Response Blog #3 – Wikipedia

Posted on by
4

Wikipedia seems like it’s been around for ever but in fact, it has only been around since 2001.  As an example of collaboration, Wikipedia is perfect.  It functions as an encyclopaedia with content provided and is edited by countless people.  You can basically find any topic and it supersedes any classical book we have today.  The concept of Wikipedia is that if the information is wrong, then someone will correct it and eventually it will reach a level of accuracy.  Even though there is oversight and governing rules, you can literally post without looking at them.  And why is this a problem? It’s a problem because people or organizations with personal agendas, not committed to the truth, can easily corrupt and influence others who are naive to the facts.  To be fair, companies and other organizations also use Wikipedia to update content in a number of technical and scientific fields and their knowledge is unquestionable, but its weaknesses is that anyone can add or edit the content of a listing and that allows for errors.

However, if I am to evaluate Wikipedia, I would say it needs to be critically viewed and used.  Although I have never posted on Wikipedia, I use it continuously as an overview to all my papers. Yet, I would never use it as a single source.  In fact, I like many others, was told not to use it as a works cited source in my projects.  But now days, it is common practice to do so.  I agree with James P. Purdy, Writing Spaces, that Wikipedia is perfectly fine to use as a gateway to other sources.  Yet Wikipedia represents our society where there is a one-to-many relationship.  There is no longer one author but many authors and many entries.  Therefore, a single posting can become a collaborative content.  

While collaboration may appear to be a good thing, the context isn’t alway true.  Maybe that means that the larger it gets, it loses it’s integrity.  Yet our ability to think logically and reason is crucial in this world of participatory culture that fosters creativity and innovation. Wikipedia is a platform that brings contents and creating context together and given the abundance of information, there is no wonder that we cannot do without it. There are those who say Wikipedia is dying, but even with its inconsistant quality of information, it is still the best encyclopedia we have ever had.

Response 3 – Wikipedia

Posted on by
3

Why is Wikipedia important? Or on the flip side why isn’t  it important?

When you thinking about the variety of search engines and their reputations wikipedia is the outcast, the black sheep. More often than not its information is discredited and held to a lower standard. Often times in our college career a professor warns against using wikipedia at all and if you do certainly not as the main or reputable source. But what is Wikipedia; a free online encyclopedia that anyone can edit as defined by Jim Giles.

When i think of wikipedia i think of an objective or less serious version of accredited sites because its known for being interactive. While i know some portions are verified and cannot be edited its rare i take all of the information i find there as valuable, ill often confirm it on another site. Giles notes in his article that discrepancies or ambiguities are hashed out among the users. This to me sounds like the information version of Facebook, where people are arguing over rid bits of information probably based on their own beliefs. Yet wikipedia has slightly more errors than the most sourced and credited encyclopedia in the game. Does this mean people are copy and pasting information from there, or are they paraphrasing sometimes inaccurately what they’ve read there. Is wikipedia the metaphorical thrift store of information on the web? It seems that way being that it is a less flashy and high end version of the real thing.

Why do we still use this source then when its clearly garnished a reputation for inaccuracy, I think because we know we can find its affirmation or antidote quickly on the web, its not the only source and we know it. With so many ways to gain information on the web diversity makes comparing and contrasting, expanding view points or understanding of things easier than ever. So say for instance you read some heavy article in a textbook and you have no idea what they’re saying, you pull up a wiki article and some other college kids has posted that same thing in laments terms and now you get it. So maybe its not the top dog in information but it does have certain benefits that its superiors don’t; you can interact with the information instead of having it thrown at you.

Wikipedia as a Source for Credible Information

Posted on by
4

When I started college in 2010, the first thing I was told by Professors from my English classes was never to use Wikipedia. The stigma that surrounds Wikipedia is one we are all too familiar with. Before I even began reading the article, my bias about the site was already in full affect. Wikipedia is know as a website that is unreliable, misleading, not credible due to constant changeability of information. I’ve never used Wikipedia as a source for reliable information, I usually used it as a way to find out information on celebrities. After reading this article I was quite surprised by the candor of the author, Purdy. Most articles tend to name all the affordances of the information however Purdy acknowledges how Wikipedia can be used as a source and as a process guide.

