Connecting those with Disabilities

Technology has been able to help us stay in touch with others easily, get what we need done faster, and many other useful things. But for people who have disabilities they may not find the same benefits and advantages with technology, and some may have found it as a barrier or a hassle to even use. There are many types of disabilities that people can have which can prevent them from using certain technologies. Sometimes people may call this being "locked in." To be locked in means that one's brain functions normally, but they cannot move or speak because of an injury or disease. The number of people who are locked in is not a small number either, however there are no current statistics on the population of people who suffer from this disease.

Although technologies are very hard for people with disabilities to use, there are many things being done technology wise to help connect these people with the rest of the world whether it be via the internet or in medical ways. Technology has been able to help those with disabilities be able to participate in normal activities they might not be able to normally do. Since technology is giving those with disabilities more opportunities than they have ever had in the past, we are also able to learn from them and their needs, and provide them with useful and helpful technologies.

Section 508 is a law which helps those with disabilities have access to as much technology as a person without disabilities might have. “Individuals with disabilities who are members of the public seeking information or services from a Federal department or agency to have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to the access to and use of the information and data by such members of the public who are not individuals with disabilities. “
(U.S. Civil Rights Division)

Although one of the characteristics of new media that Jenkins listed was that it is unequal because not everyone can decide to what extent they participate in a technology, Section 508 tries to change that. It is true that technology will not be able to be accessed by everyone especially when it is brand new and has just come out. However, the technologies we can invent afterwards are even more amazing because they can connect those who previously couldn't use these technologies. One new technology that does just that, is called the Brain- Twitter project. This project has made the technology available for someone who may not be able to use Twitter in the conventional ways intended, now able to use the technology and communicate with other people. What is also so incredible about this new discovery is that people who receive these Twitter messages on the other end, might not even be able to recognize that the user on the other end is disabled. This is a breakthrough technology for those who cannot use a computer with their hands or any body part, because they can now type and post whatever they want and communicate it to the rest of the world. "A lot of people think [locked-in patients] want to walk and want fancy prosthetics, but a lot of times what they want are bladder control and basic communication skills." This video shows exactly how this new technology works:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/04/22/twitter.locked.in/index.html#cnnSTCText

This new technology will help those with disabilities be able to maintain and create new relationships, and help them communicate with more people than they probably ever imagined they would have a chance to. However, although these technologies are being invented for those with disabilities, will they be able to afford them? Many times people with disabilities have already spent a lot of money in hospital visits, check-ups, and other technologies to help them in their everyday lives. Although they are now able to have more opportunities, do they have the money required to buy them? Another aspect to look at also, is how fast technology is constantly changing and being built. Will those who research disabilities be able to keep up with this rate of technology change? Will they be able to keep those with disabilities up to date also?

Crowdsourcing Models and Interpersonal relationships

Crowdsourcing seems to be a new popular idea that many companies are taking advantage of. Some companies have found the best way to utilize crowdsourcing to its fullest, while others haven't gotten the results they were hoping would come from crowdsourcing. Crowdsourcing is both a problem solving model and a business model where companies can leverage the power of online crowds for profits. But can crowdsourcing influence our interpersonal relationships? I think that it can.

For example, once I had found out about the Threadless website, I instantly had a few ideas pop into my head. I texted my friend, and asked him if he wanted to design a shirt since he is a very talented artist. He was a little skeptical about the whole idea and even the website, but eventually agreed to give it a try. We have yet to submit the drawing for the shirt, but it has been a fun process. I think crowdsourcing brings together people with similar interests which can allow relationships to build based on certain commonalities.

Although crowdsourcing is more commonly viewed as a business model, it is also an example of participatory media. Participotory media allows for a crowd of people to be part of the decision making process, creating an idea, or even deciding on the finished product. The tv show American Idol utilizes a crowdsourcing model to some extent in which anyone can try out for the show, and the audience of the show votes on who they think should win. This tv show has brought many families, friends, and strangers together to either watch or maybe vote for a friend on the tv show.

