The results to our survey! We discussed the topic "Are You Safe With What You Do Online?"
Monday, April 20, 2015
Thursday, April 9, 2015
Cyberbullying
Cyberbulling actually happens a lot more frequently and to people that you would probably never assume would have it happen to. I myself have been targeted in past years and it is not pleasant, I can tell you that. I could relate to some of the things that my partner and I discussed and questions asked.
There are many roles that are played when this happens, and they aren't fun ones like in drama class. There is the obvious Offender(s), the Target(s), the Bystanders, but there are only Upstanders on a few occasions. When I witness cyberbullying happening, I have only seen it happen a few times. The Target usually tries to fight retaliate, but other than that I find Upstanders to be a rare thing.
When there is retaliation though, that can cause the bullying situation to escalate or intensify. Parents and adults always say to either say something back or do nothing, but sometimes one can't just do nothing, and saying something back can make it worst. One time, I had a person commenting things on my profile page and on things that I had posted, and I would usually say something back because that is just something typical for my stubborn, pride filled self to do. The Offender eventually started personal messaging me, and it just got worst from there. Sometimes retaliating can lead to bigger problems. My friends had stepped in and started saying things too at this point, so the Offender eventually got the message and left me alone.
That's why it's important to be an Upstander instead of a Bystander. Sometimes it just takes that one other person saying that what they are doing is wrong, and the Offender will get the message and go away, and if not, than at least the Target will feel like someone is on their side.
I know it can sometimes be a hard thing to do, but my best advice is to do nothing. The Offender will get bored with no one to talk to, and they'll realize that you don't care, and if you do, you're not showing it. You should still tell someone about it, but unless you feel like you really should, I wouldn't interact with them, but if you see something happening, be the that rare Upstander in the situation. It will help a lot more than you might think.
There are many roles that are played when this happens, and they aren't fun ones like in drama class. There is the obvious Offender(s), the Target(s), the Bystanders, but there are only Upstanders on a few occasions. When I witness cyberbullying happening, I have only seen it happen a few times. The Target usually tries to fight retaliate, but other than that I find Upstanders to be a rare thing.
When there is retaliation though, that can cause the bullying situation to escalate or intensify. Parents and adults always say to either say something back or do nothing, but sometimes one can't just do nothing, and saying something back can make it worst. One time, I had a person commenting things on my profile page and on things that I had posted, and I would usually say something back because that is just something typical for my stubborn, pride filled self to do. The Offender eventually started personal messaging me, and it just got worst from there. Sometimes retaliating can lead to bigger problems. My friends had stepped in and started saying things too at this point, so the Offender eventually got the message and left me alone.
That's why it's important to be an Upstander instead of a Bystander. Sometimes it just takes that one other person saying that what they are doing is wrong, and the Offender will get the message and go away, and if not, than at least the Target will feel like someone is on their side.
I know it can sometimes be a hard thing to do, but my best advice is to do nothing. The Offender will get bored with no one to talk to, and they'll realize that you don't care, and if you do, you're not showing it. You should still tell someone about it, but unless you feel like you really should, I wouldn't interact with them, but if you see something happening, be the that rare Upstander in the situation. It will help a lot more than you might think.
Are We Digital Dummies?-Journal Entry #7
On April 7th, we watched a CBC Doc Zone documentary titled "Are We Digital Dummies?", and we find out that yes, yes we are.
Smart phones are in fact making us a dumb and distracted nation. They are smart for us, so really, why do we have to be? We can just Google an answer to our problem and hold conversations via text where auto correct does most of the work for us. People desensitize, and forget when it's rude to be on their phones. People listening to music are more aware of their surroundings than those using their cellphones, and the people using their cellphones believe that they are aware, and that illusion is dangerous. How do you think some car accidents happen? We perceive the need that we must always be online, and that are brains are perfectly capable of multitasking, but the reality is, they're not.
15 year old Alexa was texting and walking, and although it sounds quite cartoon like, she fell into an open man hole. She blamed the city for leaving it open, but it was her! If she had of been aware of her surroundings instead of texting her friend about something not important, she would have seen the gaping hole in the side walk and walked around it like a normal person who would like to remain clean and dry.
