Read the following article on wired.com and take a brief tour through your fb page (if you have one) and see how you're connected to random people (potentially famous) and how many connections you and your friends have in common.
http://www.wired.com/playbook/2012/04/samsung-olympic-genome/
(Make sure you read the link on "6 degrees of Kevin Bacon" so you understand the reference.)
For extra credit, download the app and see if you connect to an Olympian. Include it in your comment/ response.
How have social networks expanded the opportunity to connect with the old and the new? Does the overlap of social circles create conflict? Discuss.
This new app is really creative. It enlightens us about people that we may not even know about, but is still fun. Social networks expanded opportunities with both the old and new in more ways that we know. They help us to connect with family, old friends, people that are "Facebook famous" and even actors and actresses. It gives us an opportunity to "stalk them." At times, the conflicts can be seen due to the overlap of social circles, for example, you see twitter beef and so on. Then again, the social circles should not really have a problem with being on the same website. Everyone would still have to be cautious of what they post.
ReplyDeleteThis new app seems really interesting, but I didn't download it because then I would have Facebook Timeline. However, after reading this article it's interesting to see how close we actually are to celebrities through the internet. Our hobbies or interests connect us to famous athletes with similar interest. Also when you follow these athletes, rewards are given out. The social media in general has changed the way we live today. It seems we can obtain anyone's information through any electronic device. We are able to search anyone from all over the world, but sometimes privacy can be issue. There really shouldn't be an overlap of conflict between twitter, Facebook, etc. because a majority of the things people read are all on the same social media websites. However, the challenge is determining which social sites give the actual facts.
ReplyDeleteI downloaded the app and my connections were: Rebecca Murray (Paralympics),Funmilayo Jimoh (track), Damu Cherry (Track), Mechelle Lewis (track), Tyson Gay (track), Elana Meyers ( Bobsled).
ReplyDeleteThe new app allows people to connect with members of the Olympics that may be living in their own hometown. It's a great way to see what you have in common with one another. As stated in the article, "It reaches out to the athlete community of about 10,000 past and present Olympians and Paralympians who we have compiled in a database." This gives the members a chance to be discovered because some are well-known ,while others are not. With new technological advances, our social circles allow us to discover similarities with those in the Olympics and Paralympics. We can relate to them in some way or another. I don't think it creates conflict because we can check on them and as fans we can support them every step of the way.
After reading the beginning of Kiara's comment, I cannot download the app if it will switch me to Timeline. I am sorry. However, I really like the concept of this app. It's very true that everyone doesn't really care to know who each Olympian is unless they are from your hometown or did something really bad like Michael Phelps and his incident (see, I even had to Google his name because I forgot). I can't name one Olympian for you. So this app is really generous in allowing everyone to know more about each competitor so that when we watch the 2012 Olympics we can say "Hey! I read about that person!" and tell everyone how you are connected and be the coolest person at your Olympics party.
ReplyDeleteSocial networks have really expanded the opportunity to connect with old and new friends. A great example is my parents who befriended almost all their high school friends from the Philippines. My parents say how great it is to see how much they have grown and where they are now. An example for new friends is college "class of 2016" pages. I joined one and there you can talk to future classmates and see what they are majoring in and get to know each other before school starts.
However, sometimes the overlap of different social circles creates a conflict because everyone has their own opinion and view on a topic. Also, it creates a conflict when social networks overlap because everyone always complains saying "this isn't so and so, so don't so and so here."
This app sounds pretty cool. It allows for the less famous of Olympians to be connected with someone of similar interests, possibly building up a fan base. Similar to this app in the way that it connects people to random Olympians, social networking sites also connect people to random people. For example, Facebook recommends a person to add another just because they have a friend in common; this recommended person may be a complete stranger. Some people, however, still add this stranger in order to have more friends or possibly make a friend. At the same time, some of these recommended people are past classmates, friends, or even family. So while making new friends, a person can also find and reconnect with old friends. The overlap of networking may create conflict if the "facts: are not all the same. This will cause people to try and prove that what they say is right/true, and start network drama.
ReplyDeleteThis app sounded really intriguing, like a way for people to broaden their horizons. I think this is where the phrase "It's a small world" applies. People will connect through common interests and networks will be formed, and these networks will form a chain from past friends to new acquaintances. The Olympians/Paralympians will also gain more publicity and a larger fanbase; so essentially it's a win-win situation.
ReplyDeleteNetworking on a larger scale like this can also be problematic. People within a certain social circle might have different ideologies compared with another circle. This can be expected as everyone is entitled to their own opinion; but the measures a desperate person might take in order to prove their point could be potentially detrimental.
