Bon Mot

The Long Tail has been forgotten by most lost in the overwhelming demand for mainstream and the end result of good marketing, although now it seems it has been discovered by the economically savvy, and the world seems better off for it. If variety is the spice of life, then The Long Tail must be the spice rack, and the life is getting spicy. The most applicable thing that seems apparent to me is the explosion of interesting in “Indie” music over the past few months, and i suspect it has something to do with Rhapsody and the power of its “similar artist” link. Since the introduction of a handful of successful “Indie” music groups, it has sparked an interest in the genre of music and eventually leads to the expansion of the genre into more mainstream popularity. The best example that i might give is the recent gained popularity of a group called Death Cab for Cutie. This group has been around for some time now, although it was not unless this genre of music reach a more mainstream appreciation that this group became widely recognized for their talents. Its not that they were not as good earlier in their career it was simple that they didn’t have the right management. Now they don’t have to worry about that and their recently released CD has sold more copies that every before due to the increased audience. And what is responsible for the Long Tail effect, well none other than the internet. Without the limitations of space the internet allows a person to have access to just about any resources they desire. Just another handy dandy benefit of the internet, what did people do without it?

“If there is a value, then someone has the right to that value”, interesting theory although how far does this theory extend. In Lessig’s article it explores the extent to which creativity of something new is something completely new in it of itself or just a variation of something that already existed. Just about everything that we have in the world today is a variation of something older, inspired by some small detail or something else and then turned into a whole new product. The Japanese have even created a specific cartoon segmentation of specifically just that, creating variations of already existing comic strips. Is it considered stealing, absolutely not although how is that to differ some of the things that people are now considering piracy online. Yes there are some unarguable cases like downloading songs or movies online, although there are some things that are quite similar to creating a variation and now all of a sudden people are coming to claim ownership to everything just to make a few extra bucks. It’s not just the internet either it’s everything from songs beat, music lyrics, catch phrases, and images and do not want anyone else to use them or anything that seems in the slightest bit similar to them. I think it’s all a bunch of trash. The article questions if the cartoon form manga would be better off is douhinshi didn’t exist or simply had more lawyers to prosecute these cases and i adamantly say “No”. Without doujinshi some of the younger cartoonist would never develop some of their artistic skill as noted in the article, but more so than that it keeps manga cartoonist from falling into complacency or mediocrity. With such strong competition there is no room to be lackadaisical. It pushes for excellence and the best work. Maybe when it comes down to it all the “piracy” online is really just nature working to keep up with technological advances. Our world is founded in the idea of survival of the fittest, well now its just working its way into the internet too.

I never really did fully understand the concept of purpose of the video game Simcity, and after reading the article and learning that the game is in fact comparable to a child’s arithmetic video learning game it only further increases my already existing lack of interest to play the game. The game seems innocent enough although Starr expresses her own intrigue in finding a latent agenda hidden beneath all the colorful characters and interesting atmosphere. Reading further it does seem interesting that the mayor of the city controls all the policies that are used in the city within the video game. Although the gamer does have control over certain aspects of the game so there isn’t a complete lack of personal choice, however the dictation of all public policies from one individual does seem to run too close to a society that is run by a dictator. Could the hidden agenda in fact acclimate the users to a society in which a dictator is more socially excepted? Either way it confuses me why people play the game in the first place. I thought the point of a game was to accomplish some kind of ultimate goal, with some set of rules or standards that are to be followed. There are rules that need to be followed although what is the goal? What’s the point of the game? What is to keep the gamer interested in the game. I know one friend to happen to play this game, and she confessed to me that after a certain point she got so bored with the game that she purposely killed off the characters by putting the characters in a pool and then taking away the ladder that would eventually let them get out of the pool. Yes, i know cruel huh? But it does seem to portray my point quite well. What keeps you interested in the game?

Seeing as I can never get anything productive done in my apartment I figured that would be a good place to have my “quiet time”. Although, I came to realize the reason for my lack of productivity has nothing to do with the physical aspects of the location but rather because I am so easily distracted by the temptation of my television, computer, among other things. Even though this assignment actually requires me to do literally nothing it was equally as difficult not to want to fall into the same temptations. How easy it would be to just reach over to the table and click that little button on the remote that would kill the boredom, although I will refrain. It seems like an eternity to just sit and wait for the time to pass, although as any kid learns from their time spent in class in elementary school the more one thinks about the time the slower it actually moves. So instead in the remaining time that I have, I chose to turn to my experiences with yoga, more specifically practicing “shivasna” in which one completely relaxes and lets go of everything to completely unwind your body for s period of time. As usual my mind began to wander to the different assignments that I had to complete but in trying to clear my mind, I took my thoughts away from the time and the five minutes seemed to pass relatively quickly and I almost wished I had a few more minutes to just sit and so absolutely nothing without feeling bad about my lack of productivity. It felt good. I wish everyone could just take a few minutes out of their lives to sit and clear their minds, I feel the world would be a little less uptight.