We are not capable of multitasking, what we really are doing is switch tasking at a fast pace. "Multitasking" can cause errors and stress, and it's destroying our ability to focus. The internet can be as dangerous and as addicting as some of the worst drugs out there, and nobody takes you seriously when you approach them with this problem. It's rewiring our brains, and we are becoming less interesting as individuals. Less creative, not skilled at reading or being comfortable holding a conversation. We are not able to look at the end of the day at we have done, because have we done anything productive in the first place? The use of digital technology is an amazing thing that we have easy and excessive access to, but it's tampering with the way we think, and maybe not for the better.
"A hammer is good when you build a house with it, but bad if you hit someone over the head. (It's the) Same with technology. We have to unplug sometimes, and we realize that our lives get better when we let our minds unwind and make time for play."
Smart phones are in fact making us a dumb and distracted nation. They are smart for us, so really, why do we have to be? We can just Google an answer to our problem and hold conversations via text where auto correct does most of the work for us. People desensitize, and forget when it's rude to be on their phones. People listening to music are more aware of their surroundings than those using their cellphones, and the people using their cellphones believe that they are aware, and that illusion is dangerous. How do you think some car accidents happen? We perceive the need that we must always be online, and that are brains are perfectly capable of multitasking, but the reality is, they're not.
15 year old Alexa was texting and walking, and although it sounds quite cartoon like, she fell into an open man hole. She blamed the city for leaving it open, but it was her! If she had of been aware of her surroundings instead of texting her friend about something not important, she would have seen the gaping hole in the side walk and walked around it like a normal person who would like to remain clean and dry.
We are not capable of multitasking, what we really are doing is switch tasking at a fast pace. "Multitasking" can cause errors and stress, and it's destroying our ability to focus. The internet can be as dangerous and as addicting as some of the worst drugs out there, and nobody takes you seriously when you approach them with this problem. It's rewiring our brains, and we are becoming less interesting as individuals. Less creative, not skilled at reading or being comfortable holding a conversation. We are not able to look at the end of the day at we have done, because have we done anything productive in the first place? The use of digital technology is an amazing thing that we have easy and excessive access to, but it's tampering with the way we think, and maybe not for the better.
"A hammer is good when you build a house with it, but bad if you hit someone over the head. (It's the) Same with technology. We have to unplug sometimes, and we realize that our lives get better when we let our minds unwind and make time for play."
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Inside The Dark Web-Jounal Entry #6
"Inside The Dark Web" was by far the most interesting and worrisome documentary I have ever watched. Sure, I don't watch a lot of documentaries, but still! This was honestly a bit nerve racking. The documentary talked a lot about how we are all constantly on 24-hour surveillance, and the invention of Tor, which is a browser that can let anonymous users stay anonymous.
As long as your phone is on and connected to wifi, you are being watched. This has been seized by government as part of their surveillance and is also very popular with technology companies. We are being monitored in ways that was never before possible and we are voluntarily logging on to it. Everything you do can and will be sold to the highest bidder, and when this happens, you will immediately be bombarded with advertisements and sales that correspond with your interests. You think that when you are shopping online, you are buying a product? Wrong. You are the product. You become the exact thing that people are wanting to trade and sell, and the market is huge for this stuff, for information. Knowledge is power, and we are so willing to give that all away.
Tor helps to stop the madness though. The invention of this browser has made it possible for anonymous users to remain anonymous. I mentioned in a previous post about Do Not Tracking software and this is kind of like that, except instead of a software that you can download on to your computer, this is a an engine like Chrome or Internet Explorer. You can be anywhere online, and Tor just mixes your data with one of those from another anonymous user and spews it all out at once. That way, computers and analysers can't find out what information came from where. This is the only way Tor can work. You need many users in order to be untraceable. I know it doesn't sound like it should make sense, but it does. You can't be anonymous alone.
As long as your phone is on and connected to wifi, you are being watched. This has been seized by government as part of their surveillance and is also very popular with technology companies. We are being monitored in ways that was never before possible and we are voluntarily logging on to it. Everything you do can and will be sold to the highest bidder, and when this happens, you will immediately be bombarded with advertisements and sales that correspond with your interests. You think that when you are shopping online, you are buying a product? Wrong. You are the product. You become the exact thing that people are wanting to trade and sell, and the market is huge for this stuff, for information. Knowledge is power, and we are so willing to give that all away.
