Have you ever wondered what happens when you click the Like button on Facebook? Or retweet something you like on Twitter? Or subscribe to your favorite YouTube channel? A couple instances of this mindless act may not have any significant effects. However, with all of instances of you performing these actions; imagine how much information about you is being shared over the internet. Douglas Rushkof in Generation Like explains how this data may be used against us. However, I think this scenario is more harmful than what’s shown on the surface.
Social media users, including myself, benefit from these social platforms. We use it to keep in touch with old friends and family and to meet new friends. However, I believe this benefit is short lived. Some social media platforms claimed that user information, upon request, will remain private. How many people do you know actually knows how to turn on the privacy settings on Facebook, Twitter, or other social medias? Even if the information is hidden from public view, what is stopping from these websites/firms from selling off your information to a third party? The more established firms, like Facebook, may not do this publicly because their reputation is on the line. However, what is stopping a website/company that is on the edge of bankruptcy from doing this?
I believe it is time to revert back to the traditional way of keeping in touch with people; in person. Why not treat your friend to lunch instead of a Facebook message? Or mail your girlfriend a birthday card instead of texting her with emoji smileys? Perhaps bring your coworker a wedding invitation instead of a simple invite over email? With the lowered transaction cost, some actions performed over the internet won’t transcript the same sincerity (or insincerity) as you have hoped for in an in person interaction. Generation Like mentioned that some people require therapy to ease their technology addiction. Despite what the therapy methodologies may be, I believe the most effective solution is human interactions.
Watts and Strogatz cited 27 sources in their article. On the other hand. Watts and Strogatz was cited 8,709 times by other authors. Of the 8,709 instances of citation, a large portion of it were general science related in the fields related to physics and computer science. The top three authors that cited Watts and Strogatz’s article were Chen, G. (76 times), Wang, B. (71 times), and Zhou T. (68 times).
The instances that cited back to Watts and Strogatz’s article were mainly physics journals. This is followed by a moderate amount by computer science, and the least amount by mechanic.
Twitter just announced that it will be offering two new additions to their popular social network platform (to read the full article, click here). The first addition allows users to tag up to 10 friends in their photos. Prior to this change, the only way to incorporate your friends into a related photo is through mentioning your friends’ name in the limited 144 characters message. The second addition is to allow users to upload to four photos at a time to be merged into one big collage. Prior to this, each photo must be uploaded one by one.
These additions are definitely not unique or new to the social networking environment. For example, Facebook has incorporated friend tagging into their status updates for quite a while. However, on the contrary, Facebook recently adapted Twitter’s use of hashtags.
With all of these sharing (or stealing/copying) of social networking techniques, do you think that it is just a matter of time before there will be little to no differentiation among social networks? Perhaps there will only be one large integrated Social Network? Do you think this is feasible? If not, what is your opinion on the trend of the social networks environment?
Have you ever thought how life would be like without technology technological improvements? Imagine how the laptop experience would be different without a touch pad? Or typing on a keyboard at night without the keyboard back lit option?
We are more familiar with people like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates that revolutionized the personal computer industry. Who we don’t know are the “mini-Steve Jobs” and “mini-Bill Gates” that enhanced our experiences with these products. The name, Brad A. Myers, probably won’t ring a bell in an average person’s mind. However, everyone that uses a computer will come across his work at least once. Any idea on what this is?
The progress bar! Yes, that little bar that tells how much longer you have to wait until your new Facebook profile picture is uploaded. This improvement may be unnoticeable to the user, but according to Myer’s theory on the “percent-done progress indicators”, a progress bar reduces user anxiety to ensure a more relaxed experience even if the progress bar does not accurately reflect the percentage of completion. That is right! All of us have been deceived by the progress bar! (Hopefully this truth won’t raise your anxiety levels the next time you are waiting for the progress bar.)
Can you think of any subliminal improvements that were made on technology and the reason behind such improvements?
Oppenheimer, Todd. “Selling software: how vendors manipulate research and cheat students.” Education Next 7.2 (2007): 22+. Academic OneFile. Web. 25 Feb. 2014.
Database: Academic OneFile database.
The town of Stoke-on-Trent in the UK is piloting an obesity awareness texting program. This town government program will send daily motivational texts to its overweight/obese subscribers. The city council concludes that this preventative program, which cost about 10,000 Euros, is a cheaper alternative to the medical bills relating to obesity that will be incurred in the future. Click here to read the full article.
