I wholeheartedly agree with her when she stated that Evan was greatly unethical in his actions.As I stated in my postings,I believe that he should have shut down all of those disparaging comments made against the teenage girl.Yes,she should have returned the phone but, did he stop to think what his obssesiveness of the situation would have done to the girl?The country will look at her as the thief of Ivanna's phone for some time and as we all know, Americans and our press is not too forgiving.
To me,this is an example of when the internet has been abused.Abused in the sense of attacking a girl for a phone that was already replaced.Abused in the sense of unnecessary comments made to a minor.As I said before though,it is up to us adults to properly use the internet for good,instead of the bad.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Saturday, October 3, 2009
A deeper look into the Shirkey article
Taking a second look at the article made me realize three
things.
1. The internet has a power that many do not realize.
2. Legions of people can come together for a cause that they feel strongly about.
3.Since the internet is so powerful,we must realize that it can be used for good as well as bad.
What started out as a case of stolen/lost property,quickly escalated to a situation that I'm pretty sure Evan nor Sasha expected.Was all of this warranted though?Should Evan have created these websites just to get the phone back?Even after his friend had already purchased a new one?Was all of the energy necessary or worth it?When Sasha was finally caught, she was arrested,but they didn't want to press charges,so what did they really benefit or in Sasha's case,lose from this situation?Well,for Evan,he undoubtedly taught Sasha a very important lesson of not to steal and that she really should have just given the phone back.Sasha however,had to deal with embarrasement and shame on a national level.That's not all that came of this though.
The readers learned something as well.Over the years, the internet has become such a powerful tool.Remember the days people used to post signs looking for lost property?Sure,you still see one or two for the lost cat,but,think about it,where do people post things for lost items now?I've seen ads on Craigslist for lost property moreso than on my street corner.The point being made is that the internet is a tool for more than just research or leisure time.It can be used,just as in this situation,to bring people together.If Evan never used the internet,everyone can be 100% certain that this would not have garnered the attention of the NYPD and surely not the attention of the New York Times.But it did.It did because he created several different web sites that allowed people all over the country to stay informed about the situation.
People became one-person media outlets because after they saw the sites,they would send links and inform their friends of the situation which increased the viewership of the website.Was this all positive though?No.
According to Shirkey,"Evan's bulletin board quickly became host to public messages disparaging Sasha,her boyfriend and friends, single mothers,and Puerto Ricans as a group."People began to categorize a whole race of individuals that had nothing to do with the situation and some people even began to say sexual things about Sasha.Some individuals even advocated violence against her and her friends.
The bottomline is,while the internet can do wonderous things,it can also escalate situations beyond reasonable measures.As adults,we should be responsible for drawing the line and seeing the harm that these types of things can cause.Sure,Sasha should not have stolen or kept the phone but, Evan should have made a judgement call to shut down comments of an inappropiate nature.
As with everything else in this world though....The internet is coupled with some bright spots and some very dark ones as well
things.
1. The internet has a power that many do not realize.
2. Legions of people can come together for a cause that they feel strongly about.
3.Since the internet is so powerful,we must realize that it can be used for good as well as bad.
What started out as a case of stolen/lost property,quickly escalated to a situation that I'm pretty sure Evan nor Sasha expected.Was all of this warranted though?Should Evan have created these websites just to get the phone back?Even after his friend had already purchased a new one?Was all of the energy necessary or worth it?When Sasha was finally caught, she was arrested,but they didn't want to press charges,so what did they really benefit or in Sasha's case,lose from this situation?Well,for Evan,he undoubtedly taught Sasha a very important lesson of not to steal and that she really should have just given the phone back.Sasha however,had to deal with embarrasement and shame on a national level.That's not all that came of this though.
The readers learned something as well.Over the years, the internet has become such a powerful tool.Remember the days people used to post signs looking for lost property?Sure,you still see one or two for the lost cat,but,think about it,where do people post things for lost items now?I've seen ads on Craigslist for lost property moreso than on my street corner.The point being made is that the internet is a tool for more than just research or leisure time.It can be used,just as in this situation,to bring people together.If Evan never used the internet,everyone can be 100% certain that this would not have garnered the attention of the NYPD and surely not the attention of the New York Times.But it did.It did because he created several different web sites that allowed people all over the country to stay informed about the situation.
People became one-person media outlets because after they saw the sites,they would send links and inform their friends of the situation which increased the viewership of the website.Was this all positive though?No.
According to Shirkey,"Evan's bulletin board quickly became host to public messages disparaging Sasha,her boyfriend and friends, single mothers,and Puerto Ricans as a group."People began to categorize a whole race of individuals that had nothing to do with the situation and some people even began to say sexual things about Sasha.Some individuals even advocated violence against her and her friends.
The bottomline is,while the internet can do wonderous things,it can also escalate situations beyond reasonable measures.As adults,we should be responsible for drawing the line and seeing the harm that these types of things can cause.Sure,Sasha should not have stolen or kept the phone but, Evan should have made a judgement call to shut down comments of an inappropiate nature.
As with everything else in this world though....The internet is coupled with some bright spots and some very dark ones as well
Reaction to Shirky:Part 1
My initial thoughts on this were,simply put:WOW!
Something that happens every day in this country,someone losing a phone or some piece of property,is a very common thing.Someone creating a website,garnering national attention...not quite ordinary.Everyone at some time has indeed lost something that was of some sort of importance. Myself, I have gotten a purse stolen which contained a $100 gift certificate to Macy's so imagine my anger.I too have been a victim of a lost or stolen phone, the line being too blurry for me to decide which category it can fall under(I'll explain another time).
The point is,this is something that can undoubtedly strike a nerve within everyone.A nerve that,as Shirkey put,some of us might not be able to afford. What exactly do I mean?Not all of us are rich individuals and it can put a rather annoying dent in your account to have to pay for something stolen that was rightfully yours. This was a rather interesting read and I think I will go back and take a much deeper glance at it and be back with more thoughts.....
Something that happens every day in this country,someone losing a phone or some piece of property,is a very common thing.Someone creating a website,garnering national attention...not quite ordinary.Everyone at some time has indeed lost something that was of some sort of importance. Myself, I have gotten a purse stolen which contained a $100 gift certificate to Macy's so imagine my anger.I too have been a victim of a lost or stolen phone, the line being too blurry for me to decide which category it can fall under(I'll explain another time).
The point is,this is something that can undoubtedly strike a nerve within everyone.A nerve that,as Shirkey put,some of us might not be able to afford. What exactly do I mean?Not all of us are rich individuals and it can put a rather annoying dent in your account to have to pay for something stolen that was rightfully yours. This was a rather interesting read and I think I will go back and take a much deeper glance at it and be back with more thoughts.....
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