I have made a few changes to the schedule for the next two weeks, as detailed below and on the Schedule page linked above. I have only gotten through half of the Essay #2 RDs. I will be handing them back on Wednesday morning; therefore, I pushed the Final Draft back until the 16th. Notice that the optional revision is due this Wednesday. Please include all previous drafts should you choose to revise!
The Westlake article can be obtained here, while the Braden is here.
M 11/7:
Avoiding Plagiarism
In-class: BH, p.482-487
Hempel with Lehman, “The Myspace Generation”
HW ~ BH, p.438f, 442-458, 462-475
W 11/9:
Revision of Essay #1 Due (Optional)
Conducting Research & Evaluating Sources
handout – Proper Citation in a Works Cited Page and Annotated Bibliography
Essay #3 Rubric
M 11/14:
handout – Westlake, "Friend Me If You Facebook: Generation Y and Performative Surveillance" (only pages 25-27, 30f... stop after the second-to-last paragraph on p.27)
W 11/16:Westlake, "Friend Me If You Facebook"
Essay #2 Final Copy Due
handout – Braden, “Is the Internet the Harbinger of Orwell’s Nightmares?”
HW ~ BH, p.379-387, 392-400
e-journal #7: After reading Braden, consider any questions presented in the following prompt when responding: Many would argue that the Internet is merely another window through which the public may be spied upon by “big government” or by secret agencies. Do you feel that Braden and Westlake share a similar argument regarding this issue? According to these authors, and in your opinion, what are the weakest points (literally, sites) of the Internet? What are some potential results of the Internet’s ability to replicate and publish information? Do you feel that you participate in citizen-surveillance? Do you contribute to content on the web? If so, what kind? What aspect of the Internet are you most wary about? Use at least two, properly cited textual examples in your response.
In the article “Friend Me if You Facebook” and “Is The Internet The harbinger Of Orwell’s nightmares?” both author Westlake and Braden agree that many network users’ life has become public.Many people share their personal information on internet without thinking about their privacy and who will see their personal data.Social networking sites, especially myspace and facebook, provide an excessive amount of personal information on internet.If this information was attained by unknown people it's dangerous for our own personal life.Braden states, " the use of this information by employers is a definite sign that such sites are being watched. ...agencies use information from such social networknig tools in profile."(3)Bradan and Westlake share a similar argument regarding the issue of the internet being another window through which the public may be spied upon by “big government” or by secret agencies. Braden, when talking about the surveillance of the average citizen, states, “it is computers and the internet that pose the greatest threat in today’s society” (4). Braden believes the internet helps the government and other secret agencies obtain information about the public. Westlake also agree with Braden’s belief. He states in his article, “The government has actively pursued customer records from internet providers and telecommunication companies” (32). I myself do not contribute to the web and fill inaccurate personal information on the websites.
ReplyDeleteBraden vs Westlake
ReplyDeleteBraden and Westlake do not share similar views in their writings. Brandon strongly believes that the internet is a main factor that facilitates censorship carried out by corrupt men. He briefly talks about censorship methods such as Cleanfeed, which prevents official from abusing the system of blocking arbitrary sites. He writes that "the dangers of abuse of such a censorship tool by unknown parties far outweigh the benefit it provides" (Braden 2). Hence, Braden points out that although some forms of censorship are beneficial to society, in most cases it proves to be harmful. Westlake, on the other hand, does not even mention the issue of censorship in regards to the internet. Instead, the author discusses the changes occurring in text online and the distortion and misinformation caused by websites such as Wikipedia. Braden agrees with Westlake on this point, but goes even further to explore the global aspects of technology, namely the internet and television, where Westlake examines concerns on a smaller scale.
