Privacy

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sunside/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

How private is your personal information?  This is a question that is becoming more an more important in today's society as technology advances.  More people seem willing to put out information about themselves on social networking websites, use online banking, purchase more merchandise, send more emails, and many other activities without giving much thought to the information that they are freely releasing into cyberspace. 

Many websites force you to register with there website forcing people to give out information about themselves in order to view content or make purchases on a number of websites.  Highly advanced programs are developed to gather personal information to be used in marketing more specific merchandise based on who you are, where you live, previous purchases, personal tastes, but is this right for companies to pry into our personal information for the sake of marketing products to us not to mention people who look to steal your identity.  your information can be compromised through scams called phishing.

watch this video that explains phishing

  How often have you noticed the advertising on websites you frequently visit targeting your specific location, or the types of products that you have previously purchased?  How does an individual protect themselves from personal information being accessed when it is meant to be kept private?  

Technology appears to be advancing quickly in the direction of allowing fast and easy access to information.  This has many positive benefits many of which have been discussed in my previous post however are we able to have everything available at a click of a button and maintain the desired level of privacy in our personal lives?    

http://www.flickr.com/photos/adobemac/ / CC BY-SA 2.0

 I discovered this you tube video explaining how identity thieves are able to even track your every computer key stroke.

With criminals using more advanced technology we should expect that technology would be developed to help protect our rights to privacy.

It amazes me how ignorant many people can be when using social networking sites such as Facebook putting personal information online for the world to see.  The Long Tail of Democracy advocates that the internet allows for limitless shelf space for media but this is also true for the individual.  With more shelf space for the individual, more awareness should be made of how accessible your information is and how to protect that which is desired to remain private. When was the last time you googled your own name to discover the information that is available through a simple search engine.  I know I take the time every now and then to do this to see what pops up.  This information is easily available to future employers, relatives, friends, and companies looking to market products to you. 

The privacy issue often sparks debates over morality and legality.  There seems to be lines that are not clearly drawn when it comes to the Internet privacy and what is morally acceptable and what is legally allowed.  The concern is to maintain ideas of freedom, collaboration, idea sharing, and access to everything but without the expense to the individual right to keep some information private.  It is a balancing act that is yet to find a its center.  Until the time comes I caution everyone who uses the internet to be aware that the world is constantly watching.   

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeygottawa/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

The Future of Television

Although this video clip is comical, it brings about a good observation about most of us, we are addicted and have been addicted to television. The minority in this country and many other s are those that do no watch or own a television set. With an average of most US households owning at least 2 television sets. However with the ever expanding Internet, advances in technology, and more and more people disconnecting their cable and moving toward an Internet based TV, where does this take good old fashioned television and its programming?

I found an article that was posted on Yahoo.com 's home page today with the headline "Nearly 800,000 U.S. TV households 'cut the cord,' report says.." In this article it discusses this ongoing trend of people ditching their current cable and dish television service providers and moving toward an internet based way of viewing television programs through services on the web.  Services like Hulu.com, Netflix, Youtube are making it easier and easier for people to find television programming on the internet.

  In addition to these service providers technology is beginning to integrate the Internet with the television set in new ways. The XBOX 360, Playstation 3, and Wii entertainment systems offer a variety of applications that allow for viewing television media some of these applications are integrated with Netflix and Youtubeand provide seamless integration of TV and Web. 

Aside from these highly advanced video game entertainment consoles TV manufactures like Samsung are pushing to create a web compatible television set that allows for a unique experience of Web content in addition to normal television programming.(see article here) This new technology is creating a whole new experience of interaction while at the same time reshaping the market in which media producers use to provide content. Video killed the radio star but will Internet kill the television star?(cliche I know)

So where does the future of television end up?  In the ten years I see the television set reinventing itself to fit in with our technology and internet obsessed culture.  Great strides have already begun to incorporate the TV into our wirelessly connected world with information, media, culture, and all being brought to us on our handheld devices, laptops, iphones, ipads..etc. Surely TV will not go away Americans fell in love with the picture box the moment it hit store shelves and is becoming a permanent fixture in our lives.  It may not be the same TV of years ago but it will not go away.  It will adapt to fit our life styles and re assert its position of the center of the household.    

Journalism vs. The Internet

 The Internet is  changing the way media is distributing news to the public and at the same time it is changing the way the public can interact and create news as well. Typical media outlets like radio, television, and especially print media are being forced to adapt to the new media market.  The question then remains: Can journalism survive the changes that the internet is forcing it to undergo? 

Radio 

Television 

& Newspapers 

VS.

The Internet 

Chris Anderson's " The Long Tail" makes the claim that the ever expanding internet is good for democracy and good for the public.  Information and media is now available quickly it also allows for collaboration and interaction.  The idea that more input, more perspectives with different view points equates to a more informed and knowledgeable public.  Does this mean it is the end of the professional journalist? 

A journalist by definition collects and disseminates information about current events, people, trends, and issues.  With blogging and free access to information is the need for professional journalist diminishing or being watered down? Digital distribution poses a large economic issue with generating revenue to pay well trained professional journalist.  The distribution of information is taking off faster than the production of quality journalism can keep up.  Many media outlets are being forced to adapt their business models and newspapers as well as print media are having a hard time adapting to the new technological way in which media is being delivered. 

Many advocates of the new technology push argue that eventually, although there will be growing pains,  that digital distribution will evolve the media landscape to a more availability, larger abundance, and higher participatory type of media.  On the other hand opposing viewpoints warn that it is hard to maintain value of quality journalistic media in the new market and that we have a social responsibility to not allow journalism to falter.  Andrew Keen a british-american entrepreneur and author is highly outspoken about the possibilities of digital distribution affecting journalism and our overall knowledge.  In this video he makes the case against the newly evolving market.  

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Although the some scrutiny should be placed on the newly evolving journalism, the end result should be a highly evolved technological based distribution of media that fosters participation and expands available information. The challenge for the various media outlets is to develop business models that can keep up with the fast paced change in distribution due to technology.