Seeing the Good

Undoubtedly, I am one of the people that Dr. Burton saw at the guest lecture on Friday--because I saw him there. And the second half of the presentation totally validated my ambition to be a fantasy writer--creativity is one of my strengths, and I plan on putting it to good use.

However, the lecture also brought up the topic of video games and why they can be beneficial, even necessary. I never thought that being morally and individually opposed to video games would be considered a weakness. 

I think if I explained my background a little bit, then my perception on video games would make sense.  Both of my parents grew up before video games were invented, and when they first came out they were both too busy trying to take care of themselves--they were both single for a long time--to be bothered by them.  And my dad, especially, grew up in the mountains of north-central Arizona, where even access to television was very limited, so he has always tried to restrict my siblings' media use growing up, but to little avail. That being said, I understand my dad's initial aversion to video games. 

I played a handful of computer games and almost no video games growing up. When my younger siblings started taking music lessons, Dad had to give them incentive to practice their instruments, so he offered to let them play Y amount of minutes of any given computer game for X amount of practice time.  For the first few years it worked rather well.  But with every game interest would wane as they played through, then they would stop practicing, and then Mom and Dad would have to buy a new computer game to give them more incentive.  I would watch them playing for a few minutes but always told myself I had "more important" things to do.  I would also notice when Dad and my youngest brother got into a fight every time my brother lied about going over his computer time, and that only made me more averse to gaming. 

And the media wasn't very helpful at all, because I always heard stories about how people who played violent video games turned into criminals and how leading virtual second lives took away from enjoying reality and taking care of oneself.  I have spent my entire life looking down on people who play video games--including, I am ashamed to say, my closest friends.

Friday's lecture with Johnny Evers completely shook that image.  I had no idea that video games could teach you social skills and management skills and offer you a safe way to practice life.  Now I wish I'd known about games like "Civilization" that help you not only to build virtual worlds but teach you to manage them with money and decision-making.  Heck, if I want to be a fantasy writer, isn't that the sort of thing I'm supposed to be practicing?  Wouldn't that have been more useful than minoring in Anthropology?

And far from creating socially backward people, video games, Evers argued, improve social skills.  To think that if I had played social video games growing up that would have been a much better approach to navigating high school than curling up in the corner and reading when people started picking on me! And a year and a half ago I was struggling with depression--if only I had known about that game "Super Better" when I was trying to get through that! If there was any validity to Evers' claims, then I am really missing out.

I realize that a lot of these things are true only to a certain extent.  I am not blinding myself to the bad things about video games, they're still out there, but for the first time in my life I was opened up to the good.

So in that spirit, I decided to swallow my pride and try out the Moby Dick video game.  It was fun, but challenging. Does that game provide instruction in important life skills?  How about multi-tasking?

The Bright Side

Lizy's post yesterday and a video I saw got me thinking about all of the positive benefits of this digital age that we live in.  Not just the benefits it gives us socially or even for our careers, but all of the positive and inspirational messages now available to us.  While I'm not naive to the dangers and darkness that is out there online, there are so many positive influences as well.  The digital resources we now have serve as tools for people to express their creativity and create beautiful and inspiring videos, entries, and all sorts of other creations. From the virtual choir to an inspiring personal triumph story, even to a little kid President giving a Pep Talk, the internet is full of people trying to add a little brightness to the world.

Dr. Burton mentioned in class once that it's our job to create a positive image of ourselves online. It got me thinking not only do I present an appropriate, professional image, but is it a positive one? Have I really been using the internet as a means to add brightness into the lives of others? Even if that's just my family and friends?  It's a personal goal I have now, to try and be more of a light for others, certainly everyday with those I interact with, but online as well.  I guess what better way to be held accountable to a goal than to share it with any and all who read this post!

The video that got me thinking:

Vocal Hashtags and Text Speech

Melody talked about hashtags in her most recent post. This made me think about what effect hashtags have had on our daily speech and how shortened "text speech" making its way into our vocabulary. Things like this have drastically altered the way we talk. As the Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake video showed, I have encountered people who use vocal hashtags. When combined with shortened text speech, these form a completely new language. It has to be a nightmare for ESL learners. I have noticed that it has mostly altered the speech of young teenagers. Although adults use it as well, I think it has seeped deeply into teenage culture. Imagine overhearing a sentence like this as an ESL learner:

 "OMG, I saw Becky today and I was so jelly of her shoes; they were adorbs. She totes skipped out on third hour to meet Jimmy. I def saw her leave to go to the bathroom and she obvs did not come back, even though she said she would BRB. I think the teacher probs noticed. Hashtag awk? But YOLO, I guess."

