Protect our children

I remember when I was a kid and my parents were very strict about letting me use the internet.  If I did ever get to use it, it was for school work or to play on Disneychannel.com.  I was often told that if I ever got a MySpace account my parents would want my username and password so they could check up on me.  So obviously I just never told them I had one and would only use it if I was at a friend’s house or if I knew my parents weren't looking over my shoulder.  It was a huge thing back then to inform your children about the dangers that were online.  There were often commercials about being safe and asking a parent to use the internet, and I vividly remember my parents preaching to me about not talking to people I didn't know online.  

Today, I feel like the internet is such a giant part of our lives that we forget to teach our children how to practice safety on the internet. Kids are getting cell phones at super young ages now a day and they are often learning to use the computer as early as the age six.  I feel that parents these days do not stress as much how dangerous the internet can be sometimes.  There are chat rooms, cat fishers, creepy old men that pose as thirteen year old girls and our kids just fall into these traps.  Kids these days also seem to be not fully aware that what you put on the internet is much more permanent than what we say and do in real life.  If you write something on Facebook, it can be on the internet for years to come, even if you erase it, and I am concerned that these kids don't think that way.  They are careless and think that they are invincible.  They also are not worried about their futures at the time they post something.  They aren't thinking about what an employer would say if they post a picture at a party, all they are thinking about at the moment is who is going to "like" the picture.  

On safekids.com there are a bunch of links that can teach kids about how to use the internet safely.  There are also links for parents about what to look out for if their child is taking place in some risky activity online.  There is also a link to help kids deal with cyber bullying and even try to prevent it, considering cyber bullying is starting to happen a lot more these days.  I think that we need to keep a closer eye on the younger children that are using the internet and teach them that the internet isn't all fun and games and that there can be some serious consequences for some of their actions.  

Maryland efforts fro reducing cyber-bullying

Today I found an article post on Oct. 3, 2013 in The Baltimore Sun newspaper website. The article talked about the partnership between Maryland schools and Facebook in reduction of cyber-bullying among the states students. Facebook has given Maryland schools a channel, called the Educator Escalation Channel. Though this channel school districts in Maryland are granted access to monitor their students Facebook accounts, and allow them to report any form of cyber-bullying to Facebook. Also, stated in the article Facebook has also agreed to educate Maryland school systems about cyber-bully and how it can be reduced.

Part of me believes that is awesome that Maryland school systems and Facebook become partners for the hopes to reduce cyber-bullying in among Maryland students. However, I believe this a complete breach in the students privacy and 1st amendment rights. Which we learned from class and from common knowledge that the first amendment gives United States citizens the right to free speech and to express there own opinion. Also, I believe that the personnel of each school district that are in charge of monitoring the students Facebook accounts through this channel should be educated on when free speech cross over to be cyber-bullying. My fear is that if they are not educated, I believe that the person who is in charge of monitoring would report any mean comment they find on Facebook and violate the student right to free speech. Which we learned in an article in lab, this violation of the first amendment could result in a law suit.

This brings up the issue of boundary of structure. One of the main issues is knowing who has ownership, knowing who has the right and responsibility to control information of the posts. Since, school districts have access to their students profiles and have the right to report any wrong doing to Facebook, my question is who is responsible for the post if it results in suicide? The student for posting it? Or the school district for not properly report it? Or.... is Facebook at fault? For example, someone from the school district could report the post to Facebook, but Facebook may not have removed the threatening post in a timely manner to prevent harm to the victim the post was directed at.

I believe that the Educator Escalation channel give to Maryland school systems from Facebook provides me with more questions than answers. I believe that it is going in the right direction to combat cyber- bullying. But I believe how this channel is ran and who is at fault if it does result in suicide due to cyber-bullying should be established.

Link to Website Article:
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2013-10-03/news/bs-md-facebook-school-partnership-20131003_1_cyber-bullying-dale-rauenzahn-facebook

