Tag: social media

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Opinions

Opinions: The curious case of texting and driving

A growing problem in the so-called ‘smart phone era’ is the presence of mobile devices in vehicles. Despite hands free technology, texting and driving is becoming exceedingly difficult to curb. Year after year, statistics keep growing as police give away tickets, with over 21,000 tickets given out in 2012 alone for using a cellphone while driving.

“Distracted driving has always been a major factor in collisions, but it’s been a result of electronic technology that has really brought it to the forefront,” Ontario Provincial Police, Sgt., Pierre Chamberland, told CBC.

The current penalty in Quebec is a ticket ranging from $115 to $154 and three demerit points,a penalty fairly similar to the one for speeding or burning a red light. However, considering the danger it poses, authorities are beginning to question whether or not the penalty should be more severe.

Every province has put laws into place against handheld devices in vehicles. The problem is more severe than ever, with collisions due to texting and driving going up by 17 per cent between 2006 and 2010, according to Statistics Canada. In Nova Scotia, it is officially the primary cause of death while manipulating a vehicle, surpassing driving under the influence.

The statistics clearly show that more needs to be done to address this major issue on our roads. Our society is becoming more demanding, and people’s stress levels are skyrocketing. When you combine people’s hectic lifestyles with the fact that technology allows us to conduct most of our business on our phones, it becomes evident that it won’t be an easy task.

“There are different ways you can be distracted, either visually, manually or cognitively,” Christine Yager, a researcher for Texas A&M University, told CBC on May 30. Yager conducted research to measure the dangers of texting and driving by having a group of people drive a closed course without cellphone use at first, and then with a series of texting exercises. The results were crystal clear.
“No matter which texting method was used on the cellphone, the response times were approximately two times slower than the no texting condition,” said Yager.

Stricter laws are in desperate need here, at least for a start. Take the state of New York as an example. If you are caught texting and driving in the Empire State, your license will automatically be revoked for a period of 60 days, and for a period of six months for repeat offenders. That’s taking the long claw of the law and using it to your advantage. Although it may seem harsh, perhaps even cruel, it’s a penalty severe enough to actually have positive effects on this problem.

Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, who signed the legislation into law, told WRVO Public Media that,“those two, three, four, five seconds that you look down to answer the text, that period of inattention is all the time in the world.”

The governor is right. To have the ability to drive is to have a responsibility for your safety and the safety of others. Ultimately, banning cellphones entirely may be the only valid solution to a problem that is this consistent.

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Opinions

Opinions: Batman versus the evil netizens

Graphic by Jennifer Kwan

The fickle nature of Hollywood makes it a dangerous playground. Those lucky enough to make it past the bullies and claim their spot on the swings of fame must deal with harsh criticism.

More often than not, these self-proclaimed critics overreact and are much too quick to judge. It seems that these days all it takes to be an expert is a Twitter account, a computer and a contract with a local Internet service provider.

When big casting decisions and announcements go down in Hollywood, everyone suddenly knows what works – and what doesn’t – in the business. They haven’t seen the script, they haven’t even seen a promotional trailer but they already dismiss the choice of actor.

It’s one thing to disagree with a casting choice and call it a day, it’s another thing to start a petition to get an actor fired. This is exactly what happened with Ben Affleck after it was announced last week that he would be taking on the role of Batman in the upcoming Man of Steel sequel, Batman vs. Superman.

The Internet exploded, and #BetterBatmanThanBenAffleck was trending in North America, with people saying that Kanye West and Kim Kardashian’s newborn, North West, would have been a better choice to play the masked vigilante.

A Change.org petition was started in order to unmask Affleck and it currently has almost 70,000 signatures. Someone even started a petition and wrote to the White House and the Obama Administration, asking them to make it illegal for the Oscar-winner to play the superhero. The petition was removed, probably because it was asinine.

The casting was a bit of a shock, however it is important to actually give the actor a chance. Affleck played Daredevil back in 2003. The movie as a whole was fairly horrendous, not just his acting. It takes a solid script as well. As Joss Whedon tweeted: “Affleck’ll crush it. He’s got the chops, he’s got the chin – just needs the material. Affleck & Cavill toe to toe — I’m in.”

