Apple, Google, Facebook: Reflection

I actually found out about “Apple, Google, Facebook” from a class I took last year when Professor Smith came in to promote it. Since I have a great interest in all things Internet and had taken all of the Internet related courses that Professor Bakioglu taught, I decided that this class would be another interesting learning experience and could possibly work towards a self designed major I may create.

I had a great time in Apple, Google, Facebook this term. I enjoyed learning about Steve Jobs, Google and things about Facebook. I had never actually focused on three specific companies before, when I learned about the Internet in previous classes, we actually didn’t talk much about Apple or Facebook. It (mainly Facebook) was briefly mentioned but we focused more on Google and the “Googlization of Us”. It was cool to actually learn more about the company itself rather than just from an outside or user perspective. I also had never really known anything about Steve Jobs and I really enjoyed reading his biography. Even though many people still think Steve Jobs was an asshole I still hold the idea that he was a very interesting man who a very different thinker who was able to create Apple. And while I use Facebook everyday, I hadn’t ever really read much about Mark Zuckerberg and learning about him was very interesting.

I thought it was very interesting when Dr. Larry D. Rosen came into talk to our class. I have an interest in psychology so his lectures were very interesting. I had never actually met or heard anyone before who worked with generation differences and the different uses of technology. I had figured some of the more obvious differences. For example, many people who are in the older three generations prefer face-to-face communication rather than communication that takes place through the Internet. These “differences” in technology and some stress factors he talked about defiantly were true for me and I have personally experienced the technology gap with my own family/parents.

If there were more classes like this one offered in the future, I would definitely be interested in taking it. I knew a little bit about Apple, Google and Facebook but this class expanded that knowledge and was very interesting at the same time. 

Troll in the Dungeon

In his book, You Are Not a Gadget, Jaron Lanier discusses a group of people on the Internet who are called “trolls”. But what exactly are trolls? If you are an avid Internet user, you probably have encountered a troll or two during your time online. According to Lanier, a troll is “a term for an anonymous person who is abusive in an online environment”. Increasingly in the past few years, trolls have become quite a problem on the Internet.

Lanier’s first mention of trolls is during in his first chapter, “Emphasizing the crowd means deemphasizing individual humans in the design of society, and when you ask people not to be people, they revert to bad moblike behaviors. This leads not only to empowered trolls, but also to a generally unfriendly and unconstructive online world. In his book, Habits of the Heart, Bellah says that “a community attempts to be an inclusive whole, celebrating the interdependence of public and private life and of the different callings of all” (Bellah 72). Jaron specifically says that it is a lack of community that allows trolls to thrive. Many trolls can be found on the site called 4chan (mainly the /b/ threads). 4chan is a forum site and users do not have specific identities and make posts anonymously. This makes it easier for people to not feel bad about being completely rude or down right mean to someone and invokes a mob like actions. Trolling often leads to cyber bullying and there have been accounts of kids who killed themselves because they were trolled too much.

 

Even though “it would be nice to believe that there is only a minute troll population living among us. But in fact, a great many people have experienced being drawn into nasty exchanges online”. Trolls are far more common than people think and are spreading to other sites like Reddit or Youtube. Anyone can be a troll but that does not mean you should be one. Trolling may end up being a large problem if people don’t take a step back and stop “feeding the troll”. 

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Google Glass

The advances in information processing in recent years have given rise to a major societal change. People are stepping away from the traditional desktop computer for their internet access and trending towards use of more portable with devices such as tablets and smartphones. Ubiquitous computing is now being integrated seamlessly into everyday life and is now more available and used by people from all walks of life. The multi-national corporation Google, which provides internet related services, has become one of the leaders in bringing new edgy technology into the homes and pockets of citizens around the world. Google’s latest ambitious project is “Google Glass”, a tech product that may revolutionize the way society accesses the internet and interacts.

Google Glass is a wearable Android based computer with a head mounted display that will allow users access to hands-free internet and other computer features. The head mount is not bulky or clumsy; instead it is in the form of a sleek pair of designer glasses. Google Glass is being developed by the Google X Lab, a top secret facility located somewhere in California that exclusively works on technology for the future such as driverless cars and space elevators. Many people in today’s society are obsessed with sharing their lives and keeping in touch with their friends and acquaintances, Google Glass is going to make these things much easier to do. The product has the ability to shoot pictures and videos with a simple voice command as well as upload them to the web. Instagram users rejoice! Google Glass will be able to utilize weather applications and navigation tools such as Google Maps but be able to present them in a heads up display format that seamlessly integrates reality and the digital world. Imagine being able to send a Tweet or instant message through a simple voice command without the use of your hands or smartphone; convenience is the name of the game when it comes to Google Glass. Users will also be able to browse the web, instant message their friends, and even translate languages.

Google Glass is everything the modern person wants in a small convenient package. Ease of use has always been attractive in products and Google Glass will not only be easy to use, but it will make our tech integrated lives easier as well. Information will be able to be shared at a rate that has never been seen before. Human connection is possibly one of the most treasured things to people and with Google Glass and other technologies connections will only be made stronger and people will be able to reach out to each other in ways that have not been possible until now. Every day the tech world grows bigger and bigger and so does its usage by the human population. Google Glass takes advantage of the changing times and offers people a product that will effortlessly weave into their everyday lives.