Google. The website we all depend on for information. Whether it comes to essays, pictures, or even personal information. It is always there for us when we need it. It is an easy and fast way to gather the information that we need instead of spending hours in a library flipping through books of over 1500 pages of information that isnt required. It may be an easier way for us to find things but is it making us stupid and less intelligent?
The basic form of the internet developed in the year 1969 and Google wasn't created until the 1990s. So we had the internet for over 20 years without Google. What did people do on the internet back then? Did they blog? Did they post pictures on unknown websites? Who knows? All I know is, ever since Google was distributed on the internet so people all over the globe could access it, it has made us even lazier than we were years ago.
I'm going to be brutally honest. When I am doing an assignment and I want quick, updated info, I probably go straight to google to gather the information I need in a flash. It is a very quick and easy way to help you. And I personally think that Google is making us stupid. The library is not used half as much as it used to and we just get lazy to the point where we don't want to spend hours researching. When it comes to Google, it is just clicks away from finishing that 20 page essay you need for that media class. It really has taken control of our life. . As the media theorist Marshall McLuhan pointed out in the 1960s, media are not just passive channels of information. They supply the stuff of thought, but they also shape the process of thought. And what the Net seems to be doing is chipping away my capacity for concentration and contemplation.
The worst part is, being on the internet is generally very distracting. We go on Google to research a topic, end up on facebook, decide to listen to music while doing your homework, and just end up completely losing focus. Some people have to fight to focus and finish their assignment. I wish I could say that we could get rid of this addiction of losing focus on the world wide web but is just isn't that easy.
When I was younger, I was not introduced to much technology. I was always outside riding my bike, playing hopscotch, going to the park with my family and just enjoying being a kid. I had a tv but it only had around 6 channels so I rarely watched tv. I started playing piano and then that became a big part of my life. Now that there is satellite tv, blackberry's and i-Phones, and the world wide web, it really seems like it has taken over me. It is like a drug I can not quit. I am 100% addicted to it. I am constantly on my blackberry and constantly on facebook. I have completely lost touch with the outside world. They already portray the outside world online so what's the point right?
Google has made people lazier and lazier over the years. We are so dependant on the information that Google provides, we don't take the time to actually learn anything. We end up copying and pasting information to finish that last sentence to tie together that last paragraph in the tough essay you procrastinated to finish.
We really do not learn as much as we used to and I wish I could say that technology is going to change and we will be smarter, but it is just getting worse and worse and Web 2.0 is going to develop into something huge. We never know what the future holds with all this technology that is developing. All I am hoping is that I don't get lazy to the point where I am sitting on my butt the entire day doing nothing. I want to be able to do something and enjoy life. Google has to get out of our lives. Otherwise, we will not learn anything and there is just really no point in learning anything new.
All I can say is good luck to the future generation and I hope that we can still live our lives without the media taking over and posessing us.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Reeeee-mixxxxxx
Remixing is about taking something that is old and turning it into something new and putting your own creativity on it. It is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version.
This is a perfect example of taking something old and remixing it with the style of beats nowadays. Michael Jackson was the King of Pop and has been a legend and musical influence to people everywhere. So remixing this song was a really good idea because it appealed to today's generation. The teens of today's generation like to listen to dubstep, beats and songs with lots of bass. This song sounds very modern and is just a lot of fun to dance to.
Remixing songs really puts a creativity on a song and makes it its own. As Mason said, "a good remix adds value to something."
What happens when remix enters the mainstream? Well in fact, remix has devalued the idea of the original idea of the song. Big companies rely on these new remixes to sell and reinvent their products, images and songs. Instead of the companies creating new products, they re-create their brands by making simple, minor changes.
We are constantly surrounded by remixes: on the radio, fashion, and we even remix our own music all the time. The concept of remixing is very thrilling because we never know what to expect. We do not know what to expect in the future of technology and remixing is a great way to keep us interested.
The Relationship Between Media and Culture
We are part of a society that is filled with advancing technologies and we must be able to realize the effect that this technology has on us and how we view this technology. The way we live now is mostly based on the new technologies and we should understand why and try not to be as consumed with these technologies as we are today.
The four theories of media and culture are:
1) No Effect: media and culture are not related whatsoever
2) Mirror: media reflects culture, and culture shapes the media
3) Determinist: the media determines or shapes culture
4) Mutual Influence: media and culture shape each other equally
These four theories give us an idea of what media and culture could potentially mean and give us that opportunity to figure out how we see the media and what we think of it.
The media have a strong social and cultural impact on society. This is predicted upon their ability to reach a wide audience with a strong and influential message. Marshall McLuhan uses the phrase, "The medium is the message," as a means of explaining how the distribution of the message can often be more important than content of the message itself.
While media influence theories are often used to show the negative effects that the media has on society, it is also pointing out that media can influence in a good way. There are many commercials on tv that show negative signs of drinking and driving, smoking, pregnancy, etc and it tries to prevent society from encountering these situations.
I personally believe that media and culture shape each other. Mass media greatly influence how people make sense of even the most basic features of their societies. Without media, culture is nothing. And without culture, media is nothing.