As strange as this idea may sound I think this will be extremely helpful in the long run. Think of how tempting it is when you walk pass a Subways or McDonalds and you smell the freshly baked bread or cheeseburgers. Before you mindlessly walk into the store, you suddenly receive a text that says “2 more months until summer, is your beach body ready?” How powerful would that be?!
The other side of the argument is the practicality and motivational factor. One gentleman from the BBC article summarized the idea of the text messages perfectly by saying, “I don’t know whether it would feel like nagging, though. I’ve already got my wife to do that.”
Do you think this method is useful? If it’s not, how else should the town government spend the 10,000 Euros budget?
When I was catching up on my readings for LIB 3040 during my commute today, I realized that I am two of about 15 people on the train reading a physical book. The rest of the commuters were either reading on their phone or on a Kindle-like device. I also own a Kindle and a phone filled with ebooks. However, I still prefer reading a physical book because of the physical pages that I may flip and the fact that I may store the book in my bookcase after I finish it. With ebooks, may I “file” it away? In fact, do I really “own” the ebook?
Applying this concept to a broader perspective, it seems to me like the trend is gravitating toward rentals, and less of ownership. Think of how we stream music/movies through Spotify or YouTube and rent textbooks through Chegg. Outside of academics, think of car rentals through companies like Hertz and digital magazine subscriptions through Bloomberg. Do you think this is a growning trend among the generation today? If so, why do you think people prefer this new way of accessing the goods/services they need?
Professor Stanley Chu is currently an Adjunct Accounting Professor at Baruch College and an Associate Accounting Professor at The Touro College. His rich academia background includes teaching the CPA (Certified Public Accountant) examination for over 25 years and instructing at major firms such as AT&T, Johnson and Johnson, and Deloitte. Click here for his full academic profile at The Touro College.
His recent publications in the field of accounting includes:
1) “History of Accounting Education”, Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice Spring 2012
2) “Student Attitudes Towards Online Homework in Accounting”, Accounting Instructors Report, Fall 2010
The challenges with information have changed drastically within the past two decades. In the late 1990’s the main challenge is accessing the information. To retrieve information, one would have to locate the specific book, journal, or newspaper in a library or watch what’s on the news/TV. Today, information is so abundant and easily accessible through internet databases, search engines, social media, and other media outlets, that the biggest challenge we are facing is to learn how to filter out false and/or unreliable information. Having access to valuable information in a timely manner may lead to more informed decisions and profits. On the contrary, the lack of valuable information may lead to a major financial loss that is evident during the 2008 financial crisis.
The issue that now arises is – who should determine what information to filter out and what information to keep? In China, the Chinese government took this matter into their own hands when it censored sensitive word searches on the Google search engine. For example, Google searches related to the Chinese character, “Jiang”, is censored because it is associated to the death rumors of former President Jiang Zemin. However, “Jiang” is also the Chinese character for “river”. Click here to read the full article.
Do you think it is ethical for the Chinese government to censor searches on search engines like Google? Do you think the US government and US-based companies follow a similar practice (maybe at a lesser degree) but is currently unknown to the general public (think of Yahoo’s and YouTube’s removal of “inappropriate” content in the comment section of its articles and videos)?
When I think of the library, I think of a place of self-teaching. If I was asked this question a few years back, I would think of it just as a place of books. However, through my college years, my view of it has changed. In my opinion, the association of books with library has been less common due to the advancement of technology. For example, the first book-less library opened up in Texas. Visitors of the library may only access ebooks only through any wifi-enabled devices.
Comments:
"It is super unfortunate that such an event took place. It is bad enough to know that there are people on the other side of the world disheartened by such tragedy. However, to make matters worse, some media firms report the news with the intention to dramatize such event and to guide the viewer’s to biased assumptions. I don’t mean to pinpoint a specific media, but I just happened to come across a headline titled, “'All right, good night': Last words of missing Malaysian passenger jet pilot …” on UK’s Daily Mail website and it leads to think about what intentions these media firms have in mind. Do they want me to assume that the pilot knowingly diverted/crashed the plan? Or do they want me to associate this with acts of terrorism? Either way, it caught my attention (which I believe, is all the media really cares about).
