Reflecting

As the class ends, I find myself with a lot of knowledge about Computer Mediated Communication. Prior to taking this Electronic Communications class, I used Computer Mediated Communication, but could not have told someone what CMC stands for or means. Now, I am more knowledgeable in the various types of electronic communication, and it's effect on people.

I have realized the large group of people whose lives are surrounded by electronic communication. Sadly, my life is included in that. I text constantly, always call my friends and family, instant message, and of course check my Facebook account 2-4 times a day.  The week fast the class went on, with no Facebook, text messaging, and instant messaging, definitely opened my eyes to my addiction to electronic communication and how very prevalent it is in my life.

One thing I have realized though, is without it, I would not have maintained the relationships with my high school friends like I have. Though I have came to Westminster and met some wonderful friends here, I still consider my high school friends my best friends. Our bond has only strengthened since we left each other almost two years ago. This I feel, would not have been possible had it not been for the various forms of electronic communication that have allowed us to communicate on a daily basis despite the hundreds of miles that separate us. 

Overall, I enjoyed the class and am left with a better view of the effect that Computer Mediated Communication has on society today, including myself.

Online Sex Offenders

    I read a medicalnewstoday.com news article titled "Internet Offenders Target Teens, Not Young Children -- Rarely Use Force, Abduction Or Deception." The article talks about how contrary to popular belief, online sex offenders are not typically adults targeting young children. Don't get me wrong, they are out there and it is important to still monitor children's use of the internet because they can find themselves on the wrong sites, but people also need to worry about teenagers as well. Though teens know right from wrong better than children, they still can talk to  the wrong people via e-mail, instant messenger, and chat rooms.

The article states that people usually target teenagers because they are interested in forming sexual relationships with the teens they talk to. The article also states that these teens who begin the unsafe relationships with sex offenders are usually those who have a past of sexual or physical abuse and a bad home life.  One thing that I was surprised about was that the majority of teenagers who have experienced online sexual predation, did know that they were talking to adults on the internet. I personally would never talk to a random adult on the internet, but these teenagers are usually unstable and and insecure and want to talk to anyone who is interested. Girls often find comfort in men who want to talk to them because they may not get any other attention from others.

Luckily action is taken when sexual offenders are reported, though many cases do go unreported. When online predators are caught they are usually charged with statutory rape that involve non-forcible sexual encounters, the article stated. It also talks about in order to prevent teen online predation, the teenagers should be discouraged more about having relationships with adults and about simply talking to people online that they do not know, especially adults.

I think it is also important for parents to realize that even though teenagers are older and typically know from right from wrong, parents still need to monitor who they talk to and what sites and chat rooms they visit.

Don't Hassle the Hoff

      Ok, prepare yourselves. Computer Mediated Communications has officially reached a new level. The infamous David Hasselhoff has created his own version of the social networking site MySpace, titled HoffSpace. The website, according to a tvsquad.com article was created for people are interested in social networking sites but want one that's more focused on something they are interested in rather than just one about themselves. David Hasselhoff, famous for his role on Baywatch and now judge on America's Got Talent, is excited about bring people together through a social networking site devoted to himself. Hasselhoff said, " I realized that while two people from two entirely different countries and backgrounds may seem to have nothing in common, the only thing that they might have in common is me...So I decided to start a network where people from across the world might come together and get a conversation started over me."

         Though Hasselhoff seems to have the right idea about social networks connecting different types of people from different parts of the world, I think its funny that he feels it needs to be about him. The website is a good way to promote Hasselhoff himself, because it boasts exclusive pictures and videos not available to those who are not members. On the website, members can create their own personal names and pages. Members can also communicate with each other by chatting on their web pages much like social networking sites of Facebook and MySpace.

      Social networking sites such as HoffSpace are much like message boards and forums to me, in a sense that it is a sharing of opinions, stories, likes/dislikes, etc. People who are huge fans of Hasselhoff can chat with one another about their favorite Hasselhoff roles, or can share knowledge on David Hasselhoff to one another. At the same time, those HoffSpace is also available to people who may not necessarily be fans of Hasselhoff's, so it may not also be beneficial to the star.

