Wisdom of the Crowds

            My experiment was to determine what people think the average temperature has been this winter, since people have been complaining about the cold for a very long time. According to Accuweather.com, the average high temperature for January 2014 in Annville was 31.7 degrees.

            I posted a status on Facebook asking people what they thought the average temperature was, and after I received fifteen responses I told them what it was. After deleting the highest and lowest (which were 15 and 36), I calculated an average of 23.5 degrees. It is not too close to the actual number, but that is most likely because it is a smaller number and harder to average to the correct one.

            It is interesting how the theory of “the wisdom of the crowds” in almost every circumstance. It slightly worked with my experiment. I think most people guessed a colder temperature, like in the 20s, because it has been such a harsh winter and everyone is tired of the cold. I also found it interesting that it was mostly my middle-aged Facebook friends who responded to the survey, as opposed to friends my age. I’m not sure if that has any reason for the responses that I received. I have noticed that older users tend to answer polls like this on Facebook, especially relatives, because they are trying to help me out. You would think that college students would empathize with me trying to complete a project and respond to the poll, but I only had a handful respond.

Her - Is this our future?

            In order to prepare for the Oscar season, I watched the movie Her recently, which is nominated for five Academy Awards (you can watch the trailer here). The film features Theodore, a lonely writer living in the not too distant future. The world of the movie does not have a sci-fi feel, but the technology is slightly more advanced than it is right now. We see Theodore using his operating system to check emails and current news. It operates similarly to Siri by responding to voice commands and reading aloud emails and such. He then upgrades to a newer system, which has the sexy voice of Scarlett Johansson.

            The operating system introduces herself as Samantha, which already proves that it is a much more sophisticated and humanized technology than anything we’ve seen before. It’s uncanny how much Samantha sounds and acts like a real person and not like a computer. Theodore takes her around in his pocket and shows her the world, and she learns and evolves as they go. They eventually start a romantic relationship and it actually is more sweet than awkward. At the end of the film, however, the operating systems are recalled, seemingly because the users become too attached to them.

            While technologies like this still seem pretty far-fetched, it is eerie how much the movie reminded me of current trends in social media and other technologies. For instance, Samantha could tell when Theodore was in a bad mood, and she also submitted his writing to a publisher without him knowing. While it is not nearly as intense, Facebook and other websites often can predict behavior of the users based on what they post or like. In that way it kind of has a mind of its own.

            I don’t think that technology should ever become this intuitive. I would still like to make some of my own decisions, like reading and deleting my own email. I just wouldn’t feel comfortable having another entity doing that for me. I also don’t think that technology should ever have emotions or souls; the lines just become too blurred and confusing, as was shown in the movie.

Googlezon

I find it very interesting that it was predicted that Google and Amazon would merge companies. It is quite a common occurrence that large companies buy smaller companies and merge with them. Google and Amazon are both enormous companies, however, so it seems unlikely that either of them would need to join another company in order to stay afloat.

            I also don’t think that merging the two companies would even be beneficial to either of them. It is not as if the companies are all that similar, like phone carriers that have merged in the past. Amazon is an online marketplace, as well as an electronic reading service with Kindle. Amazon is also expanding into a video streaming service. Google is Google. It encompasses email, YouTube, Google Drive, and much, much more. They don’t really seem like they would be compatible if they were to join forces. Users go to Amazon and Google for very different purposes. I’m sure that the companies would be smart enough to figure out a way to work if they merged together, but it just doesn’t seem to make sense to do so.

            I also think that predicting these types of trends in technology is hard to accomplish. Both YouTube and Kindle were not invented when the prediction was made in 2004. Both of these concepts have revolutionized modern technology, and I don’t think they were anticipated in the prediction, at least not correctly. It is difficult to predict how technologies that are not even invented yet will affect companies and their business decisions. I do not know how anyone would accurately predict future developments in technology.

Since these inventions are unknown, I can understand how it would be predicted that Amazon and Google would merge, since they were much simpler companies back then. In 2004, Google was probably just a search engine and Amazon just an online marketplace. Now that they have grown, however, they are too different and complex to merge.

Craigslist Killers

One of the top stories in the news right now is the 19-year-old Craigslist killer, who confessed to murdering more than 22 people as part of a satanic cult. One of Miranda Barbour’s victims was Troy LaFerrara, who she met on Craigslist. LaFerrara allegedly paid for a sexual encounter with Barbour, but she ended up killing him instead.

