Dr. Michael Wesch Is A Genius.

 Dr. Michael Wesch

Within the video lecture entitled “An Anthropological Introduction to YouTube” Anthropology Professor Michel Wesch discusses issues of culture, identity, the use of digital text and the parameters of social media in today’s society all within the specific online platform of YouTube.  He begins the lecture by associating YouTube with something that may be more familiar to those who had grown up in the very beginning of the digital age, and that is major TV networks such as ABC Wesch ties in statistics to engage the listener and to help listeners understand the rapid rate in which activity takes place online versus other, less advanced, social media platforms. For example, Wesch says if networking company ABC had programmed shows every hour of every day for 60 years, about 1.5 million hours of programming would be produced. He then goes on to explain that YouTube has produced more in the six months previous to his presentation. However these statistics are now outdated because Wesch presented on this topic in 2008. Despite this fact, these statistics open the eyes of digital immigrant and digital natives alike, and help listeners to see that technological advances occur at hyper speed.

Within this lecture, Wesch revisited one of his previous YouTube videos entitled “ The Machine is Using Us.” Within the previous YouTube posting Wesch goes into greater detail of what digital text truly is and what it means for our generation. Within his introduction to YouTube Wesch briefly explains that the format of digital text is centered on linking people in ways that they may have never expected. He explains that contrary to popular belief, media is not specifically the content in which users see online, but rather the medium between human interactions and human relationships. Because media is constantly changing, so are human relationships.

The level of human interaction in which others are physically in the presence of another, and are interacting on a intrapersonal level has drastically decreased due to developments in technology, the relationships and how people interact with others has changed. According to Wesch, this phenomenon is known as cultural inversion.  As a whole, our culture strives to express individualism, independence and commercialization through platforms of mass media. However, when we do so, humans long for a sense of community, relationships and authenticity. This is true within the YouTube community online, and other social media sites as well.

One situation that involves this phenomenon is the debate over whether or not Lonelygirl15 is a real vlogger, or someone who is posing as someone else. YouTube users we lead to believe that Lonelygirl15 was a real person who shared her thoughts and feelings of everyday life and activities. YouTube users began to identify themselves with Lonelygirl15, and this brought a sense of community and authenticity to a group of people who craved these things. When users were told of the fraudulence of Lonelygirl15, many were outraged and responded in ways that appeared to want nothing to do with dishonest users. For instance one exasperated user said “You tube is not for fake stuff! It’s for real stuff!” However, in response to the publicity, the creators of Lonelygirl15 said the following “ She is no more real or fictitious than the portions of our personality that we chose to show (or hide) when we interact with the people around us.” This is an important point to be made. The identity in which users chose to show or hide from the world drastically changes from person to person and situation to situation.

This introduction gives readers a brief idea of the many ideas and aspects of YouTube that can be studied from an anthropological viewpoint. I found this lecture to be very interesting, and eye opening to me as a infrequent YouTube user. I will definitely look at YouTube in a different light from now on, and I will most likely use YouTube more often as a way to interact with other that I may not have been able to otherwise.

Cyber Bullying is a Public Issue

The article entitled ‘As Bullies Go Digital, Parents Play Catch- Up’  brings to the surface issues of cyber bullying, and an important point; schools are virtually helpless when it comes to investigating or punishing for instances of cyber bullying.  I think it is an important point for parents and adolescents alike to realize.  What is being said online has no parameters in an institution of learning or even an institution of law for that matter. Parents and students bring concerns of cyber bullying to school administrators in hope that the authority that they have will help solve the problem at hand. However,  there are no specific policies stating what can and cannot be said online, despite what might be printed in a ‘terms and conditions’ clause. Furthermore, how aggressors online are to be punished within the court of law is not only ambiguous, but virtually non-existent. With this being said, how can one assess the problem of cyber bullying?  Local authorities may attempt to prosecute those who are found to be guilty of cyber bullying but how does one go about this if there is no mention of appropriate punishments within government legislature?

