#GamerGate

To be honest, before reading this article and talking to other students in our class, I had no idea that this was going on. I am not one to play video games or pay attention to anything affiliated with them. Because of that I was unaware that women are discriminated against when it comes to playing video games.

I really shouldn't be surprised that this happens. Women are discriminated against in every other aspect of life so why wouldn't they be when it comes to online gaming. I just never really thought this could be a problem either. To me, they're just video games. People play them, whether it be online or not. I didn't think it was possible for women to be discriminated against. Everyone is behind a screen playing a game. So to me it doesn't make sense about how and why this happens.

But I am disappointed to become aware of this. I hope no one takes offense to this when I say this, but typically people play video games as a hobby so why do men (or anyone who says anything offensive) get worked up about women (or anyone) playing video games when it really doesn't contribute anything to real life? People go online and play video games for an hour, or several depending who you are, and then log off and go about their real life which consists of real people, school and work. Why are men (or people in general) being to openly rude and mean for literally no reason?

I'm not trying to demean video games. But if it's another outlet for people to be discriminated against, it is going to spark some controversy.

Illegal down loading is out

Today in class we heavily discussed the topic of illegally down loading music. Before platforms like Pandora and Spotify became available, people would illegally down load music all the time. Music can be expensive, so if people can get it for free, they were going to.

I was someone who used to download music all the time. In high school I didn't think anything of it because everyone did it. I guess I felt pressure from my peers to download music. I would buy music off iTunes and my friends would always be like "why would you do that? Just download it for free!"

But after the invention of Spotify, I haven't downloaded music since. I also have a new respect for artists and their work. I do respect artists and their work. A lot of them work really hard to get to where they are. If I am a huge fan of the band or artist, I will buy the music because I am happy to give them my money. The last two albums that I bought were Taylor Swift and One Direction.

I do think that illegally downloading music has decreased because there are other outlets such as Pandora and Spotify. People don't see the need to illegally download music now. I'm not sure if I am the only person who thinks that, but I wonder what you all think?

Do you agree that illegally downloading music has decreased? And do you actually buy the music if you support the artist?

           

Stand up, not by

I really liked the article we read from Carrie Rentschler. I completely agree with her that people need to start standing up to online violence of any kind.

In high school I witnessed online violence that was targeted towards a kid who came out. He posted a status on Facebook that declared he was coming out as homosexual and then all this drama and online bullying started. People were posting statuses about him that were bringing him down. But, there were people defending him. On the night this happened, every time I would refresh my Facebook feed there were statuses defending him and statuses that were against him.

Even though there were people defending him, there were people that were bullying him and posting mean comments. The people who posted statuses defending him even got bullied because they were defending him. In this instance, it wasn't just him getting bullied.

The next day at school everyone was talking about it, The person who started the bullying got in huge trouble and was suspended from school for what he did. He was the main source of the bullying and he got in trouble for it. When word got out that he got suspended, people were then taking sides about that: whether or not he should have been suspended or not and if it was right for the school to intervene.

Based on my story and this article, people should stand up for people online and offline. But since we are talking specifically online, I think it is crucial that people stand up for each other online. It is easier to stand up for people online because you can see if and actually do something about it. Defending someone offline, you have to actually be there to do so.

If people are being bullied online and you become aware of it, it is a shame if you don't step in and say something. In extreme cases, it is important to stand up for people. Yes, I understand there are dumb Facebook fights that don't need more attention. But is someone is being bullied, you should for sure step in.

There are way too many victims to online violence and if there is something we can do about it, we should.

Liking likes

Something has dawned on me when it comes to social media that is bothering me. Social media is an outlet that people are supposed to use to share pictures and information that is going on in their life with the people around them. What I have noticed, however, is more people are concerned with how many "likes" they get on posts than the actual information shared.

Why do people care SO much about how many likes they get on Instagram or on Facebook? I am even guilty of this and I'm not sure why I care so much. The people who are truly my friends will see what I post, like it and actually care about what I post. Why isn't that enough for people?

I met someone here at school and we found each other on Instagram so I said "oh! you should follow me!" And he looked at me and this person asked me how many followers I had and how many "likes" I average on my photos and when I told them, they said they wouldn't follow me because I didn't average over 80 likes. . . This is something I don't understand why people care so much.

