, was a peer-to-peer revolutionary – one killed aborning by copyright infringement issues . Nobody wants to invest only to see the fledgling industry paralyzed with litigation, regulation, or legislation. And it is not an idle fear.
    • anonymous
       
      I think that protecting intellectuall property is important, very imporatnt.I feel in a way that youtube is like limewire because you get to go on there and look up msuic for free; in the porcess, msuicians and artist alike aren't paid and the rights to their music are completely dimissed.
  • Actually, that's an easy one: Procter & Gamble would be ecstatic
    • anita sipala
       
      Procter&Gamble is probably the biggest distributor of products, from household products to prescription drugs. This fact makes it a highly advertised company. I guess this would make them very ecstatic.
    • Bianca Pieloch
       
      Putting a commercial in the beginning of the video may discourage the viewer from watching it. Is there some way the commercial can come in the middle? Or is that technically impossible? Maybe force the viewer to watch it?
    • Melissa Foster
       
      The idea of intellectual property and copyrighting is something that we discussed in our other two modules, so I found it intriguing that it continues to be such a sticky area. Also, the concept behind lawsuits being driven by the amount of money the company running the site has shows how it may all just be about wealth.
Gail Ramsey

Wired 14.12: The Secret World of Lonelygirl - 0 views

  • Don't sell merchandise and don't use any copyrighted music without a license. If people buy Lonelygirl15 stuff thinking she is real, they could claim false advertising and sue.
    • sunflower123
       
      I guess that was smart that he thought that much into, but it still doesnt sit right with me. When I watched the viedos I couldn't help but think how fake it all was.
    • zimmer67
       
      I don't feel creating a fan base based on lies is the best way for a young film maker to start his career.
    • alieraisu1
       
      Really quick here: isn't it false advertising? They made a series of FAKE videos about a girl. It's all scripted... but no one says that out loud... isn't that false advertising?
  • It was a sly move: Post a video that comments on an already-popular vlogger and piggyback on the existing audience.
    • sunflower123
       
      Deffinitley a smart tactic, I commend him on his genious ways, he most be a intelligent person, writing skits and planning this all.
  • But he did persuade her to meet again the next day. It was at a crowded coffee shop – she figured she'd be safe. Beckett showed up alone and explained the plan this way: The project was a sketchbook for a film. If it was a success online, they could go to the studios and use the material as a screen test for both her and the story. That seemed to soften her. This was just a stepping stone to a feature film. She decided to give it a try.
    • sunflower123
       
      At least that shows that lonelygirl has respect for herself. I don't no anything about these veidos except for what is on here, so I didn't no if she did anything inappopriate and that statement shows she isn't a so called "veido whore".
  • ...37 more annotations...
  • Her character is also deliberately crafted to target the Web's most active demographics. Nerds geek out on the idea that this beautiful girl lists physicist Richard Feynman and poet e. e. cummings as heroes. Horny guys respond to the tame but tantalizing glimpses of her cleavage. Teenage girls sympathize with her boy troubles and her sometimes-stormy relationship with her strict parents. Early on, viewers started emailing to offer advice and sympathy. Others wanted to talk dirty and discuss mathematical equations.
    • sunflower123
       
      Yes it is nice that all different types of people can relate to her...but they were not relating to a real person, so that could of really upset them when they found out it was fake. That could cause someone to do something out of hand.
    • goulds28 gould
       
      The point is that people were relating to the story. It was what held their interest. Whether or not she is fictional is unimportant. The fact that people were interested in this is what made it so substational to the future of "tv on the internet"
    • vanamb16
       
      i noticed that they did this....they have every boy's dream...a beautiful nerdy girl who isn't afraid to be herself....not sure how much girls would like her though...
    • kaeanne
       
      She's extremely cute. I watched the three videos on the side of the first page, and I can see why people would think she's adorable. However, the things she does and says seems a little immature for me, maybe that's the point but I don't see why people would tune into her like they apparently do. I just don't know...
  • As Bree, she struck up friendships with people in Sweden, Scotland, Ireland, Portugal, Australia, Mexico, and all over the US.
    • goulds28 gould
       
      Thats the difference with having this series on the internet, it is worldwide not only reaching select television networks.
    • hughes27
       
      These characteristics are doing exactly what is intended to do. Just from the small three video's that i have watched so far, im interested to watch more.
  • Now Beckett and Flinders had made her sign a nondisclosure agreement and, clearly pleased with themselves, told her that they wanted her to play the lead in what they billed as the future of entertainment.
    • Jennifer Dougherty
       