 I personally believe that the fact that these policies are absent from out government, needs to change and soon. With the world we live in today with technology constantly changing who we interact with, how we interact with them and when we interact with them, it only makes sense that the laws and policies are updated to match. With the proper legislation put into place there is a chance that due to the visible forms of punishment by law, incidences of cyber bullying will decrease. Unfortunately however, I do not the enactment of this legislature leading to the end of cyber bullying altogether.  Not only could policies deter others from deliberately committing the crime that is cyber bullying, but also may mean that people of all ages think twice before they post anything online that could be misconstrue as a form of cyber bullying.

Since such legislation does not exist, I believe the next best thing is to educate people of all ages about the dangers of cyber bullying and consequences that can occur as a result of these incidences. This type of education is being done in some school systems, as mentioned in the article. Parents of the victims of cyber bullying within the article found little solace in these educational classes however, because they felt overwhelmed by the level of technology that their children were accustomed to and were able to maneuver.  The level of education about social media sites where cyber bullying takes place is also part of the problem. The parents should not just learn about cyber bullying itself but the sites where it takes place and how, so that parents are able to detect instances of cyber bullying themselves, and intervene appropriately. Although cyber bullying cannot be stopped by these precautions alone, the prevention of these instances can make a large difference in the lives of those being victimized by cyber bullies.

Response to Perez Hilton Blogs

Although I generally enjoy reading magazines and snooping around in celebrity business, I find that Perez Hilton's blog can be somewhat trivial, making something seemingly insignificant into a big deal. For example, a photo of Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber showing PDA at a concert has a title that  begins predicting whether or not wedding bells were to be ringing.  Later on in the article below the picture, it goes on to say that Selena was previously reading up on relationship advice and the media then sent out the message that Selena and Justin’s relationship was on the rocks. Now, the same source is saying the wedding bells are in the future. To me, it just seems like the media is willing to sell any angle they can find in order to get their name in the headlines.  

Perez Hilton’s blog may be fun to look at and scroll through, but I don’t trust it as a credible source even for gossip material. I feel that all aspects of the blog are slanted in one way or another not painting an accurate picture of events that have taken place. Because the blog is so opinionated, I feel that all of the “news” that is posted within this blog is based on whether or not Perez likes the celebrity or not. For example, to those who follow his blog regularly, it can be assumed that Perez really dislikes Heidi Klum.  For what reason, I am not entirely sure, but whatever the reason, it has landed her on Perez’s list of least favored celebs. Because of this, all news involving Heidi Klum is spun in a way that pokes fun at or insults Heidi in some way. Perez uses his popularity as a blogger to make even the best news about a celebrity into something negative, and focuses on the negative qualities rather than highlighting any positive ones. I’m not saying that I’m a Heidi Klum fan, but I don’t think it is fair to always tear a person down, especially when what they are doing may not necessarily be considered negative.

I am confused as to whether or not the associated blogs at the bottom of the site with the names Perezitos, CocoPerez, TeddyHilton, and  fitPerez are spin offs of Perez’s blog  in which other people talk about topics Perez has covered, or if they are just extensions of Perez’s blog that you can follow that are more specific in content.

September 12th, The Day After.

For a few people in the world, yesterday came and went like any other. But for most, it was a day of remembering. I personally cannot remember the details of the 9/11 attack, being a second grader who was not at all aquainted with the world of politics, or even aware of any unrest in the world. For my little second grader self the most conflict I had ever been subject to was a playground argument. Now, as a "grown adult" I can see the affects of the  physical  aftermath, and the emotional toll that the event took on U.S. citizens as a whole. This tragedy seemed like something very real, but also something very far away from me. Therefore, I have had a hard time connecting with those directly affected by the disaster, but have been able to be empathetic towards theirs situations. However, a visit to Ground Zero forever changed this view. The silence and reverent atmosphere really hit home the point that this was a grievous loss not only for those associated with the victims of the disaster, but also for the entire country.