According to Braden, the weakest point of the internet is the power the internet provides to governmental agencies, large corporations, and virtually any power hungry men. Westlake, however, argues that the weakest attribute internet possesses is the prevention of face to face interaction and key factors of socialization. She also points out, like Braden, that there are some sites like Wikipedia that misinforms users with false and inaccurate information. She states "sites such as [...] Wikipedia allow users to edit entries [...]. Now anyone can create text on the internet" (Westlake 26). Some potential results of the Internets ability to replicate and publish information is the misinformation or distortion of accurate information. This inaccurate information is available for everyone to see and is labeled as fact when a certain amount of people agree with the information at hand. Therefore, spreading around false accounts to users worldwide.
I, personally, do not feel that I participate in citizen surveillance because of my lack of use of Facebook and other similar sites. Since my page does not display much personal information and no pics, there is a limited amount of private info. I do happen to contribute to content on the web with the weekly responses to online blogs for school (English 125). I am most wary of harmful sites such as pornographic or any other offensive sites online.
The articles by Westlake and Braden do not share a similar argument regarding the issue that Internet is merely another window through which the public may be spied upon by "big government" or by secret agencies. According to Braden in the article "Friend Me If You Facebook" the weakest point of the Internet is the power it gives to the government agencies regarding censorship. Braden worries that some of the freedoms we have on the Internet can possibly be lost. Westlake showing she agrees with this when saying "the government has actively pursuaded customer recordes from Internet providers and telecommunication companies"(32) . I do not participate in citizen survalance but I do however contribute to the Internet content. I contribute when I upload photos or videos on my Facebook page or even when I write on the blog.
ReplyDeleteBraden vs. Westlake
ReplyDeleteBraden and Westlake share similar views when it comes to the internet and how the government is watching everyone’s move. In this day and age whatever is posted on the internet usually isn’t private, and it makes its way across the world web. The government is definitely watching especially after such major attacks like 9/11. In Westlake’s text, “Friend Me if You Facebook,” the Patriot Act is mentioned which gives the government access for intelligence (Westlake 11). Facebook and MySpace contain loads of people’s personal information which gets accessed my online Predators. MySpace is more open and doesn’t contain as much privacy compared to Facebook. The weakest point is how it gives such power to the government and with the government is watching over it. In Braden’s text, “Is the Internet the Harbinger of Orwell’s Nightmares?” Facebook is making another mention with the CEO investing in it. I do contribute to the internet but as of recently I stopped. I contribute to facebook but I haven’t contributed to Deviant Art or YouTube. I feel out of touch with the websites.
E.J. Westlake and Peter Braden have a lot of similarities and differences. They are similar when they talk about our online use, privacy and editing on the internet. They seem to have different views on surveillance. In the text by Westlake, people see the government’s surveillance on their online use to be positive. There was a research done which concluded that Generation Y “trust the institutions of government” and “are optimistic about the role the government can have in their lives, and believe their participation in it can effect change” (Westlake 37). In Braden’s article it shows this type of surveillance to be a negative stating that “many edits to the encyclopedia came from inside corporate offices and even the government” (3). This means that the government is controlling what is on the internet therefore one will not know the factual information. I think the weakest point on the internet is the amount of privacy a person gets. If one has the ability to replicate and publish information that means they can use this to alter information as the government was found doing. This also means that you also have to censor what you post on the internet because you don’t know if people can you this information against you in the future. I do participate in citizen-surveillance when I go on certain social websites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Blogger. I also contribute content such as comments and status updates on these websites. The government surveillance is the aspect of the internet that I am wary about.
ReplyDeleteThese two articles have a little bit of similarities; like they both believe the internet has made people who are online lives not private. Like Braden says “it is computers and internet that pose the greatest threat in today’s society” I so agree with that, the internet is not PRIVATE. Anything you write and put on there will forever remain in cyberspace. Anything can be trace through the internet even if its deleted you could still retrieves that. The government can and maybe does look on online and spies on people. , Braden “The government has actively pursued customer records from internet providers and telecommunication companies”. These two articles agree on that, the government is spying on us. I believe everyone is being watched, especially through the internet. But I know I’m not a criminal so there’s no point in lying who I am, because the government will figure it out anyways.
