Andrew Keen's "Solutions"

I found Andrew Keen's article "Solutions," to be a much more enjoyable and agreeable read than his original article. In "Solutions" Keen recognizes that the internet and it's functions are an unescapeable part of our society, and it's not going anywhere any time soon. His ideas to fix the Web would make it better, and reverse amateurism and the home-grown movement to enrich and enhance, rather than hold us back. I thought what Keen proposed we do to fight amateurism and false identity problems was a little unrealistic, and would take a lot of work on every persons part to make it work.

His first solution is something he calls "Citizendium." The idea of Citizendium is to create a site where only experts and masters of certain feilds can review and edit information for others to see. Because experts in certain feilds do have more knowledge about the topics than the everyday person, it would make sense that they would have the power to do that, and thus, enrich and enhance the validity of the information. The only problem I could forsee with this is how you could decifer the experts from fakers. False identity is a huge problem when it comes to the web and it would make it extremely difficult to find a way to screen the site so only real experts would be able to edit it. Otherwise, it would end up just being another wikipedia.

Keens obsession with spreading music so it "pours from every orfice in the world" was probably his inspiration for his idea of iamplify. Again, it would take the work of every person and the idea that people are doing the "right" thing to make an idea like this work. iAmplify wouldn't become successful because there are so many other places on the Web to access that type music. Maybe it would be helpful for musicians to get there music out there, but I don't think it would ever catch on.

Overall I thought Keen's ideas were a little to idealistic for the kind of world we live in. People aren't going to want to change anything about the web, though I do agree that it would be better if we were to change it.

Web 3.0

First off, I believe we will be entering the age of "Web 3.o" much sooner than we are ready for. As the internet and technology related to the internet continue to become popularized and a part of our lives, the new web shall come upon much sooner than I think we are ready for. We need to stop and think about the consequences and moral and social impacts that a more interactive and powerful web will bring to us. What worries me is how much Web 3.o will compromise our privacy. More and more things will be done solely online, and we will be keep and submit more and more personal information onto the web. Without sounding paranoid, the government could easily use the applications of Web 3.o to invade our free will and rights. Also, I feel as though our appreciation of the physical world will continue to diminish. More and more human interactions, whether business or personal, will take place on the web, and we will lose a sense of reality.

Kevin Kelly Analysis

I thought that Kelly's discussion was both very interesting and done in a very artful way. It was strange that he kept using words like "the one" and giving human qualities to the internet and technology, almost as if it were an all powerful being. The language he used to describe technology was both artful, and also said something about he feels about what the internet and technology will become. It scared me a little. It makes me a little uneasy because as the internet and technology becomes an increasingly interactive and important part of our lives, we lose other things in the process. As technology becomes more powerful, it will only continue to take over our lives leaving little room for the physical things in the world. Technology is going to continue pushing other things out of our lives making many things obsolete.

Illustration Proposal

1. Describe what kind of visual component you would like to create to accompany your essay
Since I chose to market and brand a product for my Midterm project, I think it would be appropriate to bring the ideas I had for promoting the project to life. I’d like to create a snapshot of the commercial idea’s I had. It could be used as a billboard design as to go along with the commercial. I would probably use the idea of the waterless washer being at one with nature in a forest or woods.

2. What tools/techniques in Illustrator / Photoshop will you be using?
I would be using mainly Photoshop to create my idea, using different filters, color tool, and pen tool, shape tool to create a scene that I think will really sell this product.

3. How to you envision your completed digital illustration?
I envision it looking more realistic than shapely or cartoonish, and hope to come up with some kind of phrase to put on the bottom that will connect with how the washer gets along with the environment. I hope it will look professional and convey my idea to other viewers.

