Who’s Not On-line?

I agree with the predications made about Internet trends, people have re-shaped the Internet. It has been fascinating to learn about and is very interesting to watch how this cyber universe has influenced and re-shaped peoples social universe and beyond.

Personally, over the last few years I have become very dependent on the Internet. I use my lap top daily to do my banking, school work, communicate with friends, read the news, organize my life and so on.

Who’s Not Online states a number of different factors that determine why certain people choose not to or are unable to use a computer to access the web. Some reasons according to Pew (2000) correspond to race, gender, and socio- economic factors. I agree that there are a number of reasons some people are not on-line. The most common reasons that I hear from people who don’t use the computer as often as others include: skepticism about security and credit card fraud, predators, or other concerns about being too accessible. I remember the first time I checked out “Google Earth” and was amazed (maybe a bit horrified) that I could zoom my computer screen into the front door of my home!!

Are those who are not on-line out of the loop? This is a tricky question. I believe that people who want to be in the loop will find a way to do so. And I also agree with supporting public libraries and even encouraging people to get the assistance they may require in order to use this important tool. It is easy to be intimidated by unfamiliar territory and some tend to forget that the Internet is still foreign to certain people. Sometimes the Internet can be an overload of information and a bit distracting especially to someone who is not familiar with navigating his or her way around this cyber world.

I do believe that the computer is in a way like cell phones, I remember not having one but can’t imagine being without it now. I am sure that younger generations are writing for the public at a higher rate than ever before, whether it be on facebook or in an on-line classroom discussion and I believe it will be essential to teach them how to do so appropriately and supply them with the tools to keep them “in the loop”.

Aging in the Digital World

For most Americans, the internet represents a way to stay connected and informed in many aspects of life. Yet, as the PEW articles suggest, not everyone views the internet as a valuable tool. In some instances, the World Wide Web is seen as a dangerous and expensive resource that does more harm than good. I was not at all surprised to see that older generation- Americans were the least likely to engage in online activity. In fact, "[j]ust 13% of those over age 65 have Internet access, compared to 65% of those under age 30" (PEW, "Who's Not Online"). Although I knew there would be a substantial difference, I would not have predicted the number of internet users over 65 to be only 13%; I would've thought the number was slightly higher.

I understand why the differences lie most prominently between these two age groups though. Americans over 65 have lived most of their lives without the internet, so they've grown accustomed to certain daily practices that may be hard to change. We often forget that the internet really only became accessible to the general public in 1994, when Netscape release their "Mosaic browser [which] was made available for free on the company's website" (PEW, "Internet Status"). For a 65 year-old person, the internet has only been around since they were over 50; for a 22 year-old person like myself, the internet has been around since I was 5. The difference is staggering. Throughout my entire educational career, for instance, computers and the World Wide Web have been the most prominently used resources. I can't really imagine my life without consistent access to the internet, while elderly people don't really see the point in having access to the internet.

Overall, I don't think that people without internet access are completely "out of the loop" and incapable of staying informed. They have lived most of their lives in a world without the Web, and they will be perfectly fine without it. With other sources of information such as TVs, newspapers, magazines, radios, and face-to-face conversations with others (something that has severely deteriorated thanks to the internet's growing popularity), people will still remain informed even without access to the World Wide Web. In today's world, internet access isn't quite mandatory, but I believe that will change in the future. As shopping, bill paying, and even banking become predominantly online activities, it's only a matter of time before internet access becomes an absolute necessity.

Who's Not Online?

The internet plays a prominent role in lives of most people today. I think people are capable of being “well informed” without access to the internet because they have other forms of media or books to help inform them. However, the internet is definitely the most accessible tool for gaining information and people that are not online may not receive information as fast or as often as those people who access the internet on a daily basis. I believe that the internet should be considered a public right because technology is constantly evolving and sooner or later everyone will need to access the internet, and need to know how to navigate successfully; it isn’t right to deny people access to the internet when it is such a huge part of today’s society. Everyone should be able to participate on the internet by gaining information or voicing their opinions because that is what the public sphere is all about.

