It's Kamilah's World

I decided to alter the Wikipedia article of the popular television show The Real Housewives of New York City(RHONY).  I went into the edit tab and changed the status from airing to cancelled.  I also changed the last air date from present to 08/01/11.  I chose 08/01/11 because that was the date of the season finale from the last season.  The RHONY is a television program that is showed on Bravo TV, almost everyone who watches television is aware of this series or one of the spin off shows. They take place in different cities; NYC, Atlanta, Orange County, New Jersey, Beverly Hills and Miami.   I figured that if I changed something about a popular television program, that has many followers and fans, there would be some kind of interesting result.

The modifications were done on Sunday afternoon, there were no corrections made as of Monday morning.  It was interesting to see that my false modifications were not revised.  Maybe if I chose a program that had episodes running at this time, there would be a different outcome.  It goes to show that if something isn’t happening at the moment, there is a high chance that no one paying attention to it.

In The Language of New Media Manovich advises that Automation is one of the principles of new media. Automation is the technique of operating systems with automatic feeds. In my opinion, it simply excludes human interaction. Manovich breaks automation down into two levels; low level and high level.  Low level automation pertains to programs allowing the computer user to modify or create something original using templates or algorithms.  These low level automations are very significant to our everyday computer use.  Manovich uses Photoshop as an example of a program that is used to automatically correct and alter photos to improve their image. 

High level automation is more relevant to artificial intelligence (AI).  Manovich states that this level of automation requires the computer to understand the meanings embedded in the generated objects. It is almost as though the computer is required to act like a human. AI engines use various approaches to simulate or imitate human intellect. Characters created are designed to have an expertise in their field.  They are able to proficiently perform, while displaying skill and intelligence.

Living in the world of new media I feel as though we tend to be threatened more by high level automation than low level.  Low level automation is taken for granted. These automations are very significant to our everyday computer use.  Students and employees use programs like word processors, PowerPoint, and Excel to execute tasks efficiently and accurately.  The help of the automatic programs decreases the focus on detail and allows us to work well without the worry of too many about errors.  AI imitates the human mind.  It is human nature to be threatened by any being or program that carries all or most of your characteristics.  It is especially threatening when it performs at a more enhanced level than you.

When I first heard about Facebook I was in my freshman year and it was only open to college students.  I opened up an account because it was seemed really cool and I never heard of anything like it before. My account was only open for about a year before I deleted it.  It was fun while it lasted but I got kind of bored with it. Little did I know it would make a come back and nearly consume my life.

Fast forward to 2010 and I’m back on FB.  My sisters, father, grandfather, cousins, aunts, uncles, friends going back to Elemenary school, coworkers, new friends; and potential friends all have accounts.  How could I not have an account if the whole world is on FB?  I would have been left out of the loop.

I have my new account and I’m now obsessed with FB.  I would find myself checking updates on my cell all day, on my lunch break at work; and in class. I didn’t want to miss an embarrassing pic, funny post,  or facebook spat.  It was entertaining and at the same time I connected with people I would never have been able to find in the world out side of FB.

Long story short, I realized that I was letting it consume me more than it was supposed to.  I made a New Years resolution last year to cut back and I ended up completely phasing it out.  I officially deleted my facebook account last month and I don’t feel like I am missing out on anything.

My name is Kamilah and I was a Facebook addict.