On the contrary of these repetitive mainstream media stories, my friend shared a blog written by a pilot with 20 years of experience. Maybe it is because I am an optimistic person, but this blog makes a lot of sense to me. The best part of it is that the blogger claimed the pilot to be a hero. How many times have you heard that comparison in the mainstream media since this event was broadcasted?
http://www.wired.com/autopia/2014/03/mh370-electrical-fire/"
posted on Mar 19, 2014, on the post What do we do when technology fails?"I believe the next best alternative in reaching out to the younger demographics is through television. For example, immediately after the broadcasting the 2010 Super Bowl, CBS aired Undercover Boss. Similarly in 2012, NBC aired The Voice right after the Super Bowl. Guess how these shows were performing? Superb (at least for that season)! I am not saying airing an interview with Obama talking about Obamacare after a The Walking Dead or True Blood episode is going to generate the same success as The Voice, but it will capture some attention. However, I do not foresee the information obtained through the interview spreading as quickly without the internet. Without the internet, there will still be numerous ways to provide information; but there will be less effective ways to share the information.
With regards to the video; two words… absolutely hilarious!!"
posted on Mar 19, 2014, on the post Between Two Ferns"I fully agree with your point of view about the internet craze that has occurred after the Oscars. However, I don’t think it’s because people are shying themselves away from the bad news. In fact, I think people are so bombarded by such an abundance of negative that they are seeking for positive news to lighten up their day. Imagine how tense a conversation would be if it solely revolves around the crisis in Ukraine or the hunger and poor in Africa.
Additionally, think about the audience that would be interested in these two extreme topics. Who would concern themselves with the crisis in Ukraine? Perhaps adults that falls between 30 – 60 years old? How many of them are consistently browsing the internet? On the other hand, who would open up a short and innocent article about a selfie of celebrities? Mainly teenagers? Perhaps adults so they may share a conversation with their children or engage in celebrity gossip with their co-workers?
Different news attracts different kinds of audiences. Some news appeals to the mass public while other news appeal to only a niche. I don’t think the number of retweets should be used as the sole measurement of how much attention an issued has gained."
posted on Mar 17, 2014, on the post Sharing good news or bad…."I do experience the “phantom pocket vibration” if I am impatiently waiting for a response from someone. It is scary how our minds can play these kinds of tricks on us. On a similar note, some people turn to their phone when he/she is in a state of temporary loneliness. This may be the period standing on line waiting to place your order in a fast food restaurant or waiting for something to print in the Baruch library. To relief this temporary state of loneliness, we turn to our phone to entertain ourselves instead of just standing around waiting. I am no exception to this as I am also a victim of such action. It is extremely difficult for us to not depend on our phones and other forms of technology because technology is so easily accessible and it has become a convenient way to stay connected. I believe it’s healthy to adapt habits such as a “plug out period”, which prohibit you from accessing any sorts of technology for a portion of the day. This is a severe situation that the next generation (or even this generation) is heading towards…"
posted on Mar 17, 2014, on the post Phantom Pocket Vibration Syndrome"First off, Google Glasses are pretty amazing and good looking! I would get one if I have that much money lying around! Wearable technology is rapidly making its mark in the technology world. I like the concept of these accessories. However, I cannot imagine myself having more than one of these items. Imagine each time you get a text, your phone, watch, necklace … your whole body will vibrate to alert you (maybe I am exaggerating a bit). What is worse is that there will be one less excuse for you to not respond to a text message/phone call from your clingy boyfriend/girlfriend or demanding boss. On a lighter note, you won’t have to worry about finding a flashlight when there is a blackout (assuming all of your wearable technologies have a long battery life)!
I am excited to see what these new technology has in stored for us in the near future!"
posted on Feb 24, 2014, on the post Technological Couture"This is a very unique and interesting concept. Currently, website posts and hashtags are used frequently for advertising/promotional purposes. I am not sure how successful it has been in the companies’ stand point, but I did become more aware of certain brand names. I understand and foresee the concept of using consumer’s posts and hashtags as a part of a loyalty program (similar to those of the Starbucks card which gives you a free drink after your 12th purchase). The number of loyalty points that may be obtained and exchanged for merchandises may be depended on the number of views you received on the posts.
However, the idea of it being a “social media currency” is a bit farfetched for me. How would one obtain this “currency”? If it’s through the method I proposed before, then there would be a disparity between the rich and the poor. Think of how many views/likes an average person receives from their Twitter/Facebook post. How about someone like Beyonce? Obama? Bill Gates? Additionally, there is going to be valuation issues in an economics perspective (which I will not discuss).