I agree with the reasoning from the, “Who’s Not Online,” article that suggests people are not online because “the internet is dangerous” and that “it’s too expensive.” The internet can definitely be a dangerous place if you’re not careful, or carelessly offer up information about yourself to others on the web; you never know who is out there, and the internet should be accessed with caution. The fact that people have to pay for internet access is definitely a turn off for people who can’t afford it, and will certainly add to the reason why people are not online. This also goes along with the notion that access to the internet should be a public right. The internet can definitely make life easier because of all that it has to offer, and I think eventually everyone will be using the internet. In a few years when technology is even more evolved than it is now the people who are not online may have no choice but to start using the internet. The internet is a prominent part of our lives now, but I think as time goes on it will continue to become more of a crucial factor in society.

WHO USES THE INTERNET?

The earlier assessment by the Pew Research Center is thrown into disarray by their latter findings. As stated in the latter article, the internet is changing every day. Where the net was thought to be too expensive, now it is easily accessed by those likely to be in the lower income tier (read minorities and the elderly) on their phones. Moreover, because the lower income youth may not have home computers and laptops they use their phones to blog, tweet, and shop or simply have fun and games on the internet. It's amazing to watch how much young people are so engrossed on their blackberries and iphones; not just making calls but doing some form of Public Writing. And the elderly, though they may have preferred to use paper text for their reading and go to a physical store to buy what they need, the deals offered online are simply irresistible. Amazon offers favorite books on a tablet, groceries may be delivered by Stop 'N Shop by pea-pod and some states do not even have taxes on online shopping. How can the elderly, who are on fixed incomes resist these savings?
With the 'Craigslist Killer' and hacking into credit card information some have said that the internet is too dangerous. However the very same stores that we use or the same services that we count on are offered online by the same companies or businesses. Why would one burn expensive gas to go to the bank and transfer money from one account to another when it can be done online? It is still the same bank! What is dangerous about dealing with Bank of America online if it's the same service offered in the banking halls? Besides, would a reputable bank do something to put their valued customers in danger? Even the 'dangerous' skeptics of the internet are unlikely to believe this.
The notion that  'they are not missing anything.' is ridiculous. Really? Has anybody gone to the airport recently to try and buy an air ticket to anywhere? They must be among the very few because everyone is using Expedia, Orbitz and the like for air tickets, and cheap vacations. Try going to airline offices or travel agency offices and you may end up paying twice as much as an online shopper. Not too many people would do this, especially during these economic times. If one finds the net too confusing, local libraries seem to have responded to this expected hurdle. The paper text lovers who usually frequent libraries will find someone there to take them through the confusion and bewilderment of the internet that in no time, they are likely to be hooked.
Some services like bill payment over the phone have a charge and yet if one does the bill payment online, there is no charge! So access to computers should be a right otherwise such services as bill payment would be having price discrimination.
Since some services are best offered online or only offered online, then there should be a way for local administration to ensure that all people have access to the internet through their local libraries and if they need assistance with using it, it should be readily availed. There is no way around this means of Public communication through Writing.

The Debt-reduction talks Screech to a Halt!

Vice President Joe Biden and a 'gang of six' Congressional leaders have been in intense talks for weeks to work out a way of how the country's debt can be reduced while maintaining good credit for the country. To us regular folks, they have been working out a way of maintaining good credit in comparison to the rest of the world.
However, today, the top Republican in the negotiations, Rep. Eric Cantor quit the talks. He did not agree that any debt reduction should include raising taxes, especially on corporations and high-income earners. In plain language, he did not agree that in order for the country to reduce its debt, we need to increase the amount of money that the government has, some of which comes from taxing corporations and higher-income individuals.
His argument is that if corporations and high-income individuals are taxed then they cannot create badly needed jobs.
The Democratic Congressional delegates were adamant though that taxes have to be increased in order to pay down the debt while maintaining the country's good credit.
The plot now thickens. The Republican top Senator, Mitch McConnell wants the President in on the fight. Rep. Cantor has bowed out and wants the the Congressional majority leader, John Boehner to take over.
So what next for America's Credit Card? Will it finally explode into smithereens or will our leaders come to a solution?
I, and many Americans are holding our breath.

