With technology changing everyday it is easy to see that there is no way for people to be up to date on new technology as quickly as it is created. The idea of the Digital Divide is that there is a gap between people that is caused by an inability for access to technology. This concept is widely accepted, but the idea that people may not be able to connect to the internet or even have a computer is something that in this day and age can affect a person’s quality of life. In an article written by Joseph Conn, the Digital Divide does just this. More and more these days, doctors and hospitals are keeping electronic health records or EHR. With patient records becoming easier to store and access, one can understand why there is a move in this direction. David Blumenthal, the national coordinator for health IT at HHS has stated that in some clinics dealing mainly with Hispanic and African American patients on Medicare there adoption rate of EHR is lower than other healthcare providers.
Thinking about growing up in a society where computers were always in my home, it is hard to grasp the fact that some people may have never used a computer. As a young child I can remember playing games like Mario Teaches Typing and using book and CD ROM activity books with my parents to learn reading. I can also remember getting dial up internet and having to ask my parents permission because we needed a password to log onto AOL. Thinking back to how much of a pain I thought it was to ask permission, I feel as if I was a bit spoiled now knowing that some children may never have the ability to log online to do homework or chat with friends.
Think about all the things people use computers with internet connections with today, or even cell phones with internet capability. Emailing, searching topics, finding maps and restaurant locations and even the simplest thing of connecting to other people. These simple acts that take us less than minutes to complete are not common or available to all people. I know that I have Goggled words, events and even historical figures and people in the news that I did not know about in offer to educate myself on the issues. Why shouldn’t everyone be able to educate themselves on things they do not know? Why shouldn’t someone in the plains of the Serengeti be able to talk to someone in the Australian grasslands about the rainy season or even animal activity? Knowing how the simplest use of the internet can help me in my everyday life I feel that people of all walks of life need to do their part to help close the Digital Divide. Donate a computer instead of just throwing them out. This not only helps to preserve the environment, but also helps someone to close their gap in the Digital Divide.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
Online Identity (COM 305)
Many factors determine a person’s identity. Sex, race, creed, gender and interests are some things that are involved with what shapes identity. What a person believes to be their identity (reflexive identity) can be different than what others view as their identity to be (ascribed identity). What someone looks like or acts like in public can often be very different than who they really are. This identity is hidden to some for fear of ridicule or persecution. When people feel as if they can’t be who they truly are in society, they often portray their reflexive identity online.
In a world of anonymity like the web some people feel it is easier to express their true feelings, beliefs and even genders on the web, rather these things with friends and family. Online identity is also something that people can use to be someone that they are not, nor have even been. We often hear stories in the news about grown men pretending to be teenage boys in order to meet underage high school girls. We also hear the stories of people that choose to meet a friend from Second Life or in a chat room that wind up being someone completely different than what was expected. This example is shown in the upcoming documentary by Henry Joost and Ariel Shulman “Catfish.”
SPOILER ALERT! The film debuted at last year’s Sundance Film Festival and documents a young man and the online social network friends he has made through his photography. It also shows just how far off a person’s online identity may be from their ascribed or even their reflexive identity. No matter how long you may talk to a person, or multiple people online you may never know if they are truly who they say they are. Knowing how easy it is to set up a Facebook, a Twitter or even how simple it was for me to set up this blog makes it easy to see how so many people steal others identities and make it their online identity. Within the past year Twitter began giving out “badges” to well known users to assure the authenticity of their identity. An article by Brad Stone of the New York Times entitled “Keeping a True Identity Becomes a Battle Online”, Stone discusses some ways in which social networking sites are working to prevent online identity fraud and how easily it can happen.
Another issue with online identity is what to do if someone has the same name as you? More often than not employers will Google a person or check a Facebook before that interviewee ever walks in for the interview. This is where they go to get their first impression. If you maintain a professional or noteworthy online identity there is nothing to worry about. If there are incriminating photos of you on a friend’s page or someone else with the same name is more active online in a negative light, you could be losing your chance at that job. The key in the maintenance of your online identity is to set up a blog or website that shows off you’re your work. You can also avoid unwanted tagging or posting of pictures that people paying your salary may find irresponsible. The moral of the story for online identity is you can be who you are or who you want people to think you are but you need to make sure that which ever you choose people will still judge by it.
In a world of anonymity like the web some people feel it is easier to express their true feelings, beliefs and even genders on the web, rather these things with friends and family. Online identity is also something that people can use to be someone that they are not, nor have even been. We often hear stories in the news about grown men pretending to be teenage boys in order to meet underage high school girls. We also hear the stories of people that choose to meet a friend from Second Life or in a chat room that wind up being someone completely different than what was expected. This example is shown in the upcoming documentary by Henry Joost and Ariel Shulman “Catfish.”
SPOILER ALERT! The film debuted at last year’s Sundance Film Festival and documents a young man and the online social network friends he has made through his photography. It also shows just how far off a person’s online identity may be from their ascribed or even their reflexive identity. No matter how long you may talk to a person, or multiple people online you may never know if they are truly who they say they are. Knowing how easy it is to set up a Facebook, a Twitter or even how simple it was for me to set up this blog makes it easy to see how so many people steal others identities and make it their online identity. Within the past year Twitter began giving out “badges” to well known users to assure the authenticity of their identity. An article by Brad Stone of the New York Times entitled “Keeping a True Identity Becomes a Battle Online”, Stone discusses some ways in which social networking sites are working to prevent online identity fraud and how easily it can happen.
Another issue with online identity is what to do if someone has the same name as you? More often than not employers will Google a person or check a Facebook before that interviewee ever walks in for the interview. This is where they go to get their first impression. If you maintain a professional or noteworthy online identity there is nothing to worry about. If there are incriminating photos of you on a friend’s page or someone else with the same name is more active online in a negative light, you could be losing your chance at that job. The key in the maintenance of your online identity is to set up a blog or website that shows off you’re your work. You can also avoid unwanted tagging or posting of pictures that people paying your salary may find irresponsible. The moral of the story for online identity is you can be who you are or who you want people to think you are but you need to make sure that which ever you choose people will still judge by it.
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