were like "elephants in a china shop"

I think everyone likes to think they have privacy. By privacy I mean a sense that your information that you desire to keep to yourself, can remain unknown by others. We do things everyday in the privacy of our own, apartments, homes, cars, computers etc. The assignment for this week asks us to question ourselves, how private are these moments truly?

I think the article Social Network Sites: Public? Private? Or What? By Danah Boyd was very correct by saying that many of us use technologies such as Facebook and Myspace with the same candor as an “elephant in a china shop.” We post ignorantly thinking that just our friends are looking at our site or people very similar to us. Often we don’t think about consequences that could arise down the road. We don’t think about the possibility of future employers, stalkers, or even our mothers as viewers. What makes matters even worse is that we are not only affected by what we post but what others post as well. Let’s be honest, we’ve all had friends who’ve posted some less than stellar comments on our walls. Sites like Facebook give us the opportunity to shape ourselves in our own desired way. If someone posts a picture it may be easy to disassociate yourself with it by name, but once someone recognizes you who needs a name anyway?

When I think about privacy on the internet a few things stand out:

I first think of safety. We have all heard about those horrible stories where people meet over the internet and one turns out to be a murderer or a pedophile (like the popular To Catch a Predator Series.) When I use Facebook I never post my address or cell phone number, although it is an option. Many people say that being anonymous is one of the best parts to being an internet user. The fact is any person can portray themselves as someone else, and we just have to be aware of who we talk to. I know personally I don’t use any dating sites, or chat rooms, or communicate with people I don’t know.

The next thing I have recently begun to think about is professionalism. I am currently applying to graduate business school. Business schools are notorious for searching sites and using search engines to collect information about potential candidates. I also think about future employers. I always untag any pictures that put me in an “unfavorable” light. I am over the legal drinking age so holding alcohol beverages in photos isn’t illegal, but it doesn’t exactly portray me in a professional manner.

The last thing I generally think about is financial security. When using bank, credit card, or social security information I do get a little nervous. I have now begun to check that I have a secure connection (thanks to this class), that has eased my reservations somewhat. I always think about hackers and if they can hack government files, or NASA, then my bank account information can’t be too difficult of a target!

The Wikipedia article on Internet privacy did little to quell my fears overall: “Experts in the field of Internet privacy have a consensus that Internet privacy does not really exist. Privacy advocates believe that it should exist.”

In an article by Bob Sullivan he states “privacy is not a currency. It is much more like health or dignity or well-being; a source of anxiety when weak and a source of quiet satisfaction when strong.” I believe that Sullivan is correct; people don’t like to think of their loss of privacy because it does cause mental anguish. Before I even started writing this blog I did something I never had done before, I googled my name. This is scary, things were found back from the 7^th grade. I ran a 15K road race about eight years ago, and still my exact finishing time is recorded out there for anyone to read. Finishing a road race isn’t exactly crucial information, but it does make a point; Information good, bad, indifferent will be available to anyone with a click of a mouse for a very long time. So watch what you say…and do. In response to this I thought about other things on the internet that I do that people could potentially see. I decided to go through and update some of my security settings on my facebook and email. As for my race results, it looks like it’s going to be there for awhile...

Next time your on the net, you might just have to ask yourself…how private is this moment?

Link to assignment 5

Sources:

Boyd, D. ( 2007). Social networking sites: public? private? or what? Knowledge Tree, 13.

Sullivan, B. ( 2006, October) Privacy lost: does anybody care? MSNBC Interactive. Retrieved September, 26, 2007, from MSNBC Database.

www.wikipedia.com

A Gift Giving Economy: Craigslist

Wikipedia defines a gift giving economy as …

“A gift economy is an economic system in which goods and services are given without any explicit agreement for immediate or future quid-pro-quo. “

According to The Economies of Online Cooperation: Gifts and Public Good in Cyberspace by Peter Kollock, a gift giving economy can be defined as:

The processes of providing a free good or service without expecting direct reciprocation or payment. When giving a gift there is no literal explicit statement asking for reciprocation, but the gift giving is motivated by the enhancement of social relations.

When using the internet as a medium for gift giving it is almost next to impossible to ensure reciprocity. It is also possible to offer gifts to individuals that are unknown to us. There are many reasons that people would want to give gifts despite the fact that the gift is not always reciprocated.

Public Good- Giving a gift can be motivated by the fact that it benefits the entire group. Posting information becomes a public good in turn it becomes available to literally anyone who happens to come upon that information or anyone who seeks it.

Some reasons why people are motivated to give gifts…

RECIPROCITY- Individuals give gifts in hopes that they will receive gifts in the future.

REPUTATION- Individuals give gifts in hopes to promote their individual selves. By contributing they want to be recognized in some form, perhaps as being a good Samaritan.