In the age of technology, online digital houses are the “Gods” of information. The way individuals access information has dramatically changed due to the new types of technologies. For many people, Wikipedia is the “source” of all their information. Purdy argues that Wikipedia helps to illustrate “recursive revision based on idea development, textual production based on participation in a conversation rather than isolated thinking and research based on production rather than only critique.” With this Purdy gives a nod to Wikipedia as a way for readers to engage with more innovative thinking rather than solely critiquing. I believe this may be the age of reviewing, conversing, revising and sharing information whether it is through online websites or through word of mouth. Even during this moment, in some way I am regurgitating the information I read from the article, analyzing it with my predisposed beliefs, and conversing through this blog and essentially sharing my ideas through this mediated medium which I am completely conscious of doing.

Through doing this I am thinking about the changeability of information through all the websites we are constantly accessing. In someway the information you learn is hard to focus on because it changes and while reading through the articles there are hyperlinks which sends you to another site. I think through this article it has given me a new perspective on Wikipedia as a template of how to write and how to not write– it is almost twisted. I do believe there are certain key takeaways such as conversing, revising, and sharing information which I touched upon earlier that those may be the key to writing.

Wikipedia to me is an online forum that writers and readers can write, defend, and change information like never before. I think Wikipedia may have been one of the first sites to create a such a sophisticated website in which users can search for information and chime in when they have suggestions. In this sense the site does top reading a book, with a book you read and try to create a niche to share your thoughts and hopes the author discovers your group and chime in. With Wikipedia you have writers who are constantly collaborating to create a “meaningful” article. On the other hand, unlike Wikipedia, The New York Times occasionally makes updates to its articles dependent on whether or not the information has changed. But Wikipedia allows an affordance of curating articles with readability like never before.

In essence, the article touched on another important idea that writers “need to share their writing to be successful.” I think for anyone who wants a taste of success or even just want to be apart of a niche should share their talents to learn from individuals within their fields. Writers especially can learn from other writers whether its how they edit or their styles of writing. Through sharing your work you can realize your strengths as well as weakness in your craft and work to perfect it. I think that is what we are doing with our blog posts. Another major takeaway from this article is not to be discouraged about researching information in Wikipedia but to use it as a reference of how to add substance to your research based-writing. I think also within Academia it is crucial to get your articles published to continue the conversation of your particular field.

 

Wikipedia – Why it is important?

Posted on by
1

As we embark further into the era of digital medias the way we understand, interpret, represent, and produce literary works are also changing. Writing is no longer only controlled by said writer. Due to web 2.0 readers are now able to do something other than think to themselves; they are able to participate. In peer collaborative communities such as Wikipedia teams of people from around the world come together to produce a web based encyclopedia of knowledge that are as diverse as the people creating it.

Wikipedia and other wiki site are epitomes of the new ways we produce information I believe. In such a time where we want all of our information faster than fast and up to date we must be aware of the fact that most times the production of this information is being produced by people around us. This differs from the past production of documents which was done by scholars, professors, and critics. Although, many of those people still create content on the web on websites such as Wikipedia peers that are skilled in certain areas are devoting their time to edit and adapt information to its ever changing characteristic. I believe that the who, what, when, where and why also known as the basic foundation of most knowledge has already been recorded. After reading all the information presented on Wikipedia was I able to come to the conclusion that sites such as that enables us to create more content based on the input placed by readers. Comments, hyperlinks, and hashtags allow us to create more opinion which can lead to the creation of more ideas. Readers are now given the ability to conceptualize more ideas based on others ideas, interpret, reinvent, and possibly see something that they could not come up with on their own.

Our new willingness to produce openly in environments that have a fair give and take process based on certain guidelines only exemplify the fact we are moving forward.  We are allowing criticism and participation in our writing. We are also willing to see that our words are not just our words. On page 45 of  Rodhney H.Jones and Chtistopher A. Hanfer’s, Understanding Digital Literacies A Practical Introduction was I able to find the best example of this. It read, “The famous Russian Literary critic Mikhail Bakhtin(1989:89) said that texts are ‘filled with others’ words, varying degrees of otherness or varying degrees of our-own-ness;…”. Due to communities such as Wikipedia are we able to see that our words have been said and reinvented time and time again. Like our brain, the web has enabled us to share our inner most thoughts, our ideas, our inventions however unlike our brain the web allows contribution to the process. Although, many scholars and professors argue against sites such as Wikipedia and its credibility as a scholarly source, I must say that that it offers an interesting way of deepening our own ideas by way of providing insights not from scholars but peers. The language is simpler and the hierarchy of ideas makes it easier for students to follow and create sequential thoughts themselves. Wikipedia allows us to not only to involve collaboration from our peers but also allows us to rethink opinions offered on topics that we might not always be able to come up with on our own.

