Photos & Questions

Adam:
Why are you wearing that hat? I was offered to wear the hat and then get a picture taken with it so I took that offer because I felt why not. It's a nice hat, has the paws on the sides, ears on top... it doesn't hurt to wear it.

What made you wear that hat? I like the hat, some would say it looked "cute" on me.

So you wore it because you thought it will look cute on you? I also thought it would be comfy, and it sure was.

Alright, but you wore it because you thought it will look cute on you? Sure.

Wannieee: Why are you picking rocks? lol, for fun.

What do other people think about your picking rocks? It was only me and my friends.

And what do your friends think of picking rocks? lol, nothing.

Is picking rocks cool? lol, yeah. It is.





Theresa (look familiar?):
Do your kids think you are cool? Ehh... haha, that's an opinionated question... which I never asked my kids... so I wouldn't know.

Do you think your kids think you are cool? Half and half; some kids like me better than others....

What makes you cool to half your kids? 'Cause i play with them, haha, show concern for them...patient with them....

Hm... so you have to give some sort of attention to them? Yep.

Story Comments and Analysis

Henry:
Your cool person shows her true self. She is not pressured by the higher authority and speaks her mind.

Rachel:
Your story seems to be about the cool looks and her attitude. From your story, cool means to be mysterious, have the "I don't care" attitude, and be distant from others.

Kate:
I like how you made the narrator a well respected kid and she is not cocky about it.

Carrie:
I like how you mirrored our society in your story; people are pressured to look cool and try to model others' thoughts on cool.

Jia Min:
Your story is about a cool person standing up to the fake cool person. It seems like the cooler person do positive things and the fake cool person is the bad guy.

Elements of cool are to resist the higher authority for the good, to be mysterious, to be distant from others, and to speak your mind or be yourself. In Henry's story, the girl was being herself when she told the teacher that she could not explain the way she thought and while doing this, she was resisting the higher authority (the teacher). In Kate's story, the girl was debating over whether or not she should resist the fake cool and stand up for the weaker ones, thus, becoming the real cool. Similar in Jia Min's story, her character stood up to the bully and saved an underclassman (someone lower than her). Rachel's and Carrie's cool characters were distant and just being themselves.

In all these stories, there were the hero, a loner (but in a cool way), and the revolutionary (like the hero). I would say Henry's character was more a revolutionary because she stood up against the teacher and set a revolutionary model. She was also a hero to herself because she did not let the teacher pressure her into doing something she did not want to. Kate's and Jia Min's characters was a hero to another person; they stood up to bullies and saved someone from getting hurt. Rachel's and Carrie's cool characters were loners, but loners with a distant, a mysterious, an "I-don't-care" attitude and this made them cool.

Short Story 1

She walks into advisory, head up high, with nike dunks, skinny jeans, hoodie with the hood half on, and shades. As soon as one person notices her, conversations start to die down until the room got quiet. All heads turns towards her direction. She looks around the room, as if carefully choosing who to sit next to. She walks steadily, not too fast and not too slow, to a seat in the far corner away from everyone else. As she took her seat, heads turn around to their initial position and the volume in the room slowly increases. People start to talk about the new girl that just walked in with her dunks and shades. She just sits there with her hands in the pocket of her hoodie, looking off into the distance, deep in thought. Her skinny jeans outline her legs and it looks comfortable on her; it does not look tight like those that do not let the legs breathe, it looks just right. If she had chosen to wear a super skinny jean, her style would be ruined.

One of the popular girls skips over to her with a big smile on her face and offers her hand to the new girl. The new girl takes her hand out of her pockets and shakes it firmly. It was as if she was shaking hands with cold rubber, if rubber ever grows hands. The popular girl starts talking giddily like she was selling the best product in the world and you could tell she was trying to recruit people. After no more than three sentences, the new girl just smiles and thanks her for her time while the muscles on the popular girl’s face loosen. The popular girl stalks off to her group of girls who were waiting for her results. She flung her arms slightly as she walked away and it was obvious she was a little embarrassed, despite her pale face.

The new girl puts her hands back into her pocket and looks around the room to see a bunch of faces looking at her. As she makes eye contact with each of them, they look away and continue their conversation about her. Just as she was about to continue her thoughts from before the popular girl came to interrupt her, a dude comes over and sits next to her. He just sits there and stares, trying to get her attention. If you stare at people long enough, they will sooner or later notice and turn to meet the burning laser. But the new girl, she just looks straight at the door, avoiding eye contact with him. She knows that if she gives him what he wants, she would lose. The dude starts making faces and at that time, he did not look so pretty anymore. His nose was too big and so was his mouth. But even while she sees his doings out of the corner of her eye, she manages to not move a muscle. The next thing you know, he sucks his teeth, gets up, and walks away.

