Blog 7: Freestyle

Is commenting on websites a subculture of its own? 

Social media subcultures such as blogs along with many others are interesting in that they are almost subcultures of subcultures. This is because blogs, social media, and web applications to only name a few, are themselves considered to be subcultures of Web 2.0 (O’Reilly). Therefore, any product of those can be interpreted as subcultures of subcultures. For instance, Dr. Edwards’ lecture on 03/24/2014 required one to look at current websites in contrast to its older version on the web. The differences were large in many respects. Furthermore, when analyzing older websites a person may notice heavy use of links, gifs, and a lack of user interaction to name a few. All of which can be considered characteristics to web 1.0 (O’Reilly). Moreover, what a person can see with modern websites is that they are user minded meaning they in many ways welcome user interaction. For example, the ability to leave comments on a website is part of web 2.0 and creates a subculture within itself as those leaving comments are creating a community within a larger site. Furthermore, those leaving comments are the users who become involved and therefore interact with other users at times going back and forth about a given topic. Websites allowing comments can create subcultures within it as commentators hold mini discussions in their comments. From an anthropological standpoint it becomes interesting as a person can go to just about any website and watch a video, or read an article and scroll to the bottom and see a community of users commenting on the related media. It further shows our social/cultural desire as well as curiosity to become involved and want to further discuss matters with an online audience such as those commenting. Furthermore, a Youtube video for example will have comments bellow it with a subculture discussing relevant matters. This practice of leaving comments and interacting with an online community of members I would argue is a micro version of blogging. A person who blogs creates a community when others comment and they go back and forth in discussion, the same is witnessed in micro form among various sites when users actively participate and engage with others through the commenting feature on all sites. It can become entertaining at times just reading peoples comments to online articles, videos, pictures etc. Finally, It is interesting to note that subcultures such as the commenting community can offer further information and or insight on matters relevant to the topic.

REFERENCE

O’Reilly, Tim. “What Is Web 2.0.” Oreilly. N.p., 30 Sept 2005. Web. 27 Mar 2014. <http://oreilly.com/web2/archive/what-is-web-20.html&gt;.

 

Blog 6: Freestyle

This blog although a Freestyle will closely relate to the Stock option however, it will take a different approach. For example, instead of presenting old-school technology to a younger generation that may not adequately recognize or understand, I will present old-school technology to that same generation that he or she will understand or more adequately recognize. The questions of concern being why these old-school technologies still exist and have become a staple competing still with modern technology? I will discuss three in particular such as Ray-Ban’s Wayfarer sunglasses, Gillette Safety Razor, and Converse Chuck Taylor shoes. A person could argue the former are mere products and not so much technologies but to understand my angle I see these as technologies each in their respected fields. Take for instance Wayfarer sunglasses being in the field of optics and frame technology, Safety Razors being in the field of shaving and blade technology, and Chuck Taylor’s in the field of shoe technology.

Ray-Ban Wayfarer’s were first issued in 1952 and have since then been popular among celebrities, artist, and the general population (“Original Wayfarer”). Furthermore, since its inception the Wayfarer has inspired other brands to design similar sunglasses because of its sleek eye catching style (Wikipedia contributors). Flash-forward to today, Ray-Ban has the same original design along with variations of the original design. I myself own a pair of the New Wayfarer, a smaller frame of the original design.

Figure 1: All images from Google Image Search. Click Image for link.

Gillette’s Safety Razor’s came into to market around 1901-1904 when King Camp Gillette obtained a patent for his invention (Wikipedia contributors). Moreover, Gillette’s design much like the Wayfarer has inspired various brands to follow suit. For example, although Gillette no longer sells safety razors in the US other brands such as Merkur continue to sell double edge safety razors thus maintaining the tradition of shaving like grandpa alive.

Figure 2: All Images from Google Image Search. Click Image for Link.

Chuck Taylor shoes are a good example of an unchanged long lasting technology still favored by many of all ages. Complex magazine in 50 Things You Didn’t Know About Converse Chuck Taylor All Stars states the following:

The Converse Chuck Taylor All Star — formerly just the All Star — has been in constant production since 1917, and has gone virtually unchanged since 1949. Its gone from the world’s most prevalent basketball sneaker to a lifestyle staple (Bengtson, and Engvall).

 

Figure 3: All Images from Google Image Search. Click Image for Link.

