blog 6 - big brother

I guess if you really think about it "Big Brother" exists in all sorts of ways.  It's like with the more technology we get the more we lose our privacy.  I think a lot of things about technology are awesome but when it comes to the issue of privacy it is almost as if I want no more of it.  I forget when I first heard this talked about in school but one of my teachers was talking about how the bonus card that you use at Giant is a form of surveillance.  After this instance I remember like one or two other teachers mentioning this as well.  I guess it is a form of surveillance because they know what you pick up when you go to the grocery store and from that they know what you eat, drink, or even what magazines you may read.  Before my teacher brought this to our attention I never thought of the bonus card in that way.  In fact, I never took the time to think about the bonus card.  Or even if I did I never had a negative view of it.  But now it is pretty weird to think that the corporation has a record on you and what you may buy everyday.  I don't have a problem with the bonus card but I guess this is just an example of how easy it is to not notice how closely we are being watched or even watched at all.

Knowing that cameras are appearing in more and more public places is pretty creepy because we do not even know where they are located anymore.  I mean when we were younger there might have been a couple of cameras here and there for places such as convenience stores or other stores in general and those cameras were often in plain sight.  Now because of the advanced technology we have today they can be well hidden.  Like it was said in class, who know when and where we are being watched.  Big Brother definitely exists today and in more and more places each and everyday. 

I think we have lost our right to privacy in a lot of ways but I think it is becoming more and more difficult to draw a distinct line between how and when we should be watched and when we should not be for the reason of security.  In 1984 the characters have basically no privacy whatsoever and I hope that we will never have to end up with that consequence.  I think the issue of security is so important but how much more can we do until we end up in a situation similar to the characters in 1984?

Our group talked a lot about how terrible it was that Winston along with the others in the novel felt fearful of doing almost anything.  They couldn't be themselves for fear of being watched by the telescreens or being caught by the Thought Police for a simple thought.  Our group said how everything they did was for the Party, that is all they thought about.  They couldn't trust anyone not even their kids.  I hope we never have to face this in the future!

blog 5 - my feed ads

One of the first advertisements that would probably show up on my feed would have to be one that involves traveling.  A traveling advertisement that could pop up on my feed is one for Expedia.com.  I really like the website because it lets you search for a variety of things like tickets for attractions, flights, vacation locations, and so much more.  Not only do I like it because you can find great deals on it but it is just an overall great way to search for a vacation spot that you might of never thought of traveling to.  It's fun just being able to search for vacation packages and planning ahead for the summer!  And it is also cool when you end up finding a great value for a trip.

Another advertisement that would be on my feed would be one for Target.  Who doesn't like Target haha.  I just went there this past Friday.  I think they have cute stuff like with their clothes and a variety of other things.  I also like looking at what they have for the home like decorations, or comforters and other items like that.  Target always seems to have a modern style with their products which is why I like going there so much.  They also have a great selection of books.

A third advertisement that would appear on the feed would be an ad for interior design.  I love looking at pictures of creative ways to design and decorate the different rooms in a home.  It is cool to mix and match and adjust designs to fit a person's own particular style.  It is also really neat to see pictures of extremely modern or futuristic designs in a building or home.  It is fun changing things around so it helps to get some ideas together.

Another advertisement that would pop up on my feed would be one for showing different movies that are coming out in theaters or on dvd.  I like watching movies because it has a way of letting you escape whatever is on your mind at the moment or it can help you by relating to a situation that you may be going through.  I enjoy most types of movies it just depends on what my friends and I feel like watching at a particular time.  I remember when I was in middle school me and my friends would go to the movies all the time.  It's kind of funny thinking back on it because right beside the theater was always crowded with a bunch of kids in middle school almost every Friday.

now that the challenge is over...

It may be a shame to say it, but I am glad that the challenge is finally over!  Although it was not too hard for me to stay away from things like the television; it was hard for me to keep on remembering to avoid technology altogether.  Like I stated before in my previous blogs for this challenge it was not hard to stay away steer away from technology on the weekdays but it was pretty difficult to do so on the weekends.  Like driving to go home on the weekends without the radio turned on or not being able to catch up with two of my favorite shows that were on demand.  That part of the challenge made things pretty boring at times.

Now that this challenge is over it made me realize how much we rely on technology during our free time.  It is like as soon as we get our work done we immediately turn on the television, or go to the movies with our friends, or sign in to facebook, or use our cell phones to text our friends.  This list could go on and on with the amount and types of technology that we have available to us today.  Technology surrounds us each and everyday even if we do not want to be around it.

This challenge made it more noticeable to me just how much technology can ruin a person's life.  This reminds me of the documentary that we had to watch that was about the online game World of Warcraft and how this game was becoming an addiction for the people in the documentary.  It is scary how dangerous technology can be to our lives.  It can take away from valuable family time, expose people to life threatening situations, and lead to an addiction like in the Second Skins documentary.  If we do not learn to manage our lives with today's technologies then technology may take over our lives in the future.

the challenge

          Spending my time without technology has not been too hard, especially during the school week.  There is always so much work to be done for my classes so it keeps me busy and away from technology already.  Not being able to call people on my cell phone has been pretty tough though.  Sometimes I would go to reach for my cell phone to make a call and then I remembered.  I do have to admit though that I did end up having to use my cell phone to text my friend about when and where to meet to eat.  This was the only reason I used my cell phone for.  Other than for that reason I stayed away from it.  It was just too hard to find out when to meet people when you had to without a cell phone.

