A G A R C E N G L 894 Project

Not Quite Post- Human in the 21 st Century A Conference Talk Anthony M. Garcia ENGL 894 Dr. K. Gossett Old Dominion University August 13, 2009

Not Quite Post-Human in the 21 st Century How has technology changed the social setting for today’s consumers? Hayles How we became post human

Newer Media: The Creation of a “Pseudo-Cyborg” I. Early Online Community II. The Evolution III. Shifts in demand IV. Approaching today’s media V. Disadvantages VI. Advantages VII. Analysis & Conclusion

Evolution Newsprint Broadcast Television Online Communication CompuServe, AOL, Prodigy Bluescreen, CGI Modern forms: SNS services (MySpace, Facebook, Twitter)

Earlier Media CompuServe Early presence as Q-link for Commodore. Succeeded by AOL in new platforms

Social Networking Sites MySpace Facebook Twitter *Not the first online communities* AOL “Hub, People Connection, WB Online” Services lost following Earlier services: Friendster: Jonathan Abrams

Competitor to Facebook Once the premier open social network Issues of Security Commercialized to NewsCorp in 2006 Recent declines in membership Popularly cited reasons: (Stelter & Arango, 2009) Facebook now open to all. Commercialism became too invasive (Advertising, you may know, etc). Job Seekers

Popular social networking utility Originally students only Currently open network Gaining members

AOL Once a premier online community Subscriber, fee-based service Lost popularity following AOL/ Time Warner merger *coincided with .com collapse

Newer Portable Technology Texting Mobile email Navigation GPS, Mobile Mapping Video Chat

Disadvantages of new technologies Ease of Process Jesse Logan: Suicide March 2009 Some evidence of decrease in linguistic ability (Literacy Today, 2006) Stalk me, Bully Me Megan Meier (USA Today, Oct. 2006)

Advantages Increased communication can reduce acts of terrorism. 9/11 More learned of attacks via electronic communication (Carey, 2002) Students communicated with parents in lockdown environments. Columbine Call to repeal ban on cell phones in schools Emergency alert systems at schools

School Responses to Technology “ We believe that technology, coupled with education, can go a long way toward keeping students safe if we work together with our colleagues across every department and at every level.” ( Fletcher, G. H., et. Al) -Encouraging schools to use digital media & video to increase school safety and documentation

Online Communities Friend me An opportunity to socially network Follow me Status Clients allow users to receive updates Watch me Positive & Negative Privacy ?

Facebook 25% of users cannot find their security settings (Fernandez, 2009) A library profile “legitimizes” the utility Security is uncertain

Twitter Simple, limited service status client. Gaining popularity User preference Mobile Security recently tested

Is technology distorting reality? Approaching a digital cyborg CGI Brandon Lee, Heath Ledger, Fred Aistaire Concerns arise over those in the acting profession Greater portrayal of risk & danger Speculated to have inspired Columbine killings. (LoPiccolo, 2000).

Jenkins Convergence “ Ongoing process or series of intersections between different media systems, not a fixed relationship.” Is there convergence in current new media technologies?

The “Post-human” revisited Technology has not evolved to rule human civilization. Migration between media types appears situational. Each “new” technology presents advantages and disadvantages. Society determines success or failure of each. Security is a greater concern with electronic globalization.

A technological day in the life of a doctoral student. “ Convenience sampling.” Morning Check news (Market Watch) Check school events (School Webpage) Scan newspaper * Afternoon Check news (MarketWatch) Make phone calls Send e-mail Almost exclusively from iPhone Evening Writing (Electronic) Reading (reprinted electronically) Email as necessary Occasional live performance, outside event All Day Texting Almost Never : Written letters TV, Movies, Videos

Technology has increased ease of communication. Risks exist for literacy in its current form. With an increase in electronic media, understanding of rights of privacy is essential. The use of portable electronic media has reduced the need for broader methods of information delivery (Newscast, Newsprint, radio). Increasingly selective audiences may be minimizing experiences in a global community. Essentially, technology is what you make of “IT.”

References Barnes, S. (2006). A Privacy Paradox: Social Networking in the United States. First Monday 11 (9). Retreived August 10, 2009, from: http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/rt/printerFriendly/1394/1312 Bernstein, J. (2007). MySpace's Zephyr Tracking Solution: Refreshing Change or Hot Air?. EContent 30 (3). p. 8. Carey, J. (2002, September). Media Use During a Crisis. Prometheus , 20 (3), 201-207. Retrieved August 12, 2009, doi:10.1080/08109020210141380 Farkas, Meredith Source: American Libraries; Dec2007, Vol. 38 Issue 11, p36-36, 1p Hastings, M. (2002, April 29). 'Cell'ing Safety in Schools. Scholastic Scope , 50 (17), 23. Retrieved August 10, 2009, from Academic Search Complete database. Hayles, K.N. (1999). How We Became Posthuman: Virtual Bodies in Cybernetics, Literature, and Informatics. Chicago: UC Press Jensen, J. F. 3D Inhabited Virtual Worlds: Interactivity and Interaction between Avatars, Autonomous Agents, and Users.. 1999. 9 p. LoPiccolo, P. (2000, July). Coming of Age. Computer Graphics World , 23 (7), 4. Retrieved August 12, 2009, from Academic Search Complete database. Media Watch, Literacy Today; Dec2006 Issue 49, p29-29, 1p Document Type: Article Stewart, P. Facebook and Virtual Literature Circle Partnership in Building a Community of Readers. Knowledge Quest v. 37 no. 4 (March/April 2009) p. 28-33 Stelter, B., & Arango, T. (2009). Losing popularity contest, MySpace tries a makeover., NYTimes. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/04/technology/companies/04myspace.html

Digital Citations AOL Icon Freewebs.com CompuServe icon- http://wanderingstan.com/files/med_compuserve_email.jpg Facebook Icon socsci.uci.edu Jesse Logan msnbc.msn.com MySpace Icon dis1krzi3pnai.xanga.com

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