Stupidity Bred by the Internet?

It's no surprise that issues regarding Internet usage and it's impact on society are brought up almost on a daily basis. But sometimes one has to wonder just how valid these concerns are...

Take for example this article written in the Globe and Mail. The article brings up the concern that children's brains are being turned to mush because of the how early on they're being introduced to Internet-compatible devices. The article is definitely worth the read since it brings up some interesting points. And in addition to this, the writer uses examples from Neil Postman's "Amusing Ourselves to Death" and Nicholas Carr's "The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains" to give her thoughts a sociological context.

But, although I agree kids might be getting on to the technological bandwagon far too early - my 3 year-old nephew can work an Iphone better than I can and my 2 and 7 year-old nieces already have their own email accounts - perhaps this is just an evolution of society? I'm sure people thought it was nuts back in the day when toddlers started watching TV. I know my family were definitely concerned at one point with my intense love for the tube.

But I don't think this early exposure breeds stupidity in any manner. I think it's a new way of creating a cultured generation. I learned a hell of a lot from watching TV and to this day I randomly spurt out the most arbitrary tidbits of information on topics I had no idea I knew anything about. Isn't the whole idea behind acquisition of intelligence the correlation between culture and the mind?

I definitely find it shocking and a bit unnerving sometimes that children out there are so technologically savvy but maybe it's not such a bad thing? Thoughts anyone?

Snow Day

Dublin got its first snow this weekend so I decided to have a bit of fun in the white stuff with my camera in tow...

Research Methods Blog URL

I just realised not everyone has my research methods blog URL in their blog roll...

So, here it is: http://shaziak.wordpress.com/

Cheers!

Linguistic challenges

Having been born and raised speaking English, I tend to sometimes forget just how hard the English language can be. I'll admit I take it for granted the fact that I know when and in which context to use simple words like at, which, in, of, with, etc...

Two of my roommates are not native English speakers; one is from Hong Kong, the other, France. We sometimes get into conversations where they grill me on proper grammar and syntax, asking how to word this sentence or which word to use in conjunction with this phrase. It can be overwhelming.

Last night we had one of these such sessions and I began to realise just how limited my knowledge of the English language is. Yes, I speak it fluently. Yes, I did an undergraduate degree in journalism and therefore like to think I have a little bit better knowledge of the language than the average Joe but still, it's not enough.

And just when I'm getting stressed out about my limited knowledge of the ONLY language I know and speak fluently I come across this interesting video narrated by Stephen Fry.

The man is a true genius and he makes an interesting point: language is not about the correct usage of words and the strict guidelines that surround things like the construction of sentences. It's about context and the ability to get your message across, using words, in the most efficient manner.
Language, like any other art form (yes, I consider language an art) is up for interpretation. It's ever changing, not stagnant, which makes it all the more difficult to master.

It truly is a beautiful thing...

Helvetica: The Eternal Font

Until seeing the film Helvetica, I was completely unaware as to just how frequently the font is used. I must say though, it is a pretty perfect typeface and it makes sense that it can be used in every imaginable form.  It's a bit extraordinary, and the universality it allows in being used on everything from garbage trucks to high end brand logos displays this to the nth degree.

Although the film was split into two sides - the side for simplicity which advocated using clean, legible fonts for all purposes and the side for elaborate fonts that allow text to be used in an expressive manner - I didn't really see there being a case one being right and the other, wrong. 

Personally, I find expressive forms of text interesting and quirky and I thoroughly enjoy them. They add a little extra oomph to a statement or help to display an emotion in a more visual, rather than linguistic, manner. 

Like this movie poster for example: The image of the old man himself would probably make you think the film is just an animated movie about old people. But the text (and, okay fine, maybe the Disney Pixar logo at the top :) ) lets you know the movie should be fun-filled and highly amusing because of the way it is positioned as well as the bloatedness of it that could remind you of a balloon.

But to contrast that, this movie poster has very simple text (I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure the font is Helvetica) and the image is what does the majority of the talking. The bleakness of the sky and the rundown quality of the van, the man alone at the centre of the poster, all these speak of loneliness or isolation. The text isn't colourful or warped or expressive in any way and that adds to the feeling the poster may evoke.

So, yes expressive use of text is great in that it adds a special element to whatever message you may be trying to portray (either visually or linguistically), but simplicity in text can be equally important when getting a message across. At the end of the day, I don't think it's a matter of simple versus elaborate but more a matter of using fonts consciously to express your message in the best way possible.