In debt to the internet

In todays day and age, the internet plays a vital role in everyday life whether it is personal, educational, or work related. I know that for myself, I utilize the internet and its resources for my own personal use, for my education, and at work. In fact, I use and rely on the internet everyday for all three categories. However, it was not always this way and is a quite recent change. I first accessed the internet in the 6th grade where I used it for school and social reasons. Since then, it has transformed and become a vital part of my day to day life. With this being said, I still agree with 3 of the 4 data that say "the internet is dangerous," "it's too expensive," and "its confusing and hard to negotiate." However, I do not think it is fair to say that "they are [not] missing anything." The statistics listed in PEW Internet and American Life, Who's not online, are shocking yet understandable. Shocking because with my dependecy on the internet, I imagined that everyone had the same issue. I also thought more people would have access to this everyday tool I use. On the other hand, I understand that internet is expensive and not everyone can afford it. Regardless, there are many ways to use the internet without paying for it such as WiFi zones and public libraries. I agree that the internet is dangerous as well. Mainly, it is dangerous when not used appropriately. The fact that there are possibilities of danger when using the internet does not stop me from using it because I use it with caution. Many may say that it is confusing and hard and again, I agree that this statement is true, but only to a certain extent. It takes practice but with practice, various possibilities are available for the user. Finally, I disagree with the statement "they are not missing anything." Of course, society got by prior to the internet, however, there are a number of options and possibilities provided by the internet that were not as readily available before. Regardless of literacy, the internet offers different modalities such as audio, video, images, and much more. For example, news websites offer video as well as textual information. Many are also missing out on social networking which plays a huge role in todays society. In my opinion, these reasons are enough to consider a non internet user "out of the loop."

One may be considered "well informed" without having access to the internet, however, I would consider those who have access and actually utilize this access, "better informed." This brings up another issue, the issue of internet as a public right. Since many people, such as myself, depend on the internet, I believe access to the internet should be a public right. With increased and growing technology, simple internet connection should be available to all. I am no technological genius, but I imagine that internet can be offered at a more reasonable price. Public writing and the public sphere are important aspects in our democracy. Today, the internet is an important contributor to the two. If public writing is part of our democracy and it is mainly written and read on internet platforms, it only makes sense to provide internet access for all of those involved in our democracy.

It is possible that social consequences may occur in the coming decades as a result of the "digital divide." Taking into consideration the race and ethnicity statistics, it appears as though white people have more access. This provides more information and opportunities to this race and puts the blacks and hispanics at a disadvantage. Our countries goal is to be one nation and equal. This problem prevents our country to living up to its own goals, standards, and expectations. Internet access should not be dependent on race, ethnicity, or money.

Midterm [Peptalk] / Week 5 Access: Who's (Not) Online--Why?

Psyched: in a word, I am--excited. Look at all the great word that each and everyone of you has created, thus far! I am so very pleased with the blogs, with the activity that I see on Twitter, and of course, the work that you've completed and uploaded to the Sakai site! Great work.

Bonus: also, I am excited because I just realized that this is a Summer III course so we have until July 29 to complete work. This is wicked good because I was having some serious concerns about trying to assign five projects! It seemed a bit much to ask you all to complete the amount of work I had initial planned to finish by this Friday, but it seems we are quite lucky! [First time teaching a summer class, so I apologize if I've caused any of you confusion in this regard].

Readings: I'll upload some more readings by the end of the week, too, since we have a whole month (plus) to continue learning about writing in the public sphere!

Assignments: A New Assignment Description Sheet for Project(s) D, E, and F will be uploaded onto Sakai by Wednesday evening at 10 p.m.

Forum: Please note that I've created a new forum in Sakai. I'd like you all to please respond to it by Thursday at 10:00 p.m.

Access: For this week, by Friday 1 p.m., please respond to the following prompt:

Consult the two readings by the PEW Internet and American Life Project. In "Mainstreaming" the organization predict that the following trends will occur:

The internet is constantly reshaping people’s informational and social universes, but people are constantly reshaping the internet as well. One day someone gets the bright idea to start posting
family pictures online, and, voilà, a whole new application takes off. With much of the remaining third of unconnected Americans likely to get internet access in the coming years, and with highspeed
and mobile access increasingly the norm, how these trends accelerate and recombine should make internet watching a fascinating and important undertaking for years to come. (69)