ReplyDeleteWestlake and braden have different arguments on the issue of the internet being another way that people are spyed upon. Westlakes article “Friend me if you Facebook” is about social networks changing the way we act. Braden talks about our rights as people to privacy and servailence. These authors made me realize that the world wide webhas unreliablesights. Braden points out “A major problem is that, whilst much of the information is accurate, Fraudulent edits are common place, resulting inconfusion over the acuracy of the data" (Braden 3). Here braden is refering to wikipedia the free encyclopidia. West lake believes “The internet has changed the waywe read eachothers performances" (25), pointing out some flaws of the social network, Facebook.
ReplyDeletePrivacy and peoples rights will be violated as a result of the internes ability to replicate and publish information. Personaly I do contribute to content on the web, but only under my own privte settings and I don’t participate in citicen cervailance.What other peopledo is none of my buisness all though I do care about what people do even if it is to intentionaly hert someone else. I’m most wary about predators. I have trust in the government in that they are only watching for my best intrest.
Braden VS. Westlake
ReplyDeleteBraden and Westlake do not share similar views in their arguments, I believe that Braden emphasizes more on being “spied on by the government.” While Westlake, on the other hand, talks about people sharing personal information on the internet and not being aware of the potential dangers to it. Westlake also mentions that face to face interaction is taken over by communication on the internet. I agree with both the authors when it comes to privacy and the internet. An individuals private information is on the social networking sites for everyone to view. Even though there are some privacy statements they can be intruded, which is the point that Westlake and Braden make. There can be many negative results by the internet’s ability to replicate and publish information such as invasion of privacy, distortion of actual facts and to mislead people by publishing anything that people may believe. When it comes to being watched, I believe that everyone is a part of citizen-surveillance. The government, police, or higher authorities get information about people through the internet. Citizen-surveillance may be put in effect for citizen safety however it definitely exists. The only way I contribute to the web is by posting up on face book. The thing that I watch out most for while using the internet is the content or words that I use to address an issue. I make sure that I am not being racist, or discriminating against anyone, I also make sure that my language does not pose any kind of threat to anything or anyone. This is because the content that I use can easily work against me as Braden explains that, “It is now known that before hiring new employees, many companies do a background check on their internet presence” (4). Lastly, thinking about the internet and that it may be monitored feels unsafe especially after rethinking Bruce Schneir’s words in Braden’s essay stating that, “Watch someone long enough, and you’ll find something to arrest- or just blackmail them with” (4).
I believe both Westlake and Barden do share the same concern for the people online being spied on through the use of the internet. Westlake gives many quotes and examples of others that he calls Generation Y. His views are also based on the internet itself in particular Facebook. Braden shares his argument through presenting various novels and documents about the media and technology. Barden’s argument has more of an asserted and bold tone compared to Westlake because he goes as far as to accuse the “big government” and tell us that we are fed propaganda.
ReplyDeleteThat the internet is the new source of our news and makes it easy for people to write false information on the web. Barden writes “This explosion in the number of voices on the internet has mean that an entirely new news source has emerged” It also affirms how easy it is to know each and every move a person makes through sites like Facebook and twitter.
This new way of sending information through the web can be good for the environment in terms of wasting paper to print out information; it can also get the information out a lot faster and to a wider range of audiences.
I do not personally participate in civilian surveillance as much as before when I was back in high school because in college there is a lot that keeps you busy as a posed to high school when there was more free time. However back then I would post a lot of music videos that were comedic and basic favorite songs, I posted more profile pictures whenever I got a new haircut, also more artwork I did in school.
I’m most worried about the fake profiles, and the news feed, and censorship of ideas. Westlake narrates “I was surprised to find my niece had friended Franz Boas at Kent State.” This provides an example of how easy it is to create a fake page and impersonate a stranger or worse someone fictional. Westlake writes “…the new feature [of news feed] certainly made me more conscious of the way I behave on Facebook.” Westlake explains how it makes one more aware and steers them to think before they act.