Hair-raising URLs

Whenever it comes close to Halloween, I know it's that time of year to actively start screening any web content that's sent my way. On one too many an occasion a friend or family member, thinking they're being utterly amusing, will send me a link to a website where they guarantee you'll see something amazing. As long as you turn the volume up on your computer, you'll get the full experience.

So, you click on the link and you watch the screen with what looks like closed-circuit video footage of an empty room for a good 10 seconds. And then, just as you're about to turn away, a horrible face will pop up on the screen and screech at you like an banshee. It's enough to give a healthy person a heart attack.

And so, I no longer open sketchy emails with vague promises of "instant gratification" as long as I follow the instructions.

So, naturally, when my cousin sent me this link, I immediately discounted it and absolutely refused to open it. I told her as much as well. But my cousin is a stubborn woman, bless her.
She proceeded into coaxing me to opening the link, telling me she hated those kinds of emails too and that she would never, ever send something like that to anyone.

Well, needless to say, I'm not quite as stubborn as she is, and perhaps not as cynical as I thought I was, so I opened the link.

I'll let you see it for yourself, so I'll refrain from giving you a breakdown of what will show up on your screen. All I will say is this: It's frightening, yes, but not in the something-popping-out-at-you-and-causing-you-to-pee-yourself-a-little way. You don't have to turn your speakers to full blast to appreciate what you'll see (and I really do hope you will appreciate it!)

And, as a disclaimer, I'll say if you're deathly afraid of heights don't say I didn't warn you!

Web Browser Conundrum

Remember Netscape? That was the first web browser I ever used on the clunky family computer we had in our living room, next to the TV. We had dial-up Internet back then, when getting on the Internet meant you had to listen to this strange beeping, buzzing and ringing noise while clinging to the edge of the computer desk hoping that no one would call the house and the damn thing would eventually connect.

Not too long after that my dad introduced our family to Microsoft. My memories of this period are vague since back then it was cooler to be out playing street hockey and hanging out with the neighborhood kids than to be sitting in front of a computer screen. But somehow, Internet Explorer became a staple in my life. School, work, home. It was all about IE.

It was only when I got my MacBook Pro that I was truly converted to something other than Internet Explorer. Sure, I had used Firefox, Opera, Chrome and Safari now and then. My cousin even installed Firefox on my laptop. But Internet Explorer was what I knew and I always reverted back to it even though it always crashed and I hated it.

I use Safari all day, everyday now. I can't say there are any real, fundamental problems with it, as far as I can see. Sure, you get the odd pop-ups and sometimes it'll crash. Actually, it crashes at least once a week, but it's comfortable, easy to use and pre-installed on my Mac. So, hey, why not use it? I'm not a huge techie so I won't go out of my way to find a newer, better, more efficient browser. Safari gets the job done more often than not so I'm happy with it!

Embracing Change - Research Methods Blog 1

As web technologies progress and as we, as a society, delve deeper into the possibilities presented by digital communication, it is by default that concerns regarding personal privacy and disclosure become more and more urgent.

Delete: The Virtue of Forgetting in a Digital Age, a book by Viktor Mayer-Schönberger, addresses these issues in an interesting way. According to Mayer-Schönberger, whereas in the past it was more costly to remember things (such as spending money on paper and ink or painstakingly documenting things over a number of years) it has now become such that forgetting is “brutally expensive”. Keeping records has become so easy and virtually automatic for most that it is only due to costly technological problems that we don’t record things; for example, trying to retrieve documents from a broken hard drive or pictures from a damaged digital camera.

Mayer-Schönberger believes whereas forgetting came easily in the past, society has now “begun to unlearn forgetting” to the point where we are trying to remember everything and Mayer-Schönberger believes this is causing huge problems regarding personal privacy in the world.

However, according to Adam Keiper (editor of The New Atlantis), the examples Mayer-Schonberger uses in his books to further his point do not soundly support his argument.

One example Mayer-Schönberger uses is of a psychotherapist who has been denied entry into the U.S. since 2006 because of an explicit personal account of his use of drugs in the 1960s. According to Keiper this does not support Mayer-Schonberger’s argument that digital memory and the need to remember everything is detrimental to society. Keiper says the situation with the psychotherapist was the psychotherapists own nostalgia that led to his being denied entry into the U.S. If he hadn’t been so public about his drug-use he wouldn’t have had a problem with U.S. border security.