I think we need to recognize that the ease of communication has caused us to take short cuts in our speech. These short cuts might be obvious to us, but to those who are not current on modern technology or modern English language evolution, they can be confusing and misleading. As exaggerated as this conglomeration of clipped words might be, it's not too far off from speech that can be heard by young junior high and high schoolers, especially girls. I am not trying to generalize, but instead trying to make an observation and try to figure out why it might be happening. It has certainly affected people of all ages, but why does it seem to be concentrated in that specific demographic?

I am very interested to see which of these clipped words or vocalized phrases sticks around in the language and which are weeded out. The fact that more efficient, digitized communication can have such a profound effect on our language makes me wonder what the future holds for our linguistic evolution.

This article defends the use of hashtags. The author relates the context in hashtags to emojis and how both are on the rise at the same time. According to him, it adds depth and variety to what is being said. The question is, is it inevitable that this context will start appearing more regularly in our face-to-face speech? I'm not sure. But I'd like to hear opinions about it.

Another Success Story (A Response to Kelsey)

This post is sort of a response to Kelsey's post about online success stories.

The more I learn about how digital culture works the more I realize that my use of it is going to impact my endeavors. Dr. Burton's lecture two weeks ago about crowdsourcing opened up the possibilities for me. The Compose site sounds really interesting because I have one or two ideas for musical scores for fantasy stories, but I don't know the first thing about composition. More importantly, inviting an audience to critique something, like an excerpt from a potential story, is  a good way to edit a story before/without going through an editor. And, most importantly, using social media and free online excerpts is, I have it on good authority from other authors, a good way to build a fan base.  (Sigh) My only excuse for not working on my fan base right now is I'm trying to finish my education.  But I'm starting to see how it all fits together.

A fan base to an author that not only contributes to his/her work but helps promote it to the public is, because of the internet, capable of doing things that an individual writer could never do alone for himself/herself, for instance, preventing piracy of  copyrighted material.  Sometimes, there are incentives for their support such as free autographed book copies or other such trinkets.

However, for the fans of Stephanie Nielsen, the only incentive was wanting to do something good for someone who inspired them.

I used to see Stephanie Nielsen around BYU Campus sometimes my freshman year.  Then I recognized her in the following Mormon Message:

That was how I learned her story.  Then about a year ago, her book Heaven is Here came out.  I read it this summer, and I would be quoting from it directly had I not loaned it to my grandmother.  Yes, it is a memoir, and Stephanie might be considered an amateur, but it is one of the most intense books I have ever read, it is very well-written and has some mystefying spiritual and literary elements.  I have an aunt who read it who said she was crying every three pages.

So, to summarize: Stephanie is a Provo native who always wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. When her family moved to New Jersey--at a time when the blogosphere was just emerging--she began a blog to keep up with her family back wes, the The Nie Nie Dialouges. Her blogs is quite interesting, really: the writing on  is more like loose free verse than prose. Her blog became a DIY/ homemaking/ mothering/Mormon living blog, and began to attract a fan base.

Then, in August 2008, she and her husband were in a plane crash outside of St. Johns, Arizona. Both were terribly burned, and Stephanie was in a coma for the next three months.  When she woke up, her family informed her that her blog fans--thousands of people from across the country--had banded together to raise money to finance her hospital stay: I don't recall the exact details but there were charity concerts and benefit dinners, at least.  (Please correct me if I'm wrong, please check the comments below if someone corrects me). It was pretty impressive. And it was all because they liked her blog, they were touched by her words and her expression of faith, and they wanted to do something for her.

So ever since, Stephanie's blog has documented her journey to recovery and her gradual return to a normal life. She also continues the DIY portion and posts frequently about her material interests, the causes that she supports, and her family life. She always posts links to other websites where her readers can get more information about other people's stories and products, her other projects, and the church website.

In a recent blog post calling out for support for children with cancer, she wrote the following:

"I know the amazing outreach the blogosphere and internet has!!

My family and I have been tremendously blessed by it.

I know we can do the same for this family and others who 

are in the same situation!"

... If you want to tie this in to Moby-Dick, then I will. Stephanie's blogging for support for other people in need reminds me of Ishmael's visit to the church in New Bedford where he sees all the memorials to missing sailors. And in another chapter, he makes the following dire statement on behalf of his fellow whalers:

"For God's sake, be economical with your lamps and candles! not a gallon you burn, but at least one drop of man's blood was spilled for it." 