The September 11th Digital Archive

Posted on by
1

This past September 11th 2015 marked the 14th year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

The memory of 9/11 sticks with millions of people whether or not they are from America that day is embedded in their minds. As the tragic event comes around, it stirs up many different emotions for me. I was living in Jamaica at the time when the terrorist embarked on destroying the lives of many Americans. Many people can tell you what they were doing at the exact moments when that chaos unfolded, however that is not the case for me, I cannot recall the events of that day because I cannot recall my childhood back in Jamaica– it’s very bizarre.

I have heard stories of 9/11 and seen images; however nothing compares to the Digital Archive–it is unlike anything I have ever seen.wtc

The September 11 Digital Archive is a site that tries to preserve the images from that historic day. The archive takes a unique look at how information has been collected and preserved after 9/11. The way information was once shared, publicize, and thought of as media has completely changed due to the 9/11. It has affected traveling/national security, online searching of information, the stigma around certain groups of people, and the entire mecca of media has changed. As I browsed through the archive, I was more than shocked to discover the damage that occurred on that day. Initially, when you hear of 9/11 you see the planes flying into the building but you sort of forget as to what the after effects looks like. The wreckage is unlike I have ever seen before, I look at the photos and a sense of loss, if I can call it that, overcomes me and I have a vague sense of understanding how one must feel losing their loved ones. There are no words you can tell someone who lost their loved one in that tragedy.

As I mentioned earlier, I cannot recall the horror of that day however through looking at the images, the videos, the essays, I have a sense of how millions of individuals reacted to that event. Through archiving you are able to record information like never before and have it be accessible to millions of people for decades to come. Many Gen Yers who were not present at the time are able to look back and have a sense of what happened 14 years ago. Seeing many of the images are gut-wrenching and gives you an idea of how people felt at the time which can be said for any photo that brings you back to a specific time period. I think that is what new media does seamlessly; it allows you have a behind the scenes look at an event that you would have never gotten the opportunity to see. It would remain a mystery and new media gives you that lens you need. I think another affordance of new media is it allows an opportunity to desensitize certain conversations and gives it a chance to be discussed however there are always other constraints that it gives rise to.

The events of that day did not separate Americans, it joined them together, race, gender, and sexuality was not of consideration and did not divide them. It is a shame that tragedy is sometimes the only way for people to hold hands and come together.

I’ll never have a chance to see New York City as what it once was and maybe I don’t need to. Now, it is far more important to recognize the resiliency that Americans have and to admire it and be a part of it. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to feel entirely what it means to be an American but I am a human being and as a human being I have an idea of what that loss feels like. I have to give a nod to the Digital Archive because it gave me a chance to experience what occurred that day. The development of new media will always bring a opportunity to try to understand the past however how do we truly internalize those emotions and try to start the conversation which I hope will bring a chance to heal and change this world for a better one. I am curious to know if the social media channels we have available to us now, how would that have impacted an event like that– I guess we will never know and maybe we don’t need to. . .

Neverforget52

The Tragedy that Rocked the Nation…

Posted on by
Reply

The morning of September 11, 2001 was any other school day for me, eager to be in school and to learn something new that day. But what I couldn’t help but do while my teacher was conducting the lesson was stare out the window as an abundance of smoke clouded the sky. I didn’t realize it then but that was the moment the towers had fallen. No later than thirty minutes did my teacher inform us that school was ending early and our parents were coming to pick us up. I was eager to see my mom because it just so happens to be her birthday but she wasn’t smiling. The whole walk home she didn’t talk to me or tell me what was going on. It was only when I walked into the house with the television already on and the news coverage right before my eyes.

I was just speechless. I sat in front of the television listening, watching, taking it all in and in that moment I began sobbing, thinking where is my dad and my older sister who worked in the vicinity. My mom took a seat next to me on the floor and hugged me tight and we sat there with our eyes glued on the news coverage for hours. I didn’t know what to think let alone what my mother would be thinking but it didn’t take long for all my fears to come to a halt when both my father and sister walked through the front door. I couldn’t be more happy to see them in that moment but my heart was still hurting.

Days went by, weeks even and everyone still struggled to make sense of the tragedy that befell on us. The footage of firefighters searching through the rubble for bodies was disheartening and even the loss of my teachers’ cousin made it difficult to go on and live a normal life. This event made me appreciate my loved ones more and for those that lost theirs, my heart goes out to them every year on this day. It’s one that should never be forgotten and I think the September 11 Digital Archive succeeds in doing just that.