Craigslist has become just as infamous for its Craigslist killers as it has with its services. The online community seems like it is becoming more and more of an unsavory and shady place. My brother bought an Xbox from a user on Craigslist a few years ago, and I remember feeling a little nervous when he went to go meet the guy in person. He could easily have been another victim of a Craigslist killer.

Another strange feature on Craigslist is the “missed connections” section of the site. It allows users to try to find people they see at restaurants, gas stations, bookstores, etc. who they thought were attractive, but they were too timid to approach. The users post descriptions of the person and the place they saw them, in hopes that the person will see it and contact them.

It would be a cute idea if it didn’t seem so creepy and stalker-like. Besides, I find it very unlikely that these people would ever find each other. It’s just as likely that someone else could pretend to be the person you saw, get your contact information, meet with you, and murder you. The people who peruse the missed connections page are probably just looking to prey on people.

I’m not saying that the Craigslist community is not useful in some aspects. It’s wonderful that there can be an online marketplace and a place to post job opportunities. It just makes me uncomfortable how vulnerable people are when they put themselves on sites like Craigslist.

Less is More (Chapter 7 Post)

            I’m going to try to not sound like a broken record from my last post, but the topics are pretty similar. Chapter 7 in the Qualman book discusses how Twitter and other social media platforms have condensed and shortened the expectations of information in the media, since Twitter limits posts to 140 characters. The chapter goes on to discuss how different companies are trying to adhere to these new rules.

            I’ve learned in my studies as a Digital Communications major that certain media, like videos, need to be short and concise in order to keep users’ attention. If the video runs too long (or the blog post or the article or whatever it may be), then the audience will lose interest and not view the rest of it. It is partly for this reason that Twitter is so successful: it’s condensed and concise. This is also very important in the mobile world.

            Companies need to design for mobile devices because that is the future of the industry. In an article I found on Mashable, it states that people use Twitter on their smartphones more than 10 times more than they do on desktop computers. Facebook’s number of mobile users is not nearly as impressive. That is because it feels like Twitter was made for mobile usage. It’s just natural to scroll through tweets on my phone. I often find that I check Twitter on my phone much more than I check it on my computer.

            Facebook, on the other hand, feels like a chore when I am on the app. I have often heard complaints about the Facebook app, and I have to agree with them. Besides the technical problems, the interface of Facebook simply does not have the same flow that Twitter’s does. This goes to show how Twitter is paving the way for how mobile apps should be designed.

Microblogging with Twitter (Chapter 4 Post)

            I have always thought of the term “microblogging” very interesting. I’ve usually heard it used to describe Twitter. I’ve never thought of Twitter as a platform for blogging, but it does seem to qualify. Twitter users tweet what they are thinking about, and their thoughts on current events, which is pretty much what bloggers do. It just makes it a lot easier to write and read these “blogs” because they are limited to 140 characters.

            van Dijck tells us in Chapter Four that “the initial idea was for Twitter to be ‘a sort of adrenalized Facebook, with friends communicating with friends in short bursts.’” It’s true what the older generations say about the younger ones: we have much shorter attention spans, and they are continuing to decrease (think of six second Vines and ten second Snapchats). It is evident in the fact that text messaging is the preferred method of communicating on our phones rather than calling, because it’s much faster. That is why this 140-character design format appeals to the younger generation.

            The longer that I use social media the more I realize that Twitter is more geared for users giving their opinions and being witty, while Facebook is becoming more of a diary used for either bragging and complaining. That isn’t to say that there aren’t funny posts on Facebook or their aren’t annoying posts on Twitter, it’s just my general impression. I think that since users only have 140 characters to make a point, they are limited in what they can say so it forces them to be creative in how they word their posts, and maybe makes them a little more clever than they would be writing a paragraph-long Facebook post.

             Facebook is a large database in which users can do a number of different things, while Twitter is simply for brief, concise posts. People get to their point much more quickly. For me, it makes it a much more enjoyable experience because I can blow through tweets and laugh and retweet the ones that I like. Maybe I’m just not a patient person, but I prefer the short bursts of information that Twitter provides.

Extra Blog Post - Facebook "Trending"

I saw the “trending” feature on Facebook a few days before it was brought up in class, but I did not look too much into it because it seems like Facebook is always adding new features and I just don’t have the time or desire to keep up with all of them.