Nothing was catching her attention until she sees a guy on the opposite side of the room constantly scratching his head. There is a piece of paper in front of him and he is holding a pencil but has not found a way for the pencil to meet the paper. Every time he starts to move his pencil towards the piece of paper, he stops himself as if he is not allowed to touch the paper. The new girl walks past him and just as the bell rang for next period, she slips a card on top of his paper. Startled, he looks up to find someone in a hoodie with the hood half on, skinny jeans, and nike dunks walk out the door.

1st Constructivist Exploration of Cool

I happen to encounter the concept of cool a lot this weekend. I went shopping this weekend and when I would try on the clothes, my sister would tell me that it is ugly but I thought it did not look as bad. Her judgment and my judgment on the clothes are influenced by what other people think of as okay or as cool. She thinks flare jeans look nice because she spends time around people who wear flare jeans. I think skinny jeans look okay because people around me wear skinny jeans all the time. What we think of as cool is influenced by who we spend time with.

Andy told me to come into school with skinny jeans, nike dunks, a hoodie, and shades because I do not wear those on a daily basis. But he tells me to wear skinny jeans rather than flare jeans because people wear more skinny jeans than flare jeans. He tells me to get nike dunks rather than something from payless because rarely anyone wears things from payless and he tells me to wear shades because it looks cool. I think that people think that shades are cool because it seems as if the person wearing shades is mysterious, that they have something behind those shades and people want to figure it out so they hang out with people with shades. And people wear shades to get attention, to get people to hang out with them.

Princeton defines cool as ""fashionable and attractive" and "skilled or socially adept." That actually makes sense; fashionable and attractive, they know what the hot stuff is and thus attract people. Others are too caught up with their style; they constantly think about what they wear and thinks that people wearing the hot stuff are cool. And those people must be skilled at something - a sport - or they must be social to attract people and know what people consider "fashionable." It would be harder to remember someone if they were not good at something.

Why are nerds uncool? I was watching music videos the other day on youtube and there was a nerd on screen; people told me to close the music video. Nerds are people, who are extremely intelligent and society portrays them with huge thick rimmed glasses. People told me to close the music video when there was someone with thick rimmed glasses on a bicycle but not when there was someone "fashionable." Why do people hate on nerds?

Art Project 1

My art is a mirror; like most people's. Now that I think about it, it is funny how we tend to mirror our problems, instead of making hammers. I personally think that hammers are hard to come up with so we mirror our problems. The guy in the video is in the subway station, listening to his iPod. He gets home, goes straight to his computer, talks on AIM, and plays MapleStory to escape his real world. In MapleStory, he can do things he normally cannot do in the real world.

Honestly, I was not really thinking when making this video. I was just having fun with the programs and techniques. But that is what technology is for: to have fun. This art does not make me think, or feel but it was boring. I think this art is just a reflection of my life, and to be bored looking at the video says something about my life (like the movie during the capitalism unit).

I had fun making this project. It was a compilation of my brother's and my ideas. He was also learning how to make animations so I think this project was a good experience for the both of us. I think this experience just shows how technology can bring people together; my brother and I got a little closer and it was our first project together. So I guess technology do good for people (after learning all the bad stuff about it).

Final Draft

INTRODUCTION:
We live in a world full of technology and digital representational devices - digital devices that represent an aspect of the world. Why, do we choose to allow ourselves to be hooked onto these devices instead of going out into the world and interacting with nature? Humans have this need for attention and to connect with others while we are surrounded by walls at home. I go on AIM everyday because there is never enough time to talk with them during the day and I find myself checking facebook updates. Another reason why digital representational devices are so addicting is that they are convenient. If we ever need to find someone, all we have to do is dial their cellphone number to be connected instantly. And for people who are uncomfortable communicating directly can make themselves comfortable by communicating through the internet. The internet allows students taking Snyder's or Manley's class to do their homework on blogger so students cannot use the excuse "I lost my homework" or "I left it at home."We can even escape from being ourselves by playing massive multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPG). Technology is sufficient to create portable computers (laptops) so that we are not tied to our desks. Digital representational devices are great assets to our lives that we become addicted to them.

Argument I:
We use digital representational devices to feel as if we are important. When I am on AIM, my friends and I are exchanging information about life. It is as if we are saying “ooh, listen to me talk about my day because I need someone to hear me out.” Like Henry said, we feel popular when we see a number of people chatting with us on the internet. And when we do not want to talk to someone, we often try to dismiss the person with “lol” or “rofl.” People say it so often that it is hard to believe what they are laughing out loud. It is times like this when the phrase laugh out loud loses its meaning and becomes a phrase tat is used when nothing else can be said.

In a short period of time, we can update people and it feels as if someone was there to care about your day. Even on Facebook, we have statuses so people can get an inside scoop on our life. Whenever someone changes their status, uploads a photo, or writes on someone else’s wall, all their friends would be notified. It is as if we are stalking people, finding a mutual interest to talk about on facebook and letting everyone else on your friends list know. AIM 7.0 is biting Facebook and has the same features, where we can comment on their statuses to show that we care or "like" the statuses. If we see someone comment or “like” the status, then we know that they have read the status, understood it, and then you feel connected to them.