The archive is a digital tool for any and everyone to mourn the loss, honor the brave and always remember but never forget. The pictures, videos, faces of different people from all walks of life that flood the computer screen is overwhelming but the realization of this tragedy is evident. Yes, every year on September 11th I am happy to celebrate my mother’s birthday but I also like to take the time out to remember what the nation lost as a whole. With the archive operating, there is no amount of information that cannot be viewed to remind us all of what we’ve gone through but also persevered in moving forward with our lives while still remembering. This is one digital tool that has the power to imprint history into the lives of thousands with just a few clicks of a mouse.

Blog #2 – 9/11 Digital Archive

Posted on by
1

*******************Warning – for the strong hearted***************************

I thought it only fitting to start with this video and I would like to say how sorry I am to those who suffered a personal loss on 9/11.  My heart goes out to those who are still struggling with the pain even after all this time.  But the fact is that we all suffered a loss.  As a nation on a whole, we were robbed of our security and our right to live our lives. There is no way to completely sum up the affects that 9/11 had on our nation but to say that it has truly reshaped our lives would not be an understatement.  That’s why we will never forget.  But, if we are to remember it, then the September 11 Digital Archive is honoring this tragedy in the best possible way.  As an archive that collects, preserves, and presents the history of the September 11 attacks, it has become one of the largest digital repositories of historical materials.

Image result for September 11 Digital Archive  Image result for September 11 Digital Archive

But the unique thing about the September 11 Digital Archive is its ability to conflate such a devastating strategy into the framework of digital media.  With digital items, emails, and first-hand stories, the archive is an amazing resource of media.  From an array of pictures that features first-had responders, to voices of 9/11: a collection of personal video testimonies featuring participants talking about their memory of 9/11 in their own words and language, it captures the very essence of the destruction and tragedy.  Making the content of the website user generated, provides a means to connect with others.  In a world of participatory culture, its success is that viewers can become partakers in the collaboration of its content.

“Where were you on September 11, 2001 when you heard the news? This is the question presented on the Anniversary Collection digital archive.  Well, if you were alive and old enough, chances are you know exactly where you were.  Reading some of the personal accounts in the archive really touched me as I too remember that day so well.  My son was just six months old and that morning, the first thing I did was turn on the tv and played a video for him to watch (Barney-the purple dinosaur).  I had no idea what was happening until a friend called and told me to switched to the news.  That was the day that I realized just how important it was to know what was happening in the world. Before then, I didn’t care much if it didn’t affect me.  I have always felt bad that I missed the actual moment of impact (at least with the second tower).  From then I vowed the news will always be the first thing I watch every morning.

But news media back in 2001 was very different from the news today.  It use to be that the only interaction we had as viewers was to watch the television.  Unless you were around and called over for an interview, there was no real interaction.  The news was broadcasted and we received it.  But a change in platforms resulted in a shift in power.  Digital and social media platforms have dramatically changed the way we interact.  Now, we live in a world where everything is instant.  Sharing and collaboration has made the news more accurate and factual and mainstream media coverage has given relevance to what we have to say.  So we, as the former audience, have now become the anchors and editors. Instead of being controlled by the media, we now have control of the media.

This new phenomenon has ushered in a society where we subscribe to constantly updated content and function as part of a larger collaborative social movement.  For 9/11, that means visitors own stories become part the exibitions and builds a framework for ongoing communication.  So whether it’s experiences like the one World Trade Center where visitors to the observatory experience the digital screen in the elevator or the National September 11 Memorial & Museum where guests are invited to handwrite notes in a digital guest book that projects their messages onto a large projection screen,

what’s clear is that technology is being used to memorialize those lost in 9/11 and their memory will live on through generations.

 

September 11th Digital Archive

Posted on by
1

 

If I’m being completely honest, September 11, 2001 is not the clearest day in my memory. I was five years old and the most exciting thing going on was starting first grade and getting a puppy a few months before. As every morning goes, my father would take me to school before rushing to work as a carpenter. There was nothing unusual about the day until my class was told that we would be leaving early and that we were to wait for our parents quietly. I was the last student to leave. Years later I was told he worked just six blocks away from the south tower. 689ce821238c14b4b7eaf31b0f4737ddThat day he had to walk back to Brooklyn because every train was shut down. The week following was filled with new articles and videos of the tragic events that occurred. It wasn’t until some years later that I fully understood the loss that the world endured. Interestingly enough, throughout high school I would spend two hours a week at Goldman Sachs for a business program. Throughout the four years that I went, I watched the Freedom Tower and the memorial grow from the ashes of building I can’t completely remember. Every week I would stare at the unfinished buildings and wonder how something so beautiful could come from such destruction.

