Monday, November 9, 2015
TWIF Flattener #9 - In-Forming
Use one of the current events sources linked at http://svhs-hwc-spring-2016.blogspot.com/2015/11/approved-sources-for-twif-current.html to find a recent news article that relates to, supports, or refutes Friedman's assertion that in-forming was a "flattener." Your comment should include the title of the news article, a link to the article, and a summary of the article including an explanation of how the article relates to this point. Don't forget to check your rubric for evaluation criteria!
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Title: Google Shortcuts for Quick Searches
ReplyDeleteLink: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/23/technology/23askk.html?_r=0
Summary: This article has a variety of internet shortcuts that would make the lives of people today much easier. Included in this article is a section that provides shortcuts that users can use on Google. The reason why this relates to The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman would be because Friedman writes multiple times that Google wants “to make easily available all the world’s knowledge” and this article supports exactly that by giving the readers some shortcuts that Google made for its users. Friedman explains to his reader that Google’s goal is to make everything in the world accessible at the fingertips of everyone, and goes on to say that in-forming is a cause to this because it allows people everywhere to upload data onto Google and inform everyone about it. This article reinforces Friedman because it gives examples as to how Google is innovating its search efficiency which supports Friedman’s claim that “Google hopes...everyone everywhere will be able to carry around access to the world’s knowledge in their pockets”
Article title: YouTube says T-Mobile is downgrading videos. Does that violate net neutrality?
ReplyDeleteLink: http://www.csmonitor.com/Technology/2015/1223/YouTube-says-T-Mobile-is-downgrading-videos.-Does-that-violate-net-neutrality-video
This article covers the dispute between YouTube and T-Mobile over T-Mobile's new Binge On program. It advertises some video streaming companies by offering customers the option of watching videos from these companies at lower quality without using their monthly data. The problem here lies within the fact that T-Mobile has been reducing the video quality from all companies, even ones not involved in the Binge On program. In addition, this program is enabled for all customers, regardless of whether or not they know about it. I believe that these violations of the Net Neutrality act refute Thomas Friedman's argument about in-forming. Although Freidman speaks specifically about Google, I believe that this issue concerning video streaming adequately disproves the idea that all information is available to everyone at the same capacity because of the obvious disparity in content. Thomas Friedman stated that the Internet is a "total equalizer" because it provides "universal access" to all information. However, this could not possibly be true if companies are slowing data and reducing video quality for those who have not signed up for this program. All in all, Thomas Friedman expressed how there were no boundaries associated with informing, but clearly the difference in data quality for those not using this program contradicts this statement.
Title: Britain's Battle Against Online Porn
ReplyDeleteAuthor: Monitor's Editorial Board
Source: Christian Science Monitor
Link: http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/the-monitors-view/2013/1007/Britain-s-battle-against-online-porn
Summary: The article discusses Britain's campaign to cut back and censor the amount of pornographic content young people are exposed too and regularly consume. This campaign began to gain ground when survey results were release that average age of initial consumption was around age eleven and that 4 out of 5 16 year olds consumed hardcore illicit content regularly. Proponents of the ban crusade on the fact that the high number of young people consuming the adult content has very damaging effects on relationships among young people as well as increased STI and STD rates among active teens. They plan on blocking the content via means of limiting access of the sites through search engines as well as more score age monitoring and the requirement of a credit card to access the sites. Some people against the ban claim that blocking the content will result in the censoring of free speech and that government sponsored campaigns to block the content is in violation of citizens rights.
Explanation: In the book Friedman clearly believes that unlimited access to the web is beneficial to people's learning and their expansion of beliefs, culture and general knowledge. While this is true, this doesn't make the fact that you can access ANYTHING at anytime any less of a danger to our young people who may or may not be mature enough to appropriately react to and adjust to content that is undoubtedly not suitable or intended for their eyes and ears. The studies of the British Anti-pornography groups clearly refute and indicate that the claim that the Internet should be uncensored and unlimited in access to all-people a perversion of what free-speech was truly intended to be.
Title: “Tech’s ‘Frightful 5’ Will Dominate Digital Life for Foreseeable Future”
ReplyDeleteLink: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/21/technology/techs-frightful-5-will-dominate-digital-life-for-foreseeable-future.html?ref=technology&_r=0
Summary/Explanation:
This article essentially discusses the competition between six powerful companies in the technology business (Google, Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Alphabet and Microsoft). The main point is that none of these companies are necessarily “losing” as they have dominated the industry. These platforms are constantly upgrading and striving to be number one. With this competitive factor, each company does everything it can to improve the user’s experience and make it an easier program to use. The article sums it up perfectly by saying, “These platforms are inescapable; you may opt out of one or two of them, but together, they form a gilded mesh blanketing the entire economy.”
This article relates to the book as Friendman frequently talks about how companies in the technology industry, such as those discussed in the article, are taking over. “The World is Flat” also mentions how businesses are facilitating their services to grab a wider audience. Although the book primarily focuses on search engines such as Google, these traits can be applied to a plethora of other major companies.
Title: They Loved Your G.P.A. Then They Saw Your Tweets.