Don't Lose Your Money Online

Being online is an interesting experience. You are exposed to all the information in the world, and its a great way of expressing yourself. When people express themselves on the internet however, it is public for everyone to see. What seems like a virtual utopia also has its down sides. Some people use the internet strictly for their person gain. Almost every web page you visit may have an advertisement about making money quickly or mortgaging your house for some extra cash. To most this seems like a great idea. Making money with no risk, it seems like a dream. But what people don't realize is that when they click on these advertisements and go to the websites promising profits, they are most likely being completely mislead. Websites which offer these tall tales of increasing your money often online benefit the website runner themselves. In the case of investing a common scam for people to pull is called the "pump and dump". In this tactic, a person will create a website for themselves. Once the website grows some popularity they will start claiming that the can give you a 100% increase on your money with no risk. Of course, some people will buy in to this, but buy buying the investments, they are really just putting money into the pocket of the website holder. The scam works put investing lots of money in to a low quality stock, typically priced low so it fluctuates more. Once enough people invest in the stock and it looks like the profits are going straight up. At this point the owner of the website who usually owns a large number of shares of the company will sell all of his shares. This leaves everyone who invested in the company with a worthless stock and usually down money. This has been common with younger investors to make this mistake. But even some young investors are doing it themselves. In one case a "16-year-old, who, in addition to his promise, turned over $285,000 to the SEC to settle civil charges that he committed fraud in stock deals". All for a fraudulent pump and dump scheme. Moral of the story is do your research before believing anything you read online to avoid losing your money, and peace of mind.

source: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/pump-and-dump/

Why Don't Parents Care About Online Safety?

Blake Johnson

April 23, 2015

 

 

                                        Why Don't Parents Care About Online Safety?

 

 

In class we talked about the many dangers of being online. Going online makes yourself susceptible to false projected personas by others as well as scams that target people not adequately familiar with how to avoid them. Every online threat becomes magnified when dealing with children as children are much more capable of being influenced than adults and less knowledgeable of when things don't seem quite right. The article by Diana Graber asks "Why don't parents care about online safety". She begins by referencing a particular case in which children were taken away from the custody of parents after multiple negligent acts in which they left their children unattended. The Maryland couple's actions are related to how society differs in reactions versus online and offline care taking of children. "How is it that a society so protective of children offline has left them largely unsupervised online?” Usage online have developed to the point that being online is a completely essential and important aspect of human life. Wouldn't it be logical to treat this up and coming new aspect of life with the same intensity that we place on offline safety? Social networking are one of the biggest problems when talking about the safety of children online. Social networking allows people to project only their best qualities as well as false qualities about themselves through selective self-presentation. Social networking cannot be wholeheartedly trusted as the mode for communication is the easiest and most conducive to deception and lies.

The article then goes to express possible reasons for why adults seem to allow children so much freedom in going online. While at the same time, the author examines why parents don't set as many barriers, rules, and surveillance on children when they're online. The first answer she come up with is the line between monitoring and spying. Parents of course don't want to come across to their children that they are spying on them. "Most parents don't want to spy on their kids and many who do lack the strong stomach, thick skin and discipline required to wade through the icky stuff kids say to get to the stuff that could cause permanent harm," says Bob Dillon of Artimys Language Technologies. There are differences though between mild-monitoring as well as hardcore "total spyware". These differences are the necessity to detect only the most meaningful threats to children. More parents should focus on gaining some type of mild-monitoring type of surveillance for their children online. Total spying isn't necessary and hurts the relationship of the children and their parents. But surveillance to at least some degree is necessary otherwise without monitoring children roam freely and open to various threats that they are more than likely unprepared for. Diana talks about how of course children hold expectation of some level of privacy. This is a fair expectation for anyone to have. But it's up to parents to acknowledge and respect that expectation while mutually making sure of their children's online safety.

Protect Yourself Online

Protect Yourself Online

In the world of technology we live in, with most of us somehow constantly connected to the internet, one of the most overlooked aspects is our online protection. With just a little extra effort, you can become almost invisible, practically totally nonexistent to the bad seeds of the internet trying to spy on or steal your information.

In an article published by Electronic Frontier Foundation, they outline twelve basic steps to take to begin your venture into a worry free online experience.

It all starts by keeping personal information to yourself. Simply the way you have your preferred browser configured can be leaking or "shedding" some personal details such as email addresses or other information you wouldn't readily give away to those you don't know.

The next step to make things a little harder for malicious software of people to get a hold of your info is to understand that some "cookies" are helpful and others are used for the sole purpose of tracking your internet activity, from what pages you visit to what ads or links you click. This is usually done for marketing, but can easily be turned against you.

Step 3) Keep a "clean" email address. Basically, have a throwaway account that you use to sign up for sites or use in more public places, and make sure it can't be tracked back to you. It will basically act as a spam bullet shield, keeping all the garbage away from your important account and it can easily be deleted or forgotten.