Sometimes people just talk so that they can feel connected with others. Lauren was texting in social studies class during the first day of school and had a casual conversation that went like this:
“How was your first day of school?”
“Whack.”
“Me too.”
It was a casual conversation but it seems like we need to have a casual conversation. Casual conversations help us keep in contact instantly and we are able to feel significant. The feed allows Titus to watch Violet's feed efficiency so he is updated on how Violet is doing. Titus is literally connected to Violet through his feed which is connected to Violet’s feed; allowing Titus to track her feed status. People like to take pictures, capture moments but some people do it A LOT; in Michelle's post, they are called "camera whores." Once the picture is taken, we can look back on the pictures and reminisce; connecting with the photo and remembering the good times. Whether we do it through the internet, the phone, or using cameras, we are always tying to connect with people.

Argument II:
DRDs are efficient. I interviewed a mom on the street and she told me that she would get her son a cellphone because they needed to keep in contact. Cellphones allow us to keep in contact so moms can find their kids and kids can let moms know they are safe. Computers, IMs, and the internet allow people to feel more comfortable because there is a computer between the chatters (people like me). There is a computer in between the people chatting, making the conversation “less real” and us comfortable. This comfort causes us to say things that we would not normally say; we can say mean things because we would not be able to see their reaction.

Even colleges are accepting applications through the internet because it is green and more efficient. Applicants would need to use the internet to fill out the applications and it is to an advantage for those who are less organized with paper. Even homework can be done online (Snyder's and Manley's); it saves paper and homework can be checked anytime. The internet not only allows you to connect with people anytime, it also allows you to disconnect anytime. In the song "I love my computer," the artist loves his computer because he can flirt with people on the internet and stop anytime. If he were to do it in person, he would have to come up with excuses that allowed him to escape from those he did not want to be with. But doing it on the internet, he does not have to deal with the consequences or the aftermath; he is able to connect "in the most soul-less way."

Computers allow us to play MMOPRG; we can play any role we wish and do things we cannot in real life. When we want to disembody ourselves and immerse ourselves into someone else, we can entertain ourselves by casting magic on our screens. Even Wiis allow us to do something nice for our body by exercising and having fun at the same time. We get the best of both worlds because we are actually interacting with the pictures on the screen. People at work use computers to optimize the amount of work (for example, sending out a note) in a short amount of time. With email, people can receive messages faster than the traditional snail mail and they do not have to pay the postal office. Our technological advancements allow laptops to be created so people are not stuck at their computer desks with back pains. With laptops, Jakob (I, too) can chat and watch videos comfortably in our individual beds until we lull ourselves to sleep. In Feed, the corporations wanted to create air faster so trees were cut down to make air factories since air factories can produce air at a higher rate than trees. Digital representational devices make life a lot easier if we ever want to talk to someone instantly using a cell phone.

Argument III:
Efficiency sooner or later will cause us to become lazy. In Wall-E, people sit in portable chairs; they do not have to walk anywhere or even notice they are moving. They can be chatting on their screens all day without getting lost because the computer is wired to know exactly where people want to go. People in the movie are bigger than the standard size and we see robots carry their drinks for them. They do not need to get out of their chairs to pick up their food because the robots will deliver it to them. Whenever they want shade, they just have to clap their hands and say "shade", the shade will come in two seconds. Because of these luxurious services, the people in the movie are discouraged to exercise and encouraged to chat all day.

I interviewed my friend about IM-ing someone in the next room and she said that people who do so are either lazy, feels uncomfortable communicating directly, or they want to avoid situations that happen when communicating in person. Definitely, people are lazy; I get tired of getting up every five minutes to walk to the next room to talk for a minute and then go back to where I was. I also agree with her other two points; I personally find it easier to talk on AIM because I know people’s emotions will not get to me through AIM. If I know what I say will get the other person mad, I would hold my thoughts until I sign on AIM so when they get mad, I will not become their punching bag. In Feed Titus just wanted to know what Violet’s father was talking about and the father kept telling Titus to learn the meaning. We see that Titus was brought up not to learn or process the information, but to ask their feed for it. Similarly, Snyder’s theory #3 is that we are encouraged to google things we do not know simply because we just want the information and regurgitate it. We do not want to go through all the trouble to go to the library, pull out books, and put the pieces together to find the answer. With the internet, we can easily google the question and google will tell us the answer. Digital representational devices are discouraging us to exercise our motor muscles and our muscles in our brain.

Connections:
Another book that this addiction is demonstrated in is Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. At age sixteen, teenagers like Tally Youngblood go through an operation that makes them pretty. But what the Special’s intention is to install a chip in brain so they can track every citizen in the society. Tally wanted to conform and go through the operation until she met someone who knew the secret behind the operation. Similarly in Feed, the corporations were tracking Titus and everyone in the society and they all wanted the feed to connect through the feed. Corporations in this world advertise products and test how many we are willing to buy. Because we like to connect and conform, we fall for their trap and buy their products.