E.J. Westlake author of Friend Me if You Facebook, and Peter Braden writer of Is the Internet the Harbinger of Orwell’s Nightmare both agree that the internet is another window through which the public can be spied upon. Westlake expresses throughout his article that social networks such as Facebook allows users information to be free for anyone. Today Facebook does have a privacy tab were you can set your settings to a private mode but now with newsfeed everyone can see your business as long as you have a friend in common. In Westlake’s article he states “one user posted the lyrics to Sting’s 1983 “Every Breath You Take”” (22). This user like many others believes his post and comments on Facebook is seen and read by almost anyone. Braden writes “with close ties to a government intelligence agency, it is no wonder that many people are so suspicious of Facebook” (4). Both authors clearly believe privacy is a major concern regarding Facebook and the easy access people have to information and conversations amongst friends that they believe is truly private when it isn’t. Before entering college I did participate in Facebook, but I have now stopped. I do not like that what you post on Facebook whether it’s a picture or a comment you no longer have the right to it legally. So in regards to privacy with the internet I do agree with both Westlake and Braden.
ReplyDeleteI believe Braden and Westlake do share similar views on the government spying on people’s internet usage. According to Westlake’s article, employers are using social networking sites and the internet in general to look up information on employees. The internet can be used to research just about anything on anyone and why wouldn’t the government use it as well. Westlake says “At the same time, the Patriot Act has opened the door for the Federal Government to use the internet for intelligence gathering” (Westlake 32). Westlake knows about the Government having control over the internet, and he even has a section in his article called “surveillance.” On the other hand, I feel Braden would agree with Westlake because as he’s speaking about a company associated with Facebook that happens to also be affiliated with the CIA, he says, “with such close ties to a government intelligence agency, it is no wonder that many people are so suspicious of Facebook…” (Braden 4). Since Facebook has these ties to a massive intelligence agency that is well respected and can most likely get any information on you, it is a concern that the government might actually be watching over all of us through everyday digital sources.
ReplyDeleteThe results from the internet are its power to find out almost anything in a matter of seconds. Professional wise, the internet provides many sources on candidates that employers are considering and can keep people up to date through the connectivity of the internet. Also information can always be found online, however that is always not a good thing. I have participated in social networks such as MySpace and Facebook and I do believe that everyone who has a social network or anything to do with the internet is being watched somewhere by someone. That factor contributes to the spread of information as well. I am worried about social networks in general because you might post something wrong and it will always be on the internet and anyone can know about it. This has never personally happened to me but I’ve seen many lives destroyed on television and the news because of this.
In the article "Friend Me if You Facebook" by E.J. Westlake and in the article "Is The Internet The Harbinger Of Orwell’s Nightmares?" by Peter Braden, both authors argue that the internet is merely another window through which the public may be spied upon by “big government” or by secret agencies. Braden writes that the internet is considered public, but many people do not realize that leaving private information on the internet may lead to other people watching them. Also, Braden states that "It is probable that intelligence agencies use information from such social networking tools in profiling and it cannot be long before advertisers start scraping this data from their own uses" (4). Westlake indicates that the U.S. Congress has attempted to limit access to online sites like Facebook and MySpace, but the government continues to monitor what people do on the internet. Westlake also notes that "the Patriot Act has opened the door for the Federal Government to use the internet for intelligence gathering. The government has actively pursued customer records from internet providers and telecommunications companies" (32). The weakest points of the internet are the limited use of face to face interaction and the ability of the government to monitor personal information which is meant to be kept private. Some potential results of the internet’s ability to replicate and publish information is the capability of other people to duplicate someone's personal information and blackmail them for personal purposes. Also, replicating information causes some information to be misinterpreted and results in information that is inaccurate. I personally do not feel that I participate in citizen-surveillance because I am not the type of person that looks at someone's personal information on the internet, but I do feel that I am being monitored by someone else when I am on the internet. Only on some instances do I contribute to content on the web. Usually, it is when I am asked to give my opinion on a certain topic or issue. I am most wary when I am on an internet site that asks me for personal information. If I do not feel comfortable giving personal information on the internet, I usually just leave the site or ignore it.