I think social capital is a huge part of crowdsourcing, and may be what actually keeps crowdsourcing working. I had not known about crowdsourcing prior to this class, but had found out about it through word of mouth. I then told other people, and found a chance to get involved myself. Most people hear about these opportunities through word of mouth whether it be in the form of an advertisement, a friend, an email,a class, or a news article. When people start talking about something, it reaches others who may or may not check it out depending on their interests, but the people who do also will tell their friends, thus the new information reaches a vast amount of people.

Crowdsourcing also brings people together who have similar interests. On the website threadless, people who are creative and want to create t-shirts are brought together. I have been helping my friend with the website, while he created a design for a shirt; through this process we have bonded more than we might have if we hadn't decided to do this.

A new crowdsourcing model was recently introduced, in which "Organizers of the X Prize, who have set up contests for space travel, DNA research and super-efficient cars, said on Tuesday they are offering $10 million to the winner of a contest to transform the health of people in a small U.S. community." It will be very interesting to see what ideas are proposed for this model, since it involves helping other people out, rather than making an actual physical product people will like. This project not only will have to propose a plan that will transform the health of a community, but also will have to propose a way of involving a community to improve their health together. I think that this crowdsourcing model could provide many opportunities for a community to connect on many levels, but more importantly will connect people who want to stay healthy. In our nation, staying healthy has become an increasing problem for many people. This model of crowdsourcing may find an answer to help our nation become more healthy than it has been in the past.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30229724/

Crowdsourcing can bring people with similar interests together in both the creating process, and the use of the product. Crowdsourcing is not always used for the creation of t-shirts, policies, or tv commercials, but also can be used for our own well being (like improving health in a community). Will there be more crowdsourcing models posed in the future that we as humans may actually benefit from? Will the crowdsourcing model mentioned above to improve a communities health even work? And if it does, what changes might we see in our own society? Will we turn to crowdsourcing to solve more of our societies problems or issues?

Does technology reveal too much personal information?

As technology advances continually, our privacy also diminishes. Everything we do using any technology can be viewed and used to see what our interests are, and even things we do every single day. Most companies have either already moved most of their info onto some sort of technological system or may soon make the move. With our personal information being available from many places like our own personal computer, businesses computers, and the online world; our personal lives can be accessed easily by anyone.

One of the easiest ways for personal information to be accessed by anyone is online. Sometimes we readily give away our personal information on sites like Facebook and Myspace, but other times we can often be tricked into giving our personal information away or not even know that we are giving the information away.

When using our email we often sign up for certain messages from certain businesses. However, these companies give away these email addresses to other similar companies which also send us emails in hopes that we are interested in products they have. This is one aspect in which we as consumers are targeted to buy certain things only because these companies might know what some of our interests are. Another technology that uses our information is I tunes. I Tunes has access to all of our music that we put into it. I Tunes now has a feature called Genius in which it predicts songs we might like based on what music we already have. This can be really nice to use when I am interested in listening to some new music, but they are targeting me to buy more music by recommending music they already know I am interested in. Should companies be allowed to use what they know interests us and have access to this information when trying to sell products? Some people like this feature and it could even make buying products easier, but does that mean it is ethical or morally right to do?

Using the internet also puts us at risk to viruses and online fraud in which many lives can be ruined. Viruses can be used to gather personal information and even access to bank accounts through information we put on the computer ourselves. It seems that going online can be very dangerous, and can affect our own personal safety. Sometimes we can easily forget this, and put some aspect of our lives at risk through using the internet. Over the summer I put myself at risk through using the internet and my bank account was hacked into by someone who put up misleading information on a website which tricked me into giving account numbers and what not. I eventually got all my money back, but it was a definite hassle that took extra time and effort out of my life to deal with. When I look back on that situation, I wonder sometimes is the internet worth as much as we think it is if it is putting our lives at risks whether it be something to do with finances or personal info?