ReplyDeleteAuthor: Natasha Singer
Source: The New York Times
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/10/business/they-loved-your-gpa-then-they-saw-your-tweets.html
Summary:
The article explains how college application boards around the country are looking at applicants’ social media accounts to scan for any undesirable aspects of the applicants that might have not been apparent before. The article discusses how some colleges do not notify applicants when they view their online profiles, thus leading to colleges often collecting false information. Furthermore, the article describes high school juniors and seniors that are “cleansing” their social media accounts in order to make them appear more desirable to universities. Lastly, the article briefly mentions how, in business, almost all employers view the online reputation of their applicants.
The article supports Friedman’s point that in-forming can be frightening. The article shows how college application boards find private information on applicants that previously never would have been able to be discovered without the recent rise of search engines and in-forming. I found the article incredibly important due to the fact that shortly I will be applying for college. In essence, the article reinforced Friedman’s point that the Internet can be used to break down personal barriers and warned me about this new aspect of the college admission process.
Very important! Hopefully, this will become more widely known amongst teenagers.
DeleteTitle: Mumbai travelers log on as Google starts train station Wi-Fi
ReplyDeleteAuthor: Associated Press
Link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/mumbai-travelers-log-on-as-google-starts-train-station-wifi/2016/01/22/32c3f87e-c0ef-11e5-98c8-7fab78677d51_story.html
Summary/Explanation: Google, the most popular search engine in the world, is providing wifi to train stations all over Mumbai and the rest of India. Google stated that they want the average amount of people who use the internet in India to go up. They noted that less than one-third of India’s internet use is by females, and they want to diversify the kind of users who use the internet there, putting the Indian people on a level playing field with everyone else with internet access in the world. Diversification is not the only reason they are providing free wifi. Google, as well as many other large U.S. companies, want to be more involved in the Indian market. While Google is helping people in India, they are also advertising so they can benefit as well. This article expands on Friedman’s explanation of in-forming. Friedman talked about how the expanding amount of people getting internet access leveled the playing field of finding information, therefore flattening the world. This article expanded upon that by adding the aspect of advertising while allowing people to be on a leveled playing field. To conclude, the article expanded upon Friedman’s points about In-forming.
Title: “Censorship fears persist as YouTube returns to Pakistan”
ReplyDeleteAuthor: Faras Ghani and Hameedullah Kahn
Link http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/01/youtube-pakistan-160119071439119.html
Source: Aljazeera
Summary:
This article is about how after three years Pakistan has removed a ban on YouTube. Pakistan banned YouTube in September 2012 after an anti-Islam move, “Innocence of Muslims,” was uploaded to the site, which sparked protests across the country. The ban has been removed, but they are now making it so that content can be blocked or removed. It took a lot of effort on Pakistan’s part but after much work Google allowed content to be blocked or removed, but only after Google reviewed it. Although, this is not the only record of this occurring in Pakistan, in the past it has also blocked thousands of other web pages that it deemed undesirable, in the past few years. It is believed that they did this in order to muzzle the liberal or critical voices about their government. This connects to Friedman’s ninth flattener of informing, through the fact that it is about a facet of Google, YouTube, that is used to spread information. Although, in this case that spread of information was found undesirable by Pakistan’s government because it could have led to a possible revolution or riots. Thus, Friedman’s flattener of informing is accurate, but it can be stifled by the ones who have control. Therefore, the world has become more flat thanks to the influx in information processers such as Google, this increase in information and global sharing can change the world, and countries that do not find this suitable to their regime, cut off this information.
Title: Censorship fears persist as YouTube returns to Pakistan
ReplyDeleteLink: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/01/youtube-pakistan-160119071439119.html
Summary:
Pakistan has recently removed a 3-year-ban on the web site Youtube. This site is primarily used for entertainment, marketing and information through online videos. “Pakistan banned access to YouTube in September 2012 after the anti-Islam film "Innocence of Muslims" was uploaded to the site, sparking violent protests across major cities in the country”. Now that the ban has been lifted, Youtube in Pakistan hasn’t been the same since. Many restrictions have been applied to the site in order to stop another uprising. This is similar to TWIF Flattener In-Forming because of the way Youtube is an information site and the fact that Pakistan has put restrictions on the site to shelter its people from having another uprising conflict, as they did in 2012.
Title: Google Alters Search to Handle More Complex Queries
ReplyDeleteAuthor: Claire Cain Miller
Source: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/26/google-changes-search-to-handle-more-complex-queries/
Summary: This article is about Google is trying to improve the way searches are done and try to handle more complex searches too. Google changed its algorithm in order to handle the complex searches people are doing today. They have been making smaller changes to search experience before changing it for the better. It can now understand conversational language and handle longer questions being searched. They are trying to change the results of the search that show and making minor changes to be more user friendly when using a phone. This relates to Friedman's views in many ways. Friedman states that Google is one of the biggest in-forming companies today and which this article agrees with. He also discusses how in-forming involves searching on the Internet, and in this article it shows now it is even easier to search for things on the Internet and become more informed on today's events. The article also states that Google is changing as time goes on, which correlates to Friedman's view on how technology changes everyday.