Step 4) Similar to step 1, don't give out personal details to strangers or just-met "friends." This seems pretty easy. You wouldn't walk around a busy city with your name, address, and cell phone number written on a sign, so why do that online?

Step 5) Your place of employment probably monitors your internet access, watch what emails you reply to. If you remember the whole Mike Waite fiasco, thats basically what this is talking about.

Step 6) Beware of sites that offer rewards for contact info. This is pretty basic knowledge, just don't give out your information in exchange for discounted goods or services. Is your information being sold really worth that two year subscription to sports illustrated for 40% off?

Step 7) Don't reply to spammers, ever. Again, pretty common knowledge. Don't respond to any unsolicited bulk emails, and never take them up on whatever offer they're trying to sell. The Nigerian prince that needs a few thousand and promises a few billion in return, he's not real, and you sure as hell didn't win the Australian Lottery because you can't win if you don't play.

Step 8) Be conscious of web security. If you don't know what https:// is yet and you've never seen the little lock icon, you might be a little behind the times. Do some research and make sure you don't have any possibility of compromising your credit/debit info.

Step 9) Be conscious of home computer security.

Step 10) Examine privacy policies and seals

Step 11) Remember YOU decide what info is revealed, when, why, and to whom

Step 12) Use Encryption! Now we get into the stuff I'm most interested in. As the article says, there are more than just simple threats to privacy. There are threats of industrial espionage, government surveillance, identity theft, disgruntled former, and system crackers. PGP or Pretty Good Privacy is the easiest way to encrypt plain text. So for example, a message between two people would begin by exchanging a public key, the sender would write the message in plain text and use the public key to encrypt it, they would then send it to the intended recipient, who is the only person that has the private key or cipher. The recipient can decrypt the message and read the plain text. If someone else came across the encrypted message, it would look something like this. By the way, if you can figure out what message I encrypted, I'll gladly give up $20.

There's so much more I could talk about in terms of staying hidden online and I can even segue into real world use, but that pushes the limits on aspects that should be covered in an academic setting, as much of it is used to create new lives or used within circles of unsavory people and online black markets such as Agora (which can only be used over Tor and need a referral to sign up)

Good luck with your online anonymity - stay safe out there.

Scams aimed at the elderly

Elderly People are some of the most suet after people when it comes to scamming. Scammers have many ways of scamming the elderly. These methods can range from fake telemarketer scams to fake medical establishments. I’ll be writing about the scams that have to do with CMC that I found in this article http://www.ncoa.org/enhance-economic-security/economic-security-Initiative/savvy-saving-seniors/top-10-scams-targeting.html . The first type of scam ill address is a counterfeit prescription drug scam. The method of scamming is normally done on the internet. This is a popular scam because older people have started to search for cheaper prescription drugs online. The problem is that the older people can’t tell the difference between fake prescription website and real ones. This is not only a problem with money. The fake drugs the scammers are selling can have harmful effects on the body when taken. This method of scamming has become more popular since the 1990's with the rise in prescription drug usage. In general older people are a main target for internet fraud. There low knowledge of the internet is what makes them so frequently targeted.  There are a few different ways older people can be scammed online first is through email. A scammer may send out a mass phishing email say they are a legitimate company such as the IRS. The elderly aren't aware of scams so they just go along with the email as if it were legitimate. Another way a scammer could take advantage of an elderly’s lack of internet knowledge is Pop-ups. Scammers can either use Pop-ups to give the victim a virus on their computer or extract personal information from the victim.

The next type of scam might be the most popular, Telemarketing. This scam is done over the phone and is a perfect scam to aim at old people because they purchase twice as many products over the phone than the national average. The fact that this scam is over the phone is what makes it so dangerous. the scams are hard to trace and even harder to prevent.

 The last method of scamming elderly I’ll write about is called The Grandparent scam. This scam is similar to the telemarketer scam because they are both over the phone but there is one big difference. In The Grandparent scam, the scammer pretends to be the victim’s grandchild and they are in a bad situation or any other position where they need a sum of money quickly. They might ask the grandparents to wire money to a certain place by a certain time. This scam is even worse because the scammers are taking advantage of grandparent’s hearts and good will. Unfortunately this type of scam happened to many grandparents. Someone called my grandfather saying that I was in a drunken driving accident and I was arrested. They asked him to wire a certain amount of money to a place in New Jersey so I could make bail. By the time my grandfather found out it was a scam he was unable to get his money back and even got in contact with the FBI and little could be down. Proving how hard it really is to trace and catch the scammers.