One of the issues that I feel I debate about with myself constantly, is the issue of privacy and social networking sites. On these sites we readily give away our personal information and when we do this we rarely question what the consequences might be from doing this. In our reading on privacy Marx said that privacy is important because "Privacy is a resource in inter-personal relations, doled out and exchanged as relationships progress. Intimacy is based partly on the voluntary sharing of personal information with others. Individuals feel free to be “themselves” as they get to know others better, and reciprocal exchanges take place." Depending on which sites you use and what information people can see, other people are then allowed to make judgments and opinions about us by just visiting our profile pages. I personally do not like this because I think that we should give and be given a fair chance when first meeting someone so that we can make good impressions rather than bad ones. Online sites such as Facebook do not really allow for giving people fair chances especially if you do not know a person very well or at all. Our sites may reflect who we are, but people viewing the profiles might view you differently than you would expect them to. This changes the whole process of getting to know someone, and how relationships are traditionally formed. Rather then me being able to tell someone my interests they can look them up online and already know my favorite book or movie. This disintegrates the relationship drastically, and takes away from getting to know someone, moving on to trust them, and affects the intimacy level of that relationship. I do not have a problem with putting up information about myself, but in a world where people may use it against me it might be better to not post it, and avoid the detrimental affects in the long run.

In Europe, Meglena Kuneva, the European Union Commissioner in charge of consumer rights recently issued a warning on Internet User Rights. They want Internet site operators to work within regulators to better protect users. In Europe they also have realized that the internet has lured its users to give away too much personal data. They say that in Europe they have always favored self regulation by the industry, but if these abuses keep occurring they will make new rules to decrease the rate at which personal data is being gathered and given away.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29957812/

In the future I hope that there will be more privacy laws regarding the internet and other technologies. It is hard to say when and if it will actually happen, but the issue at hand cannot solely be blamed on the technologies that put our personal lives at stake. We as people also need to be careful about what we post and let the public view. We do not walk around the city with a list of our interests or phone numbers posted on our backs, however online it is as if that is what we are doing. Corporations and ourselves need to be more careful about what can be made available to the public. I think it will also be important to one day have boundaries as to what information companies can collect from us based on the technologies we are using. It is important to ask whether these technologies are actually helping us or are they ruining us? We might not be able to see all the things they are doing, but it doesn't mean it isn't happening.

Chat Room Relationships

Chat rooms provide a way for people to communicate information to others via text, webcam, or in a graphical multi-user environment (like World of Warcraft.) Chat rooms can be very helpful to some in providing an easy way to communicate with a large or small amount of people in a real time situation.

After reading "A Rape in Cyberspace" and discussing the many controversial issues within the article in class, I felt very two sided and unsure on how I felt about what happens in some chat rooms.

There are many websites in which people can chat, and they have become far more advanced from what the chat room was like in the article. People can now pick a topic they want to talk about and easily go in and chat. Now people who want to engage in sexual conversation can easily access others who also want to engage in this type of conversation by simply going into the chat room that best describes what their looking for. Sometimes it is simply just a chat and two people go away with what they may or may have not wanted. They may or may not talk again, but it stayed within the virtual world and never entered the realms of something that would happen face to face, like what happened in "A Rape in Cyberspace." On the other hand, it may not always be just a chat and the person on the other end of the chat may want a real world engagement not just a virtual one. It is in these instances that a chat room can start to become unsafe, and the information you post or tell others willingly can sometimes end up putting yourself at risk.

A huge issue that has been growing since the Internets popularity has increased has to do with internet predators. Internet predators use an alias and often act as a young child in childrens or teens chat rooms and talk to them and lure them to "hang out" outside of the chat room. Usually the intent of the internet predator is not good and most sexually molest these children they have met online in the chat room. In Wisconsin, agents who work on catching these internet predators and putting them behind bars have seen an increase that has quadrupled in the past ten years. One of the agents even went on to say, ""I don't think we've made significant progress at all, our community leaders don't even know how bad the problem is. The general population has no idea."

This youTube clip shows how easy children can get lured by internet predators.