MidTerm

Kelly Kowal
Media Literacy
Mid-term Paper
Topic #1

Sifting through and researching some new and upcoming technologies for 2010 and onwards, I found many interesting and peculiar inventions and innovations. Amongst them, I thought that I could create the most interesting and imaginative product promotion and create a culture around a brand for the water-less washing machine. I feel that if I had to market this product in the real world, I could appeal to two different large audiences, both the housewife and the perfect family, and also, work with the new movement of “going green” which many people in the country support.
I first noticed the waterless washing machine in a recent issue of time magazine, so pursued further research on the internet. The waterless washing machine, still in the developmental stage of production, was started in a British company Xeros, which is why it has yet to hit the American market. The washer uses 90 percent less water than normal washing machines, would require less detergent, and virtually eliminate the need for tumble drying. The washer does this by using nylon beads that can be used for hundreds of cycles, and afterwards, easily recycled. If this washing system were to hit the American market, carbon dioxide emissions would be considerably reduced, and would save 1.2 billion tons of water each year. Clearly the product would appeal to environmentally conscious families, and with the right type of branding, many other households.
With this product, I would narrowcast to two specific groups, the typical nuclear family, and environmentalist. In regards for the first group, I would try and create a television commercial resembling how ads were first created. With a black and white coloring and good looking, well put-together housewife. The entire ad could be in black and white except for the new product, symbolizing how the technology is more efficient and more modern than everything else in the household. The stay at home housewife could present the product, similar to the way they did in old fashioned advertisements, and explain how much less work this washer is than all the other work. Then possibly the commercial could show a near perfect family and the ad could say something like, “making life more simple.” It would show how the new washer would save time and take less effort, to leave time for the more important things. I believe that would emotionally appeal to a family oriented family, feeling that by having this kind of product, they will be a closer and better family. It may take a while to have consumers attach emotional value or associate a family life style to a washing machine, but with this type of marketing idea, I believe it could be possible.
I would also focus on appealing to environmentally friendly households and environmentalist. The “going green” movement is becoming a very popular and strong movement in the United States currently, and by associating the water-less washing machine with this movement, it could gain widespread popularity. Consumers would feel good about themselves if they associated the washer with helping the environment, and would be more inclined to buy it. To market this product, I would make it clear at how much water would be saved worldwide if “x” amount of people switched to the product, how carbon dioxide levels could be greatly reduced, and how much people could save on detergent and dryers. Those facts alone would be greatly appealing to those concerned with the environment, and in addition could save money on detergent and drying machines. With hybrid cars, and new innovations to save gas and promote other eco friendly products, the water-less washer would fit right in with these innovations. Perhaps a commercial featuring the product in the woods, blending in with the nature surrounding it, with a very modern looking person doing their laundry, could be an effective way to brand the product. By making people feel like they are supporting the environment and helping the world, it would make them feel as though they were making a morally good choice, subconsciously compelling buyers to choose the water-less washer, opposed to the traditional washer. Another aspect however, is that with this washer, it would eliminate the need for detergent and a dryer, therefore, saving money in the long run, which could appeal to a whole new group of people. People may be hesitant to switch from the traditional washer to the new age one, but by mentioning these money saving facts also, it is just another reason for them to switch.
As for a brand for the product, something associated with the nylon beads the washer uses could be an interesting way to incorporate the functionality of the washer into its logo. The beads could be swirling around the first letter of the products name or a water spout could be emitting beads instead of water. To successfully incorporate the beads into the logo, it would need to be made clear that it is a washing machine using beads, or consumers may be confused what the product being advertised is.
For a less mainstream marketing edge, blogs or websites dedicated to the “going green” movement could promote the product, possibly feature pictures on it’s page. That way, an under the radar kind of marketing could be used, which would be less expensive, and appeal to the right audience. As for product placement, the washers could be featured in high tech and hip looking Laundromat, or being used in a household.
The water-less washing machine, with this type of marketing and cultural branding, would no doubt do well in the United States. It would be easy to build an emotional attachment to the product by creating the idea that the washing machine would bring families closer together, would drive even more family oriented households to buy the product. On the other hand, environmentally friendly people and those who support the “Green” movement in America would also be attracted to this product if it were marketed in the manner such as I previously stated. The water-less washing machine could create an idea of family bonding and an idea of supporting the environment.

2.22.10 Answers

1.The new term “produsers” made us think about how the vast majority of those in the viewing audience are not only consumers, but producers as well. Therefore professional production values are forced to increase rather than decrease because not only are they creating for consumers, but for other “produsers” as well. We believe that it's not production values that are dropping, but more changing to match the style and popularity of “home grown” media. For example, the Disney show “iCarly” is about a young teen with her own “web show” which many teens actually have in real life. The show mixes both the amateurish style and professional style of production, which allows the young audience to easily relate. This will also cause the “produsers” of the amateur user generated content to match the quality of professional producers.

2.Obama’s Plan for Health Bill Largely Follows Senate Version Our tag ideas were, President Obama, Health Bill, politics, senate, Health Care reform, Law and legislation. Many of our tag ideas were similar, since they were easy to spot and come up with. Tags that we didn't think of however, were a little more abstract, and we had to really read and analyze the article to see the connection. Compared to the tags we found on delicious.com, they were generally just as strongly related to our tag ideas for our article.

3. Transparency is such an important concept because it allows people to communicate things and feelings, and at the same time can hide certain motives or authenticity. For example, you might “tweet” that you're going to a charity event because you support a certain charity, but at the same time you want attention and praise from other people that you're doing work for charity. In the offline world however, we believe that transparency is less important only because it is more difficult to be “transparent” when your not masked a computer screen. It is more difficult to hide certain agendas and or hidden motives while face to face or over a phone, so therefore, we believe that transparency is not as relevant to the offline world as it is to the online world.

Digital Nation Conclusion

After watching the remainder of the Digital Nation videos, I am truly convinced that technology and "life on the virtual frontier," is a detriment to society. The video gave countless examples of how modern technology is hindering society. They touched on how distracted and multi-tasking this generation is, which really made me start to compare the past and the present.
I thought of earlier forms of communication, like letter writing for example. Because people were unable to see each other and talk to each other any time they wanted, the things they said in letters and in person were important, and really meant something. Now with the click of a button we can talk to whom ever we want to. I feel like our language and actions have become less thoughtful, and less meaningful with modern technology, and we have lost some of the elegant, beautiful language, and customs that used to be the norm. The digital nation video also touched on that thought of mine, saying that with any new innovation, we lose something along the way. In a way I believe that to be true, our generation, I believe, can be incredibly lazy, and less hard working, yet still be successful in the world today.
After watching the videos, I found that I was often reminded and referencing the Digital Nation Videos. For example, the other day at a rehearsal, my instructor blew up at us and said that the problem with our generation is that we don't have to work hard for anything, and that everything is at our disposal. It reminded me so much of what Mark Bauerline, author of "The Dumbest Generation" had to say in the videos. After reading a little about the author and his book online, I absolutely agree with most of his claims, especially his claim that though technology was supposed to make us more aware and improve our knowledge, that the opposite affect occurs. It has led to addiction, distraction, obsession, and a false sense of reality. It is especially scary because our technology is only going to become more advanced and more a part of our world.