To what extent do you think such a prediction works against the organizations' earlier (2000) research that concluded that significant groups of the U.S. citizenry was not online. Specifically, I am interested most in the data found in "Who's Not Online" that suggests those who are not online do so because of four reasons:

1. "The internet is... dangerous";
2. "They are [not] missing anything;
3.  It's "too expensive";
4. It's "confusing and hard...to negotiate". (3)

Moreover, PEW (2000) seemed to extend that some of those rationales corresponded to race, gender, and socio-economic factors and differences. In your experience, how would you agree with these types of assessments? And, more importantly if certain segments of the population fails to log on to what extent are these individuals "out of the loop" with regard to the types of public writing and social negotiation that occurs within these spaces? Do you think one can be well informed, today, without having access to the internet? Moreover, could we go so far to suggest that access to the internet should be considered, now, a public right? A necessity of becoming an active and informed citizen within the 21st Century. Still, if so, I'd like you to also consider, what types of literacy does such an decisions assume of citizens? Is it reasonable to expect all U.S. citizens to be "computer literate" and to what extent must they "have" literacy to be able to participate as full citizens in today's digital-physical world? Put most simply, if significant percentages of the population still have difficulty reading and writing (what some might call "basic" literacy) what types of access to democracy and citizenship do they have (or not)? What type of social consequences might we expect to see in the coming decades as a result of the "digital divide"?

Educate Women, End Poverty T-Shirt

This is the T-shirt graphic I made in GIMP to advocate for women's education. Lack of education and illiteracy are tied to many social and economic issues, but I chose to feature the word "poverty" because it encompasses most of the issues. Poverty is also easily identifiable to most people in some shape or form, yet it's also something people might not have immediately associated with educating women. My design is simple and incorporates a visual/symbolic element in the female sign (also the "e"). The clear lettering makes it easy to read, and the pink font color also helps to instantly convey the female theme. My t-shirt is simple and elegant enough that most women (or men) would feel comfortable wearing it because it gets the message "out there" without shoving it in people's faces.

In Chapter 3 of Shamoon, she talks about what to do during the "Initial Publicity" stage---step one is "Portray the Problem." This includes using "informal writing", creating "a vivid scene or a short narrative of the problem," and "highlighting (but not exaggerating) those aspects that are harmful" (Shamoon 91). I believe my t-shirt does all of these. First off, my language is certainly informal and to-the-point. Second, my use of the female symbol instantly creates a scene of femininity and begins to hint at the the message of the shirt. And lastly, the "end poverty" part highlights the negative aspects of the issue of female illiteracy.

Progress on paying down that awful 'Credit Card'

Yes, that's the man who is charged with finding a way to bring the opposing sides to an agreement on how much to cut 'credit card' spending. One side wants to cut the spending by 2.5 trillion dollars and the other by a lot less, in the billions.

But Joe Biden sent out a message that he is very optimistic that the final agreed on figure will be a trillion dollars. There we go! And we thought that politicians could never agree on anything. Maybe it's this veteran politician's magic touch!

Howl at the moon

My attempt with this image is to keep every thing simple. The message is simple in theory, be aware of your surroundings and actions to avoid issues.

Argumentative Rhetoric is an argument that is effective because the issue being discussed calls to the people involved on many levels. The issue that I am dealing with here is not huge. Its not something that you see everyday, but the issue is real and in a few years will probably have a broader impact on people daily lives.

I'm trying to take a simple argument here that comes down to the basic theory of stay aware and define stay aware in a few sentences. Because the message is simple I tried to keep the image and lettering simple. I was hoping that the combination of black and white would be stark enough to draw in the eye and make people want to read more. I think that I need create a larger catch phrase to attract the eye and interest. The other idea I was tossing around was to make the lettering red, the contrast of red and black being more shocking than white and black.