      The people on Survivor and the Bachelor and any other show that ends prior to the last air date must sign agreements of nondisclousure so that the ending is not revealed. How is this any different. This actually makes me think about the movie The Truman Show with Jim Carrey.
  • The title of the video was "My Parents Suck …," and she explained that her religion prevented her from doing things that other kids did. Still, she felt that her parents had gone too far when they said she couldn't go on a hike with Daniel. It was the first time Bree was emotional on camera.
    • Melissa Foster
       
      This change really brought drama to the plot, but I can see how the mystery drew people in. I remember thinking the Law & Order episode that was based on this story was intriguing since it implied a future for this type of entertainment.
  • In fact, Beckett and Flinders hadn't even found an actress to play the part.
    • coffma46
       
      SO, Lonelygirl15 wasn't sure if this was a scam or not? Did she even look into it first?
  • It was exactly what her acting coaches at Universal Studios' film program had warned her against: unkempt producer-types hawking shady deals.
  • THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT JESSICA ROSE that the webcam loves. Her distractingly large eyebrows and small round face are bent and stretched by the fish-eye lens into a morsel of beauty that fits perfectly in a pop-up window. That's not to say she isn't pretty off camera – she is – but every step she takes closer to the cam multiplies and enhances her looks. It's a face made for the browser screen.
    • Aaron D
       
      I can see that. =D
    • coffma46
       
      So Jessica Rose had to be pretty to be on camera...that is not right. If the person has something to say...let them no matter what.
  • As Bree, she struck up friendships with people in Sweden, Scotland, Ireland, Portugal, Australia, Mexico, and all over the US. > She never offered much information about her character. Rather, she'd research an emailer's
    • coffma46
       
      Doing this screen play was also a way for her to meet new people and to keep in contact with people she already knew.
  • The previous week, one guy had offered her a part in a movie if she would use her student ID to buy him discounted film at Kodak
    • Elizabeth Somer
       
      These people are receiving instant fame. Like any celebrity there are positive and negative consequences. While Youtube may have in fact helped this actress's career, it could have also easily shattered it
  • A day or two after that, a new user named Lonelygirl15 posted an animated scene of a dinosaur stomping on a house, intercut with Emily's original videos.
    • vanamb16
       
      good segueway.....pretty inventive and it would get vloggers interested
  • Emily's fans loved it and offered a deluge of comments, giving Lonelygirl15 instant cred. Viewers praised this funny, creative new vlogger, encouraged her to keep the videos coming, and signed up to receive her future clips.
    • mccrar25
       
      I can't believe that people would actually get so involved in this. When you think about it, it's kind of ridiculous. It's as if people don't value their lives enough that they have to rely on someone else's story for entertainment. Then, after all of that, they find out that it's fictional. I just think that this was very deceptive.
  • . #15 The previous videos had gotten between 50,000 and 100,000 views after a week, but this one logged 50,000 in its first
    • richar19
       
      This is very interesting and shows a huge jump in popularity.
  • The previous videos had gotten between 50,000 and 100,000 views after a week, but this one logged 50,000 in its first two hours.
    • needle10
       
      The amount of people that view the "diary videos" from LonelyGirl15 is not surprising to me because there are many shows on television these days that I thought no one would ever watch and yet millions do.
  • Goodfried's advice was simple. "If anyone asks point-blank if you're real, don't answer the question," he said. "Don't lie to people. The answer is no answer. In my mind, it's the equivalent of not lying. But if people talk to Bree like she's Bree, that's fair game."
    • richar19
       
      This is something that happens all the time were someone is asked a question and they just don't answer it or they change the subject. I had never thought of it from a legal stance though.
    • Gail Ramsey
       
      I am still not sure how legal not answering the question is. In the series, she is saying she is a certain individual. How is that different than if someone asks via email? Most likely, the dollar issue is the one you could get in trouble for because that would bring in false advertising.
  • #8 The previous week, one guy had offered her a part in a movie if she would use her student ID to buy him discounted film at Kodak
    • richar19
       
      This to me is something that would seem very weird. I do not think film is that expensive so i would not see why he would do this. I would probably have a bad feeling about it.
  • It sounded a lot like porn.
    • alieraisu1
       
      I would have bacxked out right then and there. It sounded shady to me too, and I wouldn't have gone along with it. I wonder why she did.
    • Aaron D
       
