Writing Assignment 10: Journalism

With one of the biggest and most important presidential elections coming to fruition in a matter of days, each candidate is nearing the end of a seemingly endless string of months on the campaign trail. It is really no secret that news organizations and periodicals usually tend to lean one way politically, with the conservative spin of Fox News network, or the liberal powerhouses that include magazines like Rolling Stone. Although trying their hardest to keep the title of an unbiased, moderate news source, it is usually pretty obvious as to which way a television network or news periodical tends to support. Barack Obama has graced the cover of Rolling Stone three times since March, while only a scathing political cartoon of John McCain as a bratty baby has been published. For this assignment, I've taken a look at two articles about Barack Obama. One from the Fox News website, and one that is featured in the most current Rolling Stone magazine.

Rolling Stone's article is actually an interview by Eric Bates called "Obama's Moment". This article is about 5 pages long, including multiple pictures showing Barack Obama in ways that most people are now familiar with...smiling, teaching, etc. After reading the interview, it is apparent that Obama is very positive. Even discussions about the tough issues like foreign affairs, the failing economy, and is opponent John McCain, show Obama as a very positive person. I think the interviewer did a great job of asking questions that cleared up some confusion that I'm sure many undecided voters had. Direct questions were met with direct, decisive answers of how things will actually get done.

There is some negativity, although it is mostly directed to the failed policies of President Bush. When asked about John McCain's mudslinging tactics in the past few months, Obama responded by saying that "I just think he wants to win" (Bates 2008). It seems as though Obama was comfortable answering all of the questions...like he wasn't backed into a corner or something.

But, upon further research, I have found that I have been fooled by this positivity! Jeffery Beeson writes that 68% of Barack Obama's ads are negative, while only 62% of McCain's are (Beeson 2008). Oh, the humanity! Woe is me!

I also read an article off of the Fox News website about John McCain's feelings toward Barack Obama. It is blatantly stated that John McCain does not think that Barack Obama will be able to protect the United States like he will be able to. He is quoted talking about the economy, and how Barack Obama's plan will raise all of our taxes to the point where the economy will get even worse. There is talk about a few of his plans...but only the hopeful result of them...not how they will actually be achieved. Other than that this whole article seems negative. Like an attack on Barack Obama and is plans for America (McCain 2008).

As opposed to the Rolling Stone Obama article, the article on Fox New's website does not have any pictures, although it does have a comment section where people can instantly reply and discuss their feelings about the article, or the subject matter. In looking at these comments, there are two that are anti-McCain, and one that is pro. I found this interesting based on the fact that I was looking at an article that was based in conservative ideals, within a news source that has known to skew information to the right. I was expecting to see a bunch of pro-McCain comments.

Next week we will have a new president. There will never be an agreement of who should have the job. It's absolutely ludicrous to think that we are a unified nation. We are not, and this election year has proved it to me. McCain is currently down in the polls, but he vows to get back up towards Barack Obama's numbers (GMA 2008). Either way, I'd like to hope for the best, and hope that whoever wins realizes the dire need for a selfless leader who will do the right thing for the country and not themselves or their constituents.


Sources:

1) Bates, Eric. "Obama's Moment". Rolling Stone. 30 October 2008. Issue 1064, Pgs 74-81.

2) "McCain Doubts Obama Has 'What it Takes' to Protect America". Accessed via Foxnews.com. Accessed on 31 October 2008. http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/10/29/mccain-doubts-obama-takes-protect-america/.

3) Beeson, Jeffery. "Presidential Candidates' Television Ads Most Negative In History". Published 30 October 2008. Accessed via Eurekalert.org. Accessed on 31 October 2008. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-10/uom-pct103008.php.

4) "McCain Promises to Overtake Obama Lead." Publised 31 October 2008. Accessed via Gmanews.tv. Accessed on 31 October 2008.http://www.gmanews.tv/story/130701/McCain-promises-to-overcome-Obama-lead.

Com 125 Assignment #8: Web Application Review

The web application that I decided to review is an internet radio station called Pandora. Found on the web at pandora.com, this site creates radio stations for it's users based on music preferences that the user provides.

And it's FREE.