Affleck has matured and garnered a lot of experience off camera (directing The Town and Argo). Also, those claiming the movie will bomb at the box office because of him are completely unreasonable. First off, it’s a blockbuster superhero movie; it’ll do well money-wise regardless. Also, Ben Affleck’s movies have always done well. In 16 years, the movies in which he has been the lead have made a combined $2.7 billion, according to an article published by Forbes, Aug. 24.

The same backlash occurred when Heath Ledger was cast as the Joker in 2008’s The Dark Knight. People took to the Internet to vent, saying that he was no Jack Nicholson. Ledger went on to give an outstanding performance, for which he garnered a posthumous Academy Award.

Movie executives are damned if they do and dammed if they don’t. Audiences often call for fresh and new ideas in film because they feel like movies are being regurgitated.

However, when these new ideas arrive, fanboys and fangirls come out in angry droves. It’s another way of proving that people are afraid of what they aren’t familiar with.

Social media is just a game of who screams the loudest, it’s a distorted reality of popular opinion. Their slogan should be “Make sure to keep your seething, irrational hate for something you haven’t seen yet under 140 characters.”

With the news of Breaking Bad’s Bryan Cranston being cast as Lex Luthor, fans have a lot to look forward to. People shouldn’t be too quick to judge. With an interesting cast, and a smart man like Affleck taking on one of the main roles, this project has a lot of potential. Don’t worry, Boston’s got this one.

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Student Life

Emphasizing face-to-face over Facebook

Press photo

Have you ever been emotionally distressed after scrolling, reading, liking or commenting on friends’ posts on Facebook? Do you obsessively check your Twitter timeline for updates, and find yourself unsatisfied and hungry for more?How about those reblogs on Tumblr? And those Instagram posts?

The OverNear application has been available for free in the Apple App Store, since July 30. Press photo

Don’t fret if your answer is yes to one, all, or any. According to entrepreneur and app developer, Bill Glaser, you’re not going crazy. There is an actual reason for this feeling – and it’s something we don’t even realize as we stare at our screens.
“The greater [our] use of it, the more likely that people are going to be lonely, and people are going to be depressed,” said Glaser, citing a combination of various news reports and the research of several German universities on the effects of social media.

Glaser explains that although the goal of social media is to connect people, it disconnects us because of the selective nature of our posts, which typically show off only our best side.Take Foursquare for example, you use your smartphone to “check-in” or register your location to show off to your friends. “It was a gamification of visiting a place, where the more you visit the area, there is an opportunity to earn points [for frequently checking in], and eventually becoming the Mayor of that place,” said Glaser.

“People only want to show their best moments online to their friends, and the result is a distorted view of the reality of their lives,” Glaser said. He believes this results in people questioning why their lives are not as amazing as their friends’ lives appear to be.

Since there is also an element of anonymity behind the screen, Glaser came to the conclusion that interacting on social media can sometimes be superficial. This status quo prompted him to rethink the idea of social interaction and that’s how his app OverNear was created.

He explains how it’s not just one more social network added to the heap, but rather a productivity tool to link people to a certain area. Think of it like a fusion of Facebook events without the RSVP, Foursquare without the gaming factor, and Twitter without the noisy newsfeed. You can register to the place you’re going, in real-time, to tell friends and family where you’ll be. As Glaser explains, “It’s kind of like a future check-in. You put a post on a place that you’re going. If your friends happen to come to that area…your friends will be notified.”

The application has been available for free in the Apple App Store, since July 30. It is still in beta development, so expect a few bugs. Glaser has not forgotten Android users and hopes to have a compatible version ready for download by early 2014.

A pun on the term “Over here, over there,” Glaser has high hopes for OverNear to become a successful tool for connecting people together. “I think we are at a forefront of a trend of spending less time behind the screen…Nothing replaces face-to-face interaction.”

 

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Opinions

Opinions: Generation SMAD

Graphic by Jennifer Kwan
The tweeting, liking and filtering of photos has created a new type of anxiety, one coined Social Media Anxiety (SMAD). Graphic by Jennifer Kwan

Aziz Ansari’s character on the popular NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation has a similar routine to mine and many of my acquaintances. “Everyday, I start by hitting up Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram.” Add email to that and he basically described my morning.