So, fellow bloggers, what do you think? Do you agree? Disagree? Share your thoughts and opinions, I'm very curious.

"Hey! Google knows it's my birthday!"

Today is my roommate's birthday. So this morning when we were in our room getting ready and doing some homework, she shouts out "Hey! Google knows it's  my birthday!" 

When there is a holiday, usually Google will  change its header on the website to associate with the holiday. So when she went on to Google this morning, the header had cakes and candles incorporated into it since it was her birthday. 

This just reinforces our previous discussions in class about Google knowing everything about our lives. She has a G-mail account which probably has his birthday saved onto her profile, which would explain why Google knows it was her birthday today. 

I just wanted to share this little story with all of you, I thought it was funny and it really reinforces our conversations about Google. 

Exposed

Last class we touched on the topic of being exposed on the Internet. Well I know I talked about it. After talking about Danah Boyd's chapters and conversations were flowing, being exposed on the Internet came up in our class discussion.

I know I mentioned how it was scarier for me to put all of my information on the internet. When I signed up for Facebook my dad warned me not to put too much information on my profile. He would scare me into thinking that someone can search me on Facebook and based on what I posted, someone could find out stuff about my life. He would also scare me into thinking that people could find me based on what I posted as well. Because of this, I have always been more conscious of what personal information I have posted on the Internet.

This sparked the debate of whether or not people are more afraid of stranger danger or being exposed on the Internet. I was surprised more people were scared of stranger danger type situations and not being exposed on the Internet. In one second, someone can hack your computer and gain all the information that you have entered on it. That to me is scarier than walking downtown with my group of friends.

So I'm curious about the specific reasons people have that make them more afraid of stranger danger type situations and not being exposed on the Internet?

Social media is now a requirement to survive

In my marketing class this term we have been assigned a group project. Part of our project is to create a product that can be mass produced that is aimed towards a specific target market. In one of the requirements for this project, we have to plan for social media.

As I thought about this, it is second nature at this point in time to make social media a part of a marketing project whether it is for school, or in the real world. Then I thought about how the social media presence for marketers and advertisers is so much more demanding now than it ever has been.

Marketers and advertisers have to spend so much time and energy focusing on this one aspect (social media) to make sure that society is aware of products and services. It used to be so simple: put an ad in the paper, hang up a poster or request a radio ad. Social media presence for companies that want to market services and products is so much more demanding and if companies do not take that seriously, no body will know about them and they will make no money. If a company doesn't have a social media presence, the company mine as well not exist.

Social media is so important for companies to survive in this economy. It never really occurred to me until I started this marketing project and I wanted to share my thoughts :)

Have a good rest of your weekend!

Make it a rule: Privacy matters on social media

I am totally behind this idea of making a social media constitution. Students and employers should not be monitored by their teachers or bosses for what they post online.

Social media is meant for posting pictures, articles, beliefs/opinions etc. You are sharing those things with the people you associate with socially. There will be people who won't agree with what you post and that starts conversation. But I could state the same opinion out at a public place with my friends and still get the same reaction. The only difference is that one interaction was online and one was in person. But they were both social interactions. I wouldn't, however, be penalized for by a boss or teacher in that interaction that was in person. So why should I be penalized for it online? 

People go out on Friday nights after work. People go out on the weekends. Why should people that are over 21 that are working be punished buy their boss? They are out with friends and are over the legal age to drink. What is the problem of posting a picture with your friends at a bar? Or at a Cubs game? Or Hawks game? Or any social gathering that there may be alcohol? That is part of being social, so naturally people will now share aspects of their social lives on social media. 

I also think that people have social lives and work lives and they are very different. People don't act the same in a professional setting as they would at a bar with friends. The social standards are different as they should be. So why are people punished for that? I don't want to act like I do at work when I'm out with friends. I want to be able to separate work from my personal life. Adults should be able to act professional work and should be allowed to have a fun social life outside of work. As long as it doesn't affect your work life, I don't see the need to judge someone by what they post on social media.

I am going to stop myself here. I have a lot to say and have said a lot already.

Community

Today in class we talked about online and offline communities. Both of them have benefits while also having some setbacks as well.

Online you can be anyone you want to be. If there are people lacking in your life that you can talk to, chances are there are people online going through the same thing of something similar that you can talk to about it. From there, relationships and friendships can blossom. It's a new outlet for people and in most cases it can be a good thing (I'm excluding the people that lie online).

