Assignment #8: Coyote UGLY

Link: TEXTS FROM LAST NIGHT (http://textsfromlastnight.com)

     There comes a time when even an advocate of an internet has to take a step back and realize that some websites are just plain ugly. There are things that shouldn't be posted on the internet - let alone said in general. Unfortunately, along with all the good that I truly believe the internet gives us, there comes the bad that no one seems to understand is bad. The problem with having the ability to post anything on the internet is that some people know no limits and don't understand what crosses the line. 

    The website Texts From Last Night is a great example of ugly on the internet. This site is a place where people all over the US post "texts" they supposedly received from "last night". This basically implies that they were drunk, high, hungover, and just in general not making the best decisions. Don't get me wrong, I am not going to lie and say that I haven't browsed the site out of boredom. BUT the fact that it has become such a big website (3290 pages of confessions), there is even a store section where you can buy the most "popular" texts on t-shirts, is concerning. 

   We as a population should not be feeding in to such horrible ways of entertainment. There is so much explicit material on this website that it is even hard to pin point a singular vulgarity. There is even a section called the "best nights" which not only is biased, but also encourages the bad life choices a lot of these people are making. It saddens me that our society could be so entertained by the wild nights of others and WANT to experience those nights ourselves. I would hope that websites like these don't glorify things like blacking out but that hope is obviously naive. Internet, you've disappointed me. 

Assignment #8: Whose Afraid of the Big BAD Wolf

Link: IMGFAVE (http://imgfave.com)

    It was really hard for me to find a site that could only be considered "bad". I am someone who uses a lot of websites to waste time and though I may not see a site as damaging to myself - it can definitely be damaging to children. The worst kinds of "bad" sites are the ones that do not seem bad and will not get banned by the common parental controls. Personally, I don't agree with parental controls but a site of this manner can be scary for those who did. 
    I used the site "imgfave" as a great example of this kid of website. This site is an image sharing website where you can make an account, post your own images, make collections of images, or just browse the "popular" images of others. One can favorite an image and it then goes into their profile. A danger there is that it can be linked to you through your Facebook which could give access to future employers and family members. So, like any social media website, you have to be careful about you what post and what you "favorite". 
   It isn't a bad website in my mind, I actually browse on it every day, but when I actually thought about it while scrolling I saw a lot of graphic, sexual, and inappropriate behavior. Yes, there is a lot of Disney images, too much One Direction obsession posts, funny and appropriate images, but there are also a lot of half-naked pictures and uses of explicit language. 

The Good: 

The Bad:

   On sites like these, that seem very bright and happy, a parent who really cares has to be very careful about watching what websites their kids are on. Its sites like these that can be considered "bad" and start to give the internet a bad reputation. Honestly, a lot of people probably wouldn't be too upset about this website but it is only bad....we haven't reached the ugly section yet! I hope websites like these aren't what have people up in arms about the dangers of the internet because they really aren't that horrible. But then again, I am a child of the technological age - what do I know? :)

Assignment #8: Glinda, The GOOD

Link: VOLUNTEER MATCH (http://www.volunteermatch.org/search/index.jsp)

      As a participant in the new "virtual revolution" I see a lot of good in the internet. So much good, in fact, that it was hard to pick a site that I did not find as "good" in some way. However, saying that twitter is a good thing, could be very controversial and probably limits those who would agree with me my generation. I want to show those who are skeptical about the dangers of the internet, those who see more bad than good, that there is less to be afraid of then they might think. 
    I chose to look at a site that is focused around doing good around the world and not just in one's own home - Volunteer Match. This website is designed to pair those looking to volunteer in their area with an unlimited amount of opportunities to do so. Any one who wants to give back or contribute to the world can go on this website and it also can connect those who are interested in  meeting others who have the same interests in volunteering.
    Personally, I find volunteering to be one of the most important "good"s in out world. We have a lot of problems in the world but it always gives me hope when people want to join together without getting paid. Especially in such a money driven society! When the internet can make things like this so convenient it is easy to have hope for what the internet can do in the future in the aspects of "good". Even those who hate the idea of the internet and find it as a poison to our youth can agree that sites like these are beneficial. 
    Obviously I see a lot of sites as good in the aspect of every day life, but showing and finding sites like these validate my love for the internet across the board. I truly am a huge advocate for the use of the internet through out life and it is really hard for me to not get heated when people find so much bad because they want to. I am sick of people being scared of everything new. in 20 years no one is going to care about the internet and everyone will be on to something new - like teleportation (I hope!!). 

