blog 4

Kody Shaw                         

 

BLOG 4

 

                One of the biggest dangers that people face when using social media is cyberbullying.  Cyberbullying is a new epidemic that is, unfortunately, on the rise.  We hear stories on what seems to be a daily basic about people being cyberbullied. People have been bullied on a multitude of sites such as Craigslist, Facebook, twitter, and Myspace. Many people become victim to fake profiles on these sites and get harassed by them. In some cases people have even been harassed to the point that victims have committed suicide. It has been recorded that last November, a girl committed suicide due to a friend’s mother creating a fake profile on Myspace. This is just crossing a line honestly and something should be done about these types of cases ("Cyberbullying on the Rise” pg.1). In one particular case a girl by the name of Amanda Todd was driven to suicide due to pictures of herself going viral on the internet. After giving out these pictures to what she thought was a boy a couple of years older than her, Amanda was later asked for more. When she said no, this boy who happened to be a 35 year old man of the Netherlands, in turn posted the links to her pictures online and she received many different negative comments on social media sites leading to her death. This man later faced many charges, but was the reason a young girl took her own life (“Dutch Man Charged in Amanda Todd Cyberbullying” pg.2). I find this to be a huge problem, especially because new media sites come and go so quickly. With so many new sites, the windows for cyber bullying are increased dramatically. I think something needs to be done about this growing issue. I feel if there were more harsh punishment for these types of crimes, we could very easily cut down on the amount of cyber bullying cases we face so often.

 

 

Works Cited

 

"Cyberbullying on the Rise, on Campus — Bostonia Web Exclusives." Cyberbullying on the Rise, on          Campus — Bostonia Web Exclusives. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.

"Dutch Man Charged In Amanda Todd Cyberbullying." The Huffington Post. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.

blog 3

Kody Shaw

Blog 3

 

          Over time social media has changed into many different sites and webpages. Each time a new social media site comes out it tries to outperform other sites. As time goes on new social media becomes more competitive and tends to put the old sites behind. These older sites, or “small potatoes,” have been on the verge of extinction or undergoing modifications in order to stay on top of the social media game. These “small potatoes” consists of sites like Myspace, Digg, and Reddit. These types of sites are just older forms of social media compared to what has come out up to date. I believe that Myspace is a site that should go extinct. Myspace was created in August of 2003 ("Where Did Myspace Come From?" pg.1). This alone shows that it’s over 10 years old and is outdated. With such a technologically advanced society, 10 years is too long for a social media site not to get replaced. Too many new ideas have come about and it’s left Myspace in the past. Myspace has also had issues with its new release. Many years of blogs and history were deleted off of Myspace as it underwent its 20 million dollar modification. By deleting many years’ worth of blogs and information, users have become furious. This is not the way to stay afloat in the social media world by any case. I feel as Myspace can’t keep up with its competitors as so many people have left the site for other forms of media sites. Myspace doesn’t have anything to really draw users back to its site making it so much harder to keep up as well. Having to go onto other users’ sites to communicate makes it much less efficient as well. Newer social media sites have made it much more efficient for users to post on feeds. For any reasons like these I feel that Myspace should become extinct. I think within a short period of time Myspace will lose all of its users to bigger and better social media sites.

 

 

"Where Did Myspace Come From?" About.com Social Media. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2014.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/10173232/MySpace-users-threaten-to-sue-after-years-of-blogs-deleted.html

Blog Project

Kody Shaw

 

 

            The internet is probably one of the most controversial subjects of my time.  Like almost anything that is “invented” it is invented with good intentions however it can quickly turn into something ugly when people with bad intentions are involved.  This stands true for the internet too.

            The internet has many pros like being able to catch up with old friends that you may have lost contact with after high school.  The internet can be used for things like reading on-line newspapers, paying bills, online banking.  It is also great for research, taking online classes and working from home.

