Monday, June 1, 2015
TWIF Flattener #9 - In-Forming
Use one of the current events sources linked at http://svhs-hwc-fall2015.blogspot.com/2015/06/approved-sources-for-twif-current.html to find a recent news article that relates to, supports, or refutes Friedman's assertion that in-forming was a "flattener." Your comment should include the title of the news article, a link to the article, and a summary of the article including an explanation of how the article relates to this point. Don't forget to check your rubric for evaluation criteria!
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Title: Steering His Own Schedule
ReplyDeleteLink: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/27/jobs/steering-his-own-schedule.html?_r=0
Summary:
A film producer also has a part-time job as an Uber driver. He used to work for a cab company, but he prefers Uber since he can set his own schedule rather than having set shifts. What Uber is, is a ride-sharing service in which anyone who has the Uber app can request a ride from someone else with a car nearest to them, and that person has 15 seconds to accept that ride or not. You know whether or not someone is trustworthy based on their star rating, and this man has a 4.8 out of 5 possible stars. Uber makes money for people who wish to stay afloat.
This article relates to Friedman’s in-forming flattener because of the service it describes. Friedman describes in-forming as one’s personal “supply chain of information, knowledge, and entertainment”, being “self directed”, and “seeking like minded people”. “Uber” (the ride-sharing service described in the article), fits into each of these criterias, making it in-forming and therefore a flattener itself.
Title: Debate: Is Smart Technology Making Us Dumb?
ReplyDeleteLink: http://www.npr.org/2015/05/20/407956931/debate-is-smart-technology-making-us-dumb
Summary:
Two acclaimed men, both authors of books with focus on the internet debate against two well-known journalists on the topic of whether or not the internet and "smart devices" are really making us smarter, or dumber. In the modern day, where the majority of people we know have smart phones or another type of electronic device at hand, we take these technologies for granted at times. This sparks the question, "are smart devices making us dumber" because being absorbed in electronic devices can distract oneself from the "real world" and focus on what is truly important. Although there are several drawbacks to using smart phones, what we people see are the multiple benefits such as easy accessibility to information, faster communication, and entertainment. Yes, it is true that a vast majority of information known to humans can be found online and self educating online has become a thing, but there have been arguments asking if people use their devices excessively and are slowly losing intelligence.
Relevance of article:
In the 21st century, smart phones are a very popular source of modern technology seen everywhere internationally. Friedman states that as more people gain access to smart devices in-forming becomes much more easy and people across the globe can keep contact and communicate without a problem. Although Friedman only highlights the positive aspects of new technology in his arguments, this article is in a way, an equalizer because it both refutes and reinforces the author's ideas. On one hand, technology makes information easy to find and devices are simple enough to be used by anyone, but on the other hand, excessive use of "smart devices" can make us dumber by making people lose contact with the real world and focusing too much on their virtual world online. In conclusion, I view this debate as a neutral factor that provides input on both sides of the equation, which in the end relates to Friedman's views on online information.
Title: Google Finally Responds to Europe's Antitrust Charges
ReplyDeleteLink: http://www.economist.com/news/business/21662618-one-will-run-and-run-google-finally-responds-europes-antitrust-charges
Summary: Google is an enormous search engine with many different uses, for example google earth, or google maps, or just the plain old search engine. It is such a large company that it has been charged with anti-trust laws from Europe. This defines just how powerful of an in-former google is. It went from a search engine to a company selling ads to pay for its actions. This article states that Google has finally answered to the charges after it has been given twice the normal alloted time to respond. Google replied to the charges that they are not even legally based because Google is not a monopoly, in fact it has helped its rivals by increasing their shopping rates by 227%. This article relates because it describes trouble that the in-former (Google) is having on a legal basis.
Title: Ashley Madison Founder Steps Down
ReplyDeleteLink: http://www.bbc.com/news/34090372
Summary: The infidelity website Ashley Madison, who is named after the two most popular girl names in the U.S., is a site for those looking for an affair. Such an outlet has attracted unwanted controversy from hackers, calling themselves the Impact Team. They breached user's personal data, an estimated 33 million accounts, amounting to 300 gigabytes of data. All were leaked onto the web. It's own Chief Executive Noel Biderman has resigned effective immediately, after nearly 200,000 of his personal emails were stolen. A reward for of $500,000 has been offered for information on the hackers.