- Kyle Hamilton

 

 

 

 

The Dark Side of CMC

Jessica Toyber

CAS 283

The Dark Side of Computer Mediated Communication

    Through the application of electronics, humans have made jarring leaps in the field of communication. Computer mediated communication is most distinctly defined as any means of communication through the use of the internet between individuals or groups. Only decades ago, people didn’t posses the capability to converse with friends and family if they weren’t in the same general area. Nowadays, it’s as trouble-free to make a call to Hong Kong as it is to fetch a waffle from a toaster. Humans are constantly finding methods to expand and increase their modes of getting in contact with their social circles. Although these fresh advances in this field of study seem to have transformed the process of communication for the better, a dark light has been shined on this topic. A grey area of anonymity surrounding the internet makes it complicated to thoroughly understand who you’re talking to, whether the information you receive is legitimate, and introduces humans a revolting, shocking side of the Internet.

  In a comprehensive article, (https://ohuabunwachris.wordpress.com/2014/09/16/the-dark-side-of-cmc/), blogger ‘OHUABUNWACRHIS’ depicts CMC as a dark subject full of concealment. The author gives examples of different social media websites that can thoroughly corrupt and disturb the Internet peace. He/she discusses ‘catfishing’, and the normality of forging another person’s identity modern day. Why is identity falsification accepted as a rational element in CMC? When was it established to be considered okay to pretend to be someone else? Falsifying identity gives a person the chance to recreate and transform who they are as a person. For example, if ‘Martha’ is unhappy with her weight and struggles with weight loss, she can forge herself as a younger, more skinny female. Although this disguise allows Martha to explore herself in a new way, deceiving others online can have severe consequences. Another severe issue that takes place rather commonly in the online world is bullying. Facelessness allows humans to taunt others online without receiving any F2F ramifications. Utilizing Martha as an example one again; if Martha was severely bullied in F2F communication about her weight, this could lead to feelings of self doubt and low self esteem. To regain the ‘power’ lost in the fighting words, Martha logs online and starts taunting others for their flaws and characteristics. This gives Martha a feeling of power, and she continues to ridicule others on the Internet. Lack of social cues also gives people little to no understanding of the message that the other person is attempting to convey. Body language is everything. Without body language, humans can’t necessarily tell if someone’s happy, annoyed, hurt, e.t.c. No social cues turns human interpretation into a puzzle. If someone were to interpret something online in an improper way, the goal of the communication has not been met and nothing has been accomplished as a result. Perhaps the darkest side of CMC lies beyond cat fishing, bullying, or lack of social cues. A twisted, yet innovative side of the Internet has emerged through ‘shock’/‘gore’ sites. These websites are created to shock the audience through gore and murder and disastrous events being shot on camera and essentially posted on the Internet. When I first discovered that sites like these exist in my CAS 283 class, I was appalled and disgusted. How could this be a part of our Internet? How could people allow themselves to partake in the viewing of pure disaster? What does this mean for the future of CMC?

  Computer mediated communication has accomplished an infinite amount for our modern, technology-based society. Never being private or safe since the start of its time, the Internet has found creative and horrifying ways to keep it’s audiences interested. Although we must embrace all the good that’s come along with these technological advances, we must knowledge ourselves of the bad to ensure a safe and secure Internet experience.

   

Fraudelent Acts

Your identity can take two hard hits 1) identity theft or 2) identity fraud. Identity theft is the stealing of your information. Identity fraud is the use of your information to commit fraud. Usually to recover from this takes some time and money. About 12 million Americans experience some kind of identity fraud every year. The average time is 21 hours, the average cost was around $400 in 2009 decreasing to $100 in 2012. To handle the situation it would usually take several calls to several different companies. But the FDIC has made effort to shorten the amount of phone calls you make, in order to straighten things out. Identity theft and fraud can range from:

Financial

Criminal

Identity Cloning

Synthetic

Medical

Ghosting

I know you're probably wondering how do these people get the information to commit theft or fraud? Its usually due to the carelessness of how an individual protect their information. Identity thieves' common sources are trash, computers, internet, social medias and emails.

 

 

 

The simple information you offer on your profile can be the last information they need in order to commit fraud. Information like your DOB, address, phone number, email and maiden name might not seems as it needs to be as top as your Social Security but they are just as important.