ReplyDeleteThe article, "Friend Me If You Facebook" by E.J. Westlake and the book "Is The Internet The Harbinger Of Orwell's Nightmares?" by Peter Braden, both are very interesting pieces of writing. I believe that both authors share the same argument. The argument being the fact that the Internet is a place where people can be spied on by "big government" and secret agencies. Braden writes, "Although the information on the Internet is considered public, many people do not realise the implications of leaving sensitive data in this area. The use of this information by employers is a definite sign that such sites are being watched"(4). This seems to be very true because usually I'm told by my family not to post things that I wouldn't want my parents to see on Facebook. This advice is pretty particular with photos because photos can be printed out and used against you as evidence for something. Westlake writes, "Given the kind of access both the government and stalkers have to personal information available on social networking sites, one can conclude that Facebook users are both exhibiting themselves in risky ways that are open to predators and showing a clear disregard for government intrusion"(32). With this quote, Westlake is agreeing that with the Internet, people are not aware of surveillance by other people. We post things which we don't know what they can do to us in the future. The authors of both texts believe that social networking sites like Facebook and Myspace both share a great amount of information with the world. Websites like YouTube and wikipedia also do the same. Many times people can be portraying a different identity than their original one. According to Westlake, " ... Attests to the fact that Facebook profiles often reflect the actual personality of the users, even when users may not be aware of the personality they project"(32). If the Internet Is being watched, there can be many positive and negative results. One negative result can be our limitation of freedom and privacy. Americans are entitled to freedom but if we are being watched 24/7, then where has our freedom gone? A positive result can be that people who have bad intensions, like terrorist attacks, can be tracked down and stopped. I think I participate in citizen surveillance by watching my brothers activity on Facebook but to me I think it's something good. The only place I have contributed on the Internet would be Facebook and a website with some articles I've written for my high school paper. Facebook once saved me from being accused of a crime. So because of that incident, I always post a status about important things.
ReplyDeleteIn the articles “Friend Me if You Facebook” by E.J. Westlake and “Is the Internet the Harbinger of Orwell’s Nightmare” by Peter Braden both argue that the internet is a gateway to for government agents and other to follow up on you. Braden essay argues that the internet is a public tool and way of communication. With it being public many people are unaware and don’t realize that leaving private information on the internet may lead to other people watching their every move. Braden states that "It is probable that intelligence agencies use information from such social networking tools in profiling and it cannot be long before advertisers start scraping this data from their own uses" (4). Meanwhile in Westlake article he reveals that the U.S. Congress has attempted to limit access to online sites like Facebook and MySpace, but still the government continues to monitor what people do on the internet. Westlake alerts us that "the Patriot Act has opened the door for the Federal Government to use the internet for intelligence gathering. The government has actively pursued customer records from internet providers and telecommunications companies" (32). Unfortunately the internet limits our communication with other. One of the negative points of the internet is that the limits the face to face interaction and allows the government to monitor and spy on our personal information and life, which is longer kept private. Some potential results of the internet’s ability to replicate and publish information are that others are able to duplicate someone's personal information and use them for their personal meanings and purposes. Unfortunately by replicating information that is not yours there can be inaccurate information when leads problems. I personally do feel that I somewhat participate in citizen-surveillance because sometimes I find myself looking at someone profile on the internet. In my opinion I really don’t think that I contribute to content on the web because I usually don’t comment on issues or topics, I prefer to say neutral and out of it. I am the most wary when I visit internet site that asks me for personal information I really don’t give any information because I feel I can become a victim of identity theft.
ReplyDelete