      You know it really could have been. But Beckett and Flinders probably backed out on their original idea when they were afraid of lossing her. =P haha
  • they could claim false advertising and sue.
  • commune-raised screenwriter a green light to unleash Lonelygirl15 on the world.
    • Jen Fitzgerald
       
      This guy was raised on a commune with twelve other kids. He's just trying to find any way to stand out, even if it is creepy. He really thought through the process and made sure to cover himself.
  • (one called her an "attention whore" and another a "video slut"),
    • Jen Fitzgerald
       
      I've noticed how quick people are to post vile and insulting things. They don't care who will see their remarks because they can hide behind their screen name. Cursing seems like less and less of a taboo online. I don't think this is a good way to share with our peers.
  • But this first clip laid the groundwork for everything that was to come.
    • Aaron D
       
      You can really tell in the advansment in the editting techs. from the first clip to the later ones. the style of the program evolves
  • A day or two after that, a new user named Lonelygirl15 posted an animated scene of a dinosaur stomping on a house, intercut with Emily's original videos.
  • 9 The previous videos had gotten between 50,000 and 100,000 views after a week, but this one logged 50,000 in its first two hours.
    • butler09
       
      People want to hear the dramatic, soap opery issues. Like with the YouTube video of "boom goes the dynamite," people enjoy looking at videos of people in distress, whether emotionally or socially. Plus, the title itself relates with the emotions a lot of teens feel. "My Parents Suck . . ." It's a title a lot of kids probably want to put on their life story at some time or another. It's no wonder it was so popular.
  • "If anyone asks point-blank if you're real, don't answer the question," he said. "Don't lie to people. The answer is no answer. In my mind, it's the equivalent of not lying. But if people talk to Bree like she's Bree, that's fair game."
    • needle10
       
      This is kind of like politics. Don't answer the question, avoid it, and no one will get in trouble.
  • JESSICA ROSE WAS SUSPICIOUS and frankly a little pissed off. She had come to this organic-tea shop to discuss what she thought was a feature film called Children of Anchor Cove.
    • needle10
       
      Can you blame her? This is all very sketchy. And it's kind of ironic that they lured her to get involved in this "project" under false pretenses and the whole project itself is a lie.
    • Gail Ramsey
       
      I wonder how many other young actresses they tried this on before they found her? I can not image trusting these guys like she did. Exspecially when they eventually told her they would film in a private house in a bedroom.
  • a hand puppet named Purple Monkey
    • anonymous
       
      I never played with hand puppets when I was 16.
  • Rather, she'd research an emailer's MySpace page and ask questions about their life. They responded enthusiastically and helped spread the word about the amazing new YouTube vlogger named Bree
    • Joan Vance
       
      OMG, how crazy is that?!?! I'm surprised no one else has commented on this particular part. I can't believe Amanda looked up people's myspace pages. My page is private but it still makes me skeptical. Maybe I should delete my myspace and facebook. Who wants people to know everything about them?
    • Gail Ramsey
       
      I agree. That is scary. I don't really see getting upset that the video was a fake but to get into friendships, email conversations and investigate people . No that crosses a line somewhere that is not acceptable. Those conversations were past just a unique new entertainment.
  • Don't sell merchandise and don't use any copyrighted music without a license. If people buy Lonelygirl15 stuff thinking she is real
    • anita sipala
       
      How does this justify the fact that the story line is flasified? Is this not false advertising? They are misleading the viewers.
    • Jennifer Dougherty
       
      I follow the Big Brother blogs. They are full of people who follow the live feeds. The houseguests are not permitted to sing any song because of this copyright issue. Watching the feeds, the stuff that is only seen over the internet, you can here producers come on and ask houseguests to "please stop singing" anytime they break into song. It's pretty amusing sometimes.
  • Teenage girls sympathize with her boy troubles and her sometimes-stormy relationship with her strict parents.
    • anita sipala
       
      This is where this can get really ugly. Young girls who make a connection with her, only to learn that it is all lies. This could cause some serious emotional repurcussions.
  • The previous videos had gotten between 50,000 and 100,000 views after a week, but this one logged 50,000 in its first two hours.
    • anita sipala
       
      I am not surprised. In our troubled world, people like to feel that they are not alone in the way they feel. They tend to gravitate towards people who have problems. It makes their own more bearable.
  • Rather, she'd research an emailer's MySpace page and ask questions about their life. They responded enthusiastically and helped spread the word about the amazing new YouTube vlogger named Bree .
    • anita sipala
       