Some of their tactics are to trick you into giving up your information through messages. This is called phishing, of course you would've just give your information to anyone so they act as a legitimate source that you may offer information to. The sources they prudently portray as, can vary from banks, retail outlets, even Google. Another attempt is through pharming, so for instance, when you click an add and a fake website pops up. As college students we are prime targets due to our irresponsibility levels and credit-seeking.

In all protect your information, if your throwing it out, shred it, if you have it all in one place, find a secure place to store it other than your computer and monitor who you give out your information to.

The Internet: Safe for the Kids?

 

Coulter Ebbert

 

As discussed in class, when it comes to children using the internet, safety is the number one concern for parents. Risks such as contact with inappropriate strangers, lack of privacy, possible misrepresentation or mistakes and bullies give parents all the worry needed in order to search for an answer. But what are the possible solutions to this prevalent issue at hand? The article “Making the Internet Safe for Kids” by John Brandon answers such a question. Published on May 14^th 2011 on FoxNews.com, this article discusses the possible solutions to the problem of children being safe online as well as factors which act negatively towards children’s online safety.  

To begin, the article establishes two possible restrictions which could allow children to not be able to access dangerous or inappropriate web sites. The first solution suggested was the idea of using credit card numbers in order to log into certain websites or the internet in general. Though this idea would mostly eliminate the risk of kids gaining access to non-age appropriate material, its downsides outweigh the benefits. Such reasons as vulnerability of financial information and “discrimination” of those adult internet users without credit cards are just two derailing reasons of many. Where we would be fixing one problem, many more would be created. The second solution suggested was the idea of separating all of the kid friendly sites and areas on the internet from the adult-oriented content sites and social media pages. This would allow children to roam free on the kid friendly sites but be restricted from the adult user content. The one setback mentioned to this solution is the increased risk of child predators. The thought being that online child predators would focus heavily on these kid friendly areas of the internet causing children to be at greater risk.

The article goes on to discuss parent testimony, which displays the issues unrestricted access for children to browse the internet can cause. One such testimonial was the story of Dorian Lewis, who claimed to notice her middle school son’s demeanor change dramatically. Dorian goes on to explain how she would witness her son become depressed and aggravated after spending time on such sites as MySpace.com and instant chats. Concerned, Dorian investigated her son’s profile where she found that her son’s “friends” had been bullying him mercilessly, urging him to commit suicide. Dorian goes on to say that, later on, her son did in fact attempt to take his own life but was unsuccessful in his attempt. Mrs. Lewis leaves the readers with an eye opening point which explains that social media sites are a horrendous tool for bullies. She explains that such sites allow no safe haven or break for those who are victims of bullying, allowing the bullies in your home via the internet.

To sum the rest of the article up, it discusses various tools which monitor internet activity at a monetary price as well as time invested in the surveillance. There is also discussion that parents are the number one factor in children’s safety on the web. Parents who are educated and informed about the internet provide the best protection for their kid’s. The article suggests that parents only allow web use in public supervised rooms on the house in order to best avoid their children being negatively exposed. For a good read and enlightening facts and stories be sure to check out the article linked above.

 

Keeping Kids Safe on the Internet

                As with the real world, the Internet has its dark side and it’s all too easy for kids to stray into it. So I decided to write about an article from parenting.com which covers many different ways that parents can help keep their kids safe while using the Internet. There are a lot of different ways parents can be more involved such as actually stepping into their child’s cyberworld. This enables parents to be more involved and know a lot of details about their child. Another big one covered in the article is to teach them to protect their privacy. Obviously, you have to teach them the basics such as never to give their name, phone number, email address, passwords, and etc. Just by teaching kids this basic step, it keeps them much safer. Other different ways to keep kids safe as mentioned in the article are set house rules, know that location is key, make your browser work double-time, tune up your search engine, and stay in a kid-friendly zone.

                I chose this article because during class we discussed the different ways to keep kids safe while online. Kids not being safe on the internet became a big parental issue. Parents essentially want to keep their kids safe, but at the same time do not want to over step their boundaries on their children’s life. There has been a big debate between what is too much and what is too little to be done when it comes to safety. According to a study, 77% of parents report monitoring their child’s online activity. The fact that this number is that high kind of surprises me especially when you hear about all of online hackers, stalkers, and creep stories. I believe this number needs to increase in order for kids to be the safest they can be while online. However, the debate between what is too much comes into play when parents are monitoring their children. All parents want their kids to be safe, but they do not want to invade their kid’s privacy.