People have been saying that Facebook “stole” the trending feature from Twitter. In my opinion, they aren’t all that similar. Twitter’s trending feature seems to be solely based on what users are tweeting and hashtagging, while the Facebook trending feature just reports popular news that is going on. It might be based on what people are talking about, but when you click on one of the trends, it takes you to articles about the topic. That leads me to believe that the Facebook trends are not what Facebook users are talking about exactly, but simply what it popular news at the time.

In the van Dijck chapter, it says that Facebook is based on the idea of people connecting with other people and sharing things with their friends. With that in mind, it makes sense that Facebook executives would add the trending feature to the site because it is yet another way that Facebook users can find and share information with their friends. It perpetuates the feeling of connectedness that Facebook seems bent on providing for the world.

As far as why Facebook stole the idea from Twitter, I think they saw an opportunity to expand on a feature that Twitter has had for a long time, but that not many users utilize. As a Twitter user, I hardly ever check to see what is trending. Facebook has improved the trending feature by tailoring the trends based on what the user is interested in. I have yet to see how this is done, since my trends were the exact same ones brought up in class, but it may prove to work over time.

This trending feature is just yet another way that Facebook is attempting to create a massive, interconnected society that shares information, whether it’s about themselves or the world around them.

Humans of New York

            Last semester my creative writing professor suggested that we follow the Facebook page “Humans of New York” since it showcases people’s stories. The founder, Brandon Stanton, created a blog called Humans of New York (HONY) in 2010. He walks around New York City and stops people he comes across and asks if he can take their picture. He also asks them questions like, “What was the happiest moment of your life?” “What advice would you give to a large group of people?” or “What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever done?”

            He also posts the pictures and answers he receives to the Facebook page, and since I’ve started following HONY, I look forward to the pictures he posts every day. Some are funny, some are heartbreaking, and most of them are incredibly inspiring. He doesn’t comment, doesn’t judge, doesn’t discriminate, he just allows people to tell their story. 

            Brandon commented on one of his pictures a few days ago. “I get nervous as the blog grows that the culture will fall apart,” he says, “but with 2.7 million and counting, the HONY comment section remains a sort of rare internet jewel where everyone, for the most part, is really nice. And when there is a mean comment, it sticks out as an anomaly, instead of the other way around. So thanks for that.”

            It warms my heart every time I see someone offering encouragement on the pictures. The internet is a vicious place, so is so awe-inspiring to see an online community that builds people up instead of tearing them down. I could write pages and pages about this blog because I love it so much. It celebrates the very best of humanity, and I think everyone needs to be reminded that we are all humans and we need to stick together.

            I encourage everyone to check out the HONY Facebook page. It always makes me smile! Let me know if you find a post that really speaks to you.

"My parents have always been very dismissive of 

depression in other people. So I'm afraid to tell them that 

I think I'm getting depressed."

"I love crazy!"

"What's the hardest thing you've ever gotten through together?"

"I know. And he knows. But we'd rather not say."

"I'm feeling masculine today."

"I got it when I was young. I made the mistake of 

trying to stop someone from picking on me."

"I pretty much only read fantasy because I've 

had more than enough of reality."

Flappy Bird

            The new iPhone game Flappy Bird has flown its way up to the place of the top free app of both the Apple and Google Play stores. Why? Even the creator of the game is surprised. Dong Nyugen created the app in two to three days, and says that he did not do any promotion for his product, and concludes that the simplicity of the game is what makes it so popular.

            The goal of Flappy Bird is to tap the screen so the bird stays in the air, all the while trying to avoid obstacles. It certainly sounds simple enough, and just by it’s description, it would not be enough to tempt me to download and play it. Why, then, has this game soared to viral status?

            The answer is just as simple: social media. I’ve seen a number of vines of people playing the game, and most times failing miserably. There have also been tweets explaining how frustrating and difficult the game is. Despite these complaints, however, users are continuing to download and play the game. I think it all comes down to the inner competitor in all of us. We see our friends leaving expletive filled tweets or Instagram pictures of their terrible scores, and we are curious to see if we can get a better score.

            It’s also natural for humans to want to try the latest fad, whether it’s a song, a fashion choice, or a type of food. Apps and games are no different. Social media is the fastest and most effective way of spreading these fads. It’s a free way of promoting a product or service as well. Dong Nyugen might not have wanted to promote Flappy Bird, but it was promoted anyway through social media.

Source: http://mashable.com/2014/02/04/flappy-bird-developer/?utm_cid=mash-com-Tw-main-link