Moby-Dick could be called Melville's/Ishmael's "blog" or website for the awareness of the perils of whaling and the perils of life in general.  Unfortunately, Melville never found a fan base in his life time, and people didn't realize what he was saying until it was too late. So the key to a successful "blog", book, or anything, is making sure that other people can connect with it.

Understanding Cyberbullying

I just wanted to talk a little bit about cyberbullying, because apparently October is National Anti-Bullying Month (there are so many National ____ Months, I sometimes cannot keep up). I think that cyberbullying has risen to be one of the top forms of harassment, especially in the younger generations. It can come in various formats, including attacks via social media, internet forums, etc. Because it is easy to get ideas out there, to connect and interact with people,  it is also easier to criticize and ridicule others. This is because of the virtual anonymity that comes with interacting online. There have been tragic reports of people being bullied online that have taken drastic measures. I was watching a documentary on a girl who was bullied so terribly from her classmates over Facebook that she committed suicide. This is an extreme example, and I don't want this to be a dark and sad post, but the truth of it is that it is more prevalent than ever. My own siblings have experienced interactions like this, where kids are afraid to confront them in person but will say almost anything when chatting on the web. I think it is really important to be aware of and understand the danger of cyberbullying, especially since we are nearing the time of our lives when we will start families.

This happens to children, but can also happen to adults. I have noticed many a nasty comment on blogs or YouTube or in forums. A goal that I have always had is to form a respectful, intelligent persona on the internet. Nothing productive comes from insulting someone else's choices or opinions; nothing constructive comes from being aggressive online. Respectfully disagreeing and engaging in a meaningful conversation is a completely different ballgame and can lead to enlightening conversation.

I came across this video on a friend's Facebook. It is about a news anchor who received an email from a viewer criticizing her physical appearance. She decided to publicly take a stance against bullying and speak out while on the air. I thought it was a great manifestation of how technology in our age can be used negatively, but it can also be used to make a positive change.

The Key to Success

A while back I called my mom to check in and see what she was up to. She picked up but quickly informed me she would have to call me back because her all time favorite show A&E's Duck Dynasty was about to come on, and she and her girlfriends were having a party.  This group of suburban moms gathered together in their name-brand jeans paired with camo shirts and bonded over a TV show that got it's humble beginnings via YouTube.  Soon after this call I continued my drive home and Taylor Swift's 22 came on the radio-another multi-millionaire whose start came from her MySpace page. Crazy to think that both Taylor Swift and the Robertson family both got their chance at the good life from the internet.

The career opportunities of the internet are not limited to entertainers and musicians alone. From Mormon-Mommy blogs to professionals in various fields, the internet has allowed many to start and grow their businesses, and even create income from just sharing the details of their lives on a lifestyle blog.  Barnes&Noble is full of books giving instruction and inspiration on how to turn blogging into a career, or how to use a blog or website to boost an already existing occupation.  As a soon to be graduate beginning the job search process, the options the internet provides make my job searching experience and options vastly different than the experience of my parents as they were newly graduated.  This can be both beneficial and daunting, and deciding the balance of how invested to be in the internet community is a tricky decision to make, and one I'm currently trying to figure out!  Any thoughts?

....at the very least, these videos provide a haven of sorts from my stress. Enjoy!

The Two-edged Sword

I was idling through my Facebook feed--literally JUST NOW--when I came across this article.  It was advertized as an inspirational article, but when I read it I found out it had a lot to do with our class.  The use of social media has very much a two-edged sword dimension about it, as this article illustrates: it can condemn as well as be a useful tool.

The article goes into full detail about the incident, but to summarize, three hundred teenagers broke into ex-NFL player Brian Holloway's house in New York and partied.  They might have gotten away with it, except they started posting pictures and status updates on social media.  Brian Holloway, all the way from Florida, saw the events unfolding over the internet, started a website to identify the culprits, and then he invited them to come over to his house to help clean up.

Now, the next part of this story is really stupid: the parents of these teenagers decided to sue Holloway for "ruining their kids lives" and making them take responsibility for their actions.  Someone smarter-than-your-average-bear wrote a letter to these parents. This line is the killer:

"Instead of dragging your kids back to apologize and clean up the mess, you lashed out at Brian Holloway, threatened to firebomb his house, and are now planning to sue him. For what? For identifying your kids online. Well guess what? Your little Johnny did that himself the minute he tweeted that iPhone photo standing on the dining room table, holding a red solo cup filled with beer."