Social media has become a vital part of many lives. Thoughts, feelings, achievements and “selfies” are posted up online for all to see. Users crave the response they get from friends and followers. It’s like the modern day version of standing on a soapbox, flailing ones arms and screaming out “look at me, look at me!”

The tweeting, liking and filtering of photos has created a new type of anxiety, one coined Social Media Anxiety (SMAD).  Author Julie Spira, who wrote a book on netiquette, outlined the signs of SMAD in a Huffington Post article. They include: constant texting and checking of social media, even in social situations, turning into an anxious mess when people do not receive an immediate response to tweets, and having a smartphone surgically attached to ones hands.

There aren’t many figures, but according to the Telegraph, a study performed last year by Anxiety UK on 298 people at the University of Salford showed that “55 per cent of people felt “worried or uncomfortable” when they could not access their Facebook or email accounts.” A whopping 53 per cent said they saw a change in their behaviour, 51 per cent of them said it was a negative change.

Another common stress is the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO). People may experience this feeling when viewing photos on Facebook or Instagram. Users see what other people are experiencing, and feel like they are missing out on social events and interactions.

FOMO is actually something that is being studied. A research team from the University of Rochester, University of California-Los Angeles and University of Essex published their study in July 2013’s issue of Computers in Human Behavior, according to USA Today. The study showed that FOMO was highest in those who are under 30.

It may be funny for some to joke about it, or dismiss the psychological issue. However, with time this problem may become more prominent, especially with teens growing up in a world where social media is the norm.

It leaks into real life situations too, and could possibly hurt relationships with friends and family. A recent study from the United Kingdom, which polled and gathered the reaction of 508 participants, showed that people who post too many “selfies” and who are constantly updating their social media pages actually come off as less likeable, according to the Huffington Post.

Social media feeds into the natural human need to feel a sense of belonging. However, it is important to take a step back and realize something. People post what they want others to see. It’s a controlled reality. That doesn’t mean it has to control you. Computers and phones come with off buttons for a reason, right?

[polldaddy poll=7349294]

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Student Life

Connect to Concordia

Graphic by Jenny Kwan
For Concordia’s official social media initiatives you can head over here to find links for the social sites you use the most: www.concordia.ca/social.html. Graphic by Jenny Kwan

Connecting to Concordia is easier than you may think but with so many pages, websites and platforms, it’s hard to know where to start. Concordia has made a number of efforts in recent years to keep students connected through the web and social media. There are more ways than ever to easily access information about events, seminars, workshops, clubs and volunteer opportunities in and around the university.

Concordia journalism student Andy Fidel feels the web is one of the best ways for university groups to communicate with students.
“It’s so easy to just click ‘retweet’ or ‘share’ and it works,” she said. “Like at Queer Concordia, we made posters and advertised our events around both campuses but the best way to reach out was online. That’s why, this year, we will have a website.”
Fidel also notes that while Concordia’s official web and social media initiatives have been a great source of news for her, she has had less luck learning about events before they actually happen.
Here are some suggestions for how you can stay connected to the Concordia community online:
Concordia’s website concordia.ca[a] is really the first place you should start. Anything you need to know about the university can be found here. Most importantly, students should check myconcordia.ca on a regular basis. It’s here that you can access anything from your schedule, grades, student account balance to special messages and even locker rentals and renewals.
For Concordia’s official social media initiatives you can head over here to find links for the social sites you use the most: www.concordia.ca/social.html. Choose any of the social media options and you will find information on university news and special events such as orientation activities.
If you’re looking to get in touch with volunteer opportunities in and around Concordia, the Concordia LIVE Centre has a webpage (www.volunteer.concordia.ca/newsandevents) and Facebook page to keep you in the loop.
Some of the biggest student groups and faculty associations also have pages on Facebook such as the CSU, the Concordia Student Union; FASA, the Fine Arts Student Alliance; and ASFA, the Arts and Science Federation of Associations. Simply enter the name of the student group or association into the search bar. You can also find other clubs or student groups you may want to be involved in by searching them through Facebook. Queer Concordia, for example, is a great resource for Concordia’s LGBTQ community.
There are also some Concordia-related Facebook pages that are just for fun. Spotted At Concordia is inspired by Craigslist’s famous missed connections. It’s where students who spotted someone who piqued their interest on campus can leave anonymous messages.

