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A steadfast rock in a digital monsoon

October 20, 2018October 20, 2018 by Kip, posted in Uncategorized

or the future of a series of tubes

I think that every generation I’ve talked to thinks the next one will have flying cars. It used to be thought that the 2000s would bring the future (or an apocalypse at the hand of computers). But things only seem to be getting smaller and more portable, we’re building on foundations, but it doesn’t seem like we’re revisiting the cornerstones as often as most would like. At the very least, technology and the future is coming a lot slower than we used to think it would happen.

That’s not to say things aren’t changing, and it’s often a fun comment to say, “what a time to be alive”, but we’re definitely not at a Jetsons level yet, are we?

However, at the heart of almost all our advancements, small as they are sometimes, there is often one central point: the internet.

Called a series of tubes, a cultural hub, the death of classic society, it’s been seen as everything from the greatest thing since sliced bread to the death of traditional values (and a way to get sliced bread delivered to your door fast!).

But despite everyone’s opinions, the internet is going to be around for a long time, if not forever. So what does that mean for humanity’s (arguably) greatest invention?

It means a stalemate.

But that’s not a bad thing. Sure, things will be faster, hardware might converge (can’t wait for Apple’s new laptop/phone/tablet/toaster…. I-toast?), but the internet as what it currently stands as probably won’t change for a long time.

The internet by itself, in my opinion, is a delivery vehicle; a way for different companies, small businesses, creative artists and individuals to broadcast their message or their platform or facilitate their technological advancements. It’s a way for every individual to have their own soap box. But since it’s widespread release around the 1990’s, the internet has pretty much been the same thing since launch: a transmission hub.

There’s a lot of talk about “fixing the internet” or “redefining the web experience” or “changing internet culture”, but that’s a lot of buzz-words. The user experience may change, companies may change their portals to the internet, but the internet itself? That isn’t budging (outside of no longer hearing your phone line dying as you connected to aol.com).

If you’re looking at how we receive the internet? That’s a different story.

With the rise of virtual and augmented reality, and the increase in portability of those types of hardware, the information that’s delivered to us will continue to increase in dimensions. I see it eventually transitioning from a 2D to a 3D environment. The world wasn’t ready for Google Glass when it was released (google’s attempt to bring futuristic computer displays to your glasses), but it’ll probably catch on more in the next decade or so.

Eventually, we may even go even more immersive. Is it really that far-fetched to think of “smell-o-vision” from Futurama becoming an actual thing in the future? People could smell perfumes and cosmetics in virtual malls, restaurant websites can entice you with smells of their daily specials. “Try before you buy” could have a whole new meaning as the online experience moves towards a more immersive platform.

But as for the structure of the internet itself? There might be a lot of advancements in infrastructure and engineering, but those are matters that I have no authority or knowledge to speculate on. However, I believe the internet will continue to remain steadfast in what it is as a platform.

It’s the foundation of a lot of what we base and build our current technology on. It’s the host of all of our future advancements and it’s quickly becoming (if it isn’t already) the digital history of the human race.

It’s easy to continue to build onto a building, but it’s a lot harder to rebuild it’s base. Will the internet be any different? My thoughts right now? I doubt it, and again, that’s not a bad thing.

We need some stability in our lives, a constant, a rock to cling to through the torrent of new fads and technological crazes. That’s what the internet serves, and I’m perfectly happy with it continuing to do that, at least until someone far more creative than me comes along.

Media Literacy

October 10, 2018October 12, 2018 by Kip, posted in Communications

Media Literacy: An understanding of mass media and how they construct meaning.

(Campbell, R., Martin, C. R., & Fabos, B. (2017). Media & Culture Mass Communication in a Digital Age (Eleventh ed.). Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s.)

There is a lot of information out there on the internet.

Yesterday, on Oct. 9th, 2018, Google had a live keynote where they announced their latest product lineup, to include a new phone, a new google tablet, and a home hub station that I really didn’t care about. Within a few hours, I saw at least 10 different articles from 10 different sources discussing the products, each with their own spin/take on what they got from the announcement. That’s a lot of viewpoints and a lot of facts, and they often contradicted or tried to “one-up” each other.

That was only for one company’s product showcase. Now, apply that same example to pretty much every major (and minor) world event happening every day. It’s easy to become jaded and to shut it out or just not care.

To be honest, for a while, I did just that. I didn’t follow the news, I didn’t care about current events and I couldn’t be bothered to hear the latest celebrity gossip. To a certain degree I still don’t.

But there’s an important difference between a total media blackout and utter cynicism versus a filtering of information using a critical eye. Media literacy is a good term to put to that process.

I’ve learned that I don’t have to shut out the world to avoid all the garbage that litters my info-sphere. I just need to be more discerning and focused in what I want to learn. (There’s a whole different issue about the duty of an individual to stay well-informed but that’s a black hole for another time.)

By analyzing, interpreting and evaluating what I’m reading from different sources, I’m able to more clearly define and identify the truth and the facts of topics that interest me. When I look at these stories, I can identify the major players, the key events and the talking points that correlate across multiple sources. Typically, if I don’t see something stated in at least two other places, it’s usually a good reason to doubt what something is saying.

It’s like if you want to buy a car. Most people don’t just walk onto a lot and purchase the first car they see (if you do, you’re much braver than I am). People look at reviews, they test-drive them, they visit multiple dealerships and often bring friends along to get another perspective. At the end of most car purchases, people feel assured that they’ve made a good decision, because a car is an incredibly important part of their lives. Why should your consumption of information to affect your world view be any different?

Personally, by using the critical analysis process, I find myself more at ease. I’m more confident in knowing what I’m reading and learning about is more likely to be accurate and true. And in a world of uncertainty and misinformation, it helps me better realize where I stand.

Being media literate is not just important to understanding the news of today, but also a solid defense against the encroaching feeling of exhaustion and fatigue that most people feel when they look at the open floodgates of information.

Step 1: Write some words

October 4, 2018October 10, 2018 by Kip, posted in Uncategorized

I had thought that blogs were kind of dead circa….2010 and on? It seemed like nobody had a blog anymore, forgoing custom sites and websites like Go-Daddy, Geocities and WordPress for Tumblr and social media. I guess I’m wrong? Or maybe the circles in which I operated (which are very small), just wasn’t the target demographic.

But here I sit, typing away on this site with the words “blog” sitting plainly in my url.

In all honesty? I’m starting this blog because I have to, as a requirement for a graduate school program I’m taking in Communications. But, that’s not necessarily to say that I don’t want to. Just because something is mandated doesn’t mean it cant be enjoyable.

I’ve wanted a reason to find a creative outlet for a while now. Wanted to start a YouTube channel (but don’t know how to do video things), wanted to start a podcast (but have nothing to talk about), wanted to do review videos (see item 1), and many other ventures. But maybe I needed a reason?

Maybe I need a prompt, or an external factor to push me to do something. Everything I hear from self-made creative types and Nike is to “just do it”. Just start writing or start shooting and the rest will come. I’ve tried most other modes of operations so maybe it’s time to finally take that advice.

This blog will mostly be filled with reflection posts on the classes that I’m currently taking, right now it’s “Introduction to Digital Communications”. But maybe it’ll become something more?

At the very least, I’ll become one of the many people projecting into the void that is the internet, and maybe something will project back. But everyone has to start somewhere and I’ve got to try if I want to find out for sure.

So let’s get started.