Furthermore, these shoes like the former products mentioned have inspired other brands to create similar style of shoes. All three technologies have outlasted the test of time, evolution of style, competition, and evolved technologies. What is further interesting is that people of all ages and both genders use them. Perhaps an exception could apply to the safety razor although there is a range of ages that use the product as well. I myself shave with one and it goes to show how a younger generation is using an old-school technology given coexisting shaving technology. In closure, what is relevant about these technologies is their ability to succeed into the future given modern technologies and social changes. Lastly, the importance of these technologies is the ability to learn from them how a product can be designed to last generations despite social, economical, political, cultural, and style changes.

Work Cited

“Original Wayfarer.” Ray-Ban. Ray-Ban. Web. 19 Mar 2014. <http://www.ray-ban.com/usa/sunglasses/RB2140 unisex 1-ORIGINAL WAYFARER CLASSIC-Black/805289126591>.

Wikipedia contributors. “Ray-Ban Wayfarer.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 23 Feb 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray-Ban_Wayfarer&gt;.

Wikipedia contributors. “Safety Razor.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 5 Mar 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray-Ban_Wayfarer&gt;.

Bengtson, Russ, and Nick Engvall. “50 Things You Didn’t Know About Converse Chuck Taylor All Stars.” Complex. Complex, 28 May 2013. Web. 20 Mar 2014. <http://www.complex.com/sneakers/2013/05/50-things-you-didnt-know-about-converse-chuck-taylor-all-stars/&gt;.

Blog 5: Freestyle

Right off the bat In Baron’s A Better Pencil, I noticed some interesting overlapping information from McLuhan. On page 113 McLuhan provides a block quote from Socrates Phaedrus that goes as follows:

‘The discovery of the alphabet will create forgetfulness in the learners’ souls, because they will not use their memories; they will trust to the external written characters and not remember of themselves… You give your disciples not the truth but only the semblance of truth; they will be heroes of many things, and will have learned nothing; they will appear to be omniscient and will generally know nothing.’  (McLuhan 113).

I find this to be somewhat true. For instance, if a person uses a calculator to compute 5 factorial or 5!, and does not know how to do it by hand could it then be argued that he does not know how to really solve it? However, could this also be subject to what Baron mentions when he argues that the transition to writing at its beginning required an enormous leap of faith (Baron 5). Does the calculator and similar technologies of today resemble that distrust we as a society once had with the initial emerging technology of writing? As Baron has put it I want that in writing, is still very much the goal but sometimes a person is never satisfied and at times may require the information to be typed, handwritten, signed and witnessed (notarized), in ink, etc (Baron 5-6). Also, as in the case of this course it may continue on to quotes, paraphrase, and citing others. However, it still does not stop there as we are asked to provide specific detail  in a specific amount of words like 400 or 800.

It is evident that were living in an emerging electronic age that is filled with a myriad of technologies that as a society we have yet to grasp. Moreover, it seems that we are struggling to find ways to adopt this technology into our educational system. Take for example the many websites a person has to use as a student here at Washington State University. We have Zzusis, Angel Learning, WSU Library, and the e-llrc (Foreign Language & Cultures) to name a few. Websites among websites all for one institution and still as if that were not enough, we have each professor referring students to their own sites, blogs, and course website (separate from their own website). Furthermore, if a student is using a book from a specific publisher then he or she might have still more websites to view like WileyPLUS and Pearson’s series of myspanish, mymath, and mystatlab to only name a few. It is a fragmented mess of information being thrown at students for them to scramble among these sites and figure out what exactly it is they have to do for ONE course. Put that together for a full time student taking on at least 3 courses and you have a mess of inefficiency.

Finally, I compare the previous information to the mess of papers we have to deal with when going to the doctor. Not only is it a lot but also annoyingly repetitive. What you fill out in one doctor’s visit you may fill out again in another and information is never stored nor passed from one medical institution to another (even more annoying when the same institution does not communicate to its many sub units) so a person must again fill out more of the same information. Now, we have efforts such as those by the Obama Administration to make medical records electronic. This is great in that it will aid in areas like identifying patience, monitoring, and improve quality and efficiency to name a few. For more information a person can visit http://www.healthit.gov/providers-professionals/electronic-medical-records-emr. Lastly, I believe similar efforts must be made in the educational system to eliminate so many websites and departments within it not communicating, and instead unify the source of information that students are required to seek.

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