One of the writer's accusations toward these parents is that among other luxuries we have given the younger generation, we have given them smartphones--implying that parents did so without telling them how to use them responsibly.  Not only do stupid teenagers think they can get away with irresponsible behavior, they think they can STILL get away with it AND brag about their exploits on the internet. In their defense, they were all drunk and they were posting for the benefit of their friends. It's sickening to think that their parents would have seen those posts and not done anything about it except try to cover the sins of their offspring.

But on the other hand, thanks to social media, the owner of the house was able to identify the culprits.  And, putting the internet to use for good, he reached out to those teens and offered them a chance at forgiveness--which, the letter also says, only one grateful leper accepted.  As the author of the letter points out, Holloway had every right to have them arrested and charged for their vandalism, but he did not.

So the internet can be used both for constructive and destructive purposes.  I think it goes to demonstrate the point that I commented about on Shelley's post:  adolescents, prone to risk-taking and impulsive behavior, won't know how to use the internet responsibly and can very easily get in trouble.  However, people who are mature and know how to use the internet properly will do so in ways that can build others.

Random tangent: my thoughts on social media on this vein remind me of Iron Man's suit.  In the second Iron Man film we see it constantly being labeled as a WEAPON.  The Iron Man suit is indeed a weapon, but in The Avengers we see that it's advanced technology can also be used for constructive purposes: it is also a TOOL.

Likewise, social media can be used to damage an individual's reputation--including one's own--and it can also be used to build people spiritually and emotionally.  The Church makes such good use of the internet because it recognizes both sides of social media and wants to be an influence for good in counterbalance to the evil which is so easily found online.

Do It Yourself: Etsy

I was really intrigued by the virtual choir video shown in class on Wednesday. I had never seen anything like that before. I think that our abilities to collaboratively create things are only going to expand. One thing I wanted to talk about was the digital marketplace. The most obvious website that I can think of is Etsy. Etsy is an online marketplace that allows individuals to buy and sell products from each other. People can create things with their own materials, whether they be crafts or clothes or wedding items, and then sell them to people via the web. This goes along with what Professor Burton was saying about the rise in DIYs--since people have the ability to easily get their work out to people, they feel more empowered to start their own line of crafts. I have personally purchased things on Etsy. The buying process puts you in direct contact with the creator/seller; there is no middle man to go through, at least when you purchase from the website. There is even a tab for registry so that people can register through Etsy for their wedding, bridal shower, etc. People are drawn to these items because they are unique. No one else will have what they have. The digital marketplace has definitely increased the number of DIYers and the number of people buying from private sellers rather than from bigger manufacturers.

http://www.etsy.com/

The Impact of Crowdsourcing

I enjoyed Wednesdays class lecture on crowdsourcing which has got me thinking about the impact it has on the community in not only connecting us in ways that were never available before, but also in bringing us together to create opportunities.  The lecture on Wednesday made me really want to do more research of what crowdsourcing is and the impact it has on society as a whole.

I found this website where it lists five Crowdsourcing businesses that could have an impact on society.

1. Patientslikeme connects allows people to connect with other individuals who have the same medical conditions as them  to track and share their own experiences.  This allows people to connect with doctors, data, and other information from the experiences of other people who have had the same experiences as themselves.

2.TaskRabbit is an online market where people can basically hire other people to do random stuff for them such as waiting in line, running errands, and walking the dog.

3. Waze is an website where people can receive instate news about traffic conditions in their areas.  The website also includes gas stations as well as other viable information that could be useful to all drives

4.  Gengo is a growing company where 5,000 plus freelance translators work and provide translations through an online form.

5. Ushahidi allows other people to share their stories and experiences during natural disasters.  This website has had a huge impact in different places around the world and is a great example of the good that can be achieved through crowdsourcing.






Though these examples are only a few of the impact crowdsourcing has on the world, it is also a great example of how technology and digital culture can be used in a positive way that not only brings people closer together, but also giving us an opportunity to reach out to people outside of our own community.

Worth Whaling About?

I think I would make this post an answer to  Dr. Burton's call for explorers. In reading Moby-Dick you get a lot of descriptions and ideas that you can't quite visualize. So in going beyond the text to sources online and in print, I am exploring the world of the novel--not only the hard science behind it, but how the different knowledge between then and now represents the changes in technology and culture. This is a long post, but I am going to put in pictures for your amusement.

So today I went to the library.  I found the section on whales on the second floor.  Their most recent books are from 2011.  I thought about checking out one or two or them, but I was pressed for time and didn't know how to make up my mind. And there's also the myth/idea that any knowledge that can be found in a book can also be found online. I want to compare Melville's knowledge of whales with stuff about whales you can find in books versus information online. But I'm not sure how that would work out.  Mostly, I want to be able to illustrate whaling and whales in general to for the book, both visual and textual.