                I also chose this article because I know of one of my friends getting into trouble while online. Back when I was in 8^th grade a lot of my friends and I used to use different sites such as Chat Roulette and Skype. We were young and thought that this kind of technology was fascinating so we had to use it. Well, while on Chat Roulette one night, my friend that’s a girl, met this guy and they talked for a little and they became friends on Facebook. As the days had gone on the messaged back and forth repeatedly while she shared some personal information to him. After a few days went by she began noticing something wrong with the computer and different things kept happening. It turns out this guy she had been talking to was a hacker. He had hacked in and got very personal information such as her social security number and numerous passwords she had. This is just a prime example of how kids can be in danger online. I personally believe knowing her family that the parents definitely did not do enough to protect her while online. These days anything can happen online which is why parents need to take drastic measures to ensure their kids safety while online.

Adapting to The Elderly

For my blog I decided to look at the elderly and the technology now and for the future. The article I read which you can find here Elderly Article focuses on the elderly and their adaptation to technology like smart phones, using a google search and tablets. The article goes on to pin-point some of the characteristics of the average elderly technology user. We have technology for our younger generations but what can we do for the elderly?  It is no joke with our current technology the elderly are like a fish out of water. Whether it is our parent or a grandparent it seems their generation  is far behind us in embracing the uses of smart phones and the internet. To make matters worse when the elderly use technology they require some sort of assistance or take ages to complete tasks that would take us (younger generation) half the time to do. There are a number of reasons why the elderly fall so far behind us when using technology. In the article they present health reasons into why the elderly aren't matched up for current technology and provide ways to help develop technology accessible for anyone.  The article also looks at a positive side of being an elderly individual. In the video inside the article the elderly are helping others from Brazil learn to speak fluent English through a Speaking Exchange "face-time" like program on the internet. This exchange provides meaningful interaction as well as time to learn and appreciate what life has in store for us.

The article went on describing some health deteriorations that affect the elderly in general such as cognition, attention, decision making, vision, hearing, and motor skills. Interesting statistic is that by 2030 19% of the people in the US will be considered elderly, the same percentage of those who own an iPhone today. Going into more detail on these health deteriorations adults develop I first am going to start with cognition. Cognition starts to go in adults in their short term and episodic memory making skills with technology tough due to different tasks being performed at the same time. Next is attention skills, adults attention skills actually improve while they take the time to thoroughly read through every little bit of information it becomes very time consuming. Another flaw is decision making and this is key when online with credit card information and other personal identifications. Older generations also seem to go with other's decisions such as a doctor then their own and that creates a treasure map for these adults to try to discover. Moving on to the biggest flaw in the growth of humans and that is the loss of hearing and vision. This can be problematic when we use such small devices with small text and weak audio noise decibels. From the age 40 the eye sight starts to harden making it difficult to read up close and small text as well as colors start to blend together. Hearing is next to go in an adult, hearing declines predictably and affects a huge number of adults. Last deterioration is motor skills, and this is the "will they every finish this task" mentality. When adults grow older they tend to lose some control over what they can do especially when it comes to a mouse and trying to click out of programs and ads.Trends have shown the elderly have take to some of these technologies such as the tablet and even embraced the internet and email over the years. Now that technology isn't just for the younger generations, we see more and more adults online, using email, and owning cell phones. Another reason why adults over 65 have trouble with technology is because of when they were born. I personally was born into the growth and popularity of the internet, smart phones and online interactions. I was exposed at a young age to technology and it became accessible at both home and at school, making it easier for me to figure out what is going on and how to go about it quickly and productively, a luxury the older generation didn't have. Some of it also has to do with our skills as youths, while we are developing skills as a person we create new forms of technology. On the other hand the elderly's skills are deteriorating and they focus on the technology they have become accustom to. Another thing that divides generations is the uses we get out of technology. Until recently, the youth and young adults have been on the forefront of technology and now we are gradually making them more accessible and  easier for anybody.

The article continued on and provided advice for creating technology for adults combatting the flaws mentioned above. Some of these tips include letting the user adjust the text size, provide sub-titles for audio, look into more of a touch screen rather than a mouse, avoiding small screens, not making assumptions: making the technology as easy as possible to use, provide reminders and alerts, don't be afraid of too much content and finally to avoid opinions or to highlight that these in fact are simply opinions not facts.

In conclusion, times are changing and technology isn't just for the young. A shift has emerged and technology is becoming painless and relatively easy to operate. After reading this article, I'm able to understand the challenges that adults face with current technology and I'm able to be more sympathetic to their problems whether it is taking forever or not being able to successfully use the technology because of the size of the font. We are making strides everyday trying to make everyday life a little bit simpler.

