Commentary

Maureen

First Time Using the Internet
Maureen’s first experience with the internet is conveyed well in her blog and it is written in a way that is engaging for the reader. It is easy to hear the author’s voice in the carefully selected words and colorful descriptions. She is able to conjure visions of the library and Mrs. Brown, the librarian, as she brings to life the joy she felt while reading as a child. Readers can actually picture the librarian reading to young students from crinkled old books.

The contrast between the new and old libraries illustrates the change from books to the internet. It seems that Maureen tends to relate the internet mainly with academics and professional use. It is interesting to see her association change to personal use with her discovery of social media in college, but she mainly seems to find it serious and useful.

While her experiences contrast to my own in that I use the internet for a balance of entertainment, social, and professional reasons and she focuses primarily on the professional aspect, I agree that the internet is used daily and has become mandatory in many ways. Both in school and the professional world, a virtual connection is vital.


Web 2.0
The thoughts and beliefs of the author are conveyed in a well-written and clear way in this blog. She defines Web 2.0 as “the fruit of a collaborative effort,” which is an apt way to describe it. She discusses the ability to create links that lead to further information, using sites like YouTube, Wikipedia, Facebook and Twitter and she also mentions the opportunity for anyone to comment on the information that is presented. Maureen argues that these possibilities are what separate Web 2.0 from Web 1.0, which I completely agree with.

However, she argues that although these aspects of Web 2.0 allow us to get more out of our internet experience, the inability to discern which information is credible will eventually lead to society’s downfall. While I do believe she is correct in her opinion that it can be difficult to discern the source of some information, it can be done. With the help of fact checkers, and using multiple sources, as you would have to do with written work, the legitimacy of information can be discovered. It is just a matter of taking the time to do it. Although most of our generation does not really remember a time without the internet, it is important to remember that it is still a fairly new development. As with many other inventions of the past, it can improve over time and the faults that exist now can be replaced with new ideas.


Social Media Positive and Negative
This is another well written post. The sections were clearly divided between positives and negatives and Maureen relates personal stories to the topics discussed in the article. However, while she touches upon the content of the articles, she doesn’t refer to to the readings specifically. Because the post was based on the readings, it would have been nice to see them included a bit more.

The benefits of social media mentioned in the post are similar to those I chose for my own blog. We both agree that people we normally would have lost touch with because of time or distance can still remain in contact thanks to social media and sharing information is more of a possibility than ever before. Maureen even takes it a step further in saying that relationships formed online with like minded people can combat loneliness and give people a sense of belonging, which I agree with.

The negative effects discussed in the post, though slightly different from those I focused on, were also insightful. She mentions that people are becoming more and more consumed with social networking, whether they are alone or not. I have personally experienced that friend who spends the entire night texting and I do not think she even realizes that she is not involved in the conversation or anything else happening around her. Social media is almost a barrier for face to face to face communication in that way.


Video Review
Illustrations of a DMV Student
The first two sentences of this section are a bit repetitive and I would like to have seen more of an analysis of the positives and negatives of the video, as opposed to speculation about what the creator was portraying. I agree that the idea was creative and well executed. The morning really could fit with anyone but the personal drawings center the message around the creator.

Cooking Activity
The sequence of events didn’t really need to be included in the post because the video is on the class blog, but I was impressed by this project as well. I disagree that the narrative improved the film because it was a bit tacky, but I also felt that it was well shot, the music transitioned well, and the angles were very interesting. These were all great factors to include in the post.

My Most Important Self Portrait
As far as the post goes, once again analysis could have been used instead of the description. However, Maureen does touch upon some of the more technical aspects of the film. I also found this video to be moving, as well as depressing. There was a creative use of footage for the chalk designs and Maureen makes a great point about the fact that the subject shot the whole thing topless. This makes the message even more clear. As for how he did the chalk effect, I believe he used stop motion animation, where still photos are put together in a video frame by frame to give the feeling of motion.



Raushaun

First Time Using the Internet
While this post does have a few typos, it clearly conveys Rushaun’s first experience with the internet, even down to the first websites he visited. It seems that AIM played a large role in the introduction to the Internet for almost everyone in our generation and it really was the precursor to texting.

He had a humorous way of mentioning being kicked off the internet when the phone rang, something most of the early internet users are probably able to remember. And his comparison between the Internet and books is fairly accurate. Most people do prefer to read things off of the Internet rather than in books because, as Rushaun stated, the Internet is like a new toy. This relates to the point he made about the way children today respond to the Internet. It is fascinating to see how much it is second nature to them to use computers and I doubt most of them remember a time without the Internet.

He also captured the change in Internet usage over time. Eventually phone and Internet connections became separated, people were able to be online for many hours at a time and Google now answers almost any question instantly. It really is amazing how much information is at the tips of our fingers.


Web 2.0
This blog post is divided nicely into two sections and the comments are well phrased. Rushaun clearly discusses the ways in which web 2.0 has changed the way we interact with the Internet.

He mentions the fact that the interface is paving the way for a new Web 3.0 or 4.0, which is a likely event because the web is evolving almost like a living thing. He adds that with laptops and tablets, the internet is always with us and information can spread faster than ever before.

Rushaun also raises the idea that the because of our dependency on the web, the chances of the world refraining from internet use is slim. With the way we use it today, it is hard to imagine life without the web and it is incredibly unlikely that we will give it up anytime soon, but it is a real possibility that the Internet causes more damage than we realize.

The web does pose a threat to people skills. As people focus on virtual relationships, Web 2.0 may even be pushing us backwards in the way we communicate with others. I agree with Rushaun that for a short period of time is not hazardous, but in the long run it can cause psychological damage that many don’t even realize. Perhaps in the future there will be a better answer, but Rushaun poses a great question about whether or not the advancements are worth the sacrifice.


Social Media Positive and Negative
Although the post could be split up into more paragraphs to make it easier on the reader, Rushaun really grasps the positive and negative effects of social media in this post. He identifies the ability to communicate over short or long distances instantly as a positive attribute of social media. Whether a person is playing a game with a friend who lives two houses away or chatting with someone halfway around the world, social media is responsible for bringing them together.

While that is a more obvious aspect of social media, he also recognizes that social media is essential for businesses, which can promote their organizations to the public through posts. Rushaun also mentions the possibility for face to face communication, even on screen. Skype and Facebook video chat are changing the way we communicate online and may even help to resist the decrease in people skills that comes from other forms of social media.

That decrease in people skills is one of Rushaun’s negative points about social media. Along with the issue of privacy, whether it is too much or too little, face to face communication becomes awkward when people are used to talking to a screen.


Video Review
Color and B/W
This post is very well written as Rushaun delves into the meaning of various aspects of the video. He points out the use of the word sea in place of see and made an insightful comment that the sound of the sea may represent the way life flows based on the things in the film and the love of the sea, which is something I would not have considered. I do agree that the black and white is hard to see in certain parts of the video.

Self Portrait Video
Rushaun argues that this video may be one of the best due to the video quality and the flow of the film, as well as the amount of creativity. It is very true that time and effort is evident in the video and the idea of representing a life in one room is creative. It is a professional looking video and Rushaun makes a valid argument that it may be the best.

My Most Important Self Portrait
Once again, Rushaun delves into the deeper aspects of the film in this section. He explains that the video is about a very powerful topic and the use of text and color helps to convey the message. While normally that amount of text would be overwhelming and unpleasant, Rushaun points out that it works to get across the severity of the problem, while the colors keeps the message dark.