IT: Privacy and Security Questions (Group 6)

1.) What does the bank do with this private data after it's unnecessary or obsolete? How long can they keep it and/or who can they share this data with? Personally I am okay with the  banks knowing my privacy information or my IP address if that means that my money is safer, but I don't want anyone else having access to that sensitive data...

2.) Whoa, the transparency grenade makes private governmental information public to everyone... Is this really a good idea? Leaking governmental information makes it easier for citizens and activists to be involved and aware, but it also makes it easier for people plotting against the US to gain information they would use in a negative way. I think there is a reason that the government keeps certain information private, and certain information public and I think it should be kept that way.

3.) What does the government (or anyone who's formerly private information is becoming public) have to say about the transparency grenade?

IT & Politics Questions (Group 2)

http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/social_media/review.pdf

1.) The article talks about how things you post on Facebook can be seen on Twitter or other social networking sites, so couldn't we say that this is a bad thing? It is great that everyone can be so easily connected,  but isn't it also dangerous? These easy linkages could lead to people knowing way too much about your life, especially with the minimal privacy settings. Why are these risks not discussed? Do people not care that strangers can easily access their entire life?

2.) If social media can lead to protests and upheavals, is it possible that this all leads to violence? If one person gets an extremely radical idea and posts it socially, it can escalate into one big chaotic and violent ordeal since they have the support behind them...

3.) I have read a lot about the bans on certain websites and applications or programs in the Middle East, how are the people there coping being cut off from the world? Are they still able to communicate and access information with all the censorship occurring?

My Personal Network

I am truly astounded by the amount of time during the day in which I am consuming media. From the second I wake up in the morning until the second I go to sleep, I am using media. My iPhone alarm wakes me up, and after that I immediately check the weather app and my text messages. I then go to class, and instead of wearing a watch to see if I am on time I always check my phone. When I had to go to a meeting at an unfamiliar campus building, I plugged it into the map app and am guided step by step to my destination. After all this technology at school, I then go to work where it is my sole job to work on the computer. I do everything from entering data to making copies to researching academia, and my eyes are sore by the end of the day from the glare of technology. I haven’t even mentioned how many times throughout the day I am checking Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook for live information or entertainment during my five minutes of free time. I find myself so easily distracted from everyday tasks and craving to check my phone for new information inputs from friends. I can’t remember the last time I sat and just twiddled my thumbs, any down time I have is spent on technology in some way or another!

 So much of my attention is focused where it shouldn't be, honestly. Before starting my homework, I sometimes check Facebook for a “little bit.” That little bit then turns into hours from click to click my attention is being drawn from pictures to funny videos to stalking someone all the way back to 2008. I think it is sad how consumed I am by technology, but I feel that there is nothing I can do to stop it. In such a technology-centered society, not having a cell phone or instant access to the rest of the world is unheard of. Why is it SO important for me to be texting my friend I saw an hour ago about the kid in my class’s weird hairdo? I am so wired it scares me.

It is unreal to think about how truly dependent I am without technology. Without a simple cell phone, I wouldn’t wake up in the morning, keep myself entertained, or know what time it was. With an iPhone, the world is literally at my fingertips. I can get an app for any and every thing imaginable. There are apps for ordering food, paying your parking meter, keeping track of bank accounts and so much more. I don’t even have to use my hands anymore, I can just yell at Siri to get me any information I desire.

Asides: Twitter Use 2012

http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2012/Twitter-Use-2012/Findings.aspx

As a personal Twitter aficionado, I am surprised at the low number of Twitter users! The statistics say that only 15% of adults use Twitter with only 8% using it daily. My mom asked me the other day if she was “out of the loop” since she doesn’t have an account. And the truth is yes, she is out of the loop! Twitter is not just a social media site. Twitter is where I get all the breaking news, gossip, get to see pictures of my friends as well as celebrities,  I get to follow famous people who inspire me and read their firsthand thoughts, politicians to learn about their standpoints, my favorite brands to get deals, and so so much more. Social media networking is becoming so necessary in business and society nowadays, it’s almost unheard of not to have a Facebook or Twitter account. The article says that the most popular demographic users are African Americans, young adults, and urban and suburban residents. It’s clear that rural people who aren’t as attached with society wouldn’t have the extreme urge to be connected and informed all the time like urban residents. Young adults probably use Twitter more because they are tech-savvy as well as interested in learning and being informed about society as much as possible. Both men and women use Twitter equally, similar to other social network sites. I think with or without all of the graphs, charts and statistics of who uses Twitter, the main focus is that social media sites are essential and people want to be up-to-date. The easy and quick access to information makes it almost impossible not to be informed. Take for instance, a football game. If I am curious to who won the game or what horrible calls were made, I will check my twitter feed before I check the news or ESPN or the newspaper. I can’t even imagine how people functioned without information in their immediate grasp. Our society thrives on instant gratification and won’t settle for anything less. With Twitter available on all smart phones, I predict its usage to rise immensely among people of all ages, races, social statuses, and education levels.

