Exploratory Writing 3A
The video we have been given was interesting for sure. I wouldn’t say that it shared much that was necessarily new to me, but it did put a lot of things into a larger perspective that I wouldn’t have considered otherwise. I would also have to say that the concept of one mans digital trash is another larger companies opportunity for profit is not necessarily new. I fully understand the ethical issues that go along with a company taking advantage of information I may not have authorized, but I am forced to say... What did anyone expect?... I would expect that large tech companies would make use of the data available to them in the most advantageous way possible, and I would assume that such information wouldn’t simply be ignored. This doesn’t mean I agree with this practice, but I do think people should have an awareness that this does occur, and be considerate about their digital presence in anyway.
I must also say that the portion of the Pokémon GO was blown out of proportion in so many ways. Upon initial launch, I don’t think anyone under the age of 13 assumed the game was necessarily harmless from the standpoint of corporate desires/wants. I remember upon game launch that their had been a lot of controversy over the paid elements in the game from both a player and larger corporation standpoint. A lot of the stops she claims to be a hidden form of taking your money have always been touted as Sponsored, and no doubt had an impact for those companies that paid Niantic for the sponsored stops but I don’t think it was meant to be as pull the wool over your eyes as depicted in the video. I believe companies are smarter than that by this point, and know that its best to be up front about their sponsors regardless of the potential backlash it wont necessarily have a major effect on peoples overall perception of a given game//product. Perhaps I am a bit harsh because the lady speaking truly made Pokémon GO seem to have a truly dark alternative motive, or as she puts it the shadow. I think its more practical than this, and a global capitalist hunger has fueled the need for companies to seek various forms of becoming profitable in what is a world that demands monetary growth. I would say that a lot of her speaking was paranoia of the obvious. (In a childish sense I felt attacked, as a huge Pokémon fan I think she should try this shadow game.)
In the reading Tufkci Zeynep Is the Internet Good or Bad I found the approach taken by the author to refreshing and fascinating. I would say that the final paragraph left a lasting impression when the author stated Internet technology lets us peel away layers of divisions and distractions and interact with one another, human to human. I never really considered the internet to be such a raw form of human communication. Perhaps communication is the wrong word, but rather a form of information sharing platform meant to be a space that supports human interaction.
Although I will say that considering the larger political implications that the internet can have, and unfortunately has had, is no doubt a tad worrisome. In the sense that this kind of information sharing can be very dangerous for not only the individual but for larger bodies of people. I tend to avoid politics on the internet, and feel that it is hard to regulate in any manner. But I cant help but wonder how much politics on the internet should be regulated, or if it is even proper to do so in the first place.