Sunday, January 28, 2018

*insert cake emoji here*

after watching a few episodes of Brett Gaylor's documentary, Do Not Track, it's only human to feel completely paranoid about your online footprint. knowing that there's technology WITHIN your technology creating a digital profile of you and your interests is unsettling, to say the least, especially if you consider yourself a private person. additionally, it's also a bit skeevy for said technology to sell your information in order for you to use it "freely" - all this time, while we've been watching "Black Mirror" and other shows about technological, dystopic futures, a lot of us haven't realized that we're balls deep in one too.

however, maybe i'm being naive when i say this, but i hate when the paranoia runs deep and makes us so distrusting of every technological advance. we can't forget how amazing the Internet really is, and what it allows some people to accomplish, create, & connect. yet, when it comes to people warning us about how "smartphones are killing us," i can't help but feel some of these arguments to be preachy, if anything - mostly, preachy in the sense that "look at these millennials! they don't know how to talk to each other!!! lol!!! the internet is harmful but here we are posting on it anyways!!" (okay, that's kind of a dodgy / exaggerated sentiment, but you get it). it's interesting to note how one of the articles we read for class said that smartphones are making us addicts, similar to how alcohol and gambling ruins peoples' lives. i can completely understand that - with tech, it's easy to get sucked into an infinite space that has infinite entertainment possibilities (catered for your tastes, too). i will say that we can't blame it all on smartphones and tools - a lot of it is related to who the individual is as a person. we can't forget that addictive personalities' exist - and given such an easy, seemingly "harmless" outlet, someone can waste their life away by not truly living at all.

anyways, i think the important thing is that all of these studies and great research done by specialists in the field will hopefully lead to "preventing" people from letting technology take control of their life. well, at least it'll be able to inform people who want to get informed, and then they will have the power to spread that information to their family & friends, and so on. we can learn to be mindful of our digital footprint & what steps we can take to leave a cleaner & safer track, as well as to relearn the importance of moderation (of time spent, of information given, of just living our virtual lives). people can choose how they want to live their truths as humans, but it's also important to give them that choice first, instead of handing them technology at first and not being able to ween them off it later in life.

Monday, January 22, 2018

alive

here we go again!

Image result for digital footprint

i'm a little sad we're straying away from the "alchemy" theme - i might have to rethink my blog, but i'll keep the title. it's going to be interesting to see where this new perspective on netnarr is heading - we're still dealing with digital identity, but in a different sense. i think it's definitely both an engaging and smart idea that we're watching our own digital footprints, and seeing what tracks we're making. we need to be mindful of how we present ourselves online, as well as who (and what) else is watching (and tracking) us.

yesterday i learned that my uncle in california apparently follows my sister and i very closely on social media, which i would not have thought. of course, i added him innocently because he is family - but i learned that he has nothing but malicious things to think and say about us behind our backs. it made me reevaluate who i'm letting into my virtual space - maybe i'm naive, but i would never have thought that adding my uncle would be an invasive thing, but i guess you learn, no matter how long you've lived your life on the internet.

also, i'm interested to see the class dynamic and energy with all this new blood mixing with the old! i think some great conversations will emerge about digital culture - already, we've had promising perspectives last tuesday, and i think everyone will do a great job in engaging Brett Gaylor tomorrow. after all, i think his document is extremely relevant to everyone in the room, since no one these days is really exempt from the consequences of having a digital presence.

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

beginning!

alchemy is in the air, friends!

in the distance

a cat with three eyes stirs

vibrations in the mirror world