Of course, Twitter can be a best friend for any student using a smartphone. If you follow @concordia, you’ll receive up-to-the-minute news on anything from sports tryouts, new research or special events for students.
For those who are hooked on Instagram, Concordia’s @concordiauniversity account will keep you on top of the people, spaces and events that make Concordia unique. It’s a great way to explore student life through pictures.

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Opinions

How Kony 2012 brought out the worst in social media

Sean Kershaw
Graphic by Sean Kershaw

To all the hashtag warriors out there who helped make Kony 2012 the most viral video in history: you’re sending the wrong message.

Not only did you share a video that was misleading and rife with inaccuracies, you also set a dangerous precedent. You made it alright for slacktivism, and clicktivism, to be acceptable. You missed the point of social media and its incredible potential.

Both of these philosophical concepts are derogatory for a reason. They describe Internet users who would rather perform a series of feel-good measures with no end result, rather than being truly proactive and making an effort to contribute to an important cause.

The prime example of slacktivism is the recent Kony 2012 campaign, lead by the NGO Invisible Children. Their goal was to raise awareness of Joseph Kony, the leader of a dwindling Ugandan guerrilla group. They were successful: their YouTube video has so far been watched more than 82 million times.

But how did they think they were making a difference by producing this video? Furthermore, how did they think you and I, with no military resources at our disposal, could in any way help their cause?

Osama bin Laden didn’t need the Internet to make his videos viral; he released them himself, and media outlets around the world broadcast them without hesitation. He was, by all accounts, one of the world’s most infamous people, right up until his death last year. He and Kony were both on the run, both protected by various bodyguards, and both backed by funds you and I don’t know about. Was bin Laden caught because of his notoriety, or because social media users raised awareness of the terrorist activities he was planning? Of course not.

So, Joseph Kony is a household name. Now what?

According to Invisible Children’s 30-minute collage of emotional YouTube clips, the only way you and I can affect Kony’s capture is by purchasing an “action kit”: wearing a bracelet and putting up posters on April 20. You could donate to IC, but that money would likely go towards producing another shiny video full of bells and whistles and you would actually be helping the corrupt Ugandan military, which IC publicly supports. Kony left Uganda several years ago, so what’s the point?

The key is using social media effectively. It’s shocking to see how seriously advanced our society’s attention deficit disorder is because just two months ago, we were given a perfect example of how to effectively use social media in order to bring about change: the protests against the SOPA and PIPA bills in the United States. Although I can recognize the irony here of a “lack of effort” (the Internet-wide blackout that helped shelve the bills happened because Internet users stopped going to influential websites), this was a real example of cause and effect by way of social media.

Can you imagine the effectiveness of the current protests against tuition strikes if their efforts were focused entirely online? “Hey Jean, what’s the deal, eh? I don’t want to pay higher tuition fees. #angry.” Thankfully, students have taken to the streets and just like traditional grassroots activism, it’s all about being proactive, which includes getting off your comfortable chair and marching the streets to create change.

We’re setting a bad example for future generations with Kony 2012. While social media can be used effectively for certain causes (the Arab Spring protests is another example), it’s important to realize that it cannot be used for others. Coordination was the key for the Arab Spring and anti-SOPA campaigns, but it did not exist with Kony; there isn’t really anything else you can do besides click and share a link. You can’t congregate in a public place and share your discontent for Kony (unless you and your friends are willing to fly to Africa and look for him yourself).

This was the first real instance in our history where slacktivism was truly showcased. We need to reverse this dangerous trend and make sure that we deal with the next cause differently. With video production costs decreasing at an alarming rate, we need to educate people to show them the real potential social media has, as opposed to encouraging slacktivism and the habit of Facebook status-changing.

This is a new event for our generation: we’ve been thrust into uncharted waters, an environment where the barriers of participation have been lowered, and it’s suddenly become very easy to feel like we’re taking part in something big that will create change. We need to figure out when to pick our battles, so to speak.

In 2010, the Red Cross managed to raise more than $5 million in two days, via text message, following the Haiti earthquake. That happened largely because of social media and that’s a cause we have to support.

The Red Cross donations went to Haiti ― the Kony video will remain in cyberspace forever, while the man himself remains free somewhere in central Africa.

But at least you have a shiny new bracelet, right?

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