Looking back on what all I have learned from this class, I have learned countless facts about technology as a whole, especially the benefits and drawbacks of posting personal information on the internet. For example, I learned that the internet can have a massive impact on both group dynamics and specific individuals. However, out of everything discussed during the semester, I would have to say that the most memorable lesson would have to be based around the consequences, both good and bad, from participating in online communities. While these “chat rooms” can allow for some individuals to find friends from other countries, they could also permit other people to post blogs about people in their lives that may permanently harm their reputation. What makes this worse is that once the harmful blog is posted on the internet, it can not ever be deleted.

            I have also learned, due to the class assignments, that technology is even more advanced in today’s world than many people can possibly realize. It is simply overwhelming that certain forms of technology that didn’t exist several years ago, such as cell phones and online chat sessions, have become such important parts of everyday life. Despite all of these technological advances, researchers should really consider asking themselves some important questions in order to prevent people from becoming completely dependent on cell phones and the internet. For instance, they could ask themselves questions like: 1) should we monitor what is posted on these online conversations so nothing inappropriate is revealed? and 2) should limits be put on how long these chats last? These questions and many more could easily help the internet, and potentially all forms of technology, to progress.

            More people in today’s society are using cell phones and the internet to communicate with their friends and family than ever before. Adults and young individuals consist of a large amount of this technology-controlled group. In fact, according to the BBC interview between Danah Boyd and Aleks Krotoski, young people usually use their Facebook accounts to expose their social vulnerability to others. However, if they did not have one, people would wonder what they were trying to hide from the viewing public. Also, Aaron Smith recorded in his findings that up to 83% of American adults own some kind of cell phone. It is almost scary that technology that did not even exist a couple of decades ago has come to play such a vital role in our society.

            Because Facebook and cell-phone-based conversations have become so important or common-place in today’s culture, the possibility of using either as references is constantly escalating. While this could prove to some individuals that certain bloggers are willing to make themselves vulnerable, it goes without saying that this could come with enormous risks. The risks include identity theft, mistaken identity, and increased “slamming” or cyber-bullying. Each of these is a problem that could easily become worse within the next 5 to 20 years if insufficient safeguards are used to do something about it.

             Online communities, SNSs, and other forms of group sites have become major aspects of life for numerous Americans. According to the findings of Rainie, Purcell, and Smith, it has become “deeply embedded in group and organizational life” in theU.S.A.These three individuals came to the conclusion that up to 80% of internet users participate in online groups. However, these blogging sites are not restricted to the internet, as Rainie, Purcell, and Smith found out that 56% of non-internet users also partake in SNSs and online communities. This much communication with each other allows for the site members to trust one another with their lives, even though they may never meet each other face-to-face. As a result, the online counts of voluntary participation and group life have climbed tremendously over the course of a few years.

            Civic engagement is very similar to social capital. This is because people who join civic sites have mixed reasons or purposes as to why they join, much like when people join online communities like Facebook or Twitter.  For example, as Jansen stated in his findings, Americans that participate in online religious groups are usually more involved with their online groups and in their communities. It’s almost like they’re trying to set an example for other site members to follow. With common morality at an all-time low, following examples that church groups have set would probably be a wise decision.

            The benefits and drawbacks of attending social networking sites and online communities almost go hand-in-hand with one another. The sites and communities both allow people to communicate with other individuals who share similar interests and/or hobbies. The participants can also become associated with heterogeneous local associations that, according to Norris’s findings, have reputations of helping to build social capitals, generate interpersonal trust, and reinforce ties between differing communities. These benefits are equally rivaled by the potential consequences that can arise with these social sites. For instance, either online communities or SNSs can just as easily become affiliated with homogenous bonding organizations. Norris states that while these organizations can do what the heterogeneous local associations can, they can also worsen social conflicts that may exist in societies containing histories of conflict. These conflicts may deal with race, religion, or the nation itself. This could prove to be an unfortunate set of events for individuals who simply want to make friends over the internet.

            Social capitals can develop online with little effort. According to the conclusive findings of Ellison, Steingfield, and Lampe, sites such as Facebook have numerous features that could be used to help bring those people together, whether they are similar to each other, like those found in bonding social capitals, or are of different sorts, such as the ones who make up bridging social capitals. These sound a lot like some of the sites that I have seen while looking at various pages on Facebook. The people in social sites like these definitely have differing likes and dislikes, which could potentially lead to more online friendships and form more social capitals.

          According to Boyd and Ellison, social network sites are web-based services that allow individuals to do many computer-related activities. These activities include: 1. constructing a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, 2. articulating lists of other uses with whom they share a connection, and 3. viewing and traversing their list of connections and those made by others within the system. Dr. Beer, however, defines social networking sites as having numerous capabilities other than those expected from readers of Boyd and Ellison’s article. He states that forming friendships is not the key objective of these sites, which causes them to be far different than sites categorized as online communities.

            The definitions of social networks told by these two articles both have accurate suggestions, but I have to admit that I agree more with Boyd and Ellison’s definition rather than that of Dr. Beer. They stated that these sites will allow them to see and compare statements made by other individuals about a particular topic. This description shows striking similarities to online communities, which also allow people to find common interests by talking about a similar topic. However, Dr. Beer states that members of social networks differ from those of online communities in that they usually talk solely about the topic and leave personal matters out of the chat. If that is truly the case, then I’ll take an online community over these strict topic chats any day.

