“Seeing Ourselves Through Technology” Ch. 1 Notes

Summary: This article talks about how technology can tell us who we are. We learn a lot of yourselves and each other by taking selfies, writing blogs, talking to each other off Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, Tumblr. Social media tells us a lot on how someone is and what type of person they may be. One tweet on twitter can give someone an idea if you are depressed or if you are very happy or what you are feeling. The article talks about a pregnancy and the women didn’t post anything about it on social media no pictures or posts of it. People though found out about it because of things she may have researched on the internet which are tracked by marketing data. She also may of direct messaged people which is all private for no one to see but marketing data can find all that personal information that people think are “kept private”.

Commentary: The author says “Facebook and other web services track us, and we actually know quite a lot more about how we are being watched.” I very strongly agree with that. I think that technology has gone way to far with personal information. Snapchat now has sometimes called “Snap Maps” where you re able to see where all your friends, if they are driving, boating, sleeping, listening to music. You are able to turn yourself on “Ghost mode” where nobody is allowed to see where you are but I think that even knowing where someone is all the time is creepy to me and social media has gone really far with that. I feel that people need to be more private and some things are not worth anyone knowing. The agree with a lot of what the article is saying because technology can show who someone is but also it can go against someone. You could be the happiest person ever and post a selfie on Instagram and someone might hate on your selfie and that can make someone turn into someone who they are not. They may become depression or just wanna become someone who they are not because of technology.

Main Ideas: One main idea I think is that social media has gone to far with person information. Facebook asks for where you work, when your birthday is, where you are from etc. I feel there is so much they are asking for and it’s hard to have social media without them knowing all those things and sometimes I hear about all the crime that goes on it scars me knowing that someone might know where I am and what. Just need to be smart with the things you say and post.