I decided to try a bookshelf since I like books with big, color, captioned images that I can put my hands on.  It's the good old-fashioned way. There weren't very many of those kinds of books at the library, though.  So in lieu of an actual book, I will use online sources for this post and perhaps try and come back later to see what the books say in comparison.

I would like to start with the Cetology chapter, since we don't know exactly what kinds of whales he is referring to. Since Melville's original readers would not have had as much access to books and television to tell them about the sea, he gave a lot of description so his readers could have that experience.

 However, cetology today is competely different from cetology in the mid-19th century. My object of exploration is to see what has changed, and how. For my online sources, my two main sources are Wikipedia articles on the chapter (Chapter 32) and on ceteans.

For one thing, whale classification. Ishmael organizes whales completely by size (remember, this is about printing, not whaling). Whales today are classified by physical characteristics and (theorized) evolutionary relationships--Darwin's On the Origin of Species, which would revolutionize the biological sciences, was not published until eight years after Moby-Dick. Ishmael takes "the good old-fashioned ground that the whale is a fish, and call upon holy Jonah to back me" (Mellville 118). Without scientific inquiry about the whale, Ishmael relies on the sacred reputation of the Bible.  As for the whales themselves, according to the Wikipedia article the "Razor-Backed" and "Fin-backed" whales are the same, and the "grampus," "Killer whale," and "thrasher whale" are all the same species, the killer whale or orca. The "black fish whale" is the pilot whale and the "huzzah porpise" is the bottle-nosed dolphin (no surprises there).

And for anyone who wants it, here is a link to a plaything that an animation major friend of mine showed me: I wish it did more tricks.

The "Sulphur-bottomed whale" is the Blue whale.  One of the more surprising things about 19th-century whaling is that there is no mention of the Blue whale at all, and the sperm whale is regarded as the largest whale. (Quick Rant: I hate that I have to go back to Wikipedia, but it's the only source that's coming up with the information I want. However, I was able to find another source on the origin of the name "Sulphur-bottom") The Blue Whale was not better known until 1874 when the name was coined, ironically, by a whaler (but Ishmael says whalers make the best explorers). As for when the blue whale was officially recognized as the world's largest creature (and not the Sperm whale), I am having a hard time finding that information.  Ishmael's cetology guide is incomplete, and he himself acknowledges that not all of the whales he knows about, even the ones he has classified for us, are known completely. 

Secondly, the sperm whale itself.

I have always considered sperm whales to be very ugly.  A big head, a long narrow snout, narrow jaw, usually gray or brown in color, small eyes, and bad reputation (which Melville probably did anything but help in writing Moby-Dick.) But they are pretty cool.

(whaleindex. com)


Their brains, which Ishmael describes as an edible delicacy (Melville 270),  are the largest brains of any creature on earth, according to multiple sources. According to the National Geographic, their heads are also filled with a substance called spermaceti, which Ishmael cites often as one of the whale's most valuable products, but scientists do not really know what it is for. The sperm whale at mature size is from 49 to 59 feet in length--longer than a school bus--and weighs 35 to 45 tons. Their tail fluke is 16 feet across. As popularized in the media and known to the whalers in the text, the sperm whale's diet consists of the giant squid (254). The sperm whale hunts for the giant squid in the deep zones of the oceans up to 3, 280 feet below--Ishmael perhaps may not have known about that depth.

Thirdly, our approach to nature. A lot of Ishmael's emphasis in his whaling chapters dwell on the commercial aspects of the whale, what products its  body parts can be turned into, including oil and bone. Back in Ishmael's day, of course, "whalebone" or baleen from baleen whales was used in women's corsets.  Oil was used for candles and lamps. The commercial side of whales was very important to the crew of the Pequod because collecting this oil supplied their livelihood. It was the basis for the livelihood of the entire whaling industry of Nantucket and New Bedford and the other places where whale ships came from. 

However, during the twentieth century, corsets went out of fashion and oil lamps were replaced by electric bulbs. Yet as whaling technology improved whales were hunted ruthlessly, some species almost towards extinction, and environmental activists demanded that whaling be banned.  As I consider this fact, I can imagine that the reader of today would be appalled at Ishmael's apparent carelessness towards whales (in a later chapter he claims that the sperm whale is incapable of being extinguished) and consider the primitive whaling scenes depicted in Moby-Dick to be barbarism.