      Okay, so where does this invasion of privacy end? It is like you are standing in the nude for the entire web to view.
    • Melissa Foster
       
      it's interesting how the same viewers who degraded Emily embraced Lonelygirl15. I wonder if it has to do with her created persona. As they discuss later, it did appeal to a certain demographic on the web.
    • Bianca Pieloch
       
      This is how they draw people in. When they see someone is upset and trying to deal with a problem, the viewer is drawn in. Humans like to see others besides themselves with problems.
  • For Amanda, it was a welcome departure from her day job, where she answered phones and handled the demands of high-powered stars.
    • Jennifer Dougherty
       
      Isn't this what most of us long for-a chance to be someone else, even if only for a bit? Think about it, I know when I was younger, I played dress up and pretended to be someone else. Even as an adult writer, I create characters that are not like me. They are from me, but are not me. Sometimes I am a child in my stories, sometimes an elderly man, sometimes I am even an anilmal or a bug, or a fairy, or a princess. The point is, it is an escape from reality, a vent, a form of release.
Gail Ramsey

Wired 14.12: YouTube vs. Boob Tube - 0 views

  • Everyone, in the back of his mind, wants to be a star," Hurley asserts for probably the quadrillionth time, "and we provide the audience to make it happen.
    • dracmere
       
      Just by looking at this quote we can see why Youtube is a success. It is true that most people want to be a star and to give them a chance is going to be a hit. Unfortantly, if you watch Youtube you can see that some people should not ever be stars.
    • zimmer67
       
      I wonder if youtube will soon be a new recruitment tool for talent agencies. It is afterall a compilation of many different people exhibiting different talents in some aspects.
  • Fragmentation has decimated audiences, viewers who do watch are skipping commercials,
    • goulds28 gould
       
      This is due to programs like TiVo.
    • coffma46
       
      YouTube very much is like this. People make the weirdest videoes for people just to watch them. I have seen some videos where people were just singing or dancing around in their bedroom.
    • hughes27
       
      This is what makes Youtube so interesting, alot of it is real stuff with no acting or script involved with the added bonus that others can view your work
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  • Lots of people can now watch themselves on sort-of TV, which is pretty fun in itself. The bonus is that others want to watch them, too.
    • haines64
       
      The question is if there is a danger in this. One of the kids I nanny for is fascinated with The Wiggles. When looking for a Wiggles video for him on YouTube, I cam across a family video of two little kids getting Wiggles toys for Christmas. It may be cute to send this video to the family's friends and relatives, but should the whole world have access to it, too? Everyone tells young people to protect their identity on the Internet, but then YouTube provides unlimited access to so many otherwise-personal videos.
  • NBC used Yahoo to premiere Heroes and AOL to offer sneak previews of its Twenty Good Years and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. And the brand-new CW Network celebrated its debut by posting for free Runaway and Everybody Hates Chris on MSN. Counting cable, dozens of networks are now making programs available online.
    • coffma46
       
      This is a nice way for people to learn another technology, rather than doing the same thing all of the time, which is just watching the television. Maybe adults of an older generation would like to learn this technology.
  • He insists he can't quite recall, you know, the $1.65 billion moment.
    • sunflower123
       
      Yea, you would think that would be the first thing that the founder of U-tube would know. What started your bussiness off is usally an important detail to remember
    • vanamb16
       
      it is easy to see how something like this could happen- you start posting funny videos of your friends, they post of theirs, you open it up, and you have a movement...
  • "#2 Everyone, in the back of his mind, wants to be a star," Hurley asserts for probably the quadrillionth time, "and we provide the audience to make it happen. "
    • willis02
       
      We discussed in class why people would want to be on Youtube. This quote here is a great example. People want their five minutes of fame. They think that because other people are watching their videos they are star because they are entertaining them.
  • Third-millennium humanity has demonstrated an interest in sifting through millions of pieces of crap produced by total strangers to discover a few gems – some accidentally entertaining ("Boom Goes the Dynamite"), some breakout performances from the previously obscure ("Treadmill Dance"), and some explorations of a new art form crackling with genius (Ze Frank, Ask a Ninja, and the guys behind Loneygirl15.)
    • maureen
       
      Sifting through the millions of piences of crap enables us to accidentally come upon such gems as "Boom Goes the Dynamite", "Treadmill Dane", and Lonelygirl15. Users could possibly feel a sense of discovery when finding such unique entertainment. It's like being on your own personal entertainment expedition.
  • And what if, as a bonus, the medium were able not merely to command eyeballs for marketers but to target content especially relevant to what the marketer is selling?
    • maureen
       