Preliminary tee-shirt Image

(image on tee-shirt coming later)
This is an image that reminds people to vote next year, 2012. It also addresses one of the key problems, or issues that is likely to excite people into voting, that is, jobs. The fact that the word 'Jobs' has a question mark at the end is a one-word way of summarizing the feelings of the unemployed part of the population

   Meredith Badger in Visual Blogs writes that in blogs that use images, the message is lean; it uses a minimum of words to get the message across to the reader. The message that is given is also public because it's put on the blogosphere but it is also private in that only the blogger knows exactly what they mean. In my image above, I seek to encourage all people who will look at my tee-shirt to vote in the 2010 elections if they are concerned about the current poor job situation. The hand-drawn nature of the image seeks to convey the message that this is a private message by one who dones the tee-shirt and is therefore not an official message from any government organization. The fact that the tick-mark in the box is blue-colored may convey the message that 'Vote Democrat' because while the Republican Party is usually associated with the color red, the Democratic Party is associated with blue. However, I do not seek to support either political party with my image; just the American Red, White and Blue.
  Badger also writes that there may be fear that an image on a visual blog may lose its originality if it's copied and used on other blogs for new intentions different from what the original blogger intended it for. This fear though, she goes on is ill-conceived because the URL for the original image is usually copied to new blogs. Furthermore, the same image can be used to tell different stories at different blogs. Adding or taking away an image in a series of a visual blog tells of different stories which all go to widen the scope of the blogosphere, and this is something that any real blogger wants; further widening the audience of the blogosphere. I am thereby not concerned that my image may be picked up by another blogger to use for their own purposes because it will always retain its link, and the simple originality with which it's given may make a reader curious enough about its source to investigate where it came from, rather that use it improperly.

Support Our Troops

I chose this design for my t-shirt, because I thought it was an effective way to remind the public what our troops fight for. The terrorist attack on September 11, 2001 will be etched into our minds forever; and for many members of our armed forces, it ultimately changed the path of their lives. Because of this, I chose this image in honor of those who were killed on September 11th, and remind people to support our troops as they continue to preserve our freedom and way of life.

When considering potential ideas for my custom tee-shirt, I kept going back to September 11th. When our country was attacked on 9/11 every American was affected in one way or another. I wasn't immediately sure how I wanted to design my tee-shirt, but then I thought of Elizabeth Daley's essay on the literacy of multimedia.

Although it dealt mostly with the cinema, Daley included a few great concepts regarding images. She wrote, "[l]ike text, multimedia can enable us to develop concepts and abstractions, comparisons and metaphors, while at the same time engaging our emotional and aesthetics sensibilities" (Daley 2). I thought that this excerpt described my design objective quite well. I wanted to engage the minds and hearts of the public through a pathetic appeal. Because of this, I chose to limit the amount of text on the tee-shirt and let the graphics speak for themselves.

Ultimately, I wanted this tee-shirt to convey my message to support our troops through the use of limited words and effective images. I chose the image of the twin towers site with the American flag behind it, because I knew it would not get lost in translation. As Daley pointed out, it's very easy for an audience to misinterpret the author's message, but there are some things that cannot be confused. Also, I wanted to make the shirt with two sides, because people are naturally curious when a line ends with an ellipsis (...). The public will be interested to see what comes next on the shirt, and I wanted to present the message in a simple yet powerful way. I let the images of the design do most of the "talking", and then included a few words to enhance the meaning.

"Immi-great-ion"

I decided to create a star sticker with the background of the american flag to symbolize our country. On the star, I changed the word Immigration to Immi-great-ion to imply that our country is based on immigration, hinting that it is "great." Without immigration, America would not exist. 

Constance Petersen’s article on Writing for a web Audience offers good advice for this project as well as how to capture and keep a reader’s attention through web writing. Although this article is specifically geared toward web writing, I found that many key idea’s were valid for this project too. The article explains that readers have a tendency to scan and skip instead of fully reading the writing and provides tips to create trust and cause the reader to actually read the material. Regarding this idea, Petersen states, “…grammatically correct web content is crucial to gaining the users trust.”

The article goes on to explain that visitors first scan for the headlines; therefore the headline should be meaningful. Another suggestion is to emphasize key concepts by using bold and/or colored text. Finally the writing should be simplified for understanding. As a result of these concepts, I decided to create a simple yet meaningful product to emphasize my theme, immigration. Instead of writing, which the reader would merely scan, I used the word immigration with a slight twist. The word acts more as a headline and leaves more to the reader’s imagination. This is where the twist comes into play. Instead of simply writing “Immigration,” I changed the word to “Immi-great-tion” to insinuate that immigration is positive.