Facebook and the Elderly

It is becoming more and more popular for people aged 65 and older to use Facebook. Actually, the older population makes up quite a bit of the online world these days--and it is rather comical, at times, seeing them make their way through online communities. Older folks have the most problem with Barriers to Adoption which includes physical challenges, skeptical attitudes, and (my favorite) difficulty learning new technologies. If you happen to be an older person, or know an older person that is having difficulties learning how to use Facebook, there is no need to fear because there are now classes being offered to assist the older generations in Facebook use! According to the article I found entitled, Seniors on Facebook, people in their nineties now have the opportunity to learn all about Facebook and it's uses thanks to classes being offered at New York libraries. These classes explain everything the elderly need to know, such as friending, notifications, gaming, newsfeeds, timelines, and privacy settings. These are all very important things for anyone using Facebook, but especially for the elderly since it is all new to them. The article interviews several older people that signed up to take the class, and the overwhelming response to why they were taking it was so that they could keep up with their grandchildren. Shocking, right?! I find it hilarious that older people think they are so tech savvy on Facebook when they are really not. My great aunt has a Facebook and she comments on my pictures all of the time with things that are completely unrelated such as: HI LEXI, WHAT A SWEETHEART, HOW IS YOUR DAD? and other similar comments, in all caps, every. single. time. I have never understood why older people find it necessary to use all capital letters when commenting on things, but they do. I discovered in this awesome article, 21 Reasons Why Old People are the Best, that some older people use all capital letters so that they can see what they are typing more easily. That is so logical! Because lowercase letters are much more difficult to read. (So much sarcasm in one post, I know). But really, I think that classes on using Facebook for the elderly are a really good idea. They can help older people to understand the website in language they understand and in a patient way. Also, if a class is being taught on how to use Facebook that means the grandchildren do NOT have to teach them, which is a huge win for us. Seriously. (My grandpa got a smartphone and I had to teach him...Torture.)  I honestly think that it is a beautiful thing that older people are becoming more well versed on all things internet, and I also think that it is hysterical. Most old people are harmless and really do just like to use the internet to keep in touch with their family and feel as though they are a part of the loop.

I found a couple of other really awesome posts about older people and the internet and here they are:
http://happyplace.someecards.com/facebook/the-best-examples-of-old-people-being-extremely-confused-on-facebook/
http://www.viralnova.com/hilarious-old-people/ LOL;)

The Fear of Surveillance

I was on the search for an article that had to do with privacy related to online communication and online networking. However, there were not many articles that I found that pertained to things that mattered or people would be interested in. Eventually I came across an article that touched on online communication privacy but in a different sense. The article I found was titled Privacy Fears Grow as City Increases Surveillance that was written in 2013 about how Oakland, California was using grant money to monitor the city. They were given a $7 million grant, which was meant to help monitor any terrorist threats, but instead was being more so used for general city surveillance. Some of the things that were being done with this grant include; automated programming software for social media monitoring for police, toll payment tracking, telephone traces, telephone taps, and other security measures. Oakland however isn’t the only city doing this, just one of the newer cities joining the party. The New York Police Department has been doing these types of things for over a decade now. Even smaller cities have different measures of surveillance with in. Nearly every city in America now has phones tapped on the regular and cameras that monitor the general population 24/7.

This is a topic we haven’t exactly talked about in class however it relates to how people act or should act when it comes to non face to face communication. If people knew how much of their actions were probably monitored daily would they act differently? Would they choose to use more face-to-face communication?

I think people would choose alternative types of communication rather than online or over the phone if they knew others were listening or watching. If people wouldn’t choose other methods, I am sure they would at least choose to monitor what they say and how they say it. Whether its talking to a family member or friend you may be less likely to talk about really personal things or post different types of statuses, tweets, pictures, or comments if you knew who was really listening in the backgrounds.

With the way technology is growing and expanding it is interesting to imagine what things may be like with in the next decade. How the different ways to monitor and record the population and how far it can be used or who will be able to use it. Would it be only used by law enforcement or would public employers? Would family be able to use it to watch over kids? The possibilities could be endless where this would go.

