Tag Archives: social media

Discussion Post 11

Posted on April 2, 2013 by | Comments Off on Discussion Post 11

@stansberry_dtcv

In the “Power of Sharing”, Deanna Zandt used the analogy of bubbles to portray our social connection to others: “Picture billions of soap bubbles in a sink. Each bubble represents a different person, and the bubble size reflects that person’s sphere of influence. Where bubbles connect and intersect represents our relationships with people around us” (7). Keeping this analogy in mind, it’s easy to see how social media is such a successful way to mobilize people in seeking social change. It’s long been understood that the first step towards solving a societal conflict is raising awareness, which today is often done using such mediums such as Facebook and Twitter. When we post, “share” or “like” a video such as the Kony 2012 viral video Facebook allows all of our all of our virtual friends to see. Next, our friends can choose if they also want to share or like it, and if the post is interesting enough the outreach can be exponential as the awareness spread through the “bubbles” and “empathy” builds (1). Naturally when large groups of people become aware of a pressing issue, the normal course of action is to seek change. Social media often is a place where real life events and protests are organized, allowing users to set a date, provide a description and invite their friends to join. Prior to social media, events like these were took time and were difficult to set up as they relied on heavy word of mouth, print media, and if possible sometimes television. Social media has allowed for us to stay connected and unify quickly if necessary.

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blog #11

Posted on April 2, 2013 by | Comments Off on blog #11

People turn to social media for different reasons. Simon Cottle believes that people use social Medias such as Facebook, YouTube and twitter to “propel images and ideas of resistance and mass defiance across the Middle East and North Africa. “ (p.3) In the other hand cooper & Dzara argue that people use social media to join groups.  The point is that we always turn to social media for our benefit.

Social media environments are able to mobilize people to seek change as Dzara and cooper suggest in the reading. Facebook has limited relationship statuses which make people want to seek a change in that. “Some users of the site have recently started a group to complain that Facebook does not allow “civil union” as a relationship”.  (p.189) People seek changes in gender, relationships, friending, and tagging. People seek changes in these areas because they don’t give the user enough options to choose from. Tagging is a big issue on Facebook and some people would like to change the use of tagging. Cooper and dzara explain how people can tag you in pictures and although you can untag yourself the person that tagged you can still have the picture.  There are many changes users of Facebook would like to see but maybe if they want to be more conservative they should not have a social media like Facebook.

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Social Media Environment

Posted on April 2, 2013 by | Comments Off on Social Media Environment

quy_luu

Social media environment has completely changed the society nowadays. For the last years, it has gradually become the public place where people can actually seek for new friends or update their friends’ status. By creating numerous social network websites, the social media has pulled people closer to each other by sharing their online story and status.  That way, the media environment has connected people and helped people understanding more about the others, “Social network gives us unprecedented power share our stories with more people than we ever imagined” (Zandt 159).  Besides, the social media has create the credibility among people by their day by day personal stories and people can absolutely feel same way with these status, “You build trust with other people in your network, and from there you build empathy” (Zandt 159). Facebook and MySpace are two great examples for the social environment; whenever we caught some bad or good stories, we definitely acknowledged what going on what these people and we normally commented and liked on their status to show our empathy. Additionally, there are two types of people who connected to the social media environment; there are strong ties and week ties groups (Zandt 165). Obviously, the strong ties group refers to regular participators for the social websites. They are normally your friends, your family members and your colleague. Oppositely, the weak ties group refers to seldom connectors, who are not interested in these websites. They connect to social network when they have a lot of spare times and they don’t really get addicted like the strong ties group. By connecting to the social media environment, there were a lot of visual positive outcomes that has changed the society in the better ways.

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Blog #10dtcv

Posted on April 2, 2013 by | Comments Off on Blog #10dtcv

@JaredAbrahamWSU

One of the most groundbreaking creations of the last fifteen years, is the creation of the social media website. These social media sites have been able to connect the world in a way that has never before been witnessed. One could even say that the social impact of these sites rivals that of the telephone when Alexander Graham Bell invented it. just as the telephone is able to connect people from distances far apart, social media can do the same, but is more instantaneous.