OPV:
Johnson says that the internet contains a lot of information and that whenever we need to know something, we could always rely on the internet. The internet teaches us how to work with applications and communicate with people in other parts of the world. We are always hunched over our computers, eager to learn what the internet has to offer us. Again, the internet is just discouraging us to think and encouraging us to google. When we hunch over our computer screens, we disconnect from our physical body and forget all about our physical needs. We sometimes forget to use the bathroom or we might even starve ourselves because we are so hooked onto the computer. Johnson always emphasizes how the internet helps us communicate with a group of friends but are we authentically connecting with them. We should not satisfy our need for attention or to connect using digital representational devices.

Significance and Conclusion:
After knowing what happened in Feed, Wall-E, and Uglies, no one wants to continue to be addicted to digital representational devices. In Feed, Violet becomes dysfunctional due to malfunction of her feed and Titus becomes distressed. As we continue to use digital representational devices, we learn to rely on them and when all technology fails, we are dragged down along with it. People in Wall-E lack exercise and if we let digital representational devices to spoil us, we would not have to get up to get our food or send a message. The internet is the corporation’s space and as we surf through the web, we constantly see advertisements. We stop to take notice of the advertisements and end up buying the product; that is how corporations make money off of us. Humans have this need for attention and to connect with others while we are surrounded by walls at home. If we ever need to find someone, all we have to do is dial their cellphone number to be connected instantly. But cellphones also eliminate all means of walking over to the person to speak directly, minimizing our exercise. Because of our need to communicate, the efficiency of DRDs, and the encouragement to be lazy, we allow ourselves to become addicted to DRDs.

Works Cited

Anderson, M.T. Feed. Somerville, Massachusetts: Candelwich Press, 2002.

C, Lauren. "Address." Social Studies Class. School of the Future, New York City. 9 September 2009.

DVD, Wall-E.

S, Andy. "Lecture." Social Studies Class. School of the Future, New York City. 15 September 2009.

--. "Lecture." Social Studies Class. School of the Future, New York City. 22 September 2009.

--. "Lecture." Social Studies Class. School of the Future, New York City. 2 October 2009.

--. "HW 18-Big Paper 1, Rough Draft." Weblog entry. ANDY 09-10. 3 November 2009. 5 November 2009. (http://henryvandy0910.blogspot.com/2009/11/hw-18-big-paper-1-rough-draft.html).

Z, Maggie. "HW 8." Weblog entry. Personal/Politics by Maggie Z. 30 September 2009. 5 November 2009. (http://personalpoliticsmaggie.blogspot.com/2009/09/hw-8.html).

--. "Interviews and Surveys." Weblog entry. Personal/Politics by Maggie Z. 22 September 2009. 5 November 2009. (http://personalpoliticsmaggie.blogspot.com/2009/09/interviews-and-surveys.html).

--. "Response to First Comments plus Other Comments." Weblog entry. Personal/Politics by Maggie Z. 19 September 2009. 5 November 2009. (http://personalpoliticsmaggie.blogspot.com/2009/09/response-to-first-comments.html).

Big Paper Revised Draft

We live in a world full of technology and digital representational devices - digital devices that represent an aspect of the world. Why, do we choose to allow ourselves to be hooked onto these devices instead of going out into the world and interacting with nature? Humans have this need for attention and to connect with others while we are surrounded by walls at home. I go on AIM everyday because there is never enough time to talk with them during the day and I find myself checking facebook updates. Another reason why digital representational devices are so addicting is that they are convenient. If we ever need to find someone, all we have to do is dial their cellphone number to be connected instantly. And for people who are uncomfortable communicating directly can make themselves comfortable by communicating through the internet. The internet allows students taking Snyder's or Manley's class to do their homework on blogger so students cannot use the excuse "I lost my homework" or "I left it at home."We can even escape from being ourselves by playing massive multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPG). Technology is sufficient to create portable computers (laptops) so that we are not tied to our desks. Digital representational devices are great assets to our lives that we become addicted to them.