Seniors using social networking and cell phones

Shakita Jarrett

Seniors and CMC

One of the biggest misconceptions about seniors is they are out of touch with technology compared to the younger generation. However, seniors find using the internet and social media websites just as useful and benefit from it more than the younger generation. According to the article “How Do Women Over 60 Use the Internet? The Answers Might Surprise You...” the author discuss several ways how using the internet can improve the lives of seniors along with reducing mental health problems such as, depression. To begin, seniors using Facebook find this social network beneficial with making friends and creating that support system, because during this stage in their lives they are dealing with death of parents and spouses and possibly their own illnesses so that support system is vital during challenging times. Seniors find that social media help with the development of friendships because they are connecting with people from around the world that they would have never met if it wasn’t for the internet. Also, making friendships through Facebook and social networking websites created a support network. For example, after the death of her husband a woman stated the amount of support she received from her friends on Facebook was overwhelming and comforted her during that tough time. Another advantage of seniors using the internet is it keeps them intellectually stimulated with current information. The internet allows them to stay informed about news, seek information and enhance communication with relatives through social networking instead of telephone. For instance, a senior discussed how her iPad was her best friend and carried it everywhere she went because she was able to get information at any time along with access to looking at her favorite family photos. Because technology gives seniors more communication options, the rates of seniors owning cell phones has increased through the years. According to the Pew Research Center 77% of seniors are cell phone owners and 18% are smartphone owners. (Smith, 2014). Cell phone allow seniors to communicate with relatives and make business phone calls. In contrast, the rates of smartphone ownership by seniors is low because most seniors do not use all the features of the smart phone and prefer the basic cell phone.

This information relates to class material because we discussed that senior usage of internet has increased over time because they are using social networking to communicate with relatives, find and build friendships and online dating. As mentioned in class, most grandparents use Facebook to keep up with their grandchildren and see what’s going on in their lives. I can relate to this because my grandmother has Facebook and she uses it mostly to check up on her grandchildren and comment on their posts. So, she uses social networking as other means of communication since she cannot see her grandchildren all the time but their updates on Facebook let her know that they are fine. Also, with cell phone ownership both of my grandmothers own cell phones, one has the basic cell phone and the other has a smartphone. As mentioned above, my grandmother has the smartphone but does not use all its features except for the camera and gets the basic plan that she would if she had a regular cell phone because she feels all the extra stuff on the phone is not needed and she doesn’t use them, so why have it.

Teens and Internet Addiction

Internet addiction is a growing problem with more and more people. The internet is much more accessible to people now than it was just a few years ago. The internet provides people with entertainment, loads of information, and an escape from everyday life, but like anything else, too much a good thing can be addictive. In the modern world internet access is a vital part of everyday life. It is important for education, and is a necessary skill for those entering the job markets of today. The internet is highly entertaining and informative. These qualities make the internet an attractive escape from the stress of everyday life. People can enter a different world and make the problems of the real world disappear. Anything is possible on the internet.

The average amount of time people between the ages of 8 and 18 spend on the Internet every day is about seven and a half hours and some people even more. Internet addiction has the same symptoms as an addition to drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, or caffeine. When someone becomes addicted to the internet they will have increasing tolerance to the amount of time they spend online, withdrawal, mood changes between when online and off, and there will be an interruption of social relationships and activities. When access to the internet is not available people will show signs of anxiety, depression, irritability, trembling hands, and restlessness. Internet addiction can be compared to many other customs of addiction, but it is becoming more noticeable as our world evolves into an advanced era of technology. Although technology has many positive results such as communication with distant friends, research for school, or online job applications, it may also cause negative effects for society. When someone becomes addicted to something they will go to great lengths to get whatever it is that they are addicted to. This causes behavioral problems with the individuals who are affected by addiction and it could possibly cause problems with the people that are affiliated with the addict. Teens in particular are a big target when it comes to Internet addiction.

As previous mentioned teens have resorted to drastic measures to overcome internet addiction. According to USA Today, a teen battling internet addiction cut his hand off. In China, 14% of the youth are addicted to the internet. The teen “Little Wang” who was struggling with his addiction sought it better to cut his hand off to deal with his addiction. Teachers claimed that the boy’s internet habits made him impetuous. 

Internet addiction is a problem in society today. It’s inevitable with how easy it is to access the Internet and all of its databases and resources. While there are a few good results from the internet, it still is horrible in the sense that it effects people’s lives drastically. People may argue against it but in all reality our society is becoming more and more addicted to the Internet and it is causing more and more issues with their families and themselves in general.  

Source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/02/04/teen-cuts-off-hand-internet-addiction/22852555/