This semester I am taking a Joseph Smith and the Restoration course from Brother Andrew Hedges.  In his lecture on Wednesday, Brother Hedges cautioned us that as we study the Restoration we need to be aware that people's cultural frameworks were very different then from what they are today. Questions about Church History arise often because we do not understand this.

  The same is very true about our approach to nature.  Back in the 19th century, nature was a source of resources.  But over time, we began to realize that nature is not inexhaustible and that natural resources must be managed wisely if we want them to last.  We have also become conscious of the notion that whaling can involve practices that are cruel to the animals.  Today, we appreciate nature for nature's sake.  Back then, nature was appreciated for the sake of its resources.

However, Ishmael seems to find a balanced view.  Back in 1851, there were no whale-watching cruises: whaling was the only exposure that people had to these animals, so their notions about whales were shaped by what resources the whale could provide.  Ishmael, however, is also exposed to stories of Moby-Dick's reign of terror on the high seas and Captain Ahab's obsession with the White Whale.  This perspective on a whale in all of its wild, destructive, unconquerable glory raises in him a "wild, mystical, sympathetical feeling" (159).  Ishmael respects the mystical whale for its secrets and its power. He uses the term "whale," "leviathan," and "monster" interchangably, and though "monster" may be the cruder of the three terms perhaps he does not always mean it in a negative way.  Although the whale is his foe and his source of income, he respects it for the life within it. During the first whale hunt, he observes:

"Stubb slowly churned his long sharp lance into the fish, as if cautiously seeking to feel after some gold watch the whale might have swallowed, and which he was fearful of breaking ere he could hook it out. But that gold watch he sought was the innermost life of the fish" (258).

Ishmael sees that there is value in the life of a wild creature.

So as far as this exploration is concerned, this post, although lengthy, is a head start. I would like to look further into how much information about whales can be found online versus in printed books: there is a discrepancy between what I'm looking for and what comes up on a google search.  Perhaps it's a matter of looking in the right place.

Navigating the Digital Waters

I really liked the video that Professor Burton had us watch for class this week. These people had a variety of homemade devices that enabled them to explore space, a frontier that is not fully conquered by man and probably never will be. We can similarly explore a frontier that has not been fully mastered: the online digital world. It is interesting to me that the web was created by humans, but now it has taken on its own life form and has almost outsmarted us in a way. It is ludicrous to think that you can become proficient in every type of technology. However, it is possible to become knowledgeable about a variety of different programs in order to be competent in the professional world. I have a few thoughts about how to go about doing this and why it it is so important.

1. How do I begin to explore the digital waters? Honestly, word of mouth is huge in this area. If multiple people are aware of a new technology, site, or app, then it is worth investigating to see what the hype is about. Another way is to find businesses that you are familiar with and see what kind of progress they are making on the technology front. For example, I really rely on Google Drive for my school work. When I downloaded the Google Drive app to my phone, I was able to have all my documents in the palm of my hand. I can check or make edits to things whenever I need to. It's great! There are also websites that recommend sites and apps to check out. Forbes puts out a Top 10 Apps to download. Here is one that focuses on business apps.

2. Why is it important to explore the possibilities in technology? My opinion is that the business, human interaction, politics, communication, and pretty much everything in the way of progress is globalizing through the web. The video below explains the global effects of spreading technology. I think that becoming proficient and knowledgeable is not only smart and helpful for our lives, but it is about to become necessary for our professional lives (if we're not there already). It will enable us to make significant changes worldwide. As Jared Cohen says, "What happens online has real world consequences, and what happens in real life has real online consequences." Accepting and embracing the possibilities in digital culture now will benefit us in the future as we go on to make a difference in the world.

I'd Like an Excuse to post More Memes

I'm not exactly sure what else to post about at the moment, so I think I will respond to Dr. Burton's response to my first post on memes, specifically these two questions:

"Behind their apparent silliness, what aspect of digital culture do memes reflect? Are they an efficient authentic mode of communication?"

Question 1,  (I feel rather like Ishmael the way I'm categorizing this). What aspect of digital culture do memes reflect? Referring to Dr. Burton's previous Wednesday lecture, digital culture, loosely re-defined from Charles Geer's definition, includes "visual simulacra, instant communication, ubiquitous media, global connectivity, and applications such as business and cultural and artistic responses." I think memes best reflect global connectivity and cultural/artistic response.

