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Isha's Second Site Analysis
There has been an information overload in our world of technology. David Shenk labels this information overload as “data smog (Bucy 159).” Almost every aspect of our society is cluttered with advertising and a means of presenting information to the public. The internet has been one of the vital sources for this data smog and as a result, advertisements and spam have crept into almost any website that we may potentially visit. “Data smog gets in the way; it crowds out quiet moments, and obstructs much needed contemplation…it stresses us out (Bucy 159).” Shenk describes this smog as an obstruction to the “silent moments in life. (Bucy 159)” We no longer feel the need to have moments of calmness or silence. It is our fault that everything has become filled with media. We crave it and we pay for it.
An example of the idea behind Shenk’s data smog can be represented with Myspace. When Myspace is accesed at the home page, there are numerous advertisements covering the page. Also, there is a feature meant to show what new members have joined Myspace recently. So, this feature is promoting the use of Myspace itself, a clear goal of “Tom,” the creator of Myspace. After one has signed into Myspace, an advertisement is flashed for a few moments, and the page eventually goes to your own profile home page. On this website, the features that allow for emails, friend requests, and comments, accentuate the data smog problem. For example, the overload of data through email was one of Schwartz’s points in regards to the extensive amount of spam that exists on the internet. Similarly, on Myspace, the email feature provides an outlet for people to fill yet another site with spam. This spam, along with the extra advertisements promoting Myspace, creates a rather thick “data smog.” Within the inbox, there are not just advertisements for different products or Myspace related activities, but there are also pornographic advertisements. I myself have checked my messages in my inbox and found close to 40 percent of its contents to be pornographic material. This spam creates a negative reaction in my mind in regards to Myspace. It literally takes away from my pleasure in visiting the website. “It stresses me out. (Bucy 159)”
But it is our society that is feeding the people to create spam and advertisements. We, as humans, feel the need to constantly be learning something new or receiving new information that will only leave us wanting more. This constant need or craving leads to a greater extension of the information provided to us by the media and by technology. Myspace itself is like a crude version of advertisement. When we sign up for Myspace, we are presenting the world with information about ourselves because we have a need to circulate more and more information. When we access other peoples’ Myspaces we are entertaining our craving for knowledge be visualizing the details and lives of complete strangers. This is like data smog in that it is an overload of information about relatively useless information. We do not necessarily need to analyze the lives of others or receive advertisements regarding porn. Shenk’s point that we are the cause of the so called data smog is validated as evidenced by our constant need to gain more information. And this information is basically anything out there, as long as there is more information being processed and taken in. Myspace is not the only website that portrays Shenk’s “data smog” idea. Nearly all websites have some sort of advertising feature that portrays an outlet for more information. Google has advertisements as links to the side of most web pages. Wikipedia and Yahoo have similar layouts for their web pages. Overall, the idea behind the data smog is generally common in the world of the internet, as well as in the world of technology and media. Myspace simply serves as a fair example of how data smog is truly affecting us and the web pages we visit.
An example of the idea behind Shenk’s data smog can be represented with Myspace. When Myspace is accesed at the home page, there are numerous advertisements covering the page. Also, there is a feature meant to show what new members have joined Myspace recently. So, this feature is promoting the use of Myspace itself, a clear goal of “Tom,” the creator of Myspace. After one has signed into Myspace, an advertisement is flashed for a few moments, and the page eventually goes to your own profile home page. On this website, the features that allow for emails, friend requests, and comments, accentuate the data smog problem. For example, the overload of data through email was one of Schwartz’s points in regards to the extensive amount of spam that exists on the internet. Similarly, on Myspace, the email feature provides an outlet for people to fill yet another site with spam. This spam, along with the extra advertisements promoting Myspace, creates a rather thick “data smog.” Within the inbox, there are not just advertisements for different products or Myspace related activities, but there are also pornographic advertisements. I myself have checked my messages in my inbox and found close to 40 percent of its contents to be pornographic material. This spam creates a negative reaction in my mind in regards to Myspace. It literally takes away from my pleasure in visiting the website. “It stresses me out. (Bucy 159)”
But it is our society that is feeding the people to create spam and advertisements. We, as humans, feel the need to constantly be learning something new or receiving new information that will only leave us wanting more. This constant need or craving leads to a greater extension of the information provided to us by the media and by technology. Myspace itself is like a crude version of advertisement. When we sign up for Myspace, we are presenting the world with information about ourselves because we have a need to circulate more and more information. When we access other peoples’ Myspaces we are entertaining our craving for knowledge be visualizing the details and lives of complete strangers. This is like data smog in that it is an overload of information about relatively useless information. We do not necessarily need to analyze the lives of others or receive advertisements regarding porn. Shenk’s point that we are the cause of the so called data smog is validated as evidenced by our constant need to gain more information. And this information is basically anything out there, as long as there is more information being processed and taken in. Myspace is not the only website that portrays Shenk’s “data smog” idea. Nearly all websites have some sort of advertising feature that portrays an outlet for more information. Google has advertisements as links to the side of most web pages. Wikipedia and Yahoo have similar layouts for their web pages. Overall, the idea behind the data smog is generally common in the world of the internet, as well as in the world of technology and media. Myspace simply serves as a fair example of how data smog is truly affecting us and the web pages we visit.
ijoshi |
Latest page update: made by ijoshi
, Feb 15 2007, 11:58 AM EST
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| Started By | Thread Subject | Replies | Last Post | ||
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| ebulliencelost | Overwhelming | 0 | Feb 15 2007, 4:36 PM EST by ebulliencelost | ||
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Thread started: Feb 15 2007, 4:36 PM EST
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Most defintely the amount of advertising and "data smog" found throughout the net is burdening. It's so strange that we have subjected ourselves to this, and are continuing to at this moment. This site has advertisements...in addition we are actively putting more and more information out there about ourselves even with our contribution to this website. I understand that this is a learning experience for us, but I wonder if others not in the class (or future new media classes) will find this information useful...that is if they ever stumble upon it! Websites like myspace and facebook are inhabbited by us. Advertisers wouldn't be interested if there wasn't a market. So is there anything left in this world that is truly free??? What have we done to ourselves! OR rather, what do we need psychologically satisfied?
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