Looking back at the activities we did this semester, there are a couple things I will definitely take with me and use throughout my Baruch experience. I really didn’t know what to expect from this class when we first started, but it soon enough we started covering interesting topics that dealt with everyday life especially in regards to technology.

Starting with the reading material, “The Filter Bubble” by Eli Pariser was a big eye opener. Before reading this, I would say like many I was an avid technology user, from smartphones to social networking i just used it without really questioning how it really worked, it never even crossed my mind what these big corporations were doing with all the information we put out there. Now, after reading this book I was made aware of how easy is to obtain personal information on the net, I learned that we are being monitored without really knowing it. Not only has this changed my whole outlook on technology but it really has changed the way I use it. I’m more careful about the stuff I put out there and before I put my personal information I look at their privacy policies and what other third parties might be able to see or use my information, like Pariser suggested I’m trying to stay as far away from the filter bubble. Overall, I thought this book was very interesting and an easy read, it didn’t drag on and offered interesting points and revelations.

Another activity that I found very useful was the database lesson. I liked this lesson because it gave us an alternative other than Google to find sources for research projects and information we might need for a paper. Not only was it fairly easy to use, but the information was well organized and to the point. Google can only give you so much and sometimes it may lack certain information that can easily be obtained from a database. I recently used the database for a paper in my history class, and it was a huge help, many if not all my sources were from the database. This really saved my behind, because my go-to search engine, Google, wasn’t really helping me out and thankfully I got all the information I needed from the database. Other activities we did like using mindmeister, making wikis and even learning how to use Google Drive which was something I had no idea was available, and now use it for pretty much everything are helpful not only for this class but for others as well. I had not heard of these things before taking this class and Im sure Im going to utilize them in the future.

One thing that I wish was covered in class is how to fight the filter bubble. Pariser gave suggestions of how to do this at the end of the book, but it would’ve been cool to follow up and actually see how we can actually avoid it or see what companies are paying more to collect our information and what companies let their customers see what they are doing with their information.