Memes are primarily a form of cultural/artistic response.  Memes are responses, period.  One of my odd quirks is that I like to know how people react to surprising situations, or how they have surprising responses.
I guess memes appeal to me because I'm a very visual person.  I have a great imagination, sure, but knowing what something looks like--a facial expression, a reaction,  an animal--helps me to have a better idea of what kinds of images attach to text or ideas--surprise, sarcasm, etc. And yes, if you want to get meta about it, sometimes people make memes responding to other memes. 

For instance, someone (not me) made this meme:

I made this meme in response:

and just to point out that I think Darth Vader would NOT find that amusing in light of how valuable those particular droids were.  Memes are about sharing ideas about shared interests, which is why they can so easily be "shared".

And with responses, I get a better idea of what to think of the thing being responded to.  For instance, if anyone remembers the classic LDS short film Johnny Lingo, when Johnny makes his uber-surpising offer to Moki (Mahana's Father), Moki's face is...well, blank.  Tulo, the comical narrator, tells Mr. Harris that "he looked as though a coconut had fallen on him."  Ever since watching this film as an adolescent, I have looked for that response in characters in other films, because the "coconut look" is definitely a sign of a humorous surprise.  For instance, here's an example about 24 seconds into this clip from a recent popular movie. : precious (PS I'm not sure what language the subtitles are in).

Also, for better or worse, the meme-making culture is very globally connected, in the english-speaking world at least.  Not only does this culture share a lot of history and stories, but it is also entwined with a lot of fandoms in which inside jokes will be recognized. Fandom memes can simply be fans helping each other recognize something interesting about their interest they never noticed before.

For instance, I used to work in the Student Athlete Building.  I would pass a picture of Jimmer Ferdette every single day, and after a while I realized this picture of Jimmer made me think of the Hulk.

And yes, memes are also a very integral part of mix culture: comparing different stories can be insightful, often in an amusing way.

There's also the hangup that memes cannot be created entirely anonymously:  most meme-generator sites require users to make an account.

Question 2: Are memes an efficient mode of authentic communication?  I would argue in the affirmative, but with limitations.  Memes often represent ideas from heavily entwined cultures and fandoms.  Sometimes you have to be a part of that culture/subculture to get the joke.

This is a meme I made:

You won't get it unless you have seen both Revenge of the Sith and Funny Girl.  It doesn't work if you have to go back and explain the joke. Memes are supposed to be quick.

BYU has an entire facebook site devoted to BYU and Mormon-related memes. It works well as long as you get the references.  Efficient? In some ways, when sharing ideas is enhanced by the illustration and people comprehend the meaning of (A) the picture, (B) the caption, and (C) how they are connected.  But efficient in the sense that they compart useful knowledge to us?  Well, perhaps in the sense that connecting useless knowledge can help us relate useful knowledge.
Authentic? Debatable.  Memes that float around freely online, on Google search and on Facebook, are usually anonymous.  It is an easy way to get anonymous popularity.

So memes are a reflection of the fast-paced, interconnected culture we live in.  It is fitting that they are both textual and visual.  And I would argue that they are effective as well as entertaining.

Comic Con: A Digital Culture Convention

Professor Burton gave me a really good idea when he suggested that we talk about Comic Con if we think it is relevant. Comic Con, in addition to being a ton of fun, was a very educational look into the effects our digital culture has had on our interactions with each other. It was a manifestation of many of the digital subcultures that Professor Burton talked to us about, including fandom, cosplayers, bloggers, etc. It is interesting that these subcultures have taken on a life form. There were intense, carefully planned costumes. There were booths of memorabilia being sold. There were panels with people who had played a character in a TV show for years who have such a huge following, that they packed an entire ballroom full of Trekkies (read: William Shatner).

 I dressed up as a Shadowhunter from the Mortal Instruments series, and the highlight of my day was when a young girl hurled herself into my arms and yelled, "SHADOWHUNTER! Can I please take a picture? Can I?" She was near tears in her excitement. I was thrown off guard a little bit, and then I was flattered. And then I began to think about how this fan culture has emerged from our digital culture. I think that a big reason for these followings is that people can stay at home watching and/or reading their favorite science fiction or fantasy series, and then they can engage in a discussion about it without even leaving their homes. They can join a whole network of people who do the same thing. These conventions allow them to express their dedication to a series in a setting where these networks cross paths and interact. It seems to not matter as much where your loyalties lie and what series you choose to follow, but instead the fact that you have loyalties, that you participate in the digital culture this way and take part and contribute to virtual fandom.

Below are some pictures from Comic Con.

The William Shatner Panel

Some of the most elaborate costumes I saw

Comic Con: the convention floor. Vendors from every series imaginable.