The same concerns that come along with social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace can follow into websites such as HoffSpace. The fact of the matter is that you still do not know the real person sitting behind the computer communicating with you. And you also do not know one's real intentions of joining and interacting on the website.

For those David Hasselhoff fans or haters, be sure to check out HoffSpace.

IM lingo

       Not only have we became a society so enthralled with computer mediated communication as opposed to face to face, but we also have created our own language to go along with it. I read an article from sciencedaily.com that discusses the AOL Instant Messaging language. The article states how people over the age of 30 would not understand the language because it was created by those from the younger generation. Dr. Pamela Takayoshi, a professor at Kent State University, said "Instant messaging, or IM, is not just bad grammar or a bunch of mistakes. IM is a separate language form from formal English and has a common set of language features and standards." Dr. Christina Haas, also from Kent State University, along with four undergraduate students performed a study on the language of Instant Messaging. The found the IM language to be playful, explicit, and abbreviated.

     The article brings up a good point saying that most technologies used today, especially for young people in my opinion, are writing technologies. Things such as blogs, text messaging, social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook, along with IM all are what the Kent State students considered "writing technologies." Through these technological programs, people not only communicate through computer mediated programs, but also use their writing skills as well. I believe that a lot of our IM language is abbreviated, and that just goes along with how lazy the younger generation can be. Instead of typing out "be right back," it is easier to simply say "brb." And using things such as "lol," meaning "laugh out loud," helps to fill in the gap between face to face communication and computer mediated communication. Meaning, since you can't physically hear or see someone laugh, they say "lol" to let one know they actually are.

 People have also studied they use of the IM language in face to face conversations. I personally find it silly in general to have an IM language, but am guilty of throwing around a few "lol's" myself. In text messages especially, however, I am annoyed when people do not spell out words, saying things like "ur" instead of "your." What's another two letters to type?

         The researchers are also now interested in studying the Facebook language and comparing it to that of the IM language. I feel like all computer mediated communication lingo's are all the same, whether it be IM, a social networking site, or text messaging.

        Well, ttyl. :)

"Broadcast Yourself"

Since it's creation in February 2005, the video sharing website YouTube has created a large worldwide frenzy. YouTube is available to all, registered users or not. Those who are not registered can watch personal video clips, movie or television clips, and even music videos. And registered users can upload an unlimited amount of video footage. Founded by three former PayPal employees, in 2005, YouTube was one of the only websites where video sharing was offered. In 2006, Google Inc. acquired the company for $1.65 billion U.S. dollars.
People today search YouTube for practically anything, and usually find it. A 2008 study showed that the website hosts 83.4 million videos and about 3.75 million user channels. Personally, I use the website often, searching for everything from music videos, to clips of some of my favorite movies, to video montages done by people I do not know.
The website has also offered an outlet for aspiring musicians, actresses, or performers in general. One popular budding musician I have heard of and watched on YouTube is Nick Pitera. Pitera posted many videos of him singing popular songs and clearly got noticed with over 7.3 million views on just one of this songs. Performers like Pitera uploaded those videos with high hopes of record labels, recording artists, etc. to notice.
YouTube can be classified as a social networking site, but I have heard of very little negative issues involved with the website, such as those with sites like Facebook and MySpace. Because users can upload video footage, the website does monitor and videos containing defamation, harassment, illegal content, and videos with commercial advertisements.
With that said, the website is very helpful to many. A lot of my professors, even outside of Electronic Communication class, have showed YouTube videos in class as a good source of information, or even a good laugh. My Christianity professor uses the website usually in every class to show music videos and relates them to our class discussion for the day. In my advertising class, we use the website to look at various television commercials.
With the rise of technology in the past decade, YouTube has only become an asset. Just as many say "Google it," people now say "YouTube it" as well when talking about some sort of information or entertainment is desired. Though many so some internet websites, and in particular social networking sites, are harmful or impersonal, I feel as though YouTube only shines and stands alone in this category.