I hadn't used my older account in a few years, so I created a new one when faced with this assignment. To sign up, one must provide an email address (which will be used as a user name), a password of their choice, and information such as age, gender, and zip code. I went into the FAQ section, which turns out to be quite extensive, to find out why I needed to provide those last three items. It turns out, I must be older than 13 to register for this service, hence the inquiry about my birth year. In addition, Pandora asks about your gender so they can provide advertising on your personal page that will be aimed more towards your chosen sex. They ask for you zip code because this service is only available to residents within the United States. After the registration process, one is able to delve into the endless music the Pandora provides.

To begin you type in the name of an artist or band that you like to create a station based off of them. For an example, I typed in the Beatles as my station. The first song comes up, Let it Be, and plays through. Now here's the cool part...the next song that plays is by a related artist based on the musical style, genre, or even instruments used by the band that is noted as my station. One can make as many stations as they desire. If you like a song that comes up, you can give it a 'thumbs up' or 'thumbs down' for your station's future reference. You can also buy any of the songs that you hear. You can skip a song you do not like, but you cannot rewind a song due to the licenseing agreements. The FAQs on the site go through many of the concerns that one may have about the site. Its a wonderful tool for those who don't have iTunes or a personal music collection. Also, it can be accessed at any computer to be listened to at school or work. Although I have found that it runs a bit slower on the school computers than it does my house. It is a great tool for finding out about new artists who are similar to your current favorites. I cannot tell you how many new, awesome bands I have found out about through Pandora.

The set-up of the website is rather plain, but that in no way takes away from the functionality of the website. There are large advertisements that periodically pop up, but that really doesn't bother me too much either. When I use this site, I put on a station that I know I will enjoy, minimize the browser that Pandora is on, and basically forget about it and let the music play. The layout of the site is pretty straightforward and I don't think there is any way to be confused about how to control the music player or other features.

There isn't a tremendous amount of social interaction on the site. But, you can share your playlists or listen to someone else's. There is a profile section where you can view your bookmarked artists, favorite songs, etc.

I think this site is a great application for music lovers or even music likers. It is very convenient that Pandora can be accessed from any computer, and your playlists will be there when you sign in. Also, I find it much better than radio because there is literally no commercials, and you can pick and choose what you actually want to hear. I think it is very interesting how the creators of Pandora have made this database of information about each artist or song and have connected them to others. Known as the Music Genome Project, this system gives the listener what he or she wants to hear, and can turn them on to new music that they have not heard.

And its FREE!

Com 125 Assignment #7: Community

Personally, I would define the term 'community' as a group of people who share a common attribute. This could involve ethnicity, location, interests, etc. Since the internet was originally developed to connect people who were far from each other, the concept of a virtual community was inevitable. Today, there are countless ways to be apart of one of these online communities. Personally, I am actively involved in a few of these communities including Facebook, Myspace, and assorted message boards. The one that I find most interesting, however, is Myspace.

I used to constantly update my personal Myspace page with pictures, comments, moods, blah, blah, blah. Now, I really only use the website to promote my band on our music page. I believe that the Myspace Music is one of the best things to happen to unknown bands in a long time, but that's a different story. I think there is a big distinction between a music Myspace and a personal Myspace. Based on content of the page alone, while personal pages are attempting to sell the attributes of the creator, band pages are focused on spreading creativity and the message of the music. I know that sounds a bit cliche, but think about it. Personally, I would much more readily accept a stranger's friend request on my music page than my personal page.

Myspace seemed to start out as a place for friends. Thats even their motto. Which brings up the million dollar question...what makes a friend a friend? I could click a button, and a complete stranger could be, according to Myspace, just as much as a friend as some kid I grew up with. This turns out to be a difficult question to answer. Danah Boyd writes that, "a friend is a relationship that involves some degree of mutual love or admiration (Boyd 2006)." I don't have mutual love or admiration for SeXiGuRl45...but I do appreciate the fact that she digs my band. People all over these social network sites have tousands of these 'friends'. But that's not what they are at all. In a few cases, maybe...there may also be a bunch of people that you have met once at a party or something. These people with the ungodly amount of people that they consider their friends are lying to themselves and are probably not that interesting or as awesome as they think they are. Tila Tequila has over a million friends (Boyd 2006). Case and point.

