THE VIRTUAL REVOLUTION

AFTER WATCHING BBC'S VIRTUAL REVOLUTION, IT REALLY MAKES YOU REALIZE THAT SOCIETY IS MAKING ANOTHER TRANSITION AND BECOMING ENTIRELY TOO DEPENDENT ON THE WEB. THE FIRST POINT MADE IN THIS DOCUMENTARY WAS HOW WE WILLINGLY GIVE INFORMATION TO THESE FREE SOCIAL NETWORKING WEBSITES. FOR EXAMPLE, ON FACEBOOK, WE TELL OUR HOMETOWN, CURRENT CITY, JOB, SCHOOL, FAMILY MEMBERS, WHO WE ARE IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH AND IF ITS COMPLICATED. IN ADDITION TO ALL THOSE PERSONAL ITEMS, WE SHARE OUR THOUGHTS AND LOCATIONS. ANYBODY CAN GO LOG ON TO FACEBOOK AND VIEW YOUR PAGE AND SIMPLY WRITE THIS INFO. BUT IF A COMPLETE STRANGER WERE TO ASK US ONLY FEW OF THESE QUESTIONS, WE WOULD IMMEDIATELY BECOME SKEPTICAL. WHY IS THIS? BECAUSE THIS GENERATION OF SOCIAL NETWORKING HAS CHANGED THE WAY WE THINK. THINGS WE CONSIDERED TO BE SOCIALLY UNACCEPTABLE ARE NOW THE NORM. IN EPISODE THREE, DOUGLAS RUSHKOFF (AUTHOR OF LIFE INC) HAS A THEORY THAT THE PRODUCT ONLINE IS NOT THE CONTENT, BUT RATHER "YOU" ARE THE PRODUCT. I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH HIM. THERE IS ALWAYS A COST OUT THERE FOR SOMETHING THAT IS FREE, WHETHER IT AFFECTS US DIRECTLY OF INDIRECTLY. MANY WEBSITES EXCHANGE THEIR USER INFO WITH COMPANIES LOOKING TO ADVERTISE TO A TARGET AUDIENCE. WHAT YOU PUT OUT ON THE INTERNET THAT SUPPOSEDLY DEFINES WHO YOU ARE IS MARKETED. SO REALLY EVERYTHING THAT WE THINK IS FREE FROM THE SIMPLE GOOGLE SEARCHES WE DO ARE JUST AN ILLUSION. IN THE SECOND PART, I FOUND THE "SHIFT FROM REALITY TO VIRTUAL" INTERESTING. CHARLIE LEADBETTER( AUTHOR OF WE-THINK) HAS A THEORY THAT THE VIRTUAL REVOLUTION IS A UPPER AND MIDDLE AGE PANIC. HE BELIEVES THEY ARE JUST CONCERNED WITH THE FUTURE OF THE CHILDREN. I AGREE WITH HIM, PEOPLE WHO WERE BORN INTO THE AGE BEFORE THE INTERNET WAS CREATED ARE NOT USED TO THESE CHANGES AND ARE ACTING AS IF ANYBODY WOULD IF THE WORLD IS BECOMING TECHNOLOGICAL.  

 MY_____.

MYSPACE, NOW KNOWN AS MY___, IS A SOCIAL AND ENTERTAINMENT NETWORKING SITE POWERED BY THE USERS. IT WAS FOUNDED IN 2003 BY CHRIS DEWOLFE AND OWEN VAN NATTA. IT'S PURPOSE IS TO LINK FANS TO VARIOUS ARTISTS AND ALSO AN OUTREACH FOR INDEPENDENT ARTISTS TO SHARE THEIR MUSIC. THERE WAS A POINT IN TIME WHE N MYSPACE WAS REALLY COOL AND IT SEEMED LIKE EVERYONE HAD A PAGE. I DO HAVE A MYSPACE PAGE BUT I DO NOT USE AT ALL ANYMORE. WHEN I DID USE MYSPACE, MY PROFILE WAS TOTALLY PIMPED OUT. IN SOME ASPECTS MYSPACE WAS WAY MORE FUN THAN FACEBOOK BECAUSE YOU GOT TO PERSONALIZE IT AND MAKE IT REFLECT YOUR PERSONALITY. WHEN I TOURED THE WEBSITE, I SAW THAT A LOT OF THINGS HAD CHANGED. TO ME, IT LOOKS BETTER. I LEARNED THAT INSTEAD OF TRYING TO COMPETE WITH FACEBOOK AND TWITTER, IT SIMPLY IS TARGETING A NEW AUDIENCE.