Avoiding the television during the week was not hard at all for me.  I had a lot of work to do this week so I didn't get a chance to watch some of my favorite shows.  It did not matter too much to me though.  I guess as the week went on the challenge, not so much got easier, but I kind of got use to not using the technology that I normally would use.  While doing this challenge I realized just how much "noise" we surround ourselves with.  Whenever I walk down the hallway there is almost always someone playing music in their room and it is hard not to hear it.  If I heard someone else's music playing and if it was a song that I knew I had to try to just keep on walking down the hallway without singing the lyrics in my head because that would mean I was listening to music haha.  So everytime I heard music in the dining hall or in the dorms I had to try my best to ignore it and concentrate on something else.

a week without technology

One full week without technology.  At first I thought no way I am not going to do this because I was like, how am I going to do without my cell phone.  It is not that I cannot live without my cell phone because I text my friends all day with it, it is the fact that I use it to know when and where to meet people for lunch, dinner, and even for group projects.  But thankfully I started this challenge on a Friday when I went to go home as soon as my classes were over so that helped.  I ate lunch at the cub that Friday before I left for home.  It was weird because I basically never watch the tvs that are mounted high up in the cub but when I remembered I was beginning the challenge I had to remind myself that I could not watch it for even a minute.  It is weird how at first you do not even want to do something like watch tv or listen to music, but as soon as you are told not to do something for a particular reason it makes you want to watch tv or listen to music that much more.  It was really odd not to be able to turn on the radio while driving home.  That is the first thing that I like to do because I gotta have my music playing, but no I had to remind myself once again not to turn it on.  The ride was not bad at all though because I had someone in the car with me and we talked the whole way like we always do.  So far the challenge was not bad at all.

blog 4

There was this one section from Henry David Thoreau's Walden that intrigued me.  It was under the section heading Thoreau's Ideas on Modern Technology and Communication.  Thoreau wrote, "Men think that it is essential that the Nation have commerce, and export ice, and talk through a telegraph, and ride thirty miles an hour, without a doubt, whether they do or not; but whether we should live like baboons or like men, is a little uncertain" (Thoreau).  This surprised me because I never would have thought that people during the time around the 1840's would ever feel the way Thoreau did.  It is hard to believe that the people during this era had such a negative view towards technology already.  I remember how we all laughed in class at Thoreau's thought that a man 'riding 30 miles an hour' was somehow ridiculous.  It is kind of funny to think how someone going only 30 miles an hour disturbed Thoreau, but at the same time 30 miles an hour about 170 years ago was considered a fast speed in their eyes.

Thoreau's quote makes me think that if people back then were feeling uncomfortable with the technology they had such as with telegraphs, then we today should feel extremely uncomfortable with the amount and different types of technology that we have today.  Wow, it is almost sickening in a way to begin to think of just how much technology has become so intertwined with our lives and how it is very or shall I say extremely difficult to try to escape from it all.  Our generation is tangled with technology.  This idea kind of goes along with the quote that was on our quiz this past Thursday.  The quote that I am talking about was the one that was from Feed and I think it said something like 'the feed is us' or 'we are the feed'.  That is basically how we are today with technology.  I think it is great the way technology has advanced over the past couple of decades because it has helped so many people in so many different ways.  However, I am talking about when technology has the habit of distracting us from what is really important in our lives.

The fact that we have this extra credit opportunity opportunity makes me take a step back to realize that we really are dependent on the technology that we have today and that it really is truly a "challenge" to try to step away from it.  Honestly, I do not think that I would be able to live for one year in a secluded wood.  It would probably horrify me.  I would not have a problem living without a television, or the internet, or a cell phone, or anything of that nature if I had to, but the biggest "challenge" in that challenge would to be secluded from interacting with other people.  I think we are all so use to being around our friends, family, and peers and even everyday strangers we walk past each and every second that it would be way too bizarre not to talk to or see anyone for one whole year!

blog 3

I did not realize that older adults actually referred to us as being the “dumbest generation”.  It is kind of disappointing to hear this because I believe it is such an unfair term to use.  Watching the video interview in class this past Thursday and finding out whom Mark Bauerlein was and what he had to say kind of gave me mixed feelings on his point of view.  It is not a good thing at all that he views our generation as being incompetent.  I think it would be interesting to hear him talk about what he believes should be done differently in order to help us no longer be the “dumbest generation”.  As I said before I think using the word “dumbest” is an unfair way of describing us.  I like the point that was brought up in class of whether or not the generation before us should know what we know now such as with the technology that is available today.  I never thought of it that way but that is a pretty good argument. 

            In the article I choose from d2l it read, “kids these days are just as smart and motivated as ever” (Newsweek).  I was shocked to see this because at first before I had even read the article I thought it was going to be all about how “dumb”, as Bauerlein would call us, we are.  However, it was not, thankfully.  I completely agree with the statement that we’re “motivated as ever”.  Most of the members in my group disagreed with what Bauerlein called our generation. Just because we have grown up with all of this new technology that does not require us to retain as much information, doesn’t mean we’re dumb.  I think every generation has its own focus, and ours happens to be the many new advancements of technology.  It is both crazy and amazing that our generation had and is continuing to have the unique opportunity to witness some of the major inventions and advancements in this field of technology.  Maybe we are not quite using the technology (we have today) wisely but in time we will manage to figure out what it should be used for and what it shouldn’t be used for through trial and error and follow that path.  I think right now we’re just fascinated with these all of these brand new gadgets but in time we will become better at managing and balancing the relationship we have with this new world and era of technology.