We use digital representational devices to feel as if we are important. When I am on AIM, my friends and I are exchanging information about life. It is as if we are saying “ooh, listen to me talk about my day because I need someone to hear me out.” Like Henry said, we feel popular when we see a number of people chatting with us on the internet. And when we do not want to talk to someone, we often try to dismiss the person with “lol” or “rofl.” People say it so often that it is hard to believe what they are laughing out loud. It is times like this when the phrase laugh out loud loses its meaning and becomes a phrase tat is used when nothing else can be said. In a short period of time, we can update people and it feels as if someone was there to care about your day. Even on Facebook, we have statuses so people can get an inside scoop on our life. Whenever someone changes their status, uploads a photo, or writes on someone else’s wall, all their friends would be notified. It is as if we are stalking people, finding a mutual interest to talk about on facebook and letting everyone else on your friends list know. AIM 7.0 is biting Facebook and has the same features, where we can comment on their statuses to show that we care or "like" the statuses. If we see someone comment or “like” the status, then we know that they have read the status, understood it, and then you feel connected to them.
Sometimes people just talk so that they can feel connected with others. Lauren was texting in social studies class during the first day of school and had a casual conversation that went like this:
“How was your first day of school?”
“Whack.”
“Me too.”
It was a casual conversation but it seems like we need to have a casual conversation. Casual conversations help us keep in contact instantly and we are able to feel significant. The feed allows Titus to watch Violet's feed efficiency so he is updated on how Violet is doing. Titus is literally connected to Violet through his feed which is connected to Violet’s feed; allowing Titus to track her feed status. People like to take pictures, capture moments but some people do it A LOT; in Michelle's post, they are called "camera whores." Once the picture is taken, we can look back on the pictures and reminisce; connecting with the photo and remembering the good times. Whether we do it through the internet, the phone, or using cameras, we are always tying to connect with people.

DRDs are efficient. I interviewed a mom on the street and she told me that she would get her son a cellphone because they needed to keep in contact. Cellphones allow us to keep in contact so moms can find their kids and kids can let moms know they are safe. Computers, IMs, and the internet allow people to feel more comfortable because there is a computer between the chatters (people like me). There is a computer in between the people chatting, making the conversation “less real” and us comfortable. This comfort causes us to say things that we would not normally say; we can say mean things because we would not be able to see their reaction. Even colleges are accepting applications through the internet because it is green and more efficient. Applicants would need to use the internet to fill out the applications and it is to an advantage for those who are less organized with paper. Even homework can be done online (Snyder's and Manley's); it saves paper and homework can be checked anytime. The internet not only allows you to connect with people anytime, it also allows you to disconnect anytime. In the song "I love my computer," the artist loves his computer because he can flirt with people on the internet and stop anytime. If he were to do it in person, he would have to come up with excuses that allowed him to escape from those he did not want to be with. But doing it on the internet, he does not have to deal with the consequences or the aftermath; he is able to connect "in the most soul-less way." Computers allow us to play MMOPRG; we can play any role we wish and do things we cannot in real life. When we want to disembody ourselves and immerse ourselves into someone else, we can entertain ourselves by casting magic on our screens. Even Wiis allow us to do something nice for our body by exercising and having fun at the same time. We get the best of both worlds because we are actually interacting with the pictures on the screen. People at work use computers to optimize the amount of work (for example, sending out a note) in a short amount of time. With email, people can receive messages faster than the traditional snail mail and they do not have to pay the postal office. Our technological advancements allow laptops to be created so people are not stuck at their computer desks with back pains. With laptops, Jakob (I, too) can chat and watch videos comfortably in our individual beds until we lull ourselves to sleep. In Feed, the corporations wanted to create air faster so trees were cut down to make air factories since air factories can produce air at a higher rate than trees. Digital representational devices make life a lot easier if we ever want to talk to someone instantly using a cell phone.

Efficiency sooner or later will cause us to become lazy. In Wall-E, people sit in portable chairs; they do not have to walk anywhere or even notice they are moving. They can be chatting on their screens all day without getting lost because the computer is wired to know exactly where people want to go. People in the movie are bigger than the standard size and we see robots carry their drinks for them. They do not need to get out of their chairs to pick up their food because the robots will deliver it to them. Whenever they want shade, they just have to clap their hands and say "shade", the shade will come in two seconds. Because of these luxurious services, the people in the movie are discouraged to exercise and encouraged to chat all day. I interviewed my friend about IM-ing someone in the next room and she said that people who do so are either lazy, feels uncomfortable communicating directly, or they want to avoid situations that happen when communicating in person. Definitely, people are lazy; I get tired of getting up every five minutes to walk to the next room to talk for a minute and then go back to where I was. I also agree with her other two points; I personally find it easier to talk on AIM because I know people’s emotions will not get to me through AIM. If I know what I say will get the other person mad, I would hold my thoughts until I sign on AIM so when they get mad, I will not become their punching bag. In Feed Titus just wanted to know what Violet’s father was talking about and the father kept telling Titus to learn the meaning. We see that Titus was brought up not to learn or process the information, but to ask their feed for it. Similarly, Snyder’s theory #3 is that we are encouraged to google things we do not know simply because we just want the information and regurgitate it. We do not want to go through all the trouble to go to the library, pull out books, and put the pieces together to find the answer. With the internet, we can easily google the question and google will tell us the answer. Digital representational devices are discouraging us to exercise our motor muscles and our muscles in our brain.

Another book that this addiction is demonstrated in is Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. At age sixteen, teenagers like Tally Youngblood go through an operation that makes them pretty. But what the Special’s intention is to install a chip in brain so they can track every citizen in the society. Tally wanted to conform and go through the operation until she met someone who knew the secret behind the operation. Similarly in Feed, the corporations were tracking Titus and everyone in the society and they all wanted the feed to connect through the feed. Corporations in this world advertise products and test how many we are willing to buy. Because we like to connect and conform, we fall for their trap and buy their products.