Overall, I believe this concept is very interesting and is something retailers should consider for their loyalty program!"
posted on Feb 9, 2014, on the post Pay with Tweets and Pictures"I am a fan of the show and I love the promotional effects at Union Square. I believe it was a harmless and fun prank on the pedestrians; although, I would be quite scared if it had happened to me. In terms of effectiveness, I don’t think it was merely as effective as it could have been. As an average Joe with little marketing experience, I would have needed some sort of subliminal hint/information before or after the prank. For example, before I walk into the “prank zone” I see a big zombie warning poster related to the “The Walking Dead”. In that moment, the poster would not been of any significance to me. After falling victim to the prank, I would associate that experience to the poster that I saw.
Relating back to the use of technology with, in this case, marketing/advertisement, I would have posted on Facebook or Twitter about what I have just experienced – something along the lines of “Holy Zombies!! So subway rats are not the only ones living under the NYC streets”. However, if I saw the poster, I would have incorporated “The Walking Dead” into my post – something along the lines of “Holy Zombies!! So subway rats are not the only things that live under the NYC streets #hypedforthewalkingdead.”
Speaking of which, The Walking Dead will air 21 hours from this post! #hyped"
posted on Feb 9, 2014, on the post Good Way to Promote?"I am glad that you brought this issue up (I was so close to writing a blog about this as well, but you beat me to it). I have watched the commercial and read the cruel Twitter posts and I don’t think anything should be done about it. Social medias, like Twitter, is a public domain for everyone to share their opinions and I believe that as soon as Twitter attempts to “block” or “filter” such comments, it will be on the receiving end of the hateful comments - comments that might accuse Twitter of following NSA-like actions or the government censorship practices in China.
What I think should be done is to let it dissolve itself. If no one shares these comments with their friends on Facebook or through word of mouth, then these posts will be forgotten as soon as Justin Bieber gets caught doing something silly (just kidding about the Justin Bieber part, but you get my point). I believe people need to understand that companies, like Coca Cola, are just as, if not more, internationally exposed than everyone in the United States. If I may speak English and Cantonese to anyone I know, then I don’t see why corporations like Coca Cola do something similar for its consumers via an advertisement."
posted on Feb 8, 2014, on the post Coca Cola Superbowl Ad"So you mean Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake are overusing hash tags in this skit?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57dzaMaouXA
On a more serious note, I totally agree with your pet peeve. In my opinion, the use of hash tags has changed drastically since the last couple of years! Like you, I have noticed more and more people using hash tags for irrelevant reasons (I am guilty of this as well). For example, I would occasionally add #thatthoughaccountinglife on my Facebook status during finals week to share my stress in a comedic way. However, there are users that use hash tags simply to, like you said, obtain more followers and other irrelevant reasons. This is extremely frustrating when other users are searching hash tags and the results that show up are completely unrelated to what they had in mind. However, it really cannot be controlled. The freedom of using hash tags is what made Twitter so unique and to do away with it or even control it (at an authoritative level) is contradictive of its original purpose."
posted on Feb 7, 2014, on the post Society’s Crazy Need of Approval From Strangers Through Excessive and Unnecessary ‘Spam’ Hashtags"The "proper" English language has been always been debated on to determine which words are proper and which are not. Back in high school, I remember my friends and I would visit websites such as www.urbandictionary.com to keep updated with the newest lingo/slang (at not to mention, for some laughter). Urban Dictionary, in my opinion, is nothing more than an informal repository of “words” created by the public. Clearly, more reputable sites and sources, such as the Oxford Dictionary, are better known to be the rulebook for the English language. It is interesting to point out that words like such as "Tweet"and "iOS", which were once part of Urban Dictionary are now part of the Oxford Dictionary and the Standard English language. Ironically, as I am typing this post, my browser’s spell check still shows that "Tweet" and "iOS" are nonexistent/misspelled words."
posted on Feb 5, 2014, on the post When Should Spelling Be Standardized on the Web"I agree with you about the seating situation in the library during finals week. At times I feel like I should go to Chinatown and buy a foldable chair to bring to the library. All in all, the environment does motivates me to study harder. The best feeling is when the finals week is all over."
posted on Jan 30, 2014, on the post Library motivation