Carroll, Chapter 6 "Getting It Right"

Editing is Everything

When people joke that they didn't proofread their paper, I may laugh but I know that if they're anything like me, it's going to affect their grade. I am pretty meticulous when writing my first drafts, but since I am usually exhausted when I finish my papers I know that there are multiple mistakes hidden in there. The same goes for online writing, but times ten. Academic papers and newspaper columns are generally the same format and rarely have unique design details. However, everything online is about capturing the viewers eye with design, and thus it must be edited.

In terms of visual appearance, it must be clean and appealing in order to attract and keep viewers. When it comes to factual and grammatical accuracy, that may be even more important. Gaining credibility online is difficult enough, but having small mistakes almost instantly repeals this authority, almost permanently. Have you even encountered a grammatical mistake online? Did it completely discredit the source or were you more empathetic?

KISS

When I was in 5th grade, my teacher always used acronyms to help us remember things. One that I remember well was KISS-Keep It Simple Stupid. The meaning of this is obvious, and usually she was referring to math and writing, but Carroll advocates keeping multimedia presentations simple. Considering how short our attention span is becoming, this is completely accurate, especially when it comes to videos. Unless it is the most intriguing thing I've ever watched, videos that are more than 3 minutes can sometimes feel like a chore to watch, even if I'm only watching it as a distraction.

However, when I am watching TV, I can watch for hours (sadly not an exaggeration) without feeling bored. But videos online that last 1/10th the time of a regular TV episode, I fidget and wonder if I should end it early or tough it out so I don't feel like a quitter. Am I the only one who struggles to watch 3 minute videos online but loves half hour or full hour TV shows?

Rettberg, Chapters 2 & 3

Chapter 2

Overall, I found this chapter to be very interesting, especially the ideas about technological determinism and the modern public sphere. In this post, I’d like to elaborate on the idea of the public sphere.
In seventeenth and eighteenth century Britain there were coffeehouses where people would meet and were allowed the chance to discuss politics and other topics of the elite in a public, but safe atmosphere. Prior to coffeehouses, there were parlors where society’s elite and educated were invited to discuss similar topics. The idea that these group discussions were exclusive for a while before coffeehouses were invented is similar to how digital news sources were before the open forums began.

On television and the radio, only those who were invited to speak, due to either money, education, or experience, had the opportunity to share their thoughts. Now, with online forums and viewers texting or calling in, everyone has the opportunity to speak. While most are strong proponents for more conversation, some are against giving everyone equal ground, because not everyone is an expert on everything. However, this begs some questions: doesn’t more participation make a better democracy? Is it more beneficial to have only the educated speak, or for everyone to have a say? Quality over quantity?

Chapter 3

“What a small world!” This is something that I say often, although not surprisingly since I’m from the smallest state and I go to a small school. However, it appears that the world is shrinking smaller with the Internet, especially with blogs. The blogs I read daily are for entertainment or inspiration and they often link to other blogs, which leads me down a whole new trail of entertainment, and of course procrastination. I doubt that the bloggers personally know the authors of the other blogs, nor are they close via geographic location, and yet they are creating these ‘weak ties.’ The internet creates and foster thousands, if not millions of weak ties everyday. The way that I most often interact with people not inside my immediate circle of friends is mostly through Facebook. Sharing an article, liking a picture, or posting on someone’s wall is an easy way to initiate contact but doesn’t require much effort. Globalization through the Internet has certainly shrunk the world, but does it also foster more empty relationships? Are these relationships the same as weak ties, and thus beneficial or detrimental?