Author: s.sanchez1

The Several Faces of Social Media

For this Blogpost, I interviewed my friend Khin.

  1. I mainly use FaceBook, Instagram, Snap Chat, and Tumblr,
  2. For Instagram, I use my real personality but I use a funny last name as a joke. I usually use my real name though
  3. On Facebook I try to be socially aware and involved as well as formal, but on IG and SC it’s more personal and I keep a more relaxed tone. On Face book I use this persona because I have people added that I mutually know but don’t interact with because I want to portray myself as a respectful and professional. On IG and SC I remain true to my real identity because I only have people I know on there so I’m more relaxed.
  4. I don’t use my digital persona to cope with my problems, nor does it create any problems for me.

(Image Source)

People use social media as an extension of themselves to interact with the world. As can be observed by my interview with my friend, some social media platforms are used to portray a certain person as opposed to other platforms, which depict a more nonchalant attitude as to how they present themselves. I use the word nonchalant instead of genuine because repressing certain ‘faces’ of your personality does not necessarily mean you’re not staying true to yourself. For example, Khin decides to be more formal on Facebook and more nonchalant on Instagram and Snapchat; that doesn’t necessarily mean that she expresses things on Facebook that she doesn’t believe; she just chooses to represent it in a different way. “The Internet is another element of the computer culture that has contributed to thinking about identity as multiplicity. On it, people are able to build a self by cycling through many selves.” (Turkle, 178) In the following video, Dave Carrol from Halifax Nova Scotia, explains how not only can social media be used to extend your personality, but your personal branding as well.

The use of social media in cyberspace enables the user to extend their presence beyond the physical. “However, the popularity of Second Life – a ‘game’ in which players are able to play out the immensely detailed everyday lives of their characters – is perhaps the most telling example of the ongoing quest for immersive out-of-body experiences.” (Athique 73). Just like the Second Life players, most online social media users try to recreate themselves in a certain image. In addition to portraying a different face of their identity, this online personality is also interactive. Other people have the ability to comment, share, like, etc. on other peoples posts, pics, statuses, etc. This creates interaction and experiences that aren’t necessarily physical; yet are very real. This online exchange gives the users out-of-body experiences that are initiated by their online extension of their personality. Despite these experiences and presences aren’t physical, people are still able to interact, act, and react in these cyberspaces. Whether it be physical or not, theres no denying that the online community has created an impact on the way people express themselves and create memorable experiences.

With that established, I want to ask you these questions:

1.) With the introduction of Virtual Reality, how do you think social media will integrate such technology?

2.) Is social media detrimental to the way people interact in real life (the physical world)?

At the Cost of What?

In an hour alone I have found a pair of glasses that to purchase, new songs to listen to, a restaurant from which I could order delivery, and a pair of shoes that I’ll most likely order within the following week. Within that hour alone I have had the convenience and accessibility to update my style, my tastes, and even the food that I’ll eat. But at what cost? at face value, it only cost me about $225 for the glasses and food that I ordered. As for the convenience to purchase such items? It only cost me my privacy and freedom. Within that hour alone I had inadvertently given third party advertising companies the data which tells them the services I use to look for glasses, the types of styles that I was looking for, my credit card information, shipping address, the artists that I listen to, the genres of music I listen to, the several platforms I use to listen to music (Spotify, Youtube, Apple Music), the app I use to order food, the kinds of food I was craving, my location for delivery, and the websites that I use to look for sneakers.

On a daily basis, individuals are unknowingly reporting all kinds of informations through the internet to companies that sell your data to third party advertising companies, all so that that they could better cater different products and services to you; the consumer. Although this further enables convenience for consumers to customize their daily experience, at what point is the line drawn for data collectors to infringe upon your privacy? “Thanks to the capability of interactive networked technology, consumers are being enlisted and equipped to assist in the process of their own manipulation” (Andrejivic, 15). This elusive term “interactive” has evolved in its meaning as the distribution of knowledge starts resembling a one way street, as third party advertising companies learn more about you with every second used on the internet meanwhile we still know little to nothing about these third party advertising companies. As Adam Alexander expresses in his article on The Guardian  accountability and monitoring needs to be enforced on such third party companies. With our limited knowledge on what these companies do with our data, Alexander states that our society is worse than that of George Orwell’s. The extent to which my “consumer profile” is collated and stored for future third party use should stop once it begins to subject me to very distinct and unique sources of information, as opposed to my entertainment. Customizing my profile to provide me entertainment I’m more inclined to watch is great, but limiting the different sources for knowledge is a hinderance and a danger of our overall existence. Knowledge is power, and interference in our knowledge is interference in our power.