As the internet has advanced and become cheaper and faster, the internet predators have also become better at what they do and more cautious about being caught with the invent of tv shows like "Catch the Predator." Last year alone, there were 3000 arrests having to do with Internet crimes against children. However, that was not nearly the amount of people online performing these crimes. Agents have a hard time cracking down on these predators and say they need more people to help with the arrests and time to find these online predators. One agent even asked, "What's more important these 10 speeders getting tickets or this kid not getting sexually molested?"

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29793814/

Should we continue to allow chat rooms for minors to exist? Or should the security measures to allow someone into a chat room be greater? Should chat rooms have such open topics where people can participate in cyber sex? Or would that violate our freedom of speech? How did chat rooms evolve from a safe place of communication online to a place where one could be singled out for an attack from a predator? How can we make the internet safer for the younger generation to browse safely? Is there another way to eliminate internet predators?

Technology and the Generational Gap

As technology becomes increasingly used by more people in their everyday lives, a generational gap is also dividing many relatives, acquaintances, and even co-workers. Jenkins said that as the rate of technological and cultural change accelerate young people will have different cultural values and styles than their parents. Along with that Jenkins also said that when we live in different media environments we use technologies differently and form contradictory interpretations of experiences.

Within my own family I can see a generation gap between the younger, middle, and older generations. Everyone grew up within different eras, and we all had different methods of watching tv, listening to the radio, using the phone, and being able to use a computer. Some people are able to stay up to date and learn with the new technologies like the younger and middle generation. However, the older generation has a harder time adapting to the newer technologies like a computer since they have lived most of their lives without it. An example of this within my own family is my grandma. My grandma does not use a computer at all. She has bad arthritis and uses a typewriter for things she needs to type, but for her that's normal and was more a part of her life than the computer is. She also has a phone which she barely knows how to work, but its an older model which she only brings out with her when she goes out, and always is off. Many of us have tried to show her how to use it more and get her a newer model, but she says she doesn't want to mess with the phones because they are too complicated. While I on the other hand use both a phone and computer daily with ease. This agrees with what Jenkin said about forming contradictory interpretations of experiences. Not being able to understand the way one another thinks we have differing opinions about technology, and value certain things more than different generations would. Sometimes this can harm relationships between people of different generations because of this difference of opinion.

In an article (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/09/business/09cell.html) from NY times it mentioned how "children increasingly are relying on technological devices to create social circles apart from their families that change the way they communicate with their parents." It also noted that there has always been a change within society as certain technologies become more ubiquitous. The author gives many examples of technologies that have widened the generation gap like the progression of the phone, the invention of the automobile, computer, and internet. And in using these technologies the younger generation is very connected, and far more independent than their parents were at that age. The cell phone is a technology that is causing a generation gap, and causing problems between some children and their parents. Parents are upset that a child could be doing anything right in front of them while they are on their cell phone, and they would never know. Parents have been confused as how to communicate with their children since it seems their world revolves around their phone. To solve this some have learned how to text and communicate via the phones making things not so tense, and filling in only a small part of the generational gap.

Will the generational gap be a continuing trend as we grow older? Will we, when older, be as open to technology as we are now? What new technologies will be invented that we would never imagine seeing that might cause tension between us and our future children or the future younger generation?

Convergence of Cell Phones in our Lives

Cell phones have become increasingly used, and almost a daily norm. But have we taken cell phone use too far?

On my cell phone I can use the internet, take pictures, text or email someone, play games, find a location, play a game, schedule an event, or even talk on it. The original cell phone was only able to make calls and was huge and bulky. Now we can do almost anything on a cell phone at any moment in time as long as you are in an area that receives service. Along with the technological changes in the first cell phone and a present day cell phone, these changes in turn have impacted our relationships. We can now do things we would normally do on our computers at anytime and anywhere because of our cell phones. The technology has become so advanced that it can do almost anything it seems like.


