Week 4

Wikipedia

I remember in elementary or middle school (they’re starting to blend together) being told that for our research projects we could only use an the encyclopedia Britannica once in our works cited page and I also remember always going to the encyclopedia first…always…and for me that’s what Wikipedia is. It’s a starting point, a frame of reference, a “what else has that actress been in” basic, raw, springboard into further, deeper and richer realms. I could completely relate to what the author , meant when they mention how you start looking up Stephen Sondheim and 30 minutes later you’re reading about Madeline Albright and while you’re not sure how you got there the ride has been enjoyable.On a personal note, my partner and I started a Wikipedia site about our house because it is on the national registry of historic landmarks. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gershom_Craft_House.

Too Down to Rise

While the internet has given us many places to express our reaction and to connect with other people concerning those reactions, has it given us a means for action? Sure, people have expressed their anger through digital media but has digital media given those people who are expressing their thoughts a chance to actually do something about it?

It troubles me to think that a reason the previous administration got away with as much as they did was because people were too busy on their blogs discussing and expressing but not taking the hands on approach that has been done in the past

Is Facebook Growing Up Too Fast

I’ve seen politicians with facebook/myspace/twitter accounts but I always assumed they weren’t really two way streets. I’ve assumed that they have someone who maintains the site for them and that their personal interaction with site and therefore the direct contact with the other people connected to the site is minimal.

Does the prime minister of Denmark really check is own facebook page? If the Prime Minister of Denmark did in fact check his facebook page and personally responded to the teachers note then yes, the medium absolutely allows the public to get closer to public figures and breaks down a wall.

With that said, I doubt that that was the case and that they’re leaving out other information such as how many people write to the Prime Minister on facebook vs how many other s does he actually respond to. Also, I wonder if the same teacher had written a letter and snail/mailed it, would he have received the same reaction from the Prime Minister.

I do feel that our connectedness to political figures through myspace/facebook is kind of superficial. How close are we really? President Obama hasn’t tweeted in quite some time.

Celebrity Twitter Ecosystem

I’ve really enjoyed reading the tweets of the people that I follow because the people that I follow are people that are either in my life now or have been part of my life at some point. Initially, I simply thought of this as People Magazine in blog form with the difference that it’s the stars writing about themselves. If one is really interested in the daily life of Hollywood personalities than this is great new medium for them to follow. I can see how the younger demographic could get into this, feeling that they are closer to the stars that they follow in the teenage ritual of obsession. I don’t know how often celebrities post but if it’s as often as some of my friends you start to get a feel for what they’re day is like. If a celebrity posts often enough one could spend every day with the stars.