Johnson says that the internet contains a lot of information and that whenever we need to know something, we could always rely on the internet. The internet teaches us how to work with applications and communicate with people in other parts of the world. We are always hunched over our computers, eager to learn what the internet has to offer us. Again, the internet is just discouraging us to think and encouraging us to google. When we hunch over our computer screens, we disconnect from our physical body and forget all about our physical needs. We sometimes forget to use the bathroom or we might even starve ourselves because we are so hooked onto the computer. Johnson always emphasizes how the internet helps us communicate with a group of friends but are we authentically connecting with them. We should not satisfy our need for attention or to connect using digital representational devices.

After knowing what happened in Feed, Wall-E, and Uglies, no one wants to continue to be addicted to digital representational devices. In Feed, Violet becomes dysfunctional due to malfunction of her feed and Titus becomes distressed. As we continue to use digital representational devices, we learn to rely on them and when all technology fails, we are dragged down along with it. People in Wall-E lack exercise and if we let digital representational devices to spoil us, we would not have to get up to get our food or send a message. The internet is the corporation’s space and as we surf through the web, we constantly see advertisements. We stop to take notice of the advertisements and end up buying the product; that is how corporations make money off of us. Humans have this need for attention and to connect with others while we are surrounded by walls at home. If we ever need to find someone, all we have to do is dial their cellphone number to be connected instantly. But cellphones also eliminate all means of walking over to the person to speak directly, minimizing our exercise. Because of our need to communicate, the efficiency of DRDs, and the encouragement to be lazy, we allow ourselves to become addicted to DRDs.

Works Cited

Anderson, M.T. Feed. Somerville, Massachusetts: Candelwich Press, 2002.

C, Lauren. "Address." Social Studies Class. School of the Future, New York City. 9 September 2009.

DVD, Wall-E.

S, Andy. "Lecture." Social Studies Class. School of the Future, New York City. 15 September 2009.

--. "Lecture." Social Studies Class. School of the Future, New York City. 22 September 2009.

--. "Lecture." Social Studies Class. School of the Future, New York City. 2 October 2009.

--. "HW 18-Big Paper 1, Rough Draft." Weblog entry. ANDY 09-10. 3 November 2009. 5 November 2009. (http://henryvandy0910.blogspot.com/2009/11/hw-18-big-paper-1-rough-draft.html).

Z, Maggie. "HW 8." Weblog entry. Personal/Politics by Maggie Z. 30 September 2009. 5 November 2009. (http://personalpoliticsmaggie.blogspot.com/2009/09/hw-8.html).

--. "Interviews and Surveys." Weblog entry. Personal/Politics by Maggie Z. 22 September 2009. 5 November 2009. (http://personalpoliticsmaggie.blogspot.com/2009/09/interviews-and-surveys.html).

--. "Response to First Comments plus Other Comments." Weblog entry. Personal/Politics by Maggie Z. 19 September 2009. 5 November 2009. (http://personalpoliticsmaggie.blogspot.com/2009/09/response-to-first-comments.html).

Big Paper 1 Suggestions

Henry:
Nice introduction, straight to the point and to the thesis.

I see you used your outline for your first paragraph and fleshed it out minimally; I think it is still strong enough.

Good evidence in your second paragraph. I just think that you should connect it back to your thesis.

You talk about wanting to connect before everyone could afford internet and after it. But then you got off topic and talked about how video games can create another identity of someone. I suggest find another evidence if possible, stay on track and keep your thesis in mind.

I like your conclusion and how you raised another question. I would say remind the reader of all your arguments.

Lastly, write a connection, a OPV, a significance paragraph.

Carrie:

Your thesis: The internet takes out the choice of direct communication and allows people to create another identity.

I just wanted to clarify, when yu say phone, you mean phone phone or IM phone?

I agree with your paragraph about online conversations. "Lol' and "JK" do not mean what they are intended to mean and they are used to change the mood of a conversation so people do not feel offended when certain things are said.

I remember a time when Titus and Violet did use their Feed to communicate because they were mad at each other. How did that affect their relationship? Maybe you can incorporate it in your paragraph about their love.

I think that the same paragraph is out of place; the paragraph before and after it talks about unintended fake-ness. You should move it towards the beginning.

Good draft, I understood your arguments well.