Visual Design and Public Writing

I think if someone saw this t-shirt in a public place like the mall or any other shopping center they would see an illustration of the “real issues” like unemployment, healthcare, and gas prices that have been over shadowed by nonsense taking place in the public sector. I believe that this t-shirt speaks to the average American struggling in today’s economy who is hanging on to this hope that things will change.

            Like the cartoon displayed on page 73 of Shamoon’s chapter on argumentative writing, my t-shirt design too plays a role in the discussion of public writing. Accompanied by this discussion are the topics of political opinion, scrutiny and debate. Regardless of the type of of writing, as long as it is in the public’s eye someone will be willing to comment on it. Most people, especially those who live in America believe that they have an undeniable right to express themselves publicly on the “difficult and controversial issues that affect our society”. Many people will go to great lengths and utilize every public outlet possible to make sure their voice is heard.

            This ties into “argumentative writing” because more often than not, when persons are expressing themselves publicly in response to this writing, it is usually in an argumentative way. It has become common custom to challenge others and argue frequently on a variety of issues. Although not all problems are public and debated publicly issues still arise within the private sector, unfortunately many of these issues are not heard. Even though many public debates seem like they are never ending participants tirelessly respond to one another in order to prove a point. Overall, public argument can either become positive or negative according to the topic of discussion and its participants.

Stop Animal Cruelty

I chose this image because it really portrays the innocence and helplessness of animals, and also because I think it will appeal to people’s emotions once they realize it is about animal cruelty. The slogan I came up with for this visual argument was “kill us with kindness…not violence” because animals should only ever be treated with care and kindness; there is no need to be violent towards an animal. It just seemed like an interesting way for me to convey the message that animal cruelty needs to be abolished. I think this visual argument is straightforward enough that people will understand it, and hopefully agree with the message. It's simple, but definitely gets the point across.

The reading I looked at was the one by Constance Petersen, “Writing for a Web Audience.” I found this reading to be interesting, and it definitely related to the idea of visual arguments. When creating a visual argument you want it to not only make a statement, but to stand out to people and have it catch their eye. Our visual arguments are not exclusive to the web since they are intended for tee-shirts, but some of the rules for gaining a reader’s interest apply when creating a visual argument.

The article suggests that web visitors only scan through readings and look for the important information. Keeping things short and to the point will keep audiences interested, and will almost guarantee that they’ll read what you wrote. Since the visual arguments for this project are short and to the point that puts us at an advantage because there will be no “scanning” going on, and more people will see the message we are trying to convey. The article also talks about how important it is to emphasize key words by bolding them or putting them in color. This is useful for the visual argument because we want them to be eye catching; I bolded all of the words on my visual argument so they would “pop” more and emphasize their importance. Even though this article was based on web articles, I still found that some of the information can be applied to the creation of a visual argument.

Help the Environment

My visual argument was made for the cause I feel most passionate about which is helping the environment. I wanted my design to express the importance of making a change ourselves in order to heal our planet from the damage we have done to it already. People wonder what they can contribute to this and easy things such as recycling; saving trees and cutting down on electricity can make a big difference. I think people would see the message in my visual argument because the words pertain to the picture and the picture speaks clearly to the cause. By showing a pair of hands holding a budding plant, this represents how we can use our own hands to help the environment and make a difference. 

Wurman’s reading, “the business of understanding” explores the importance of understanding and the journey we must take to get there. What speaks to us? What is it that actually allows us to understand, empathize and comprehend a message? Wurman states “Understanding should be thought of as a continuum from data to wisdom.” In my design, what compels this continuum is the combination of an image and a picture. By having both, I believe this allows the brain to quicker reach the point of understanding and what the message is trying to say. In my case, the blue and green tones associate well with the environment and the focus is on the leaf and literally having the earth in our hands.

While the comprehension of data is vital to understanding, having information and knowledge are important as well. To have any prior knowledge pertaining to the visual argument would make it undoubtly faster to comprehend and to have information makes the whole argument stronger because this helps shape the meaning or message.  In my design, viewers reach the point of understanding by connecting the image of the hands holding a budding plant to healing the environment. In terms of information, by seeing the words ‘trees’ ‘recycle’ and ‘earth’, this provides us with enough information to assume that the message pertains to helping the environment.