The four theories of media and culture are:
1) No Effect: media and culture are not related whatsoever
2) Mirror: media reflects culture, and culture shapes the media
3) Determinist: the media determines or shapes culture
4) Mutual Influence: media and culture shape each other equally
These four theories give us an idea of what media and culture could potentially mean and give us that opportunity to figure out how we see the media and what we think of it.
The media have a strong social and cultural impact on society. This is predicted upon their ability to reach a wide audience with a strong and influential message. Marshall McLuhan uses the phrase, "The medium is the message," as a means of explaining how the distribution of the message can often be more important than content of the message itself.
While media influence theories are often used to show the negative effects that the media has on society, it is also pointing out that media can influence in a good way. There are many commercials on tv that show negative signs of drinking and driving, smoking, pregnancy, etc and it tries to prevent society from encountering these situations.
I personally believe that media and culture shape each other. Mass media greatly influence how people make sense of even the most basic features of their societies. Without media, culture is nothing. And without culture, media is nothing.
Technology and Myth
Time after time, new technology is being introduced. We are getting used to new aspects of technology and how much more futuristic our society is evolving into. The more and more technology is being created, the easier and faster it becomes for us to communicate with information and people.
We become so dependant on technology, we are always waiting on the next big thing to be introduced to us. It is something that we do every day and it seems like technology is becoming more of our best friend than our actual friends are. Instead of going to your friends house to talk and just have fun, we resort to using facebook, skype, msn, etc. We are still communicating with them but it just isn't face to face. We are erasing the special people from our lives because technology has replaced them.
The question is...will technological development ever end? There is no limit to what technology can do so we never know what we could be faced with technologically 20 years from now. Vincent Mosco says, "history is filled with mythmaking about technology." When new technology is introduced, so do myths about the new technology. We never know when this new technology is going to end and if there will even be an ending.
Because we are users of this new technology, we need to be open to the idea that technology is going to be in our lives forever. We need to be able to distinguish the difference between the myths of technology and the reality of it. We should make our own decisions on how we feel about technology and embrace what the future holds.
We become so dependant on technology, we are always waiting on the next big thing to be introduced to us. It is something that we do every day and it seems like technology is becoming more of our best friend than our actual friends are. Instead of going to your friends house to talk and just have fun, we resort to using facebook, skype, msn, etc. We are still communicating with them but it just isn't face to face. We are erasing the special people from our lives because technology has replaced them.
The question is...will technological development ever end? There is no limit to what technology can do so we never know what we could be faced with technologically 20 years from now. Vincent Mosco says, "history is filled with mythmaking about technology." When new technology is introduced, so do myths about the new technology. We never know when this new technology is going to end and if there will even be an ending.
Because we are users of this new technology, we need to be open to the idea that technology is going to be in our lives forever. We need to be able to distinguish the difference between the myths of technology and the reality of it. We should make our own decisions on how we feel about technology and embrace what the future holds.
Web 2.0
If you surf the web these days, what tends to come up numerous times is references to Web 2.0. This is the new and revolutionary change that is sweeping the web and allowing users to interact with the information available there in ways that we never thought possible years ago.
Web 2.0 is a term that describes the new ways in which we use the internet. Web 2.0 has really changed our society. Blogs, email, facebook, etc, have become a regular thing in today's society. Technology is everywhere and it has become part of our lives. Today's generation is used to the new technology and the internet. It becomes part of their everyday life, whether it is writing a new blog explaining what an amazing day they had, uploading pictures on facebook or even updating their twitter every 10 minutes. They take advantage of the access of the internet to find information and just make their lives a lot easier.
People in the past used to go to libraries to get information. They would spend hours in the library reading though tonnes of textbooks to find the information they needed for that one essay. That is not what we are used to today. The majority of people will go on google and immediately find their information without having to read through a bunch of useless information. The internet has definitely made our lives a lot easier but it is something that a lot of us do not think we would be able to live without. They lived without the internet years ago. Why is it so impossible for us to let go of it today? Web 2.0 is like a drug to us. We are addicted to being connected to technology and we will not be able to give it away.
Web 2.0 is a term that describes the new ways in which we use the internet. Web 2.0 has really changed our society. Blogs, email, facebook, etc, have become a regular thing in today's society. Technology is everywhere and it has become part of our lives. Today's generation is used to the new technology and the internet. It becomes part of their everyday life, whether it is writing a new blog explaining what an amazing day they had, uploading pictures on facebook or even updating their twitter every 10 minutes. They take advantage of the access of the internet to find information and just make their lives a lot easier.
People in the past used to go to libraries to get information. They would spend hours in the library reading though tonnes of textbooks to find the information they needed for that one essay. That is not what we are used to today. The majority of people will go on google and immediately find their information without having to read through a bunch of useless information. The internet has definitely made our lives a lot easier but it is something that a lot of us do not think we would be able to live without. They lived without the internet years ago. Why is it so impossible for us to let go of it today? Web 2.0 is like a drug to us. We are addicted to being connected to technology and we will not be able to give it away.
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