Big Paper 1 Rough Draft

edits 11/4 8:52PM

We live in a world full of technology and digital representational devices - digital devices that represent an aspect of the world. Why, do we choose to allow ourselves to be hooked onto these devices instead of going out into the world and interacting with nature? Humans have this need for attention and to connect with others while we are surrounded by walls at home. I go on AIM everyday because there is never enough time to talk with them during the day and I find myself checking facebook updates. Another reason why digital representational devices are so addicting is that they are convenient. If we ever need to find someone, all we have to do is dial their cellphone number to be connected instantly. And for people who are uncomfortable communicating directly can make themselves comfortable by communicating through the internet. The internet allows students taking Snyder's or Manley's class to do their homework on blogger so students cannot use the excuse "I lost my homework" or "I left it at home."We can even escape from being ourselves by playing massive multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPG). Technology is sufficient to create portable computers (laptops) so that we are not tied to our desks. Digital representational devices are great assets to our lives that we become addicted to them.

We use digital representational devices to feel as if we are important. When I am on AIM, my friends and I are exchanging information about life. It is as if we are saying “ooh, listen to me talk about my day because I need someone to hear me out.” Like Henry said, we feel popular when we see a number of people chatting with us on the internet. And when we do not want to talk to someone, we often try to dismiss the person with “lol” or “rofl.” People say it so often that it is hard to believe what they are laughing out loud. It is times like this when the phrase laugh out loud loses its meaning and becomes a phrase tat is used when nothing else can be said. In a short period of time, we can update people and it feels as if someone was there to care about your day. Even on Facebook, we have statuses so people can get an inside scoop on our life. Whenever someone changes their status, uploads a photo, or writes on someone else’s wall, all their friends would be notified. It is as if we are stalking people, finding a mutual interest to talk about on facebook and letting everyone else on your friends list know. AIM 7.0 is biting Facebook and has the same features, where we can comment on their statuses to show that we care or "like" the statuses. If we see someone comment or “like” the status, then we know that they have read the status, understood it, and then you feel connected to them.
Sometimes people just talk so that they can feel connected with others. Lauren was texting in social studies class during the first day of school and had a casual conversation that went like this:
“How was your first day of school?”
“Whack.”
“Me too.”
It was a casual conversation but it seems like we need to have a casual conversation. Casual conversations help us keep in contact instantly and we are able to feel significant. The feed allows Titus to watch Violet's feed efficiency so he is updated on how Violet is doing. Titus is literally connected to Violet through his feed which is connected to Violet’s feed; allowing Titus to track her feed status. People like to take pictures, capture moments but some people do it A LOT; in Michelle's post, they are called "camera whores." Once the picture is taken, we can look back on the pictures and reminisce; connecting with the photo and remembering the good times. Whether we do it through the internet, the phone, or using cameras, we are always tying to connect with people.

DRDs are efficient. I interviewed a mom on the street and she told me that she would get her son a cellphone because they needed to keep in contact. Cellphones allow us to keep in contact so moms can find their kids and kids can let moms know they are safe. Computers, IMs, and the internet allow people to feel more comfortable because there is a computer between the chatters (people like me). There is a computer in between the people chatting, making the conversation “less real” and us comfortable. This comfort causes us to say things that we would not normally say; we can say mean things because we would not be able to see their reaction. Even colleges are accepting applications through the internet because it is green and more efficient. Applicants would need to use the internet to fill out the applications and it is to an advantage for those who are less organized with paper. Even homework can be done online (Snyder's and Manley's); it saves paper and homework can be checked anytime. The internet not only allows you to connect with people anytime, it also allows you to disconnect anytime. In the song "I love my computer," the artist loves his computer because he can flirt with people on the internet and stop anytime. If he were to do it in person, he would have to come up with excuses that allowed him to escape from those he did not want to be with. But doing it on the internet, he does not have to deal with the consequences or the aftermath; he is able to connect "in the most soul-less way." Computers allow us to play MMOPRG; we can play any role we wish and do things we cannot in real life. When we want to disembody ourselves and immerse ourselves into someone else, we can entertain ourselves by casting magic on our screens. Even Wiis allow us to do something nice for our body by exercising and having fun at the same time. We get the best of both worlds because we are actually interacting with the pictures on the screen. People at work use computers to optimize the amount of work (for example, sending out a note) in a short amount of time. With email, people can receive messages faster than the traditional snail mail and they do not have to pay the postal office. Our technological advancements allow laptops to be created so people are not stuck at their computer desks with back pains. With laptops, Jakob (I, too) can chat and watch videos comfortably in our individual beds until we lull ourselves to sleep. In Feed, the corporations wanted to create air faster so trees were cut down to make air factories since air factories can produce air at a higher rate than trees. Digital representational devices make life a lot easier if we ever want to talk to someone instantly using a cell phone.