Friedman stated that the internet empowers us, in different ways. "Everything we see, hear, touch, read, and write is information" (TWIF 181) that can be browsed and searched from anywhere. The Ashley Madison type of informing is dangerous, where not even your closest secrets can hide. Hackers can, of course, duly inform themselves without your permission, sitting in their underwear in the luxury of their house. "Google is like God. God is wireless, God is everywhere, and God sees [and knows] everything" (TWIF 185). Hacking is just another way for leveling the playing field, where knowledge is not just for the rich and powerful anymore. Regular people can access someone else's information from across continents; a flat world indeed.
Title: Television 2015: How TV Is Embracing And Nervously Sweating On YouTube
ReplyDeleteLink: http://www.npr.org/sections/monkeysee/2015/08/26/434920939/television-2015-how-tv-is-embracing-and-nervously-sweating-on-youtube
Summary:
Individuals in today’s society tend to watch less live television in general, though every one of these people still watch plenty of TV on network streams such as Netflix or YouTube. However, it is difficult to measure a distinct relationship between short videos from YouTube and longer videos on television due to variables such as the scenario and purpose. The main concern is whether or not a result is based on what generation an individual belongs to, or how old the individual is. In addition, some television networks attempt to work with YouTube viewers by making a channel and promoting both video sources. YouTube is a possible broadcast source of the future, which threatens current television channels into finding ways to connect with the viewers further.
In TWIF, Friedman discussed Google’s growing power due to its ability to provide in-forming. He also stated that Google is a common standard in today’s society. In the article, YouTube was mentioned as a powerful threat to modern television broadcast networks. YouTube, in its entirety, is owned by Google. This relates to Friedman’s argument because YouTube, like Google’s average search engine, allows the individual to select what information they wish to view. This power flattened the world, and may threaten broadcast channels; however, full episodes are offered on YouTube if the viewer owns an account and pays to view the episode and/or season, so the network will still receive revenue.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteTitle: How Lyft Works
ReplyDeleteLink: https://www.lyft.com/
Summary:
“In-forming is the ability to build and deploy your own personal supply chain--a supply chain of information, knowledge, and entertainment” (Friedman 178). Lyft is a similar app like Uber where you can reach your requested destination by following three simple steps. First, request a ride with just one tap of a button and it will find the nearest driver. Secondly, you are capable of tracking down your drivers ETA which provides you with a photo of the driver to know who you will be riding with. Lastly, after the ride is done make a payment within the app. This trustworthy driving site allows you to find a ride either at home or out doing errands without having to find a local train station or bus stop. It’s basically finding your own private driver to take you to your requested destination at any given time. With the usage of Google you are able to find this app and many others as well at the tip of your fingerprints and fill yourself with knowledge.
Author: Jamie Robertson
ReplyDeleteTitle: Google investors Welcome Alphabet Plan
Link: http://www.bbc.com/news/business-33863666
Summary: The Google inventors are creating Alphabet. The Alphabet plan is simply a new holding company by Google . The holding company will include Google Maps, The search engine Google, Chrome, YouTube and Android. This is helping investors determine which of the Google based sites is making the most profit. Overall, the article is useful because as Friedman says, Google is expanding upon itself and improving by making it well-rounded in “searching for friends, allies, and collaborators.” Not only that, but with the advancement people can look up others by simply typing in the name of the desired person on all of the engines and results will show up concerning that person. Then there is the fact how YouTube has personal settings. These include privacy of uploaded video. Like Friedman says, people with YouTube accounts can upload videos to either the public or privately.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteTitle: Facebook has a billion users in a single day, says Mark Zuckerberg
ReplyDeleteLink: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-34082393
Summary:
Mark Zuckerberg has reached a milestone in Facebook history because he had reached one billion Facebook users in one day. Mark has predicted that the site will continue ton grow because it is widely used to connect family and friends that live a great distance away from each other.
This relates because Friedman talked about self-empowerment and by reaching one billion users in one day made the owner of Facebook very empowered. He knows that Facebook is widely used in Europe, India, and the US are most involved but he wants to include Asia, Africa, and Latin America.