“We are talking about the most powerful mind-control machine ever invented in the history of the human race” (TheGuardian). With this constant surveillance through our navigation on the internet, it is only obvious for a disciplinary power to hang above our heads when using the internet . However, in contemporary methods of piracy, it is almost a culture to commit illegal practices to obtain entertainment. For example, there are certain website that a person can go to to download or stream a movie that has just hit the theaters. The same applies for music as well, yet no one seems to bat an eye when they illegally do so. The risk of being persecuted for such actions is close to none, so people all over the nation(s) continue to do so, despite this “electronic panopticon”. For me personally, this hasn’t hindered me from doing such minor offenses, and probably won’t stop me from doing so in the future as well. I have downloaded several movies off of putlocker and have downloaded even more songs from other website, just like every other friend that I have.

The topic surveillance via cyberspace is prevalent and evolving issue that can be talked about for years to come. However, I will end this post with the following two questions:

1.) Is there a way for the people to regain control of their privacy, or is it too late?

2.) Within the next century, do you think privacy will still be a right, or a privilege?

Digital Media and How to Use it

During my hour of online activity, I realized that I had used a variety of platforms and apps to either get work done, entertain myself, or to communicate with other people. Whether it was through Facebook, Instagram, or the online web, I was able to access all such platforms through my phone. Although there were some activities that I could’ve done without digital media, a majority of the tasks I had completed in the hour were done because of my access to digital media. The convenience provided to the user by digital media is one that entices and urges the user to come back time and time again. With digital media as a tool to access several different channels of productivity, it can also be a powerful tool in losing yourself to counter-productivity. It ultimately boils down to the habits you create in regards to this powerful tool called Digital media.

Although there are several activities that computerization and digitization can not yet execute/replicate, it has improved human activities in many ways. From a personal stance, I witnessed the vast improvements it has made in enabling people to communicate during my hour of online activity. While I was scrolling through Instagram, I noticed my mother was also on her phone doing her first video call with my grandmother, living in Mexico, who she hasn’t seen in person for over 20 years. Although my mother wasn’t able to physically hug her mother or give her kisses on the cheek, the implementation of computerization and digitization into our daily lives has facilitated their ways of communicating with each other from across the world. After finally seeing her mother for the first time over the last 20 years, this simple yet meaningful activity of doing a video chat adds sentimental value over just a simple phone call.

Within that same hour, I also witnessed the negative consequences of using digital media, as I had suddenly ended up watching a dancing dog on youtube;a video that held no educational or self-improving content. Despite the convenience and several benefits that come with digital media, one can often find that their attention span has diminished over its extended use. In this Forbes article, Kiisel highlights real life situations in which people of all ages can relate too. If you too are an vid user of digital media, you can often find yourself distracted with something completely irrelevant to the task you originally had at hand. It is important to note that although digital media can be a powerful tool/outlet for your work/thoughts, the way in which you choose to use your media is important too, as Couldry stated “Habits of use are crucial, and habit is more than just a repetition: any habit is stabilized through multiple practices that construct new ways of living, whether in the home or in everyday culture more generally” (17).

(the video:)

In essence, digital media brings both positive and negative effects to our society. It is ultimately how you use digital media that will shape your positive/negative experiences. It has revolutionized the way we as a society do things and has created cultures in such a short amount of time that they are evolving and changing just as quickly as they are being integrated. With that in mind, as well as the exchange my mother had via video phone call, I want to ask these questions:

1.) How will the rising cultures in digital media affect the generation gaps between families?

and

2) How have these different generations adapted to the rise in use of digital media?