            In the past after most people graduated from high school, college or moved away the only way to contact these people was either by the telephone or by US mail.  Many people were only able to talk to family and friends out of state once a week or once a month because long distance phone calls were very expensive.  Using the US mail system was much cheaper but not convenient and depending on where the letter was going it could take over a week for the person on the other end to receive the mail.  Social websites have changed all of that.  Social websites have allowed people to locate and keep in touch with family and friends by just going to any one of the numerous social sites that are located on the internet.  People are allowed to see photos of family and friends that they wouldn’t normally get to see unless they had the money and time to travel to see these people.  The internet has also allowed people to communicate with loved ones who live in other countries and using the internet is much cheaper and quicker than making phone calls (“Benefits of Online Social Networking” pg. 2). 

            Another useful internet “tool” is being able to pay bills online.  As long as the site is a secure site this is very convenient.  When you have to mail payments they must be mailed up to two weeks before they are due just to ensure that they make it on time and your account stays up to date.  Mail can get lost and the cost of postage is continually rising ("5 Reasons to Use Online Bill Payment” pg. 1).  Using the internet is pay bills gives you the opportunity to keep your money in your bank account earning interest right up until the day that it that payment is due.  Most companies allow online payments to be made up until 5pm on the day that they are due.  Once you make a payment most sites automatically generate a confirmation number for you and send you an email letting you know that they received your payment.  The money is usually debited from your bank account the next business day.  Much easier that using the US mail system.

           

 

Online banking is another very useful way the internet is being used.  Online banking provides the convenience of being able to watch every transaction as it happens.  If you are a person who has direct deposit you are able to see exactly when the money has been deposited into your account and when it becomes available for your use ("4 Advantages of Online Banking” pg. 1).  Online banking is also very helpful if a company says that they did not receive a payment from you.  If you log into your banking account you are able to give the company the exact day and time that they check cleared the bank or the electronic transfer took place. It is also nice to be able to monitor your bank accounts daily because if there is a transaction that looks suspicious you are able to contact your financial institution immediately.  If the transaction is some type of fraud then the bank and immediately stop any activity on your accounts and inactivate your debit or credit cards so that they can no longer be used until the issue is cleared up.

            Another benefit of the internet is being able to read online newspapers and magazines.  This is huge for all of the “keep the country green” projects.  It saves a tremendous amount of paper and ink by having your newspaper or magazine in an online edition (“Online Newspapers” pg.1).  Another benefit of having a newspaper online is that many papers like the Schenectady Gazette have a morning online edition and they also have an evening edition.   This is a great way to keep readers update date on any new happenings during the day.  Online magazines and catalogs have become popular because it saves time and money not having to print and mail these.  People looking at online catalogs also have the ability to order at the same they are shopping without ever having to leave their house.  Online catalogs also allow you to ship the items where ever you want which is great during the holiday season.

            The internet has also allowed almost every college and university the ability to offer online classes. I think this has been a huge success because it opens the doors to many people who may have been unable to get to the school to take the classes or could not find classes that were held at a time that was convenient for them (“10 Advantages to Taking Online Classes” pg.3).  I am currently taking two online classes because I am a baseball player and I have limited days and times that I can be at the college.  If I had been unable to take online classes I may have been behind at least one semester.  Online classes are also great for people who work full time, people who have children, people who have disabilities or people who don’t have transportation to a school.  I think online classes are a great benefit that the internet has provided.

            I think the internet has also been a huge benefit in research.  When I have to do research papers and projects it is so much easier to do the work at home using the internet.  In the past people could only do research using books and encyclopedias.  Encyclopedia became outdates very quickly and you had to find books at your school library or your local library.  You can only go to the library during certain days and times and this is not convenient for many people who work or go to school full time.  You may also need transportation to a library which is not easy for some people (“Bad Title” pg.1).  The internet has definitely made doing research so much easier. 

            The internet also has many cons too.  Some “bad” things about the internet are stalkers and pedophiles have easier access to their victims, bullying on social websites is a real concern, identity thief has risen due to the internet and the internet does not always give your accurate information.

            The internet gives out a lot of personal information about someone and this makes it easy for you to be found.  This is not always a good think is someone with bad intentions is looking for you.  You can use a number of “people search” sites to locate someone and once you find that person you can also find their address, their phone number and even see a photo of their home if it is available on Google maps.  If you have a Facebook account or a twitter account someone can see what you are up to most of time and these types of sites make it very easy for some to find you (“Online Predators” pg. 2). 