Asides: Are You A Psychopath If You Don't Have A Facebook Account? We Don't Think So

Seeing as I am in the age group most predominately active on Facebook, this article was very intriguing to me. I think that social media has created a new sense of loneliness we have never felt before and created this “fear of missing out.” My teacher had our class deactivate our Facebook accounts for one week. I thought it would be so easy, that a week was nothing; but after less than three days, I felt so disconnected from the world. It’s silly really, how we can live so close to one another or easily pick up the phone and call our close friends, yet without the constant ability to stalk their profile, we feel so out of the loop. Facebook can tell you everything about a person. The new “timeline” feature literally chronicles your birth to the present down to every friend you made on the exact date. By accepting a friend request, you are giving someone the ability to know every last detail of your life. Facebook stalking is so simple and people are so careless with the information they give out freely, strangers can know more about us than our friends do. I think not having a Facebook doesn’t make you abnormal; but one would genuinely miss out on important life events, moments, and pictures without it. Let’s be honest, nothing is official until it’s Facebook official. But on the other hand, social media websites like twitter and tumblr can be just as intrusive as Facebook. There are also settings on Facebook to make your profile a lot more limited and secure. Although I am a huge fan of Facebook, I do fear the effect it has had on my life. Every time I miss a party or a fun time with friends, seeing the evidence on Facebook makes it so much worse. Even though my profile says I have 800 friends, how many of them are my actual “friends?” And with 800 friends I sometimes feel lonelier than ever, just like Ashleigh Elser said. Facebook has the power to connect as well as disconnect relationships. I am addicted and dependent on Facebook, and that fact scares the living daylights out of me.

Readings from Week 4

Rheingold, H., 2000. Tools for Thought: the history and future of mind-expanding technology, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Chapters 4, 5, & 6
1.) Maybe it's just me and my inexperience and limited knowledge of computers, but if Johny von Neumann was as brilliant as this article claims, why is he not one of the most prominent names we learn of in the technology field? (Like we hear of Babbage or Turig) Even though he can't get exact credit neccesarily, I still feel he deserves to be mentioned.

2.) Von Neumann said " he regarded the computer as a technical device functioning as an extension of its user; it would lead to an aggrandizement of the human brain, and von Neumann wanted to push this aggrandizement as far and as fast as possible" do you think that his regard of the computer is true today? Is the computer merely an extension of the brain making us smarter or is it used as a substitute for thinking on our own and using everyday brainpower?

3.) Why is it that it is human nature to fall into a state of entropy? How can chaos, confusion, and things falling apart be a natural and easy instinct? I don't see much positivity in that.

Hacker, B.C., 1993. Engineering a New Order: Military Institutions, Technical Education, and the Rise of the Industrial State. Technology and Culture, 34(1).
1.) Without the invention of guns and gunpowder, what would wars be like today? Would the "art of war" be the same?

2.) I find it scary how much our society evolves based on military weapons... Is each country's dominance or advancements established by their military intel? I am sure that there are weapons and ballistics beyond even my wildest dreams that we have created.. Why does our society find it so important to stress military advancements over all other areas of life such as economics, politics or education?

3.) If "Innovations in 19th century military technology mostly came from nonmilitary sources" what are these sources the article is discussing?

O’Regan, G., Chapter 6 - The Internet Revolution. In A Brief History of Computing.
1.) I feel like everything we do in our society today comes from the internet. Whether it be networking, communicating, art, or research, the internet plays an insanely vital role in everyday life. Where would we be today without the internet? Has the internet substituted real face to face communication or real field research?

2.) Bush had a visionary information management system called "the memex," which he believed would be a memory extender. This goes back to my previous question above... Do we think the internet and use of technology has extended our memory and expanded our full potential or has it hindered it and took the place of real brainpower?

3.) This article is a bit confusing for someone who has absolutely NO computer/technology background and had to look up a lot of the terminology used. (ARPANET, NSFNET...what?!) For someone of my circumstances, is there an easier or more simple article so I can understand the basics of information technology before I take a huge leap into these unknown territories?