Week Four Reading Reaction #3

I had the opportunity last night to discuss the idea of portraying an image through their online profiles through various social media outlets and it was interesting as to what responses I received when I discussed the idea of how the images that are uploaded and the background that is placed on the profiles can often be a projection of personalities they do not necessarily possess. I found that many people that I spoke to were not even aware of the images or the words they put up on their sites and how they were related to their actual characters. As I feared, people were often thinking about what they think other people would like to see, rather than being truthful to the characteristics they have in their life. I feel that many people place pictures and statements that are perceived to be what people want, but in actuality they are images that are just a reflection of their own wants and desires.   

Week 4 Reading Reaction #2

Just Like Me Only Better, is an article from which I was immediately struck by the amount of people who create alternative projections of their actual self when online. When I thought about this I considered the idea of an avatar or a made up character from which an individual could live out their fantasies. Of course this seemed so distant from my reality as I had never done role playing games online with characters nor did I know of anyone who participated in such activities. Then I thought about the social networks such as MySpace and Facebook, and all of the areas where you can create a profile. This profile can become an alternative projection of a self that embodies all or none of the characteristics that the creator maintains. I became concerned about this idea because what puzzled me was the amount of time, effort and thought that goes into the creation of an alternative identity. Is it really something that we have to think about and consider, or is it something that we simply just create during moments of passion, excitement and euphoria; all moments when actions are often the most regrettable? I think that we each need to consider the projection of a digital self and what sort of a projection says about who the creator is and how such a projection is a reflection as much as the world that we choose to participate and the world in which we must participate. 

Week 4 Reading Reaction #1

This week's readings touched on a subject that many who have taken Professor Coopman's Social Movements and Communication course will be familiar with and that is the role of alternative and local media as supporters of democracy. The section we read this week from the work Community Media, not only illustrates the significance of the media in developing and evolving communities, but also the crucial importance the media plays in the sustaining of democracy in this country. The very notion of a fully functioning and robust democracy comes in the form of a free and functioning press that is able to report on information that is relevant to the current state of being in the country. Alexis de Tocqueville first pointed out in his travels to the United States in the 19th century, that one of the markers of a functioning democracy was the free flow of information that was reported irrespective of reverence for the state or political affiliation. He found that the ability to print materials that were reflective of local needs or ideas was necessary for the interaction of ideas at all levels of government.

Similarly, this week's readings points out the importance of the the media, especially those that operate for local purposes without the permission of the FCC, to the benefit of keeping the spirit of democracy alive. Information is crucial in order for people to make informed decisions, and when such information is censored as is the case of many radio stations that must operate under the rules of the FCC or those that are unable to obtain a license because of the exorbitant fees that are charged to gain an opportunity to broadcast, such limitations halt the spread of information and therefore challenge the very principles of democracy that allow for the system to be maintained. The ability to maintain self-expression without censorship is crucial to maintaining the freedom of speech so cherished by the principles of our functioning democracy. When such limitations are imposed, the possibilities for further limitations become even greater, posing a larger threat to the freedom on information and the process of thought.

Week 3 Reading Reaction

This week's readings picked up from the readings of last week about the symbiotic relationship that is developed as a consequence of the interaction between humans and machines. This week's readings which included an article by the philosopher Marshall McLuhan, discusses how the medium by which communication is rendered is in fact that which shapes, controls and influences the message that is ultimately communicated. McLuhan gives multiple examples in his reading, but one the simplest that I found was his example of the movie projector. Before the invention of the movie projector, images were demonstrated as they actually happened in the present moment. With the development of the movie projector, time was now able to be sequenced and transitioned in such as way as to change the pace by which the information was received. This change in sequence, according to McLuhan, changes the sequence from images that were once demonstrated in real time to those that were now reconfigured so as to speed up the sequence by which the process on interaction changes. For McLuhan, this is significant because as he point out the content of a medium is always another medium, which I find deeply interesting and confusing. For McLuhan there is ultimately no beginning just a period of chaos from which medium is born and develops from one creative intent feeding off of another. The purpose of his article is to ultimately find that understanding the medium by which something is communicated is in it of itself a message and therefore must be considered to have an impact and a trajectory on how such a message is received. No medium is developed with a vacuum but has a purpose such a purpose renders the symbiotic relationship between the message intended and the message received affected in numerous ways that may not always be the perceived intent.

Week 2 Reading Reaction

After reading both articles concerning the symbiotic relationship between man and computer and the relationships that are being developed as a consequence of the increased use of technology as a from of communication. As a person who has grown up in the "digital age" I know all too well how the role of technology can become problematic. It seems that people are more prone to use their phone to text or send an email rather than speak with someone face to face. It seems that the ability to communicate is becoming a lost art and given the role of technology in our everyday lives, it is evident that technology is affecting the way that we think, such as the language that is used to communicate, ie, LOL, LMAO, or SMH. (If you do not know these terms good, you still have a chance to lead a normal conversation where you do not need a translation button to explain what people are actually saying.)

I feel that the readings brought up some central points in the relationship that develops as a consequence of technology. On the one hand you have a the programming aspect where humans have the ability to set machine to perform functions. Ultimately this is timely and can be challenging, but the ultimate ability of machines to aid in the achievement of humans is necessary. The problem for many developers and researchers is how to create within machines the ability to be able to anticipate or create reactions to situations that would allow for a thought process that is not simply linear. I am certain that this type of technology is being developed and in time there will be machines with such ability. My concern in the development of machines that are able to think rather than compute. The problem with machines thinking is that ultimately the question of consciousness comes about and I am concerned about machines that have awareness but not necessarily the capacity to process such an awareness as humans.

I do agree that in many instances the use of technological relationships through phone and email may be substituting the face-to-face relationships that are necessary for the growth of people. Although I do feel that in the world of information the ability to communicate is important, but the the need to reflect and process is more so important and I feel that it is limited because if people are in such a rush to communicate but do not reflect on what they are saying, then the words have little meaning or purpose.    

Introductory Post

Hello, my name is James Kinney and I am a third year student at San Jose State University. I am originally from Champaign, Illinois. I am one of three children, and I am the middle child. The reason why I am attending San Jose State University is because I received an opportunity to participate in collegiate athletics and receive an education. I am a Communication Studies major and I would say I have had a bit of experience when it comes to communicating with various types of people on numerous types of subjects. There is always more than one way to communicate a perspective and I intend to learn the various ways to communicate in this major. I am one of many whose main form of communication is by the cell phone as well as other forms of technology. I also use email, typed emails, internet based video chatting, face to face, and so on. Some of my interests and hobbies that I have include playing basketball, video games, listening to music, eating candy, and sleeping.