            The internet’s social websites have opened the doors for pedophiles too.  If parents are not always monitoring their children’s accounts then they are not aware of who that child is talking to while online.  There have been several stories in the news of people trying to lure a young person into meeting them.  These young naive children think they are meeting a boyfriend or girlfriend that they met online when in fact it is an adult who is a pedophile (“Online Predators” pg. 3).  The pedophile has tricked the child into thinking that he or she was their age and the child unknowingly gives out a lot if information to this person.  This is a very scary piece of the internet and a very good reason why parents need to monitor what their kids are doing when they are on the computer.

            The internet’s social websites have also caused many problems for people who are being bullied.  This has been a huge problem in most schools around the country.  Many of these bullying issues have caused the victim to commit suicide.  This seems to be an epidemic all over the United States and many school districts are enforcing strict policies regarding bullying.  Bullies use the internet’s social media as a way to intimidate a victim by posting negative comments and even photos that the “world” can see.  This is very hurtful and upsetting for the victim and in most cases goes unnoticed by parents and adults until it is too late (“Dealing with Cyberbullying” pg.1).  I am hoping with stricter policies regarding bullying that these issues are stopped. 

            Although the internet is a great place to do research it is also not always the greatest place to get information from.  When doing research you need to make sure that you are using reliable an accurate websites.  There are websites on the internet that provide false or inaccurate information.  Wikipedia is a website that allows anyone to make updates or create a Wikipedia information site.  This information may sometimes be true but it very often contains false or inaccurate information because anyone is allowed to add information which may not be confirmed as true.  Therefore, you must always make sure that you are getting reliable information for accurate sources when using the internet (“The Top 10 Reasons Students Cannot Cite or Rely On Wikipedia” pg. 2).

             

           

Works Cited:

 

"Bad Title." - PsychWiki. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2014.

"Benefits of Online Social Networking." Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2014.

"Dealing with Cyberbullying." Dealing with Cyberbullying: Tips for Kids and Parents to Prevent and Stop Cyberbullying. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2014.

"IT 103: Online Newspapers." : Online Newspapers: Advantages and Disadvantages.    N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2014. 

"Online Predators: Help Minimize the Risk." Online Predators. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Apr.     2014.

"The Top 10 Reasons Students Cannot Cite or Rely On Wikipedia." The Top 10 Reasons Students Cannot Cite or Rely On Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr.                        2014.

"4 Advantages of Online Banking." Account Now Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2014.

"5 Reasons to Use Online Bill Payment." HowStuffWorks. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2014.

"10 Advantages to Taking Online Classes." OEDB.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2014.

blog 1

I believe there are many advantages to the extensive internet. One advantage in particular that comes to mind is the fact that I can communicate much faster and efficient than ever before using the internet. With new technology that has been created such as text messages, it is so easy to communicate with people half way around the world in seconds. We are the most socially connected generation of all time. The second advantage of the internet is the fact that we can receive information so quickly. Being able to upload pictures and videos so quickly allows us to stay in touch with news and remain updated at all times. The last advantage that comes to mind with use of the internet is online shopping. Many people use the internet as a way to purchase things they couldn’t get near them. By ordering things from offline people are capable from getting things from across the world within just days.

 

With so many advantages that come with the internet, there are also some negative aspects as well. The internet is so powerful that there are people who use it for the wrong reasons too. The first disadvantage is cyber bullying. This has become an extensive problem among the younger generations and can really damage victims at a young age. Cyber bullying has really been on the rise with so many social media sites that have been created in the past decade. The next disadvantage of the internet is the fact that many people become less social while using the internet regularly. Many people hide behind text messages rather than communicating face to face with people. I think this is a problem because many people lose out on a common skill of being able to communicate in person. The last disadvantage that comes to mind when using the internet is the fact that people will also try to steal identities from other people. By giving out your email address or any other small bit of information, we risk having this end up in the wrong person’s hands. With such minimal information comes the possibility of major consequences. Thieves are capable of tapping into banks accounts and other crucial accounts with the use of the internet (“Ross, pg.1”).

 

 

Ross, Joe. "Understanding Identity Theft." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 26 Nov. 2013. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.

new blog

Hi im kody and im a good blogger.