Technological Determinism, Social Construction/Shaping of Technology

                          Internet,a global network connecting millions of computers. The internet has it's advantages and disadvantages. Some people believe the internet is the most dangerous weapon ever created because it is a place where all identities can be stolen, homes are invaded, a place for mankind to exercise it's darkest desires,an open market where you can purchase anything you want. The internet is taking us to a place where everything we do is watched,monitored and processed without our consent.

                           Whereas, there are people who believe that the internet is a good thing, the most education tool the world has ever known, the only place freedom of speech exists. Shortly after the internet became popular in the states, two movies films were released (you've got mail or The net) which serve as cultural referent for understanding online romance and theft (pg23). According to (Sturken & Thomas,2004) there was an urban legend about "sympathetic needles" which allowed people to communicate across distance in the sixteenth century.

                                We all use the internet for different purposes such as : business and a wide range of people use it for social networking sites ( facebook,twitter,myspace e.t.c). we all love the internet even though it's the most dangerous weapon ever created.

GOOD INTERNET

BAD INTERNET

Good internet

Bad internet

Technological Determinism, Social Construction/Shaping of Technology

The Social Construction of Technological Systems: New Directions in the Sociology and History of Technology

The Social Construction of Technological Systems: New Directions in the Sociology and History of Technology

The Intersections of Technology and Myth

Well, i don't seem to understand the message the author is trying get across to the readers in this chapter. This chapter really got on my nerves although it was informative. It seems really weird that this same common medium would solve the world's problem if only the people who invented it would connect the world."People do use the internet to create false identity" oh yes, absolutely many people all over the world create fake identities online for relationships,fraud e.t.c Most people on social network don't put their real pictures up just because they enjoy online fraud. "without the communication technologies we have now, we could not sustain the social and dispersed social and professional networks which many people take for granted". whereas we stay connected with people for longer and across greater distances. In 1914,William Gibson published Neuromancer, a futuristic computer-oriented science fiction novel in which he developed his neologism "cyberspace". I would say technology has contributed a lot in our world today.

NEUROMANCER WRITTEN BY WILLIAM GIBSON

Remix Culture

Lawrence Lessig's Remix discusses the ease at which internet users now a days can manipulate or "remix" other articles or videos they see on the internet. Thanks to the ease of use the internet and Web 2.0 provides, people can simply download a song and had their own special twist to it, consumers can download a video and edit it to their pleasing. For all intents and purposes, the consumer wields as much power as the original creator of the intellectual property. The use of Web 2.0 and instant availability of information to consumers has created a new mind set when browsing. People feel that any content on the internet is free and they can manipulate it as much as they wish. Lessigs "Remix" tells the story of a woman named Stephanie Lenz, who by chance uploaded a video of her infant child dancing to a song by popular artist Prince to YouTube. Lenz was subsequently sued by Universal Music Group for using their intellectual properties without UMG's consent.
The widespread availability of tools to casual consumers has created a remix culture on the internet. People now have the power to virtually change anything they wish, whether it be a Wikipedia article or a video involving a dancing baby set to the music of Prince.
The protection of Intellectual properties is very important for the IP owners, take for example celebrity photographer and filmmaker David LaChapelle, who recently sued pop artist Rihanna for using his concept art and imagery in her video for her single "S&M". LaChapelle states that Rihanna's video mimics the "composition, total concept, feel, tone, mood, theme, colors, props, setting, decors, wardrobe and lighting" of specific photographs he has produced over the course of his career.
  
Musicians should strive to create their own unique concepts for videos or at least give proper rights to those they may take inspirational cues from. French alternative rock group Phoenix creates their own unique video for hit single Lisztomania, while also paying proper tribute to those that inspired their video. The video locations are great and the camera work is beautifully done. 


As the role of the internet becomes bigger and more integrated into everyday life, consumers have developed a complex where by they feel entitled to any content online. Consumers feel they can freely utilize or edit any content on the internet, regardless of the original owners intent. In some cases, this proves to be a great use of the internet, but in other cases, this Remix Culture can be seen as no more than copyright infriengment

Rihanna - "S&M" ( Legendado | Lyrics | Tradução ) HD ( Jackson Legendas )

Add caption

Deeper meaning in Music: Phoenix - Lisztomania

 Lizstomania, performed by  Grammy winning French alternative rock band Phoenix  from their 4th studio album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is a song that I have a deep connection with and greatly inspires.

Phoenix crafts a beautiful song with sharp fast paced melodies accompanied by lead singer Thomas Mars' soothing voice. Lizstomania is a song that deals the hardships of creating the perfect song. Mars sings about the trials he must face as he tries to maintain his integrity as an artist but at the same time, create a melodic pop song that will appeal to mainstream audiences. On the surface, Lizstomania is a typical happy, care free pop song; catchy, radio friendly and easily digestible for mainstream music consumers but deeper investigation into the lyrics reveals Thomas Mars' struggle to create music that will not just appeal to the mainstream, but appeal to his integrity as an artist. Phoenix blends catchy, perfectly balanced hooks with sharp song writing to create a song that appeals to mainstream audiences but not at the cost bands artistic integrity.

Further reading
Pitchfork Review of Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

BUCKSHOT LEFONQUE & DJ PREMIER - MUSIC EVOLUTION (REMIX INSTRUMENTAL)

New Media; New boundaries

               As the internet continues to grow and expand, humans have become more reliant on the web to provide them with news, information and entertainment. We utilize web services such as blogs, and social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to consume information. The use of mobile telephones to consume such information as made it personalization of information easier and more mainstream.
Thanks to the internet, there has been a very noticeable paradigm shift in the way information is presented, created and consumed. Overall it represents a good change for the media; change that means we should pay greater attention to our shared online spaces. The use of Web 2.0 has created a virtual free for all; information is easily available to our finger tips. Although the availability of information is great for human development as a whole, it creates a fundamental segregation among people. Thanks to the availability of technology, we instinctively forgo natural human interaction and instead opt to communicate through technology. Any over reliance on technology as a means of human communication is potentially detrimental to human development. Kids might lose valuable social skills they should be learning.

The availably of information makes it harder to actually "learn" a skill. One can simply download a program and create a blog from scratch with little or no skills in HTML whatsoever. Although the digital age is a great benefit to man kind, giving us information that was previously unavailable, it is also detrimental to our development and can be obsessive or distracting.

The book Personal Connections in the Digital Age, author Mckenna,Green believes "long-distance romances are built and maintained through electronic contact"(pg3) I agree with Greens statement because applications such as Skype and other video calling services have helped long distance relationships to be maintained . Thanks to this technology, it is been possible for individuals to interact with one another even though they are far from one another. An article written by Matt Richtel shows technology's detrimental effects on humans. The article describes the story of a young boy who prefers to spend his time chatting on Facebook and watching videos on YouTube rather than do his summer homework.
The abuse of technology is the biggest issue in our society because its making people lazy and ineffective. I recently watched a video of a woman who fell into the fountain at her local mall while texting; although I initially laughed at the lady's ordeal, I realized that her obsession with technology was so great that she become engrossed in a relationship she had formed and maintained through technology. The same technology that she so highly relied on for communication also lead to her embarrassment. Metaphorically speaking, her over reliance on technology lead to her downfall.

Girl Falls In Mall Fountain While Texting