      When discussing target content relevant to what the marketer is selling, personal information is getting collected and data possibly being manipulated. Nonopticon surrounds us.
  • Until now, advertisers have underwritten mass media to reach mass audiences. Indeed, they've paid increasing premiums for the opportunity as audiences have shrunk, because even in a fragmented media world, the largest fragment – network TV – is the most valuable. But now they realize that they are losing not only mass but critical mass.
    • Elizabeth Somer
       
      I think more money is now put into online advertisements than TV advertisement. Is it fair to say that the computer is almost (that is in popularity and phenomenon (sp?)) as big of a pop culture invention as the TV was in the 50s?
  • Altogether, this stuff constitutes a bottomless reservoir of short-form video content for others to siphon off if they choose
    • Elizabeth Somer
       
      What about copy right laws?
  • "Broadcast Yourself."
  • . #7 Fragmentation has decimated audiences, viewers who do watch are skipping commercials, advertisers are therefore fleeing, the revenue for underwriting new content is therefore flatlining, program quality is therefore suffering (Dancing With the Stars. QED), which will lead to ever more viewer defection, which will lead to ever more advertiser defection, and so on.
    • mccrar25
       
      I agree that advertisers are having trouble with televison. With TiVo and DVRs becoming more affordable, there is almost no need to watch commercials. They make it so easy to skip through a commercial while watching a program. I have recently noticed that advertisers are responding to this by creating more comical and appealing commercials. There are some commercials that I actually like viewing now.
  • Because, at least until recently, the Internet has lacked both the riveting content and ad space inventory to absorb it.
    • mccrar25
       
      Yes...until recently. Now, there is limitless space on the Internet. Highly viewed websites such as MySpace, Facebook, and You Tube have provide great outlets for companies to advertise. These sites are often viewed more frequently than most television shows, and they are often unavoidable. You can get up, get a snack, or use the restroom during a commercial break on television, but you can't click off an advertisement or an icon while its on a webpage.
  • #4 Lots of people can now watch themselves on sort-of TV, which is pretty fun in itself. The bonus is that others want to watch them, too
    • butler09
       
      This seems to be reflective of everyone's desire for "15 minutes of fame." The internet is making that a reality. The question is whether or not this is a good thing. Yes, it is easy and possible. It is revolutionizing our culture, and people constantly want to search and discover interesting morsels of entertainment. But is it becoming an obsession, especially with some people? With the huge number of broadcasts daily, it makes you think so.
    • Jessica Bloom
       
      I would personally never put a video on Youtube. However, I have to admit that some of them are extremely funny. This also makes me think, though, of our discussion in class how some jobs look at internet sites and if they see you on them, they are less likely to hire you. So, it just goes to show that we have to be careful with how we portray ourselves.
  • The networks say these are measures to promote the broadcast versions of their shows. The overwhelming probability is that the opposite is true, which bodes poorly for those invested in the status quo. One victim is local affiliates, which get a big chunk of their revenue from selling commercial space within network programs. The Internet, needless to say, bypasses them.
    • butler09
       
      We are in an age of technological advancement. The culture is saturated with it. If networks want to appeal to the generations that have grown up using this technology and prefer it as a mode of entertainment and communicaiton, then the smart business action to take is to begin expanding toward internet broadcasting. The standard television is no longer the central figure in the entertainment and news world, and in order to keep up with it, the networks have to "go with the flow."
    • Jen Fitzgerald
       
      I completely agree with this statement. I personally watch alot of shows on DVR, especially American Idol because I can't stand how they draw out the show with commercials every five minutes. Advertisers have to adapt to the changing marketplaces or else their products will suffer.
  • a spiraling vortex of ruin.
    • Jen Fitzgerald
       
      I completely agree with this statement. I watch most shows on DVR, especially American Idol and fast forward through the commercials. They draw out these shows and make the commercial breaks longer and longer.
  • NBC used Yahoo to premiere > Heroes > and AOL to offer sneak previews of its > Twenty Good Years > and > Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip > . > >
    • Gail Ramsey
       
      Eventually the technologies will merge fully. You won't have a television and a separate computer. You will have everything all in one. Comcast digital cable has numerous music stations. Look at On Demand, you get to pick and choose when and what you watch. It will all meld together. Instead of previews to programs, it will be whatever you want to see whenever you want to see it. Your TV/Computer will do everything.
  • put fall premieres of shows like Smith and The New Adventures of Old Christine on Google Video
    • Jen Fitzgerald
       
