Commentary

Justin's Posts:


First time using internet

I agree with you that it is very convenient to be able to connect with friends through the internet and internet on smart phones. When you said, “Most of my friends use one of the various social media websites so if I run across something that’s thought-provoking or hilarious, I can instantly share that moment with them,” I can relate. The idea that emails and comments on posts have taken the place of actual hand-written letters is true but I sometimes miss the excitement of not knowing when you will hear back from a friend. This does make it less likely for friends to loose contact like you said, but it also shows how technology has advanced. I also agree with you that it is important for these changes and advances because society and businesses are changing and growing. By having such capabilities we are making it possible for people to communicate faster and more efficiently. It is also crazy to think like you said that we used to relay on a good connection to be able to “dial up” to our internet. We are now able to access the web and all that it entails within seconds. And if we have a mobile device that has internet capabilities we can access the internet basically anytime and anywhere.

Web 2.0

Your personal opinion about Web 2.0 was relatable. The way the Internet has changed throughout the years is due to technology and increased demand in a faster, better Internet. I agree with you that it is hard to see what is next for the web. With so many available options already most of us can’t even imagine what could be in the cards for the Web. I agree with you when you said, “In the future, I think we're going to get to a point where every person has a smartphone instead of having basic phones with limited capabilities.” You are already seeing more and more people who have smart phones and are being able to access the Internet through their mobile device. Being able to use your phone to access GPS, YouTube, and other social media sites just shows how far we have come and that the end is not near. When you are talking about the key concepts of Web 2.0 I agree with you that the Internet is constantly changing to fit our needs. The idea that social media evolved from and makes up Web 2.0 shows that social media as a whole is not going anywhere. The Web is and will be forever changing.

Social media Pros and cons

When you call social media a way of life I can directly relate and agree with that statement. The way social media has grown and what it has become there are due to be both positive and negative effects. I agree with your positive effects. When you make the point that social media is a tool that can help people meet other people much easier than in person is understandable. This however leads to your negative effect that says that by using these social media sites as often as people do we lose the face-to-face time. When you give the next positive effect of social media as being exposed to new and different viewpoints I also agree. When you are able to see comments and post comments yourself you instantly gain new outlooks on topics. I also agree with the negative effects that you talk about that come with social media. When you are talking about the way people are spending too much time on social media sites and becoming disconnected with the world I agree wholeheartedly. This overuse of social media can also lead to bullying and other abuse like you said. In addition I couldn’t agree with you more that social media is a cause for poor grammar. People are abbreviating so much that they are forgetting how to spell and use proper grammar. Even with positive and negative effects, you are right, social media is here to stay.

Video Review

Your comments about these videos were very brief but well written. The intro to life is a ride was short but also made me want to read more and discover what the actual video was about and what your opinions were. The second paragraph was also brief and didn’t give readers a sense of what the video was. Although the topic was very clear more descriptions about what was actual going on in the video would have given readers who didn’t see the video a better understanding. I can relate to you when you talk about your life being a ride. The constant non-stop schedule that most working college students have can be exhausting. The next video you critiqued, color and black/white is relatable due to the fact that you didn’t completely understand it. Although self-portrait videos can sometimes be hard to understand they can show meaning and deep feelings within a person’s life. I agree with the way you are using positive criticism and actually coming up with suggestions that could have made the video better. Your final comment on this video was very brief and a stronger ending would have been better. The last video about an overuse of text was hard to follow. Although you explain that the video had too much text you don’t go into detail about what the actual video was about. You did not have many positive things to say about this video which is ok but not describing actual content in the video makes it hard for readers to get an idea of what the video was all about.



Lauren's Posts:

First time using the internet

I can relate to the first time you used the Internet. When children were first introduced to the Internet parents had their eyes glued to the screens making sure everything was kid friendly. When the Internet first came around none of us really knew what the future held. Just being able to do things we couldn’t do before was enough for our 12-year-old minds. When you say, “Flash forward many, many years and I am still in awe about how far we have come with the internet and all the fun and exciting things we have the privilege of doing,” I agree completely. We are now left with a faster, smarter, and more tech-savvy machine. In addition most phones these days come with available Internet packages. The stats you give about the number of Internet users rising from the year 2000 to 2009 really show how much society as adapted to using the Internet. I also agree with you when you say, “It’s amazing how much school work and life work I do online. Now, I don’t know where I would be without the Internet.” Students these days rely so much on computers and Internet usage. It would be crazy to think about a life without both.

 Web 2.0

The image you use at the begging of this post sums up Web 2.0. Although Web 2.0 is difficult to actual define I agree with the way you explain it. I agree with you when you say, “Many websites back in the day were very bland and didn’t have that much going for them but now because they have evolved in to being more interactive people can give their feedback whether it’s about a product or about a sports team and people can send messages on forums or through video.” Web 2.0 involves more participation from users and lets people instantly get feedback from products, restaurants, and many other businesses. I also can relate to the idea that you bring up about the Web running our lives. With so much information at our fingertips we can get consumed and distracted easily. Aside from being exposed to an endless amount of information we are also being exposed to new ideas. These ideas come in the form of social media sites. Sites like Facebook and Twitter are the face of Web 2.0 and they don’t seem to be going anywhere. The fast pace generations that keep up with these sites are only demanding more. We will just have to wait and see what the future of the Internet brings us.

 Social media pros and cons

I agree with the positive effects social media you give. The fact that we can connect and meet new people basically instantaneously is a positive. Staying in touch with old friends or family members is also a positive aspect of social media. In addition the way we can receive news and updates from all around the world through social media sites such as Twitter can be considered a positive. On the flip side there are also negative aspects of social media. When you say, “Also because of social media and social networking we are isolating ourselves from the real world and living real lives outside of the internet,” I can agree. Social networking sites have seemed to take over our lives. We are becoming addicted to constantly being in the current of flowing information. It is hard for us to jump out of that current or become detached from social media. It is also very hard like you said to keep anything private through social media. Sometimes changing privacy settings isn’t enough. When you put something on the Internet or a social media site you should expect it to be there forever. With these pros and cons of social media one thing is for certain, that it is here to stay

Video Reviews

For the self-portrait videos you critiqued were well written. The first one about the bike accident gave a strong visual sense of what was happening in the video and what the main character was trying to tell the audience. I can agree with you when you said, “This narrative is very strong because it can really grab everyone’s emotions seeing how this person’s life was drastically changed; also it might hit close to home for some viewers and have the same similar story of having a normal life one day to being completely different the next.” You didn’t just explain what was going on in the video but you interpreted it as well. The second video you critiqued was about a man going through his journey of extreme weight loss. I did not see this video but by your description I got a great visual sense of what was happening. You discussed his use of black and white imagery and the stop action draw imagery. These both were ways to interpret the video aside from just explain what the man was doing in it. The last video you talked about was, “The art of motion.” I also picked this video to talk about. You gave a detailed idea of stop animation and also what the video was about. I agree with the way you interpreted the video and also about how well done it was.