BLOG 5 #Activism/Slacktivism

Ever since social media campaigns become more and more, the idea of "activism" and "slacktivism" is known by more people, too. Just in case i you don't know the meaning of "activism" and "slacktivism", here is the definition:

- Activism: a process of vigorously advocates or opposes a social/ political/ economic/ environmental cause to create a change.
- Slactivism: a process witch people does something in support of an issue or cause that requires minimal personal effort.

typical slacktivism

Back to our topic, social media campaigns are often spread by using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and so on.

Here is an example: Kony 2012. The campaign basically was to make Ugandan cult and militia leader, Joseph Kony globally known on order to have him arrested by the end of 2012. The organization Invisible Children released an emotional video to rise people's awareness. I was moved by the video, too. This video makes you think "what if my children/ the children around me are kidnapped by Kony" all the time, and it shows the terrible situations of the kidnapped children in Uganda. Which really makes people want to help.

However, Joseph Kony was not arrested by the end of 2012, or not even by 2016!
Why?
Because people are not willing to drag them self to the real danger, though this is the only to make the possibility of catch Kony bigger. Which means, social media campaigns are not able to compare with the high risk activism that took place in the civil rights and anti - war movement.

And do you remember Ice Bucket Challenge?

That was a good example of successful social media campaign. I can just tell you one thing to show how successful the campaign is: even all the Chinese knew this campaign and pour water all over them ! I think the reason that people were get involve in and do the challenge is because pouring ice water is fun, THEY WERE ACTUALLY PLAYING but not mean to help ALS. They don't know what they are challenging for.

And also for the campaign "save the children", people are basically donating money and do nothing.

So that is slacktivism. Actually, there are more slacktivism than activism on the Internet nowadays.

Slacktivism

However, does slacktivism only brings the negative effect to the campaign and the people who really want to help?

I would say no.

Even though slacktivism sounds negative, and people are not really doing much, some campaigns still comes out a pretty good result. For example, after started the Ice Bucket Challenge, the ALS association had received $41.8 million in donations from more than 739000 new donors. At least slacktivist spread the idea, and spread the information for the people who really need help.

BLOG 4 The influence of social media bias

Since I was quite little, I was told to learn the way of thinking,and the ability of "think independently". From the serious faces of my parents, I kind of feel the importance of learning it, but with no idea about it. Then I grow up, knowing that able to "think independently" offers you the chances to be not blinded by various sources of information, and some of the sources are not that reliable, which means there is a probability that the information is faked.
As I first get in touch with the Internet, I obviously was surprised by the booming information. And some of them are definitely not true (and I realized this fact after a few years). Since I was quite naive and had no experiences with these info, I believed all of them by the time I saw it.

Let's get back to our topic, "The influence of social media bias".
Is my experience shown above a good example of how easy the social media can control our mind? Does that mean we are not able to think for ourselves because we trust the Internet so much?
It seems so.

But it is not.
I mean, Internet is not the only component of our lives. The real live experiences is the thing that really provide you the ability of distinguishing things. That's why adult can tell the essence of one thing easier than the teenagers.
And also, people are getting used to all the lies around them. We can see this kind of news all the day：

Typical fraud

As we getting familiar with this, the lies that on the Internet seems not working. Because we are already built the ability to tell the difference between the truth and the lie.

So am I, after a first year and second year of exploration on the Internet, I know how to think for myself now, and think pretty well. Fake news are not blinding me anymore because I have experience and I know how to think independently.

Just in case if you think you are not think independently, read this:
https://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/5-ways-to-develop-independent-thought/

BLOG 2 Are we using the Internet, or is the Internet using us?

Let me ask you a few questions first:

# Do you use Internet?

# How do you use Internet?

# Do you use Internet very often?

... ...

# Can you live without the Internet?

Is this you?

Is this you?

Is this you?

... ...
To be honest, this is me.

Let me ask you again: Can you live without the Internet?
Face your heart, everybody.
And Just admit the TRUTH: You CANNOT live without the Internet.

So base on the truth, let's talk about our topic, "Is the Internet using us or we are using the Internet?"

To those of whom believe that "Internet is not using us":
⬇ All the info on the Internet are under control (it does not matter who control the Internet, because you are not the one for sure).
⬇ You gain negative info from the Internet, which are the info that you are not able to receive if you are not using the Internet.
⬇ Internet can motivate the dark side of one's heart.
⬇ Internet have "magic", it makes you obsessed with it.

And to those of whom believe that "We are not using the Internet":
⬆ You can find more friends on the Internet, and they have the same hobbit as you.
⬆ Internet is so convenient for communication. For me, an International student, I use the Internet to chat with my parents and my friends so easily, and they are all in China (The only thing that prevent me from chatting with them is the time zone #IHATETIMEZONE).
⬆ Online shopping is saving my life because I am too lazy to go out! You can buy anything with the Internet!
⬆ You can find different things to learn on the internet, and they are mostly free.

Do you think my answer to the question is "both"?

I personally likes the Internet very much. Though it may has a few negative affect on us, but the positive impacts that it brings us are more. 

Maybe someone is controlling the results when I searched on Google, based on my past research habits.

- But, does that mean I can get the results that I want easier?

Maybe Internet makes you obsessed with it, and you surf the Internet and do nothing everyday.

- But, this is your problem, not Internet's problem. This is just a tool. You are the one who can not control you self. If there are no internet, you will be obsessed with novels, movies, buying things instead. You will waste your time anyway.

Maybe the Internet brings you the negative information.

- But, you have to know that there isn't only the positive things, but also something really bad. Knowing the world is not perfect is a part of growing up. But you have to be careful that you are not affected.

So here is my answer to the question:

We are using the Internet.

P.S.
- Be better yourself and use the Internet efficiently.
- My blendspace: https://www.tes.com/lessons/G2eKNwJu1zeKwQ/using-us-vs-we-are-using

BLOG 1 Making Sense of McLuhan

HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT ABOUT THIS?

How did you gain info form others?
How do you gain info from others?
How will you gain info from others?

This is how we gain info nowadays.

I bet everyone are somehow using technologies to receive the messages from the others instead of using some old methods. But have you thought about this? Whatever people use to gain info, they always do it through some mediums. In the old days, people read newspapers, but the newspapers were published by journalists. Now we mostly uses apps in our phone, it is much easier and more convenient than the old way, though behind apps, companies control what can be posted.

In this case, medium passed the messages to us, but the messages are limited.

How media control us.

So how do you know that the messages that had been post for you to see is what really happened?
There are 2 methods:

1. Changing sources.

We have tons of choices.

There are so many choices of applications, be selective, choose the most reliable one.
But how can we choose the reliable one?
It is related to the second method.

2. Improve yourself

Studying.

Be smart, read more, think more, learn more, then you will be able to identify which source is better.



"the medium is the message. This is merely to say that the personal and social consequences of any medium - that is, of any extension to ourselves - result from the new scale that is introduced into our affairs by each extension of ourselves, or by any new technology." - Marshall McLuhan.
The statement of Marshall McLuhan describe the medium as extension to ourselves, but be careful, don't be lead to a "wrong extension".