Web 2.0 Journal (EME 6414)

Although we were only tasked with reading one of the chapters in section 2, I read the chapters about networked relationships and networked families. I was interested in seeing how the behaviors overlapped. In the Networked families chapter they shared that North American families have dinner together more. In my mother’s house and in my father’s house, we always ate dinner together. However, as cell phones developed and we all had individual phones, my Dad noticed that we were glued to our phones when we were supposed to be using dinner time to bond and spend time together. So then came the rule: no electronics at the table. No cell phones, iPads, laptops – nothing. The purpose of that was to ensure that we were intentional about our time together. We often see and hear about children (and adults) who are constantly glued to their phones. We have moments when we're all together and simply enforce a no-phone policy. We also try to let the children in our family choose the games or ...

This week’s tools were much less of a “shock to the system” in comparison to me signing up for Twitter last week. I am still feeling out Twitter and am unsure of how I will use it. However, I am familiar with Instagram and use it quite often. It is my primary social media space. Registering and then following the class blogs on Feedly was also an easy process – thanks to the opml file. Feedly has made it extremely easy for me to see and read my classmates’ blogs. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little concerned at first about being able to keep up with the class blogs. Thanks to Feedly for clearing that worry! I am looking forward to approaching and experiencing all of the tools that we’ll use throughout the semester with an open and curious mind.

       Up until about middle school, if someone wanted to speak to me, they had to call the house phone – and most of the time I wasn’t available because I was outside playing with the other neighborhood kids. Once I received a cell phone- around 8 th grade – My “minutes” weren’t free until after 9pm and there was a limited amount of text messages I could send in a month. So my angst for constant and consistent communication didn’t develop until I was in early college. The ability of a person to respond immediately to a text message, or to know a person’s location at all times may have some consequences that weren’t considered before. While these things allow peace of mind for many people, in terms of knowing that their loved ones are safe; it can also be the source of anxiety and angst. This made me think of my own family and the way that instant and constant communication has affected us.      After homework and chores were completed, I spent the ...

     When reading Dr. Dennen’s excerpt on the history of the Internet and World Wide Web I thought of my grandparents, who have lived through the early origins and development of the internet. When the world wide web emerged in 1989, they were almost 40 years old. They are currently in their 70’s and have no real concept of how to navigate the internet. They know how to google things, check their email, and occasionally watch a YouTube video. They strictly interact with the internet in a Web 1.0 manner and are horrified by social media. I wonder what my grandchildren will have to say about how I interact with the internet in 40 years.      In Bruns’ (2008) article, The Future is User-Led, there was a section about educating produsers, in which educational institutions are challenged to ensure that their graduates have the capacity to be creative, collaborative, critical, and communicative. The articles goes on to talk about transforming the system from t...

 I saw an interesting story on the news this week related to social media. There have been discussions about the level of responsibility that social media platforms should have in regard to how their users use the platform. It is the opinion of some, that the platforms should be held responsible for the content that is shared on their platforms. This particular case was specifically related to the role that social media companies played in terrorist attacks, by allowing radicalized groups to form on their platforms. It was suggested that the existence of the platform and them allowing radicalized messages to be spread on their platform, makes the companies liable for the forming and actions of those groups. What I find interesting are the discussions around how much responsibility these platforms should actually have in moderating the content that is circulated on their platforms. This week, the Supreme Court shared their opinion on the matter. The links below are of an article a...

I have intentionally avoided having a Twitter account. It was a decision I made many, many years ago. It just seemed like... too much. So you can imagine the immediate horror I felt, when I saw that using Twitter would be apart of this course. However, that horror quickly subsided and turned into curiosity. I had never actually been on the Twitter site and I obviously didn’t have the app on my phone. So I signed up. It has been so long, 9-10 years at least, since I've created a new social media account. I have had the same Facebook account since 2009. I have had the same Instagram and Snapchat accounts since the early 2010’s. I had forgotten how it feels to sign up for a new social media account. When creating the Twitter account for this class, it was a rush of excitement, but also daunting at the same time because like I mentioned before – It just seemed like… too much. But here I am… all signed up and ready to see how this all works. Twitter finally caught up to me.