One thing that I have noticed a cell phone can also do that is not listed on the features of the box is that it impacts my personal relations with others. It is beneficial that I can communicate with my friends easily, and I can access information quickly using the mobile web. However, it is harmful too. I can choose not to talk to someone easily by simply screening calls, or not responding to a text message. It also engages us in "continuous partial attention" almost always. I am guilty of the continuous partial attention and it is very hard to get away from. Recently I noticed how on edge I was from using my cell phone too much. I was texting almost always, even when I was spending quality time with others, like my boyfriend. Of course he did not like this. Why would you want to spend time with someone who is constantly on their phone? I must admit I hate spending time with someone who is continuously texting especially while they are talking to you. You wonder whose conversation they are more engaged in, and if they would rather be doing something else than being there with you. As I noticed this in myself, and how my cell phone was taking away from my daily interactions in the real world, I wanted to change how I use my cell phone.

McLuhan said that "The medium is the message." I think we all have forgotten what the cell phone was originally intended for and have been distracted by the content the cell phone has brought along with it recently. Because of this it has definitely shaped the way we think , act and perceive the world around us like McLuhan said.

After reading many articles that said turning of your cell phone and getting away from the internet can be beneficial for one, I decided to give it a try myself. I have noticed that when not always expecting a text or constantly checking my phone I have become less anxious, and more relaxed. I realized I was not missing out on much, and I didn't need to text as much as I really thought. I also have no problem now ignoring a text and not responding while in class, with friends, or even in a movie theater. The content in these text messages usually can wait and are not that important that they need to take up my time constantly. In the article "Being Always On," the author states that studies in other countries who have had cell phone use much longer than our nation, people have no problem turning off their phones during work, studying, and during other daily rituals.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080520161340.htm

Do you think that all the hype with cell phones will decrease and our society will find a way to balance cell phone use more equally into our lives instead of letting it take over our lives? Will we realize that cell phones do not need to be a necessity in our lives, and become less hooked to them? Or will the trend of cell phone use, whether it be texting, surfing the web, or talking , continualy increase as the technology gets better and better?

New Media and Our Everyday Lives

New media technology has been created, adopted, and absorbed into the culture at increasingly dramatic rates. With the addition of all this new media many people throughout the world have been affected in both their cultures and society they associate with. With the many different technologies that exist and that are being invented it seems that technology is shaping our society. Jenkins explained characteristics in new media landscape that are almost controlling and dictating our relationships with others.

One of new media's characteristics that Jenkins lists is "everyday." New media technologies have become such a huge part of our lives that it has integrated into our everyday social interactions. Jenkins is definitely right. Every single day I use my laptop, my cell phone, my i pod, television, and many other technologies that it seems I can't live without. Technology has shaped my social interactions. I have to check my email daily or I could miss something important for deadlines in school. Most of my friends communicate to me via my cell phone or through Facebook. If my computer or cell phone were to stop working I think my life would be hectic. I would have no form of of communication with others except for personal contact. I do not think I would even be able to wake up on time since I use my cell phone as an alarm clock. Jenkins is right, new media does become dangerous as it becomes part of our daily lives. We do not realize that there is a layer of media surrounding us, and we become dependent upon it too much.

A recent news article stated that Utah residents are the biggest consumers of porn on the internet in our nation. For every 1000 broadband users, 5.47 people have subscriptions to porn sites in this state. For some people this news is very shocking, and the article also found that the most conservative and religious states have higher rates of porn site usage. This is interesting because for most of these people they are stepping out of what their culture and religions go against. Typically most people would think that the more conservative and religious states have the least amount of porn site usage. However, as the internet has become a daily part of most of our lives in this nation it is also easy for people to hide their identities and remain anonymous online. People we socialize with everyday do not know what we may be doing on the web, and people can house many secrets this way.

The use of these porn sites has become a daily routine for many, even within religious communities...

"Church-goers bought less online porn on Sundays – a 1% increase in a postal code's religious attendance was associated with a 0.1% drop in subscriptions that day. However, expenditures on other days of the week brought them in line with the rest of the country, Edelman finds."

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/Business/Story?id=6977202&page=1

Did the internet turn these people away from their beliefs? Has daily interactions on the internet changed our values we might have had before we used this technology? Will these secrets that we keep online destroy our relationships with others in the real world? Does the daily use of media in our lives change only the way we live or does it also affect our personalities and habits?