      This is what motivated much of the Writer's Guild strike. The writers wanted to have a share of online revenue when their shows are downloaded, like royalties.
  • #14 Fragmentation has decimated audiences, viewers who do watch are skipping commercials, advertisers are therefore fleeing, the revenue for underwriting new content is therefore flatlining, program quality is therefore suffering
    • daydreamr97
       
      Fragmentation has decimated the audiences of the big networks, but it's also been the reason so many new channels have been created: Animal Planet, the cooking channel, the sci-fi channel. And viewers watching these channels have special interest in the subject, so they are more likely to actually watch the commercials. So it's mostly the bigger networks that are suffering, which explains why there are so many reality TV shows on the major channels now. While they aren't "reality," they don't need a script so much as a situation.
  • dozens of networks are now making programs available online
    • daydreamr97
       
      Yes, a lot of shows are available online anytime, and also on Comcast. So, the big corporations are tryng to deal with the fragmentation. The problem with that is that it's still not exactly interactive, which is the thing people love about YouTube. This still doesn't address the issue that everyone wants to be a star.
    • haines64
       
      I think the fact that many TV shows are now available online is a good sign. The greater U.S. population has been using the Internet for awhile. By putting TV shows online, it shows a good meshing of the two media outlets.
    • haines64
       
      A recurring theme we've talked about in ITW is how some people are hesitant toward change. The want to keep the status quo shows this hesitantion, despite the overwhelming popularity of YouTube.
  • advertisers have been broadcasting themselves for decades and would very much prefer the status quo. The good news is that the status quo isn't long for this world.
    • jc ice
       
      I agree this content is funny and entertaining, but there is social relevance. What do you think will be our legacy when all this is found 50 or 100 years in the future?
  • Everyone, in the back of his mind, wants to be a star," Hurley asserts for probably the quadrillionth time, "and we provide the audience to make it happen. "
  • He insists he can't quite recall, you know, the $1.65 billion moment.
  • He's turning right around in a few hours; he's stuck in yet one more conference room, and his eyes
  • stuck in yet one more conference room, and his eyes have the vacant look of someone whose body ha
  • he's stuck in yet one more conference room, and his eyes
  • CHAD HURLEY SAYS HE DOESN'T REMEMBER. It's two weeks before the announcement of the Google acquisition, and he has just flown the red
  • Everyone, in the back of his mind, wants to be a star," Hurley asserts for probably the quadrillionth time, "and we provide the audience to make it happen. "
    • Joan Vance
       
      I find it amusing that Hurley mentions this. We actually discussed this in Creative Writing on Monday. The teacher asked who in the classroom wants to be famous. To my surprise there were only a few of us who raised our hands. As much as I want to be a star though, I wouldnt find posting a video on youtube very successful.
  • But what if there were a means to approximate the reach and mesmerizing power of television online?
    • anita sipala
       
      The way technology is quickly growing and moving I don't see anything getting in its way. I see the computer replacing other medias.
  • Third-millennium humanity has demonstrated an interest in sifting through millions of pieces of crap produced by total strangers to discover a few gems – some accidentally entertaining ("Boom Goes the Dynamite"), some breakout performances from the previously obscure ("Treadmill Dance"), and some explorations of a new art form crackling with genius (Ze Frank, Ask a Ninja, and the guys behind Loneygirl15.)
    • anita sipala
       
      If so many people view "You Tube" it must say something about its entertaining value. I am one of those people who shifts through "You Tube" and I have come across many interesting ones.
  • connection to his nervous system. In a word, the dude is fried. Never mind that he's the cofounder of the Next Big Thing and poised to be a total
    • Jennifer Dougherty
       
      I think the advertisers do that. Look at the sig-in page for myspace. It is a virtual billboard. Any given day the entire sign-in page is a new advertisement. Sometimes it is a movie. The other day it was an entire page devoted to crest toothpaste. Once you are on the site, the sidebars are bombarded with schanging advertisements. Vans shoes one minute then after refreshing the page, it is some other product. Maybe we don't pay that much attention or ever click on the link. I know I never do. But clearly the advertisers have achieved at least some of their purpose because I remember seeing thier ad.
Jennifer Dougherty

Wired 14.12: YouTube vs. Boob Tube - 0 views

  • $1.65 billion in stock to be the cute little kitty-cat's home.
    • dracmere
       
      Thats a lot of money for a home made video. I wonder if this is the end for TV shows about funny home made videos?
  • Judson Laipply'
    • goulds28 gould
       