What I found interesting about the offline communities was people who live in heavily populated areas don't know their neighbors. After thinking about that, it is so true. People who live in the city never get the chance to know who else is living in their building. The city is a place that is so fast paced that sometimes people don't have the opportunity to get to know their neighbors.




I find that to be a shame because I grew up on a great block and go to know all of my neighbors and most of them are some of my closest friends. They have shaped my life so much and I couldn't imagine my life without them. So it's disappointing to hear that people who live in environments such as the city that never get to know their neighbors.

Oh, I also like Friends. Sorry if this video spoils anything for those who haven't watched the show.

Since we are encouraged to write blogs about things pertaining to this class outside of our blog prompts, I came across something today that I would like to share with all of you.

I have a group marketing project this term and we met for the first time to start our work. While conversations were flowing one of my group members enlightened me about these "BBW" Instagram accounts. "BBW" stands for Bath and Body Works. On these accounts, young tween girls are making videos about the newest and latest products that BBW offers. They rate them and recommend them to their followers and talk about them. Some of the accounts that my group member showed me had hundred of followers and this is what the girls are into now.

My question is: Do any of you know anything about this? This is the first time I am hearing about this and I find it so weird. These girls are putting so much time and effort into these videos when I think they could be doing something more valuable. Maybe that is me just getting to that age.

Look it up and I would like to get some feedback on what you think.

happy blogging everyone! see you in class :)

Can we hide from Google?

If you are anything like Dwight. K. Schrute from The Office, you may believe that computers, or Google know what we are doing at all times and we can't hide from technology. To an extent, this is true.

I just think it depends on how much you put out there on the Internet. If you have accounts linked to Google, they probably do know what goes on. They could find out your bank statements, what you shop for online, what statuses you post on Facebook, and what videos you look up on Youtube.

You have as much privacy from Google and the Internet as you want. If you don't want something to be found by someone searching on Google or by Google, don't put it there.

I told you I liked The Office.

Google Take Over

Google does not control our lives. We are our own person. We control what we do in life. Everyday we make our own decisions. Google does not tell us to get up, go to work, go to class, to use their search engine to quickly look something up, or anything else for that matter. We do that all on our own. Google has simply created a resource and made it available to us that we as a society, choose to use as frequently as we do. Google has obviously done their job by providing a service that people continue to use day in and day out. They are a business and their product is something that our society has gotten used to. Because of that, Google keeps moving forward providing us with further resources that we can use. 

If anything, it is our fault that we have let it go this far. Google wouldn't be where they are today without the use of their customers (us). To those of you who believe that Google has taken over our lives, you should be looking at our society and not Google.

***

I do, however, think that we are addicted. But how can we not be? Google is so resourceful. As a college student, I am totally addicted. I Google stuff for school daily. When I don't understand a concept from my textbook, I go to Google to see if I can find something else that will help me understand that concept. I'm out with my friends discussing politics, entertainment, music and movies. If we have a disagreement or need clarification, someone Google's it. 

Like it or not, Google is the way of the world. Get used to it. It's not going anywhere. 

Reactions to bloggers who blog

I read the interview of Megan Reardon. Right off the bat I liked what she had to say about blogs. She likes that blogs have a personal voice and I feel the same way. Blogs are meant to be more personal and you should be able to hear the tone of voice in the person's writing. And once you start following certain blogs, readers can start to pick up on what they will say about certain topics they discuss on their blog.

Reardon also pointed out early on in the interview that she started her own blog so she can reference ideas later when she needed. That is exactly why I like Tumblr and Pinterest. I can always go back and look through both of those accounts to see what I have saved or liked.

Reardon didn't have any previous writing experience and that just proves that anyone can write and express their thoughts. As you keep blogging and as you keep reading blogs, you will become better at writing as you progress.

Overall, she was interesting to read about and it makes me eager to start blogging myself.

First Is the Worst

Hello bloggers. I've started this blog for a class I'm taking.

The truth is, I'm happy about this because I have always wanted to start blogging and now I'm forced to for class. I am hoping this will motivate me to blog long after my class is over. 

Hope you enjoy what I post, but if you don't, oh well. I don't really care. Just stop reading. 

Oh, and I love The Office.