Google comes to the rescue as I precede to “internet stalk” Jason Gallo as requested in class. One of the first things that I found on this particular individual was that he is in fact a part of our northwestern university community, and is a doctoral student in Northwestern Universities’ very own School of Communication. The Northwestern website even provides some background information on the specifics of some of Jason’s academic credentials. He received his B.A. at Colorado College, and his M.A. at Georgetown University. It seems that his particular areas of concentration are Internet studies, surveillance, online publics, alternative media, and subcultural communications. Jason seems to actively post blogs on “blogosphere”. Let’s see what else I managed to find about Jason. There really isn’t much else that I discovered, although did try using a different search engine, and really did not find much else. Although, it is a little unsettling how much information that I can kind by simply entering his name into a block on the internet, considering he is a part of the NU community I’m sure I could even find out contact information like phone numbers, an email address, and even permanent address although I’ll just leave it at that. But I could get it if I wanted to. Comparable to stalking huh, well now you know why I like to think of it as “internet stalking”.

(Boyd, Resnick & Zeckhauser)
I look at “Friendster” and it appears to me that the program that was originally intended to be virtual social network or even a dating service is really just high school popularity contest in disguise, although it does simulate the reality of socialization in some manner. There are the occasional individuals that use the network with only a closer circle of friends, and like reality every individual gets to create their own profile and portray themselves to others as they would like others to see themselves. Yes, that leaves room for embellishment, and the occasional white lie to make yourself look better than what you really are, but who doesn’t do that regardless of whether it’s in person or on the internet. It’s high school all over again isn’t it?

Along the lines of networks on the internet, aside from social purposes there are buying/selling relationships that are developed online through the creation of sites like ebay. It is something that i had never noticed before, however it is interesting to see just how trustworthy people are when it comes to purchasing item through ebay. Usually it only occurs that there is an establishment of trust between a consumer and seller although that step seems to be skipped on the internet. I see myself falling into the same trap. I don’t know the people that sell me the product although i assume that it is fine, and there is nothing to be concerned about because millions of others make purchases on ebay and do not have too many problems. There are the occasional complaints, although like it reads in the article most of the people that write feedback leave positive responses to their experiences with online shopping. However when it comes down to it, the negative experiences are really the most important. Pessimism might be the best way to go when it comes to these purchases because the trust used to make online purchases is a trust that is not made, but assumed. Although it is nice to think that you can trust everyone,that really is not the case. Internet has always been a domain where people are wary of being taken advantage of but why doesn’t it completely apply to this realm of the internet?

Having learned all these new tricks to personalize my browser I quickly ran (and by “ran” I really mean sauntered down Sheridan) and went straight to my computer to customize my internet. I was quick to apply my newly learned skills only in fear that if I delayed any longer I might forget as to how to alter the different application. Well I first things downloaded “forecast fox” because I always check temperature before I leave my place. Previously I had weather bug, but as you might have already leaner like I have, weather bug hatefully slows down your internet. The daily weather update, what not worth the exchange of a dreadfully slow computer. Well now I can have the best of both worlds, which is great. You see over the past two years I have learned the tricky thing about weather at northwestern is that appearance is never a good determinate of the actual temperature. Though it might initially appear from the warmth of your bedroom that it is sunny and bright outside, you don’t realize the blisteringly cold temperatures until you get outside and it hits you like a brick wall. Now I don’t have to walk outside the porch to check the weather ever morning. Well aside from this new little aid, I cam to realize the potential benefits of Google map, seeing as I just got a new car. So instead of going about Google map like all the other pedestrian folk of the world, I (now a slightly more savvy internet user) can simply highlight the address and right click to automatically get a lay out or directions to the destination of my discretion. Shortcuts to websites are amazing! It’s just one more aspect of my life that I can be just that much lazier.