So is there any sort of relationships or actual friendships that can be derived from these crazy social network sites? I would say yes. In spite of all of the bad press and their many flaws, I would conclude that there is some meaningful relationships that can be etched from these websites. Wellman and Gulia write,

"If the Net were solely a means of information exchange, then virtual communities played out over the Net would mostly contain only narrow, specialized relationships. However, information is only one of the many social resources exchanged on the Net. Many Net members get help in electronic support groups for social, pysical, and mental problems along with information about treatments, practitioners, and other resources (Wellman, Gulia 1997)."

As much as people are beginning to love to hate these websites, they do provide some good. Relationships are created and the people involved ultimately benefit. Myspace and Facebook are prime examples of online communities because they bind people from all over the world who share common interests. I believe that this connection, and the ease at which it can be obtained, is very important in today's world that is so divided.


Souorces:

1) Boyd, Danah. Friends, friendsters, and top 8: Writing community into being on social network sites. First Monday, volume 11, number 12 (December 2006), URL: http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue11_12/boyd/index.html

2) Wellman, Barry and Gulia, Melina. Net Surfers Don't Ride Alone: Virtual Communities as Communities. August 1997. http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~wellman/publications/netsurfers/netsurfers.pdf.

Com 125 Assignment #6: Identity

Nothing is sacred on the internet. Although it is a wonderfully convenient technology that I could not really imagine living without (I have panic attacks when the Verizon network loses its connection) it is also one of the most dangerous places that everyone has access to. Assuming an identity is commonplace on the internet. I have assumed identities on sites like Facebook, Myspace, Instant Messenger, etc. although I like to believe that they are honest representations of who I am in person. The problem arises when these virtual identities are corrupted for any number of reasons or situations.

People can look on my Facebook page and get a good idea of who I am. Like just about everyone I know I list my favorite music, movies, books, and other interests. I allow pictures of me to be posted by my friends, although I try to scan through them as soon as they're uploaded, just in case. My friends, family, and absolute strangers who happen to be in my network can look at this information that I supply and get a good understanding of who I am. This really doesn't bother or phase me.

But, I recently found out that one of my friends who I used to go to school with at Geneseo had created a false Facebook based on a kid that he simply made up. Assuming this identity, he added me and many more of my friends that go to Geneseo as friends. Apparently he took pictures from some random kid from Canada's page, and posted them on his own. So of course I accepted the friend request and thought nothing of it, for I have a terrible memory for people and faces, and I figured that I had just met him at a party or in passing. So this was about a month ago, and I just found out last weekend that it was actually my friend behind this madness. Totally not cool. As it turns out, the innocent dude that had his pictures stolen somehow found out about this identity theft and contacted my friend, obviously very irate and probably scared shitless.

This is one example of identity theft that my (ridiculously oblivious) friend thought was harmless and apparently funny. However, I could not imagine being the Canadian boy who found my pictures strewn around Facebook under someone else's name. However, as more and more adolescents, and even kids now, put ourselves out on the internet in a freer manner, this is the type of things that could possibly affect us personally. In her article, "Identity and Deception in the Virtual World", Judith S. Donath discusses how people create identities on the web and the possible problems that could arise from the deception that could be enacted. When discussing how to stop people from being deceptive on the web, she writes,

" The spread of deception can be limited. In particular, imposing a cost to being caught deceiving - that is, punishing deception - is a deterrent...By imposing high costs on deception a social system can make conventional signals more reliable," (Donath 1996).

This almost obvious statement refers to how the government has dealt with this growing problem on the internet. And she wrote this in 1996! What insight! Honestly though, when we are talking to people on the internet, or looking at someone's Facebook or Myspace, unless we really know them, we really have no idea who is on the other end of the connection. This is not to say that I'm going to ask my friend a question only he would know before I start a conversation every time I IM him. That's a bit rash. But, I would like to think that I and everyone else should be careful and more aware of what we are doing, posting, and talking about online. Just in case.

Sources
1) Donath, Judith S. "Identity and Deception in the Virtual Community." MIT Media Lab. 1996.