Series that we represented in our group alone: The Mortal Instruments, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Batman, and Naruto

Me and my Memes

Memes are a big part of my individual digital culture.  Memes are interesting because they combine visual imagery and text to communicate a point.  Some more complicated memes, for instance hipster memes, require Photoshop, which I don't have, but for simple memes there are tons of different online memebuilding services. What it takes to create a good meme is an eye for ideas that are witty or humorous.  (BTW, all the memes below are mine).

Memes can simply be entertaining, using captions and a funny picture to create a joke.

Others can be used to point out subtle ideas or connections about political or social situations:

Memes are also very popular in the mix culture. For instance, a mashup of a ridiculous song with a popular movie.

Memes can also be used for visual aids in classroom settings.  I created this meme for a lecture on falconry I gave to the Medieval Club last fall (OK, so maybe Medieval club DOES have something to do with this class).

Memes are easy to share and can create lots of laughter and discussion. If people make good memes about a particular pop culture topic, ie the Avengers or Star Wars, it helps me to like it even more than I already do.

Technology and Education

I really enjoyed class on Thursday and was especially intruded by the way technology is changing the way education is being structured and taught.  My sister recently shard this website with me where it explained how students at Johns Hopkins University got all A's on their final exam.  Here is how they pulled it of.

For me technology has played a huge role in my education.  I personally don't think I could have survived college without Google docs as well as other technological devices that I have used throughout my college education.  In fact, in one my classes last semester my professor  added group projects into her syllabus claiming that technology was preventing students from developing their ability to work in groups, and so she thought by assigning group projects students would actually meet and complete the projects together.  After talking with other students in my class, most of them (including my group) were using things such as Google docs to complete their projects anyways .  I think my professor is a good example of having a sort of a liminal reaction towards technology that we discussed in class about how technology is changing education, which leaves the question whether or not we can or even want to embrace that change as well asking questions of the short and long term consequences of those changes.

The Digital Culture of Temple Square

In one of the rooms where we did missionary work online! Obviously we're all pretty stoked.

Our conversation in class the other day concerning the ability of digital media to connect us with others brought back a whole flood of memories from my mission.  Without getting too sentimental and sappy, I hope to share my small perspective on how I saw digital media impact others in a very unique way while I served as a missionary at Temple Square, in particular, how it was able to affect one of my favorite people in the world----Joy.

One of my favorite aspects of my mission was Mormon.org chat.  A few hours of our day were always set aside to get on Mormon.org chat and talk with people who came on with questions, concerns, and of course to deal with all the fun trollers.  Towards the end of my mission, just before April conference my companion and I received a chat from a woman named Joy.  Without going too in depth, Joy essentially was extremely interested in learning more about the church, and had stumbled upon Mormon.org.  She was wary of talking with missionaries face to face, and had heard some incorrect information about the practices of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  We were able to talk with her for a bit, and while we were chatting we sent her links to some various Mormon messages to answer some of her questions. We arranged to chat with her again in a few days, and asked if she would watch General Conference that weekend. She agreed and we emailed Joy a link to where she could watch conference along with some other short videos we thought would be of interest to her. To make a long story short she had an amazing experience watching conference and she eventually felt comfortable enough to meet with missionaries in person and was later baptized.  Joy is just one of the many people I saw affected by the use of digital media in missionary work.  It was amazing to see how videos, music, Mormon.org chat and other digital media was (and is) able to touch people in a powerful and unique way! 

First Impressions

While reading Moby Dick I’ve been thinking about first impressions.  During the first few chapters that we have read so far in this class, I found it fascinating reading the reactions and attitudes of the people who meet Queequeg.  Specifically, I was really interested in the way people reacted towards Queequeg whether they are meeting him in person, like Ishmael, or even just passing him in the street. I found it interesting that their first reactions, including Ishmael, were very judgmental and viewed him in almost an un-human and savage way.  Though initially these first impressions of Queequeg were very negative, Queequeg still manages to win them over whether it be by being extremely nice to them like he was to Ishmael, or saving a man’s life like he did with Nantucket.  I think it is interesting how in a digital world, if we use it correctly, it gives people the opportunity to express their true individual identities. This gift of the digital world aids people in providing information to other people whom they may have never met before about them as a person and, unlike Queequeg, the digital world gives people a chance to define have an impact on the way people view and see them.  Though the digital world give people this incredible opportunity, I think that the opposite could also take place, where people could create this fake image that does not in any way represent who they are as a person or what they believe. Yet, regardless of the way people use the digital world to define themselves, ultimately I think that digital tools such as Twitter and Facebook do in some cases redefine what a first impression is and what it means.