Internet, Your own personal utopia
(Introna&Nissenbaum, Sustein)
The internet has proven to have many advantages to ones person although it has proven to have both possibilities of negative and positive outcomes. It is nice for me to personally have the opportunity to choose what I want to read and what I do not, however I had never given any thought to the idea that it excludes me from outside agents that expand my knowledge beyond the things that I personally agree with. The personal dissonance that is created when faced with contradicting positions might be uncomfortable, but in the end it either changes your perception of your own belief, or it might even make your position stronger. I go back to the beginnings of my writing career when my English teacher taught me that the most persuasive argumentative papers write not only about the chosen position but also research the opposite position and are able to aptly counter the argument. In being exposed to information outside your own utopia of information one can not only learn of things that they might not have come across on their own, but also in acknowledging a counter argument your own perceptions can build to be stronger. On the other hand personal selection of information on the internet has created a population of individuals that have become quite adept in filtering information.
Group Polarization is a whole other side issue that has created its own interesting outcomes. With the creation of topic specific websites among other things it is seen that collaborating with other individuals that share personal stances only further encourages and inflates the strength of the position. Personally I see this happen in my own experiences. When I am around my friends, who are of similar personality I find that my own idiosyncrasies are exaggerated because within the particular climate it is more acceptable and common. The more pedestrian an opinion seen the more comfortable a person becomes with it and then in turn mutates into extremism. Some say that things are only good in moderation, but like the article reads on occasion it is those who are thought to be extreme that bring about change. Sometimes it is good to be extreme.
It is now not only the web surfers that have become selective, but perhaps the people that are supposed to be the ones that are objective. Much like the discrepancies that are being exposed in mainstream media, websites like Google are speculated to “systematically exclude” certain sites. Maybe the internet isn’t as objective as people have given it credit for. Is it boom to the same fate as mainstream media? The news was previously viewed to be the objective truth, unquestionable in validity, now some people know better than to believe everything that is broadcasted on the news, they know not to be spoon feed. It can be seen as borderline propaganda, although it is interesting to think that the internet might befall the same fate. How much of the internet can be controlled to filter the population to only be provided with only the information that is desired to be seen? Is it a possibility?

There is a sphere of influence that is currently developing and has existed around internet bloggers who use this form of journalism to their own liking. Who do they influence you ask? Well that is a very good question it seems that they influence commercial media. It seems quite intelligent for commercial media to track the latest “gossip” within the circle of bloggers to see what is the most relevant news that people are talking about. It maybe for purposes of increasing ratings or viewers although in the end it seems to be a win-win situation because it give the population more of a voice of what they would like to see on television. There are a few advantages to blogging although on the flip side it seems that some people do not feel that Weblogs are all together a positive community. There are some that believe that Weblogs are turning into “contemporary journalism has spun out of control” because of their past tendency to call the news out on their incorrect information. Although what really makes bloggers “out of control”? Is it simply due to the fact that there a free forum for people to project their ideas without editing or an official filter? Technology has assisted the flow of information and communication between people as pointed out in “Power to the People via Personal Electronic Media” and it is interesting to see just how much technology has advanced and how the communication had changed. It is not just cellphones anymore, but even some of the features of cellular phone like text messaging presents a whole new realm of communication. It is just as immediate as cellular phone and sometimes even more immediate. Much like that of an email, one can send out a mass text message to several people almost like a bulletin and information several people immediately. Look how far we have come.

Not being a individual with extraordinary interests or skills for that matter with the internet i found that it was very interesting to read that there are individuals out there that go out of their way to instigate conflict in different internet forums. In this case particularly within a feminist forum on the internet. Now it is one thing to strike up a good conversation by presenting an opposing opinion followed by debate (which is sometimes tricky because it really only works with individuals that are open enough minds to accept that not everyone has to be of similar mindset), although it is completely another to deliberately present an opinion in direct opposition with the objectives of a given set community in order to instigate conflict. Given there are several different approaches to abate the situation, i find that, personally the more serious the forum the less tolerant i am of trolling, which seems to be just another word for bullying however now the playground isn’t located outside the school building but on the internet. I find myself to fall under a category that is a little less tolerant of such malicious intent and find myself to fall under a category that believes in the libertarian values of an individual’s freedom. There should be punishments for those that torment other that seek haven in these internet forums, and banning seems appropriate. I understand that in given situations this might translate in winning for the troll, but as far as i am concerned that does not seem like it should be of primary concern for those the administrators that are running the forums. The purpose of these forums are to create a safety zone for those that are in need, and if these communities are not safe then what is the point of having them. By allowing trolls continue contributing after they have been identified as trolls the security of the forum that was once fully intact begins to disintegrate. There have been cases where individuals have chosen to leave forums until there is nothing left and the forum must shut down, and it appears that could have been many precautions taken to avoid the demise of these communities. There are measures taken to ensure the safety and sanctuary of members of AA meetings and support groups of this nature, I do not see why similar security measures should not be taken for summits of this nature on the internet. Although if punishments, such as banning, are to be enforced there has to be an implementation of regulations and guidelines that are established as well. As suggested in the article there should be some place upon entering a forum that certain regulations are stated for all to acknowledge upon entering any given forum. And in cases that a parameter is broken set penalties should be imposed correlating to the severity of the infraction. Initially establishing certain restrictions to an extent can protect the safety that members have sought out in these forums. Every community has some kind of set rules, spoken or understood within one another, but it seems that the communities that survive are one that have punishments to a set of laws to ensure some sense of order and security.