      Judson Laipply appeared at Rowan's Turned Up Tuesday in the student center.
  • Not long ago, all it had was a search algorithm and a cool logo.
    • goulds28 gould
       
      Google now as an option to personalize your homepage with different gadgets called igoogle. Users can now access email accounts, weather reports, create to due lists, facebook and other blog updates, and hundreds of other options to personalize your page for your own convience. It is no longer only a seach algorithm.
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  • The clip, which was viewed nearly 2 million times in two weeks,
    • hughes27
       
      This is interesting because i have seen this video before but im not sure why or how i came around to watching it but its interesting.
  • And there they are, in the bedrooms and dorms and cubicles of the world, uploading their asses off, more than 65,000 times a day on YouTube alone.
    • hughes27
       
      This is true. About 2 years ago, i wouldnt beable to say anything about youtube, but now it has expanded and it seems like everyone is making or viewing videos.
  • which stars a chubby young man in his New Jersey bedroom lip-syncing to an insipid but weirdly fetching Romanian pop song.
    • Elizabeth Somer
       
      Youtube is re-discovering fame. Who needs agencies when you can publically display yourself and your "talents" on the web. Youtube is re-defining fame and misfortune
  • The price tag for YouTube, just to put the investment in perspective, is what Target paid for 257 Mervyns department stores and four distribution centers in 13 states, and just a bit more than WPP Group paid for the Grey Global Group advertising network with 10,500 employees in 83 countries generating $1.3 billion in revenue. Those, of course, are both profitable enterprises with vast fixed assets.
    • Elizabeth Somer
       
      This is unbelievable. I can't believe how far Youtube has come. It has truly exploded. It's like what the video we saw on the first and second days of class: "We live in exponential times"
  • Or try the accurately titled "Noah takes a photo of himself everyday for six years." A time-lapse documentary of Noah Kalina over 2,356 days, it's a little thin on plot, but it nonetheless racked up more than 3 million views in six weeks.
    • Jennifer Dougherty
       
      This is too strange. Who thinks to do this? Why? And why are we watching? It surely takes dedication to take a picture of yourself everyday for 6 years. I think it would be a good idea to do with a newborn.
Laura DePamphilis

4.01: Who Am We? - 0 views

  • What has she found? That the Internet links millions of people in new spaces that are changing the way we think and the way we form our communities. That we are moving from "a modernist culture of calculation toward a postmodernist culture of simulation." That life on the screen permits us to "project ourselves into our own dramas, dramas in which we are producer, director, and star.... Computer screens are the new location for our fantasies, both erotic and intellectual. We are using life on computer screens to become comfortable with new ways of thinking about evolution, relationships, sexuality, politics, and identity." Turkle's own metaphor of windows serves well to introduce the following samplings from her new book. Those boxed-off areas on the screen, Turkle writes, allow us to cycle through cyberspace and real life, over and over. Windows allow us to be in several contexts at the same time - in a MUD, in a word-processing program, in a chat room, in e-mail. "Windows have become a powerful metaphor for thinking about the self as a multiple, distributed system," Turkle writes. "The self is no longer simply playing different roles in different settings at different times. The life practice of windows is that of a decentered self that exists in many worlds, that plays many roles at the same time." Now real life itself may be, as one of Turkle's subjects says, "just one more window."
    • Bill Wolff
       
      I really like how Turkle is setting up her discussion here. The windows metaphor is a wonderful move into the discussion of how different spaces encourage/result in multiple representations of identity. Though published in 1996, we can see this today in Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn spaces, as well as how and where we blog.
  • ender-swapping on MUDs is not a small part of the game action. By some estimates, Habitat, a Japanese MUD, has 1.5 million users. Habitat is a MUD operated for profit. Among the registered members of Habitat, there is a ratio of four real-life men to each real-life woman. But inside the MUD the ratio is only three male characters to one female character. In other words, a significant number of players, many tens of thousands of them, are virtually cross-dressing.
    • dracmere
       
      People do this on current online games such as Everquest and World of Warcraft
  • G ender >
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  • In the games in the Sim series (SimCity, SimLife, SimAnt, SimHealth), you try to build a community, an ecosystem, or a public policy. The goal is to make a successful whole from complex, interrelated parts. Tim is 13, and among his friends, the Sim games are the subject of long conversations about what he calls Sim secrets. "Every kid knows," he confides, "that hitting Shift-F1 will get you a couple of thousand dollars in SimCity." But Tim knows that the Sim secrets have their limits. They are little tricks, but they are not what the game is about. The game is about making choices and getting feedback. Tim talks easily about the trade-offs in SimCity - between zoning restrictions and economic development, pollution controls and housing starts.
    • sunflower123
       
