Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Smarter Than You Think -- Chapter 8

[Smarter Than You Think


In Chapter 8, “Ambient Awareness” of Smarter Than You Think, Clive Thompson writes about some of the rewards of being deeply immersed in or active on social media.  At one point, he notes that "reaping cognitive benefits of the Internet often requires social work. This distresses anyone for whom social work is a chore or seems beneath them."

How did Thompson's observations strengthen or shift your perspectives about the benefits of social media?

13 comments:

Jacqueline C. said...

Thompson's observations about the internet did strengthen what I thought about it benefiting people cognitively. It is a way people can collaborate on different ideas and actually learn.The internet continues to grow and more and more people use it and communicate among each other. "Ambient awareness" refers to picking up a conversation in the middle (216)." This happens all the time especially when people make posts that intrigue others.It stimulates the mind and allows people to interact.

Jacquelene G said...

The author's views did not really shift my perceptions of social media, it only confirmed what I already thought. He brought up the fact that with the use of twitter and other social media people are able to give updates of their life, of which if these were given verbally in real life situations would seem annoying. However, social media allows us to be inspired by other people's thoughts, research, and ideas. So, there is good and bad in it.

Jacquelene G

Kayleigh E. said...

In the beginning of the chapter, Thompson spoke about how since people read their friends status updates, their conversations in real life are better. Instead of starting off catching up and asking "what have you been up to?" you can jump ahead to the middle of the conversation. I never thought about it like that. As a person who does not like small talk, that is something I enjoy.

Unknown said...

The observations made by Thompson didn't change my views, but when interviewing some facebook users that are job hunting they made good points. I think in this day in age it is important to watch what you post. Most people do not take that into consideration. (235-236)

Jenee' B. said...

Thompson's observations slightly shifted my prospective of social media. It seems mostly trivial from the outside when you look at lone status updates rather than the multitude over a period of months. However, I realized that what Thompson said about always feeling somewhat connected without it feeling intrusive is true. Also, I have noticed that some of the methods he described young workers using to collaborate are the same methods my classmates and I have successfully used to work on group projects.

Kiara Gay said...

The authors view point on social media didn't exactly shift my point of view, it kind of added to my own persepective of what I alreaady thought social media was. Not only is it a way to socialize with friends, family, and new people, but we see opinions of other people and we begin to think about our own opinions and we have our own outlook on what people post on their status update. It opens our minds to how others view the world, and gives everyone a voice through a keyboard.

Sandra N said...

Thompson's observations did not really alter my view on social media. Lately I've really seen how much good social media can do. Some people don't always tell their friends when something is wrong. By reading the changes in a friend's statuses, I noticed some signs that made it clear that something was seriously wrong. Reading statuses and posts on social media is also a good way to find out new information about people and the world around us.

Candace P said...

Clive Thompson's observations simply confirmed my perspectives concerning the benefits of social media. Within Chapter 8, Thompson states, "Jack Dorsey, the creator of Twitter, once told me that when his parents began using the service, their updates revealed sides he'd never known" (216). Dorsey goes on to describe that "Text is very freeing, especially short bits of text. It allows you to abstract yourself and reflect in a different way" (216). Thus, the information communicated throughout this chapter confirms that social media serves as an outlet.

Jade G said...

Thompson's observations did influence my thoughts about social media. Social media can have a positive influence on people's learning and communication abilities. Social media can help people come together collectively and agree or disagree on certain views being brought up by social media. For example, the news or different social medias can put out an article and many classes look at the article and discuss it in a scholarly matter.

C. S. said...

Personally,
I have no social media. And I have benefited since I've gotten rid of it. It allows me to have deeper relationships with those around me as opposed to those on a website who make assumptions about posts and pictures. Thus, I see Thompson's view, but disagree.

Chante S

Unknown said...

I would say that his observations definitely gave me a better perspective. I think that social media enables interactions between people that may otherwise have no chances of conversing or sharing ideas. That experience alone allows us to broaden our horizons and think outside the box on ideas and concepts that we may encounter in our everyday lives.

Ashley Bass said...

Thompson's observations actually shifted my perspective of social media. Generally people say social media is bad for you, studies show people are more depressed who are on social media blah blah blah. But Thompson discusses the benefits of it and ow it can help people collaborate on different ideas and learn from each other.

Kiana S said...

Based off personal experience, my friend posted a snide comment on facebook about another person and it got her into a lot of trouble. People do not realize how much social media can affect their day to day lives. Thompson hit it right on the head with his thoughts (235).