Facebook and Twitter are the most popular of these sites at the moment. Not only is Facebook used to find long lost friends and family, but it is also the primary source of news for many of its users. Deanna Zandt says that “Social Networking gives us unprecedented power to share our stories with more people than we ever imagined.” (p. 159) Perhaps the best example of social media’s impact on our world, and its “power to share our stories” (p,159), is its use in the middle east. There are many instances of twitter being used, in the middle east, as the only form of communication with the out side world when a country is in the middle of a coup most of the communication is cut of from the surrounding countries. However, we are still able to communicate with the citizens of these countries through Twitter.  This could warn of an uprising, or even get information to the different government agencies that could end up helping the people of these war torn countries.

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Social Media and Social Change

Posted on April 2, 2013 by | Comments Off on Social Media and Social Change

@MyDtcAccount – Jonathan Crabtree

 

“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” This quote, accredited to Aristotle, is an indication of how powerful people can be when they come together, and how long it has been this way. Since before the time of Aristotle, people have been congregating in order to achieve a goal that would be too difficult to reach by themselves. Social media has given society an easier way than ever before of getting people with like-minded ideals and goals together. One of the ways that people are drawn to others is through the use of stories. The neurological process of hearing stories causes people to remember the idea that was communicated in the story longer than when they are simply told an idea or goal. Deanna Zandt states that “social networking gives us unprecedented power to share our stories with more people than we ever imagined” (1). This “unprecedented power” has organized protests, rebellions, and weekend get-aways to the beach, with more ease than ever before. Gone are the days of having to go around areas and posting physical material and hoping to get the populations’ attention, or relying on word of mouth to spread the date of an event. Individuals are now able to directly contact people and open up message boards so that everyone interested in the event is able to get on the same page and there’s no confusion.

Zandt presents six key terms (originally presented by Tara Hunt) that increase an individual’s value within a social media environment – although I would posit that they are all transferable to real-life value. The main one that social media immediatly improves is the term “connections.” By being a part of a social media environment, people are connected with others, which can lead to a discussion of ideas and eventually bloom into a full-blown event that seeks to create social change.

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Social Media Environments

Posted on April 1, 2013 by | Comments Off on Social Media Environments

@KatieGullans

In the Palm Beach Clark County District in summer of 2009, they announced a new program that increased emphasis on standardized tests. Parents were upset by the changes. Then a substitute teacher/parent named Lisa Goldman started a Facebook page that would go against the standardized testing, emphasizing that  “testing is not teaching.” The people of the community joined together to share their ideas on what actions they should take. They ended up with more than 6000 members to fight against this(Zandt 164).

This is a good example of how social media environments can group together to share similar views on a situation  and try to make a change. This brought people to join together because they strongly disagreed with the new system of standardized testing and they could all build a trust with each other.

People can build trust and empathy with each other by sharing stories. Someone may share an experience they had and another person may find meaning in that because they’ve had a similar experience. This process can be done with or without the internet, but with it, there is a possibility for even more connections.  If one can’t seek out a group in real life, then there are many to find and join online. If people can have someone to understand how they feel and relate to, then they wouldn’t feel alone. If I didn’t understand the homework and someone said they didn’t get it either, I’d feel better because at least I wouldn’t be the only one. If the whole class didn’t understand it, they would have something in common. And this idea can build up with more people online.

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Blog 11

Posted on April 1, 2013 by | Comments Off on Blog 11

@starlingpreston

 

According to Zandt “storytelling has been the most powerful building block for social change,” and “social networking gives us unprecedented power to share our stories” (1). Social media environments, such as the web, allow users to mobilize and seek change. One such example is “progressive activists,” (Zandt 5). Progressive activists used web technologies to inform others about unpopular stories that were not covered in regular media. So, the activists mobilized and founded “the first Independent Media Center,” which covers such unpopular stories, (Zandt 5).

Another example of how social media creates mobilization and change is through blogging. Blogging allows a variety of people to connect through common interests, creating a network of friendships. Linking sites and videos to blogs allows people to share their interests with others who may be thousands of miles away. These interests and ideas that are being shared could create a movement or mobilization concerning a certain shared opinion or topic.