The article is very interesting and although I dont have Facebook I can understand how useful this app must be. I think the app is really cool because it allows you an average person to see what successful athlete you match up with and shows that even an athlete can have similar hobbies or interests as you. Facebook is also good for people to keep in touch, for example relatives that live in another country can see what your up to with the press of a button and that is really cool. However, it is not always good because it can ruin relationship or cause controversy over what people post on their status' but that's not just Facebook all social networking sites have pros and cons. Overall, it is really amazing to see how technology is advancing and hopefully there is more to come in the future.
ReplyDeleteI trieddownloading it, but I don't have Timeline. However, I must say that I believe that iti s a very interesting app. I think it is a very creative way to help people become more involved with knowing about their favorite olympian athletes. It allows one to learn more about the athletes by usng our technology for a positive reason.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately the Timeline is not for me, so I could not download this app. Though I think it'd be very awesome to see who I am connected to. I'm not very good at sports nor do I know anyone's name or what they do, to be honest, I probably wouldn't give it a second glance. I am though actually connected to an Olympian through my aunt, yet to sit down and see that someone from my own neighborhood is an Olympian would be amazing and their fanclub could circulate, but unfortunately, I do not believe it would last very long.
ReplyDeleteThis app sounds really interesting I would love to try it out one day, but not today because of the issue with Timeline. However, for an avid Olympics fan, it would be great to see who connects to which Olympian.
ReplyDeleteThrough social networking, many people are able to connect with old friends they haven't been able to see in awhile and sometimes, new friendships are able to form as well.
I couldn't download this app because I don't want to get the Timeline. For someone who is a fan of Olympics, it would be really cool for them to see what Olympic star they are connected to. Social Networks have allowed people to connect with friends that they may have lost contact with and allowed them to stay in contact. Facebook is a great example of a social network that does this. It allows people to connect with old friends and lets them make new friends as well.
ReplyDeleteThis app seems very interesting but as stated above on several other blog posts I also do not want Timeline on my Facebook. As for the Olympians, this app can be very beneficial because a lot of people don’t know about Olympians, but by introducing this app this can change. Social networking can show people that they can somehow be connected to a famous Olympian and that person may even live in their area. As for social networking in general, it can be helpful for getting to know new people and keeping in contact with old friends for example, now that we are graduating, we can still keep in contact through social networks.
ReplyDeleteI didn't download the app myself (mostly because I don't want to convert my Facebook page to Timeline just yet) but I do think it's quite an interesting application. It is a little creepy, however, being connected to people that I've never heard of.
ReplyDeleteI feel that Facebook allows people to notice how connected they really are with each other. Like, it shows you that no matter the distance, you will always know one person who's the cousin of the best friend of your sister's boyfriend and it's pretty creepy if you think about it. I was scrolling through my Facebook one day and realized that one of my friend's friend from Rockland County (Upstate New York) knew one of my friend's friend's friend from here in the Bronx. I had the only "I'm so creeped out at the moment face." It was crazy. But I think this does cause conflict becase it happens a lot here in The Bronx. You have all these all-girl and all-boy schools and all these friends - and even though you think you're the only person who knows that cute boy from Hallows, you find out that he knows 9474787347887 girls from your school and they all want him. It causes a lot of problem between girls. (I know from personal experience.)
ReplyDeleteOH and I did not download the app.
This app seems very cool for people who keep up with Olympians and the Olympic games. It seems very resourceful to see who you are connected to and it helps the Olympians build a good fan base. Facebook helps people keep up to date with what is going on in their friend’s lives and what’s going on in media. It is a new form of inquiring information through the internet. You no longer need to go to a store’s website in order to find out information you can simply like their Facebook fan page and get all of their recent updates.
ReplyDeleteThis app seems extremely useful, especially for people who like to stay connected. People involved in sports would find this interesting. This app gives people a chance to connect to Olympians and be in contact with celebrities. This app shows how close “regular” people are actually really close to celebrities. I personally would not download this app because I am not a fan of the new timeline on Facebook. People who are into sports and knowing more about sports should defiantly take up this opportunity.
ReplyDeleteSocial networks have greatly expanded the opportunity to connect the old with the new. Instead of having to look someone up in a phonebook or search for their address in your old address book, you can now simply type their name into a search bar and instantly reconnect with them. While this helps to reconnect old high school buddies or long-lost relatives with one another, it can also cause awkward overlap in one’s social circle. For example, there have been times when I’ve gone on Facebook and added someone I just met, only to find out that we had over 15 mutual friends. While this seems like a simple coincidence, things got awkward pretty fast once I found out that he was best friends with someone I used to be good friends with back in elementary school. For me, I like to keep my high school friends separate from my elementary school friends, and my work friends separate from the first two. When I find out that some of them know each other, or that a work colleague is friends with someone I dislike, it can get a little uncomfortable.
ReplyDeleteSocial networking also allows us to more easily connect with those we normally would never get the chance to, such as athletes, celebrities, and politicians, and gives us much more access into the lives of others. While Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook connect us quickly and easily to the people around us, it seems to also have the ability to draw together people who don’t really want to have anything in common with each other.