SENSE OF EFFICACY- Individuals give gifts in order to feel that they have made some impact or contribution to their environment.

NEED- Individuals give gifts simply because there is a need for that public good.

ATTACHMENT- Individuals give gifts because they have a genuine connection and attachment to their community.

ALTRUISM- Individuals give gifts simply because they value the outcomes of others.

So what are some examples of a gift giving economy?

-Flickr

-Free software community

-Wikipedia

And…

According to The High Tech Gift Economy by Richard Barbrook :

“In the intervening period, blogging has become the public face of this new way of working. What was once the preserve of a small minority is now a mass phenomenon.”

Thus…

This Blog itself is a gift giving economy!

I will now attempt to argue that Craigslist is a part of a gift giving economy:

Craigslist has many features that would constitute as part of this gift giving economy:

*Discussion Forums- People can click on any array of topics and provide posts. Some of these posts are not simply random discussion but actually provide “gifts” in the form of knowledge and advice.

For example there is a specific “legal” category where people can post questions or request help about legal matters.

-One post asked the following question about the 14^th amendment :

I have a question about constitutional law. If someone is being tried for a crime, is acquitted, and the alleged victim perjured themselves on several occasions, and it becomes obvious that it was a false accusation, is this considered a violation of the 14th Amendment providing equal protection under the law?

This person was given a variety of responses, for example one person gave this answer:

First, Constitutional violations are committed by governments, not individuals. Unless you contend the government coerced the victim into a wrongful act, the Constitution isn't really implicated at all. Second, the Equal Protection Clause has a very simple purpose, to make sure that people in "suspect classes" - such as racial or religious minorities - are treated similarly to others. Nothing in your post suggests that the supposed "perjury" was part of some plan (again, by the government) to railroad Catholics, or Jainists, or Fijians. If you contend there was a wrongful government act, you might have a violation of the Due Process Clause, but those are hard to show.

A person looking for legal advice about a specific issue, for example divorce, can also check out that specific discussion board.

-There is also a services area where people can offer services; some of these are free of charge.

Individuals can contribute to this online gift-giving community. There are a variety of reasons a person might help someone on craigslist by offering a free-gift. Whatever the reason for participation, the fact remains that craigslist success depends on the people who contribute.

Sources:

Barbrook, R. ( 2005.) The High Tech Gift Economy. First Monday.

Smith, M. , Kollock, P. (1999.) Communities in Cyberspace.

Wikipedia

Craigslist

Copyright : A balancing Act

Copyright is a Balancing Act:

In an article by DanThu Thi Phan it is mentioned that copyright laws operate in order to provide a balance between an author and a mass audience. The author aspires to maintain the dignity and ownership of their own work whether it is music, literature, artwork etcetera. On the other hand, the mass media wants fast, easy, and inexpensive ways to access these works. The internet is a perfect breeding ground shall we say, to provide all of the necessities a mass audience desires. Unfortunately this leaves authors vulnerable to exploitation by the mass audience, hence copyright laws are necessary. Phan argues that since the internet throws off the balance between author and audience, fair use acts should be re-evaluated. Phan gives no real prescription to the problem, but says that laws and politics will address this naturally as the issue progresses.

2 sides to every story:

freedom to explore…
It is probably a fair statement to say that the internet provides a whole new way to explore information. At the click of a mouse you can download your favorite songs, watch the TV show you missed last week, or even glance over a shortcut version of a book you have to read for class. According to an article by Jane Ginsburg many people view copyright as a “pit against progress.” Being communication students we know that the ability to communicate is a fundamental aspect of humanity. We use communication everyday, and the internet provides us opportunities to do so, in a unique way. The internet is a fairly new communication tool. Many people think copy writing the information that enhances that tool essentially cripples the experience. Nearly everything we see on the internet is copyrighted: music, text, graphics videos and the list goes on. People against internet copyrighting often believe that when you make an addition to the internet you are subject to being exposed. Proponents of this view also think having a copyright free internet encourages creativity thus enhancing art, music, movies etc. They believe that some musicians who argue that illegal downloading is theft are already wealthy enough and that the exposure will only help sales.

Here is Michael Moore's take on the situation when asked about the illegal downloading of his movies...

Freedom from exploitation…On the other side of things many people believe copyright is as essential for the internet as it is for any other media form. They believe that copyright enhances creativity by forcing original thoughts and ideas. For example Jane Ginsburg states that “ copyright control by authors, particularly those excluded by traditional intermediary-controlled distribution systems, may offer the public an increased quantity and variety of works of authorship.” Those who have had their work exploited like musicians such as Madonna and Bono of U2 believe that violating copyright is theft. They believe that when you illegally download items without paying those who deserve the profit you are committing a crime.

This video from You tube argues that by ignoring copyright laws we are actually hurting ourselves and our own economy...