            Although it is easy to think of online meetings as having no emotional value whatsoever, this is not always the case. There is a chance that a similar topic will start an online community, which mainly consists of people that get addicted to communicating with each other. The most important difference between these communities and random groups of people is that the people within the communities seem to actually care for each other. For example, in chapter 4 of this class’s textbook, people within these online communities have been known to give each other emotional support during relationship problems. Such was the case of “The Bronze”, a cyberspace community that formed multiple friendships until it shut down on July 10, 2001.

            It is easy for people to become members of these online communities, especially when all of the members share a common interest. After a while, the participants start to tell more about themselves until they form friendships with each other. This is why we should not always be so quick to judge real communities from fake ones, just as Mr. Rheingold stated in his BBC interview. While I have never been a member of an online community, I have seen examples of bloggers teaming up for a common interest, such as wanting to make sure a certain DLC that they would all enjoy gets into a videogame. Like Mr. Rheingold stated, these online communities offer a lot of business across otherwise difficult-to-cross borders. Online communities fit into our social lives by allowing us to communicate with potentially millions of people across the globe. In conclusion, I agree with what I think is Mr. Rheingold’s most noteworthy comment, that if we don’t learn to live together on the planet now, we’re never going to.

            Throughout the courses of many people’s lives, they possess identities that can be altered through life events and self-awareness. While it may be difficult for someone to change his or her identity in reality, it can be incredibly easy to forge one in online contexts. For example, it can be difficult for someone to hide their ethnicity or gender from the real world, but the digital world offers much more discretion and self-preservation for his or her true identity. Huffaker and Calvert mention that many physical constraints become flexible in the digital format, which proves that people should be very careful about whom they associate with online.

            CMC contexts can also show how people present and interpret race and gender. For instance, a report by Grasmuck, Martin, and Zhao explains how Ethno-Racial groups interpret themselves on cyber-space responses. They discovered that most Latinos like to post long messages, while most Indian and White individuals prefer to keep their responses shorter and made to the point. Despite the large amount of differences between races, even when they are online, this has made me think little on the differences that I more than likely have compared to my classmates. This is mainly because I prefer to judge people on their personalities rather than their race or gender. I know that makes me sound like a cheesy equality commercial, but it is true, nevertheless. One assumption that I have made from the readings is that gender and race can mean little if the user decides to create a false identity on the internet.

            Human identities, even ones that are formed online, are dominated by numerous key factors. According to Turkle’s notes, new images of multiplicity, heterogeneity, flexibility, and fragmentation often influence the way in which human identities are formed. This allows for anyone to be able to change their personalities and/or profiles online. According to Baym, this could result in an untrustworthy, or possibly even dangerous, person posing as a respectable person, all the while just waiting for someone to fall into their trap. While Turkle and Baym show differing aspects and results of changing identities online, they prove one similar point: online identity can easily be altered, whether for good, bad, or experimental purposes.

            While Turkle and Baym both make convincing points about online identity, it is difficult to accurately determine whether the blogger I am following is legitimate or a fraud. However, I can determine that Turkle’s studies reflect my understanding of online communications. Unlike role-playing games, such as Dungeons and Dragons, which are played by people you know are pretending to be someone else, online communication can not be proven as true or false that easily. By the time someone figures out the truth of someone’s identity outside of cyberspace, it could prove too late for any victims of the potential internet stalkers in today’s world. This is a horrifying reality that must be taken into consideration before offering your identity online for anyone to see.

            Based on the studies, new technologies such as texts, blogs, and the internet have had massive influences on the lives of most people. According to Hall and Baym’s findings, there were 5 billion mobile connections around the world. This allowed owners of new technology to talk with multiple people almost constantly. However, the spread of new technology had mixed effects on people who possessed such capabilities. On one hand, it allowed for them to communicate with families, friends, or any other people of interest anytime no matter where they were. On the other hand, it transfixed most people and eventually became a major part of their lives. Most people even admitted to not being able to go a day without some form of new technology, according to Hall and Baym’s notes.

            The overall message of these readings is that new technologies have become so important to some individuals, that they would be lucky to go a day without any texting or blogging to other people. One specific finding in Ling’s article troubled me. It stated that teens in today’s society spend much more time texting each other than talking face-to-face. The statement in Ling’s article supported my fears of the effect that technology today can and has had on certain people. It can have a tragic impression on young people, as well as their families. For example, I know a young girl at my mom’s workplace who utters movie quotes most of the time. She almost never says anything relating to the current moment. Due to this possible side effect and other negative possibilities of current methods of non-personal communications, I would have to say that I am not a networked individual. I rarely use technology for other purposes rather than letting my family know where I am.

            Based on the readings between Baron’s findings and Davison’s summaries, I believe that the same basic message is stressed. The style and language used on the internet resemble a deformed version of modern English. This may be an attempt to save time in blogs or chats between two or more individuals. While successful in saving time, it has had repercussions on English outside of the internet. For example, some people use text lingo even when speaking to each other face-to-face.

            Humor has a significant role in today’s world. According to Baron, humor can be used to hide or lower someone’s stress level. Some people use it whenever possible in order to possibly form new friendships or maintain long-lasting ones. For instance, as Baron stated, some one used their blog to describe the library as the “bowels of hell”. The common use of humor can help individuals to see what other people think about a certain place, person, or life event. However, as expressed in Davidson’s findings, those jokes can be very offensive towards other people, especially when profanity is used within those jokes. The possibility of people taking jokes the wrong way must be taken into consideration before posting something that can be seen by everyone with an account. Otherwise, disastrous results, such as friendships ending and lifelong hatreds beginning, could easily follow.