In a second example, a teacher-in-training is denied certification because of a suggestive photo on her MySpace page. Keiper says that the woman was not denied certification because of one photo that suggested she was drunk, but rather that there were “several problems that called into question her competence and performance”. Keiper also argues that this is not a case of “remembering too well” but a case of the blurring of lines between public and private lives in the online world.

Toby Shuster from takepart.com agrees to some degree with Keiper saying digital memory is not to blame for the unforgiving lack of forgetfulness in society. Shuster believes it is a case of people lacking the proper online etiquette when it comes to making use of privacy settings and practicing self-censorship.

Shuster says Mayer-Schönberger’s argument is more of a case of “a Harvard academic, shaking his fist in a ‘kids these days, with their digital cameras and unlimited storage!’ fashion.”

I tend to agree with Shuster. Although I understand the extreme concerns lack of privacy in the online realm presents, I believe Mayer-Schönberger’s method of addressing the problem is no more than the fear-mongering tactics of a man who is afraid of change.

Society, for as long as it has existed, has had times of ups and downs where there have been individuals scoffing at progression and radical changes, claiming that they will cause the downfall of society as we know it; and this is what, in my humble opinion, Mayer-Schönberger is doing.

Yes, a man being denied entry into the U.S. because of drug usage 40 years previously is an unfortunate thing. Yes, missing out on a job opportunity because of something you posted on Facebook or Twitter or MySpace on whim, but that does not speak to your character as a person or employee, is ridiculous. But this is not a problem created by the Digital Age and the causal outcome of everything being recorded and retained on the Internet. This is ultimately a human problem. Having access to archival information, employers, governments, organizations and people in general are using this information in a way that, to me, is the cause of the problem. They are abusing the freedom achieved by having access this kind of information and using it against others without compassionate regard for the individuals in question. They are judging too harshly because of one image or one sentence or one recollection from decades ago. And this is where I believe the problem lies.

If we are to embrace the change our society is undergoing, if we are to adapt in a way that avoids crisis and fear-mongering, we must, as a society, be more respectful of the freedoms we have gained and as a result have a little more humility, tolerance and good judgment when we access this information. As the age-old saying goes: “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover.” Unfortunately, this is exactly what we are doing by taking things on social networking sites at face value. It must stop, one way or another in order for this change to be one that allows our society to progress and eventually thrive online.

If anyone has any specific suggestions on how to achieve this, I would like to hear your opinion… leave a comment!

A little more faith...

Just for a second, imagine you're walking down the street or in the mall or sitting in the library and you happen to see someone with a visible disability. What would your gut reaction be? Honestly?

If I were to be completely honest with myself, I'd say my initial reaction would be curiosity. Not really the morbid kind. More like the pitying kind. I'd probably think "Oh God, it must suck to be that way". I'm not in the least bit proud of that. But isn't that sort of human nature? To judge others? To think, "they're not like me, they're not what society says is normal, so it must suck to be them"...?

I just finished reading this extremely spellbinding, heart-wrenching and thought-provoking feature article called The Boy in the Moon by a Canadian journalist named Ian Brown. Brown has a son, Walker, who has cardio-facio-cutaneous (CFC) syndrome.

It's true that whenever I see someone with a disability, I always think about how hard it must be for them to live like that or how difficult it must be for their family to look after them. But never is it my initial reaction to think that despite their disability, they are ultimately a person whose life has just as much, if not more value, to their loved ones and the to wider world than my own.

It's a harsh reality, to think as a society we are so hung up on putting those who are different from the "norm" on a lower rung on the humanity scale. The fact of the matter is, they are people too. Not to be pitied, not to be stared at with morbid fascination, but people who are valuable to society in order to create a little more humility and a little more faith in the world...

Wotcha!

Welcome to my blog!

I'll try not to bore you with the mundane things that fill my life, but here's hoping to a fun, quirky and maybe even informative atmosphere for me to vent my thoughts and opinions to all you cyber-surfers out there. And if I'm successful perhaps I'll inspire you, oh wonderful reader (yep, I'm speaking to you), to write a comment or two!

Books, music, footie (yes!), politics, good eatings, current events, I'll try to cover it all in the next 4-ish months.

I hope you stick with me for the ride!!!

Cheers,

- S