The 9/11 digital archive is the most shocking collection of photos that I have seen regarding the topic. It shows both the overly publicized news version and the personal photos and accounts that were never heard. The first time I attempted to go through the archive, I was immediately hit with images of people stumbling out of rubble, hard working men and women trying to rescue as many as possible, and many faces of pain and agony. Within a minute I couldn’t handle any more than I’d already seen. For the first time in fourteen years, to have all of this information with so much understanding of the events was overwhelming. In thinking of the emotions of the families that were directly impacted, this archive cannot be helpful. It is a constant reminder of the loss and pain that thousands have felt and an example of the fear that many Americans still feel today.

The aggregation of this information is monumental in the recording of such a tragic event. To create the ability to constantly add on and view both the censored and uncensored collection from 9/11 gives the people complete control over how the event is remembered for centuries going forward. For someone that was so young at the time, to be able to look back and see what I couldn’t understand so many years ago brings a deeper sense of respect.  As I look back through the archive to finish this post, I can’t help but think how much has changed from 2001 to now. So much more information is easily accessible but the pain it represents can never fully be translated by technology.

Blog 2- 9|11 Digital Archive

Posted on by
1

The 9|11 digital archive is a one of it’s kind view of the terror attacks that rocked New York and the rest of the nation. We got to see the events unfold through the eyes of the media but the media (as they do with everything else) shoots through a filtered lens. When i browsed the archive i focused mainly on the photography and portraits of the events. Being a lover of photography that strikes me the most.

This site is a more personal view of the events, instead of one generic press story it is a unique combination of photo’s and tangible artifacts from that fateful day. All of this data is a modern day scrap book, a way for my daughter and future grandkids to look back and learn about that day, a way to truly see how it effected people and changed the world. Piece by piece each picture, of first responders, employees in the towers, people passing through you can see the worry, exhaustion and sorrow in their eyes. Thats not all you saw though, you saw triumphs of human compassion, spirit, and love. This material is real, its not censored for CNN or FOX its the accounts from people who stood in the wake of the biggest devastation on american soil. When i look at these pictures some i remember from the media, from reading TIME magazine and some that my teachers and professors used in future years. I think in some respects this is a raw view that some people may find too painful to look at. I watched a portion of the names being read this morning and even 14 years later you can see the pain, the emptiness people still carry around.

Last summer i visited the 9|11 memorial with my daughter and best friend and it was probably one of the most serene places i’d ever visited. Even my daughter (who was four at the time) knew or sensed the ambiance of the memorial and didn’t once run, yell out or climb on anything. It is truly a gorgeous and beautifully made memorial to those who unknowingly went to work that day and never made it home.

14 years ago i was 11 years old, a 6th grader in math class when other students in my class suddenly started getting picked up one by one. The teacher looked worried and paced back and forth but never told us what had happened. When my mom finally came for me she too looked panicked and worried, it wasn’t until we were home that she sat me down and told me what went on but not to tell my siblings who were 5 and 7 at the time. I remember her calling my dad ever hour or so because he had a birds eye view of the towers from his job across the river in Brooklyn, sometimes she’d cover her face and go in the other room. She never let us watch more than 5 minutes of the news in the coming weeks and it wasn’t until i was a senior in high school that i fully realized why. Images, even some from the archive were so heartbreaking that she felt it would damage our innocence and unscarred view of the world. I do remember though how rapidly the world changed around me after that. A few months later we went to florida and i remember seeing men with rifles in the airport and having to take my shoes and sweatshirt off to go through security. I remember seeing the dogs and the army in the train station when i went to the city with my dad. At the time it made me feel safe, that nothing bad could happen if these guys were around right? Now as an adult with a child of my own i understand my moms reasoning even more and i also feel her fear for the world her kids were being raised in. Ava is 6 now and she’s been on countless trips, on numerous airplanes and i think about the fact that she doesn’t know or remember a time when security wasn’t such a huge issue, a time before everything we did was watched, she’ll never know that. I try not to think about the way the world is now or how it may get worse, i try not to let ava be subjected to the evils of the world we live in though i know one day she’ll look at things like the 9|11 digital archive and know that the world in which we live is a turbulent and scary place but also one filled with human triumph and understanding.