As discussed by Zandt, there are certain aspects that establish a person’s social capital; which is how participation and sharing is measured in the “gift economy,” (31). These aspects, according to Tara Hunt, make someone valuable, which contributes to “the social media ecosystem,” (Zandt 31). Connections, reputation, and influence are some of the aspects that boost someone’s social capital, which makes sharing easier. One example given by Zandt is when someone thanks another person for responding to their blog, which makes people feel appreciated and more likely to share the blog. Not only did this boost reputation, but it also facilitated sharing through social media (33).

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Blog 11: Social Media

Posted on April 1, 2013 by | Comments Off on Blog 11: Social Media

@kylemcgee77

The creation of social media is truly a remarkable thing. Never before have people around the world been able to connect to one another so quickly and efficiently. The creation of social networking sites such as facebook, twitter, myspace, and various blogging sites (such as this one) have done so much more than just allow people to socialize online. “Social Networking gives us unprecedented power to share our stories with more people than we ever imagined.” (Zandt pg. 159). Through these social networking sites, people around the world can let others into their minds. People have the opportunity to let it all out there. These social networking sites are essentially public diaries. We live in a world that is full of social issues that need attention. These issues can be greatly publicized through social media. Along with the social issues come mass amounts of public opinions on the issues. This is where people truly get to know what type of person you are. Although putting your opinions out there for the world to see may spark a lot of debate (a lot of times negative), it can also do a lot of good for society. By bringing social issues to the public eye, we as a whole can produce ideas that can help resolve these issues. The potential for this to occur happens through social media. Facebook and blogging sites connect you with people that share your common interests and opinions. It is said that great minds think alike but they can also change the world.

#dtcv

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Discussion Post 9

Posted on March 20, 2013 by | Comments Off on Discussion Post 9

@stansberry_dtcv

Social Media, have it be Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or another undoubtedly plays a role in the majority of people’s lives today. While not every person uses these websites and some may use them far more than others, the numbers have been and are increasing and people are spending more time than ever keeping up their online identity and reputation. Personally I’ve seen social media change people in a good and bad ways. Some who were naturally shy I’ve seen be able to open up and make more friends by utilizing Facebook, while others seem to have retreated towards the contrary, where you only see them online and never in person. Also, it’s given way to a new form of popularity. I’ve heard even such ridiculous claims from friends about people they see in person who they’ve never met calling them Twitter or Facebook “famous” because of the amount of likes, favorites, or retweets they get on such medias. As described in “Hello Avatar”, “an avatar is computer-generated figured controlled by a person via a computer”. Beth Coleman argues to expand the definition to include more than just characters generated in games like second life, but to also mean the user behind an IM or SMS. I would say this ‘avi’ that we choose on such social networks, even if it is a real picture of yourself, is often chosen so specifically or edited and filtered to portray who we would like to be, rather than who we naturally are. Fact is, many enjoy a virtual world just as much or more than the real world, and that will continue to change and shape our society as these technologies progress.

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Blog Post #9

Posted on March 18, 2013 by | Comments Off on Blog Post #9

@DTC_AlexTDTran

Media use that changes the user can be seen throughout society just by the way people change over the medium in which they use. For example, on page 19 Coleman talks about the X-reality which is essentially a reality that mixes (and relies on) both the virtual and the physical world together. In my opinion, the X-reality is experienced but does not necessarily itself immerse the user but rather the user can still experience the difference between the physical and the virtual world. Personally, this medium (such as a computer) would change the way I interact between the people I know over the internet and the people I know in real life. I am usually unsocial and would not openly talk to people; however, during my time using said medium, I am much more social and open to talking to people. This is just an interpretation of the X-reality. Another interpretation would talk about how the use of media (or medium) would change the person in such a way that they would integrate the medium into their own daily life. This is very apparent in modern society as the many college courses are starting to rely heavily on the use of the internet, laptops as well as the growing need for communication using cell phones and other portable communication devices. The choice is intention; however, it requires participation. If no one participates then there would be no growth in the adoption of media use; thus, there would be little to no change in the people who do use it as the community that does use this media is relatively small and so the reliance on it is relatively small.

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