Title: Google unveils 'smarter search'
ReplyDeleteLink: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8047076.stm
Summary: Google has been creating new products that are meant to improve their search engine. A new feature that has been added to the search is called the rich snippet. In an effort to make the entire internet more intelligent, the rich snippet was added to show more information on every search result. Another product, this time experimental, is known as Google Squared. This soon to be released function can transfer web information into an organized spreadsheet in a very timely manner. More new additions to the search engine are the new refine, filter and view search options. These new features allow users to pick and choose the content they desire from their searches. This article relates to Friedman's ninth flattener because they allow people to locate new information faster. The new improvements to Google's search engine help organize the amount of information on the web and make it easier for people to find what they are looking for.
Title: Mumbai travelers log on as Google starts train station Wi-Fi
ReplyDeleteLink: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/mumbai-travelers-log-on-as-google-starts-train-station-wifi/2016/01/22/32c3f87e-c0ef-11e5-98c8-7fab78677d51_story.html
This article discuss how Google is now providing train stations in Mumbai with free Wi-Fi for people in the train station to use. This is very uncommon in India and now different companies are trying to expand in the Indian market. Google is making an effort to provide the 23 million people that ride Indian railways everyday with free high speed internet which they would not be able to find in other places. Google wants to allow more people to use the internet and they are achieving this by providing free internet in public areas like train stations in Mumbai. The internet service currently in place in India are usually very slow and requires a person to pay for personal access. This article relates to Friedman’s argument of in-forming because Google and some other large companies like Microsoft and Facebook are expanding the amount of people that can gain access to information. This is flattening the world and making the playing field more level for everyone.
Title: Google 'paid Apple $1bn in 2014 to keep search on iPhone'
ReplyDeleteLink: http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-35380696
Summary:
This article describes the 2014 deal between Google and Apple that has just recently been uncovered. It states that Google paid Apple $1 billion just so Apple would continue using Google as the default search engine for the iOS devices. Google also agreed to pay Apple a percentage of the money gained from searches performed on iOS devices. Analyst firms like Morgan Stanley agree that being the browser of choice on mobile devices is very lucrative, as people like the ability to conveniently search for information. Details about Google's management of its services also emerged, and apparently Google has cleaned up the bad advertisements and faulty web sites on its search engine.
This ties in to Friedman's view that in-forming is a major flattener. It is key because the world's knowledge is now available to anyone with an internet-connected device, thanks to search engines such as Google. In-forming allows people to learn and be entertained, and it empowers them and enables them to form global communities by just searching for friends, allies, and collaborators. This is why Google paid such a price to Apple: being the default search engine is worth it, as everyone loves to Google.
Title: The Chatter of Message Apps
ReplyDeleteLink: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/24/technology/farhad-and-mikes-week-in-tech-the-chatter-on-messaging-apps.html?ref=technology&_r=0
Summary: The article was intriguing in the sense that it combined a lot of what Friedman talks about. It described a conversation of an Indian, and a New Yorker, about tech developments happening all over the world through WhatsApp. This is very interesting because of the informing part of an entirely global application that affects users worldwide. Friedman talks about informing, and the access people now have to each other, 24/7. Here, you have an American and Indian all the way across the globe, regardless of time zones, trading back information about what is happening there, here, and anywhere. This is the informing Friedman is talking about.
Title:As Paris Terror Attacks Unfolded, Social Media Tools Offered Help in Crisis
ReplyDeleteLink:http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/15/technology/as-paris-terror-attacks-unfolded-social-media-tools-offered-help-in-crisis.html?_r=0
Summary: This article informs the reader about how social media helped insure the safety of people in Paris. Facebook has a tool called Safety Check, this allows people in the area of a crisis to mark themselves as safe. People relied on the tool to make sure their loved ones were safe. Twitter also highlighted the top tweets about the attacks to make sure it was known of what was occurring. Friedman says, “There is no bigger flattener than the idea of making all the world’s knowledge, or even just a big chunk of it, available to anyone and everyone, anytime, anywhere.” This applies to modern day social media making sure everyone has access to the news.
Title: What Data Can Do to Fight Poverty
ReplyDeleteLink: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/31/opinion/sunday/what-data-can-do-to-fight-poverty.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-left-region®ion=opinion-c-col-left-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region&_r=0
Summary: This article describes tests being run in poor countries to see the best possible outcome of cash for kids. Tests were run in Uganda and Zambia to test how children would spend money if it was given to them in different forms. Then, it discusses parents looking for jobs across the world. When doing both experiments, they relied on computers. They found that internet data had opened up their eyes and educated them on each person's specific background, such as their breast feeding, vaccination and nutrition patterns. The internet told them more about the people being tested, so they can conclude information based on people's backgrounds and understand the results better. This is similar to flattener #9, in-forming. Google, a popular company, is famous for in-forming. Their goal is to have any piece of information available to anyone at any given time. The workers of google helped the individuals testing the experiment. The scientists who looked up the information used in-forming, a technique where it collaborates with google without even moving. This article is an example of flattener #9 because it shows how heavily people rely on the internet, and how companies such as google are helping ease the investigation process in situations like these.