Other volunteering sites:
http://www.interconnection.org
http://www.onlinevolunteering.org/en/index.html

Cell Phones and Privacy: Paranoia At Its Finest

      Personally I have never been paranoid enough to worry about people tracking me through my cell-phone. I know, and have known, that it happens ever since I got a cellphone. People need to relax and understand that nothing they say over any electronic device or social medium is ever going to be private. If you want to have a private conversation - do it in person. Its really that simple. Electronics, such as cell-phones, are every day things that everyone uses and we all just need to accept that its not a perfect system. Either way we will still use and abuse cell phones and continue to get tracked. 
People who want prepaid cellphones honestly worry me. What is so private and/or who are you calling that is so private that there can be no record of it? The only valid, not totally sketchy excuse, would be that you are in a witness protection program and really can not have anyone looking into what you are doing. Otherwise, it is weird and concerning to me that you need so much privacy. I don't see celling prepaid cellphones as a necessity in America - just distribute them to those who need it and approved by the government to get one. If I saw someone just buying a prepaid cellphone I would be totally suspicious of what they needed it for. 
    The paranoia that people have with technology and who can hear them or see what they say drives me crazy. We have been warned of this for years and of course it will never stop us from using these devices. We, as a people, have no right to criticize the companies who track you because not only is it usually included in the privacy specifics, which no one ever reads, but it also is just a part of the technological world. If you have nothing to hide then you shouldn't be worried what people can see. And furthermore, if there really is something you want no one knowing than talk face to face in a private place. 

    Yes, the government and/or companies will always be watching what you do electronically, but a problem will only arise through how we choose to react to it. 

Location Tracking - Parents, LET GO OF THE REIGNS!

         I am so sick of over-worried and over-protected parents. This whole idea of Location Tracking, or putting chips in children to track them, physically sickens me. It is not the right of a parent to do that to their child or for a hospital to do that to their Alzheimer's patients just because they don't have a voice of their own to disagree with it. All children of a young age are going to get into some trouble but it is the parents' responsibility to watch them - it shouldn't be put on technology. It shows how lazy some people can be, which may not be the intention but it comes across that way. This is honestly a huge invasion of the child to require attached chips on them and I would never support a bill like this in Congress. We have been raising children for hundreds of years and we have never needed any of this - why should be now? It makes me so frustrated that parents are so hyper-worried and over-protective that they can't even let their newborn-5 year old alone without a promise of being able to know where they are at every single moment. 
         When it comes to teenagers it is completely unreasonable. Teenagers need to learn how to be independent through the mistakes they make and the parent's have no right to hold so tightly onto the reigns through needing to know where they are always. Personally, this would lead to a total resentment of my parents because I would see it as a violation of privacy and a lack of trust. I understand that come crazy parents want to prevent bad things before they happen but sometimes all you can do is be there for your child when the bad things inevitably happen. Also, being so overprotective will never result in a stable and functioning child. Either the teenager will end up completely unprepared for the outside world due to the large amount of shelter from it or they will become completely dishonest and sneaky through finding loopholes in the protective system. 
       Alzheimer's patients are no different. I understand that seniors who are more forgetful can be extremely difficult, and at times dangerous, but once again if they are in the right care there shouldn't be a problem. I mean its time people start taking responsibility again and not depend on technology to solve every single problem. I honestly find in ironic that the same generation who call us teenagers and college students too "dependent" on technology want to use it for reasons that prove their own dependence.
      There comes a times where we all have to take a look and realize that regardless of age or mental stability we all have the same rights. Tracking people is not only a huge violation of privacy, its also a huge hinderance on independence. Independence is something we all have the right to learn, as a child or teenager, and keep, as a senior with memory problems or not.

Me, Myself, and I

Hey world, it's me - Sarah Blaisdell. This blog is for my CS408 class to share my opinion about debates and conflicts regarding the internet. I hope to focus mostly on technology's effect on education because I hope to one day to become a teacher. I need to learn both sides of the argument so that I can make an educated decision about whether or not I should allow such use in my future classroom :) I can't wait to get this party started!