BEWARE:Predators

        Numerous stories haunt the news about predators on social networking sites. Though they are prevalent on every website, thousands of "predator incidents" have occurred on the social networking site MySpace. Though MySpace requires it's users to be at least 14 years old, many younger children are finding their way onto the site as well. I read a 2006 CBS news article about the website and it discussed the numerous predators that have been arrested due to their harassment to young children on MySpace. Not to stereotype, but many of these stories involve middle-aged men who harass young girls. In 2005 alone, The Center for Missing and Exploited Children reported 2, 600 incidents of adults enticing children via the Internet. This statistic simply occurred in 2005, I can only imagine the number that 2007 reported with the rising popularity  in other social networking websites such as Facebook. 

       Though MySpace warns their users not to post any identifiable information or explicit pictures, not all users comply. Many teenagers post their phone numbers, AOL screen names, and other personal information. As the CBS news report agrees, many users post this information assuming only their friends will use it without thinking about the forty-some year old men who often stalk young girls pages just hoping to find this kind of personal information. One story talked about in the news report discusses a young girl who was active on MySpace until the day of her disappearance. Her parents blame the social networking site. Another story is that of a fourteen-year-old New Jersey girl who was found dead. Before her death she had told her friends she met a man on MySpace in his twenties. Lastly, a story in Texas about a 38 year old man talking to a 14 year old girl and asking her to meet up for sex. Police took over the fourteen year old's identity and eventually took the man into custody.

       These are just a few of the thousands of police stories linked to social networking sites such as MySpace. Though parents may be protective over their children, it can still happen to anyone. It is important to either ban or at least monitor all children's usage of social networking sites, and the Internet alone. Also, most of the social networking sites have privacy settings for a reason, people, children in particular, need to learn to use them.

Video Games: Friend or Foe?

    Let me start off by saying that Play Stations, Game Cubes, Nintendos, and heck even Pac Man's are not my friends. Wii I can do on a good day, but I have been known to get my butt kicked on most games by my four and six-year-old neighbors that I babysit. Despite my lack of talent as a "gamer," many people, especially children, have grown to be consumed by video games. In fact, a study done for a CBS evening news story showed that 97% of the 1, 102 teenagers polled play video games. This proves that I most definitely fall into the "gaming" minority.

    Many people question the use of video games for children. Just like people questioned the use of toy guns for young children, many question video games as well. With some games promoting violence, where players have to shoot people or run from the cops, parents wonder if video games are leading their kids by example. Teaching a five year old how to shoot down a monster or person on a video game isn't exactly appropriate, many believe. Many also so how children become so consumed with video games that their social skills therefore lack because they are holed up with a computer or gaming system. This CBS story, however, says that not all video games are bad video games. The study shows the 65% of the 97% of teenagers that play video games, play with a friend. This shows that not all gamers are those alone in their room with their only social interaction occurring between them and their animated video game player. We could call it face-to-screen conversation. However, this study shows that most children do in fact play with a friend. CBS also says that the three main video game areas played are racing, puzzles, or sports. All of which do not include violence. Connie Yowell of the Mac Arthur Foundation supported the CBS study also trying to prove that video games are helpful to children."Kids are talking with each other, helping each other, sharing knowledge," Yowell said. "It's really peer-based learning going on."

   What do I make of this? Not that my opinion is all that important but personally I think that video games take a lot away from a children's quality of life. Those two neighbors I babysit have three different gaming systems and love spending all day and all night playing if they could. They also have a swimming pool, playground set, bicycles, and a million toys. It saddens me when they get out of their pool to go play a video game on a hot summer day, because that's the only thing that thrills them anymore. I do understand that games such as Wii fit promote excercise and puzzle games, or alphabet or math games are educational, but moderation must be kept in mind. Whatever happened to riding bikes all day and playing capture the flag at nightfall? Those were the good days.