So what do we do now?

Many sites are now offering paid subscriptions, downloads etc. to work that collects profits. Other sites give information to universities or colleges that collect fees. Companies like Pepsi have coincided with websites to provide free downloads as prizes. Basically I believe this is a good medium because generally costs are much lower then anything you would purchase in a store. Many argue that laws need to be changed in order to stay current with new inventions and technologies. In an article by Oliver Gerland he describes one recent approach to this problem: “As new communication technologies emerged in the twentieth century, copyright owners advanced an innovative theory of performance called the "multiple performance theory" that made every transmission of a record of a performed composition itself a performance of it. Established as current law by Congress, this theory sees practically everyone who operates a media device as a performer and, in combination with recent technical and legislative developments, grants copyright owners in the digital age extraordinary control over their works.”

Personally as a poor college student I love lime wire and having access to music and videos I would normally not purchase. I would not however sell what I have downloaded to make a profit. I think that copyright laws are obviously important to protect authors from being exploited but I do think a happy medium can and should be obtained.

My sources:

Phan, D. (1998). Will fair use function on the internet?. Columbia Law Review. 169-216.

Ginsburg, J. (2001). Copyright and control over new technologies of dissemination. Columbia Law Review, 1613-1647.

Gerland, O. ( 2007). The history and theory of performance under copyright law in the united states. Theatre Journal, 59.1,75-95.

Assignment 3 link

What's the Hype about Hypertext?( Assignment 2)

I will attempt to argue that Hypertext aids and influences the internet by:
-expanding ones ability to do research
-opening up a whole new world of information at your finger-tips
-Providing an new interesting type of fiction

Lets begin with a few definitions:
Hypertext is...

• "text which contains links to other texts." ( Source)

• "Documents written as hypertext contain text that when "clicked on" by the user with a mouse, links to other documents." (Source)
  

• "A way of presenting information online with connections between one piece of information and another. These connections are called hypertext links. Thousands of these hypertext links enable you to explore additional or related information throughout the online documentation. "( Same source as above)

• " Works in hypertext are meant to be more than words and other images. These productions (ingrained magnetically on computer diskette or CD) are conceived to take advantage of readers' and writers' propensities to seek out twists in narrative trajectories and to bushwhack from the main path of multifaceted reference topics. Hypertext books incorporate documents, graphics, sounds, and even blank slates upon which readers may compose their own variations on the authored components." ... ( Same source as above)

Did you click on any of the links to see the sources?
...If you did you saw an example of Hypertext

So who were the creative minds behind hypertext?

Theodor Holm Nelson : He coined the term hypertext in 1963 & Published it two years later.


Nelson believed that the interface should be self explanatory and easy to navigate for even the newest user.

In Nelson's own words this is how he created the notion of hypertext

"In 1960 I had a vision of a world-wide system of electronic publishing, anarchic and populist, where anyone could publish anything and anyone could read it. (So far, sounds like the web.) But my approach is about literary depth-- including side-by-side inter -comparison, annotation, and a unique copyright proposal. I now call this "deep electronic literature" instead of "hypertext," since people now think hypertext means the web."

But the story didnt begin with Mr. Nelson...
" Thats Mr. Nelson to You"

Other creative minds were thinking of ways to "link" written information to other data that was relevant : two of these "proto-hypertext"visionaries include...

Paul Otlet & H.G. Wells

...keep in mind that hypertext can trace it's roots back to many other renowned thinkers as well.

1st applications..

two of the earliest applications include the "Aspen Movie Map" in 1977 andin 1987 the more popular Apple "Hyper-card" application. Nelson worked on an application as well known as the Xanadu system although nothing was ever released.

This is what the Hyper card application looked like:


How has hypertext influenced the Internet we know today?
- Hypertext has given internet users a way to easily utilize information. At times when amounts of data can seem overwhelming hypertext makes it possible to have some level of convenient organization.

- Say your doing research on Ted Nelson for instance, using Wikipedia (which utilizes hypertext.) You can find out about his career, education etc. but then maybe something else catches your eye. You notice that there is more information about some of his colleagues that interests you. With a click of a button you can speedily access information that you may have otherwise overlooked.

- When looking at a news website hypertext makes it easy to find out more information about a story or a subject within a given topic.

-hypertext has become it's own style of interactive fiction.

"An advantage of writing a narrative using hypertext technology is that the meaning of the story can be conveyed through a sense of spatiality and perspective that is arguably unique to digitally-networked environments. An author's creative use of nodes, the self-contained units of meaning in a hypertextual narrative, can play with the reader's orientation and add meaning to the text."

...Many of these stories have become quite popular including Michael Joyce's Afternoon a Story



Hopefully you now have a better understanding of what the hype about hypertext is all about, and how it aids and influences the internet.

Assignment 2 Link