Week 2 & week 3

     We read an interesting article called "25 things you might not know about the web on its 25th birthday." There were a couple parts that I found very interesting.. One being "the web has become a memory prosthesis for the world." Not only do I think this is very true, but I also find it a little scary. I find myself relying on the Google for everything from searching how much half of 2/3 a cup is (out of pure laziness; embarrassing, I know), to the Lewis structure of carbonic acid. What scares me is how much I rely on something that truly is it of my control. No, I don't think the Internet is going anywhere, but I suppose one never knows for sure. Another piece of the article I found unsettling: "The web we see is just the tip of the iceberg." I recently heard the term "dark web," and I have an idea of what it is and what goes on there. To think that people do what I previously would have called the "unthinkable" is disturbing. It is almost like there is this completely different world.
     On a brighter note, we discussed how far computers have come. Just 20 years or so ago a computer took up an entire room, and right this second I'm laying in bed on my phone typing this post. It blows my mind! As class was nearing to the end, we were asked to discuss in small groups if we thought the walls that have been broken down by advanced technology (hence, being able to communicate across the world) were a good thing or a bad thing. One cannot deny that this has so many potential positives, such as achieving world peace (dream big). However, every single day I come across some form of cyber bullying, whether it is through a "subtweet," a nasty comment on an Instagram picture, or someone posting something humiliating that someone else has done. It is sad to say, but I think there are far too many cruel people in the world to ever reach and kind of peace. Social media allows these cyber bullies to hide behind their screens and, in a sense, wear a disguise, which makes it easier to say nasty things about others.
     We also read the first three chapters of David Weinberger's book "Everything is Miscellaneous." What I took from the reading is that the digital world really has no order in how it is organized. No particular piece of information is in a particular category, it is all just one big cloud of information labelled "miscellaneous." He calls this organization pattern "the third order of order." I think that is a really neat idea. He is right--there is no one monitoring what is being added (apparently about 7 million new web pages each day) and organizing them into different categories. However, I do like the section where Weinberger talked about the periodic table. Being a science major, I am not used to thinking so abstractly about ideas like "everything is miscellaneous." Weinberger writes "If anything should survive untouched by the third order of order and the rise of the miscellaneous, it ought to be the periodic table of the elements." Now, this was refreshing to hear! I believe that there are some things that just cannot be labelled as miscellaneous… the Periodic Table is literally the basis of life! It is it's own category all by itself. It is the same no matter what search engine you use to find it, which textbook in which you refer, or what classroom that holds a giant poster. It does not change, and it will not change. Like I said, it is the basis for everything!
    One more thing I found interesting in class discussion. We watched a video about multitasking, and afterwards were asked to explain why some of us were on our phones while watching the video. I think a lot of the "multitasking" that goes on is due to the accessibility of communication. During that video, I happened to get a text from a friend about a chemistry fraternity event on campus, and because it was there, I felt I had to respond. It is actually physically painful for me to  know I have a text from someone and resist reading it until after I finish the task at hand. It is so simple to get ahold of people these days that you expect them to have their phone and respond within seconds.  
     Anyway, I'm excited to see what more we'll talk about throughout the rest of the semester, because I seem to already have a lot to say!

Introduction to Pyschology of Social Media

Well, here I am writing my first ever blog post.

After the first class and introduction to what the course "Psychology of Social Media" is all about, I am super excited! First, we actually use social media for our homework, which is awesome. Second, this is not going to be the average course! I have already made a Facebook (which I did not have before) and people who I haven't talked to in years are connecting with me. On top of that, each of us have to use a new "social media" that we haven't used before. I chose Pinterest. I always hear my friends say "I saw it on Pinterest" or claim inspiration for the coolest ideas from Pinterest. I'm not sure yet what it's all about, but the way I look at it you pin your interests (get it, PINTEREST)? So if my homework is zipping through a site that has the hundreds of ideas on things that interest me, then I think I've got it made! I believe this course has a lot of neat perspectives to offer as it relates to social media, and how it is changing the way things work. I don't know how I am going to feel about social media by the end of the semester, but I am going to blog my journey and see where I end up!