      Not only are these games fun and help you to escape from your daily stressful activities of life to a fun world where you can create whatever you feel makes you happy for that day. But it also teachs you about being apart of your community, how to spend money and being apart of the ecosystem, setting goals for yourself and making smart choices while recieving positive feedback. And what can be better then learning while having fun doing it?
    • coffma46
       
      This is true that during adolescence, relationships do come rapidly without notice. The virtual space for adolescence does become intense and scary at times that the person may not realize what has been going on.
  • Relationships during adolescence are usually bounded by a mutual understanding that they involve limited commitment. Virtual space is well suited to such relationships; its natural limitations keep things within bounds. As in Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain, which takes place in the isolation of a sanatorium, relationships become intense very quickly because the participants feel isolated in a remote and unfamiliar world with its own rules. MUDs, like other electronic meeting places, can breed a kind of easy intimacy. In a first phase, MUD players feel the excitement of a rapidly deepening relationship and the sense that time itself is speeding up. "The MUD quickens things. It quickens things so much," says one player. "You know, you don't think about it when you're doing it, but you meet somebody on the MUD, and within a week you feel like you've been friends forever."
    • Aaron D
       
      I scary to think how on point this really is. I myself figure to be a less technology influenced person. But when I sit back I am sharper, I rely, and inovate self-efficiantcy due to these "windows."
  • People accept the idea that certain machines have a claim to intelligence and thus to their respectful attention. They are ready to engage with computers in a variety of domains. Yet when people consider what if anything might ultimately differentiate computers from humans, they dwell long and lovingly on those aspects of people that are tied to the sensuality and physical embodiment of life. It is as if they are seeking to underscore that although today's machines may be psychological in the cognitive sense, they are not psychological in a way that comprises our relationships with our bodies and with other people. Some computers might be considered intelligent and might even become conscious, but they are not born of mothers, raised in families, they do not know the pain of loss, or live with the certainty that they will die.
    • anonymous
       
      This comment is extremely interesting because I always thought that machines like computers are psychological in the sense that they comprises our relationships. Computers are the very things that can destroy and built relationship based on the idea that computers allow us to be intrapersonal and interpersonal
  • What is virtual gender-swapping all about? Some of those who do it claim that it is not particularly significant. "When I play a woman I don't really take it too seriously," said 20-year-old Andrei. "I do it to improve the ratio of women to men. It's just a game." On one level, virtual gender-swapping is easier than doing it in real life. For a man to present himself as female in a chat room, on an IRC channel, or in a MUD, only requires writing a description. For a man to play a woman on the streets of an American city, he would have to shave various parts of his body; wear makeup, perhaps a wig, a dress, and high heels; perhaps change his voice, walk, and mannerisms. He would have some anxiety about passing, and there might be even more anxiety about not passing, which would pose a risk of violence and possibly arrest. So more men are willing to give virtual cross-dressing a try. But once they are online as female, they soon find that maintaining this fiction is difficult. To pass as a woman for any length of time requires understanding how gender inflects speech, manner, the interpretation of experience. Women attempting to pass as men face the same kind of challenge.
    • Kelly Burns
       
      I think it is very bizarre that people actually do gender-swapping and play a different role. It is crazy that people can go home and act like they are a different gender.
  • A 21-year-old college senior defends his violent characters as "something in me; but quite frankly I'd rather rape on MUDs where no harm is done." A 26-year-old clerical worker says, "I'm not one thing, I'm many things. Each part gets to be more fully expressed in MUDs than in the real world. So even though I play more than one self on MUDs, I feel more like 'myself' when I'm MUDding." In real life, this woman sees her world as too narrow to allow her to manifest certain aspects of the person she feels herself to be. Creating screen personae is thus an opportunity for self-expression, leading to her feeling more like her true self when decked out in an array of virtual masks.
    • Laura DePamphilis
       
      I think this is really spooky and weird that people try to be different people and act crazy than what they would normally do in real life. That comment on "rather raping on MUDS" is just horrible to me. Even though he says "there is no harm done" it is still gross to me that people think like that. Just because it is on the computer and not the real world, its wrong to me. I can see how people like to act like differnt people towards MUDS, and can allow their "self" to be expressed, but I think some people get way too wrapped up in this sort of virtual world.
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    technology and people
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