Week1 Response

The readings made me consider a host of inconsistencies between how we use and perceive social media. I think that they stem from the problem that users have created a disconnect between how they interact and express themselves online, as opposed to reality. Similarly to how natural user interfaces are different from the natural actions they leverage, people think about what they say differently when they are saying it over facebook. Maybe this developed from a social perspective in the same way that touch interfaces developed unique conventions on their own. One example could compare how we only use hashtags in social media, to how we understand that pinch to zoom only works on tablets. This might be a stretch, but I think it could help to predict where social media as a whole might be heading.

On the other hand, the reading on privacy made me sway between two points of view. It’s clear that the accessibility of our personal information influences how we portray ourselves online. Stacy Snyder’s story is an example of the events that lead to users developing this edited behavior. However, I think that this is a positive and a negative thing in the end. On the positive side, a web that never forgets our digital footprint can encourage us to be “better” people. On the negative side, we are all trying to becomes this ideal person and are loosing what makes us individual. Therefore, facebook to me feels like a showcase of the fake versions of my friends.

Finally, the reading about the differences between facebook’s and google’s design philosophies just made me very skeptical. Both companies are trying to control and overwhelmingly powerful amount of information and are claiming that they can keep that power in check. But in today’s society and market, I don’t see that defense as being possible. I can’t deny that using my personal preferences often improves my web experience, but I don’t see why that information can’t remain locally protected by the user.