Tor helps to stop the madness though. The invention of this browser has made it possible for anonymous users to remain anonymous. I mentioned in a previous post about Do Not Tracking software and this is kind of like that, except instead of a software that you can download on to your computer, this is a an engine like Chrome or Internet Explorer. You can be anywhere online, and Tor just mixes your data with one of those from another anonymous user and spews it all out at once. That way, computers and analysers can't find out what information came from where. This is the only way Tor can work. You need many users in order to be untraceable. I know it doesn't sound like it should make sense, but it does. You can't be anonymous alone.
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Privacy On The Internet
I think the graphic novel, "Social Smarts: Privacy, The Internet, and You", was a very well done representation of the problems that can easily occur when we are careless with how we use the internet and digital media. People never really think about the consequences of simple mistakes that are done regularly. Especially with privacy settings and pictures or posts that people tag their friends in. You should always ask permission before you post something. It may be a joke now, but sometime down the road it can lead to some serious problems.
Passwords are also a big problem. I know that for me, I have one password that I use for everything except for two sites, because it's easy to remember, but if someone I couldn't trust discovered what that password was, I could have a big problem on my hands. I also don't have a password on my phone for some reason, I was probably just too lazy to put one on, but if I lost my phone or if it was taken, the same thing that happened to Amy in the comic would most likely happen to me too. Privacy is important and laziness or not caring is not a good attitude when it comes to it.
Everyday Privacy
This article had a lot of good points and truths about being digital tracked during our daily routines, a lot of which I already knew. I never do check in, but I know that when you do you are voluntarily giving away your location, and giving many sites and people valuable information. Everything that you do that can be related to technology in any which way possible, can and will be tracked down to you. It doesn't matter if it's just a cup of coffee. If you check in, people know where you are and what you are doing, and if the shop is smart, they will have cameras that show you were there, and what you behaviour was while you were sipping your Double Double.
I was surprised though when the author mentioned that thing about ordering books online. I'm more surprised that I had never thought of it before, because it's true and pretty obvious. When I order a novel from Chapters, they are getting my credit card number, my name, my address, my email, and probably other things that I am not even aware of, and that's kind of a terrifying thought. Look at all the information I am willingly giving away, and all I am doing is preordering the latest Harper Lee novel! Imagine how much information can be given when you are cashing a check online, or doing your finances or other important work digitally? Sure, computers and networks and the internet have made things way more efficient, but is privacy something we are willingly to give up for that?
Passwords are also a big problem. I know that for me, I have one password that I use for everything except for two sites, because it's easy to remember, but if someone I couldn't trust discovered what that password was, I could have a big problem on my hands. I also don't have a password on my phone for some reason, I was probably just too lazy to put one on, but if I lost my phone or if it was taken, the same thing that happened to Amy in the comic would most likely happen to me too. Privacy is important and laziness or not caring is not a good attitude when it comes to it.
Everyday Privacy
This article had a lot of good points and truths about being digital tracked during our daily routines, a lot of which I already knew. I never do check in, but I know that when you do you are voluntarily giving away your location, and giving many sites and people valuable information. Everything that you do that can be related to technology in any which way possible, can and will be tracked down to you. It doesn't matter if it's just a cup of coffee. If you check in, people know where you are and what you are doing, and if the shop is smart, they will have cameras that show you were there, and what you behaviour was while you were sipping your Double Double.
I was surprised though when the author mentioned that thing about ordering books online. I'm more surprised that I had never thought of it before, because it's true and pretty obvious. When I order a novel from Chapters, they are getting my credit card number, my name, my address, my email, and probably other things that I am not even aware of, and that's kind of a terrifying thought. Look at all the information I am willingly giving away, and all I am doing is preordering the latest Harper Lee novel! Imagine how much information can be given when you are cashing a check online, or doing your finances or other important work digitally? Sure, computers and networks and the internet have made things way more efficient, but is privacy something we are willingly to give up for that?
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