Efficiency sooner or later will cause us to become lazy. In Wall-E, people sit in portable chairs; they do not have to walk anywhere or even notice they are moving. They can be chatting on their screens all day without getting lost because the computer is wired to know exactly where people want to go. People in the movie are bigger than the standard size and we see robots carry their drinks for them. They do not need to get out of their chairs to pick up their food because the robots will deliver it to them. Whenever they want shade, they just have to clap their hands and say "shade", the shade will come in two seconds. Because of these luxurious services, the people in the movie are discouraged to exercise and encouraged to chat all day. I interviewed my friend about IM-ing someone in the next room and she said that people who do so are either lazy, feels uncomfortable communicating directly, or they want to avoid situations that happen when communicating in person. Definitely, people are lazy; I get tired of getting up every five minutes to walk to the next room to talk for a minute and then go back to where I was. I also agree with her other two points; I personally find it easier to talk on AIM because I know people’s emotions will not get to me through AIM. If I know what I say will get the other person mad, I would hold my thoughts until I sign on AIM so when they get mad, I will not become their punching bag. In Feed Titus just wanted to know what Violet’s father was talking about and the father kept telling Titus to learn the meaning. We see that Titus was brought up not to learn or process the information, but to ask their feed for it. Similarly, Snyder’s theory #3 is that we are encouraged to google things we do not know simply because we just want the information and regurgitate it. We do not want to go through all the trouble to go to the library, pull out books, and put the pieces together to find the answer. With the internet, we can easily google the question and google will tell us the answer. Digital representational devices are discouraging us to exercise our motor muscles and our muscles in our brain.

Another book that this addiction is demonstrated in is Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. At age sixteen, teenagers like Tally Youngblood go through an operation that makes them pretty. But what the Special’s intention is to install a chip in brain so they can track every citizen in the society. Tally wanted to conform and go through the operation until she met someone who knew the secret behind the operation. Similarly in Feed, the corporations were tracking Titus and everyone in the society and they all wanted the feed to connect through the feed. Corporations in this world advertise products and test how many we are willing to buy. Because we like to connect and conform, we fall for their trap and buy their products.

Johnson says that the internet contains a lot of information and that whenever we need to know something, we could always rely on the internet. The internet teaches us how to work with applications and communicate with people in other parts of the world. We are always hunched over our computers, eager to learn what the internet has to offer us. Again, the internet is just discouraging us to think and encouraging us to google. When we hunch over our computer screens, we disconnect from our physical body and forget all about our physical needs. We sometimes forget to use the bathroom or we might even starve ourselves because we are so hooked onto the computer. Johnson always emphasizes how the internet helps us communicate with a group of friends but are we authentically connecting with them. We should not satisfy our need for attention or to connect using digital representational devices.

After knowing what happened in Feed, Wall-E, and Uglies, no one wants to continue to be addicted to digital representational devices. In Feed, Violet becomes dysfunctional due to malfunction of her feed and Titus becomes distressed. As we continue to use digital representational devices, we learn to rely on them and when all technology fails, we are dragged down along with it. People in Wall-E lack exercise and if we let digital representational devices to spoil us, we would not have to get up to get our food or send a message. The internet is the corporation’s space and as we surf through the web, we constantly see advertisements. We stop to take notice of the advertisements and end up buying the product; that is how corporations make money off of us. Because of our need to communicate, the efficiency of DRDs, and the encouragement to be lazy, we allow ourselves to become addicted to DRDs.

Online Suggestions

Henry:
Do you have a source for the numbers in your first paragraph? I think that it is a good evidence to have for your paper.

What I got from the first paragraph is that most American teenagers have a facebook and most of them use it on a daily basis. Facebook allows people to communicate through instant messaging, quizzes, and notes. Conversations on facebook take longer than direct conversations so people feel as if they are still connecting even when they are not talking.

You say that people have cellphones so they can connect and find people. Then you go into texts and how people do it in school, from one classroom to another. Even outside of school, people use texts instead of calls. I would suggest you broaden your paragraph and talk about cellphones and you can also talk about texting in your paragraph. Otherwise, I would find another example that shows addiction to texting, like the lecture on 9/9 I think, when Lauren was texting and it was only a casual conversation.

You did a nice job explaining your evidence but it was only one evidence. You need more evidence showing the addictiveness of video games. Maybe bring Johnson into your paper.

Kate:
Cut: "This mass trash epidemic had caused the total evacuation of human kind" and "The cruise was supposed to be up to 5 years but wound up being around 500 years."

Even the older generations know nothing of what is outside of their screens.

The most anyone would do being active is to (can talk about wii) play video games and even those have you staring at a screen being passive.

In your first paragraph, you say that people are so stuck onto the screen that they do not notice the world outside the screen. Examples you used are the captain who did not know what a plant was, he did not know how to read "manual," and even we are inserting ipods into ourselves; closing out our connection to nature.

I thought of an opposing pov for you but I don't know if it'll work. You say that everything on screen is fake but I can argue that unlike some applications (AIM, facebook), webcams are more "real."

I don't know if you think that you have developed enough evidence in your second paragraph but if not, I would suggest talking about Feed and m-chat, etc.

I actually don't know what your last paragraph is going to be about. You have 3 separate paragraphs at the end and it all seem to support your arguments you have already mentioned. Your second to last paragraph could be evidence for your nature argument.

You could talk about how corporations are brainwashing us for your third argument. You already talk about how it is seen in Feed, you could talk about how it applies to your life.