In today's modern world, where information is shared and available in a single click of a computer or even "binged" as a news update on a smart phone, information is everywhere and opinions are as common place as the air we breathe.
Social computing or social network sites (SNSs), are defined as social network sites as web-based services that allow individuals to (1) construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, (2) articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and (3) view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system. The nature and nomenclature of these connections may vary from site to site read in an article by Danah Boyd
Today's Internet culture is a result of people wanting to be more proactive or participatory in what may be seen on the internet or through other smart technologies by voicing their opinions, beliefs, status and such on sites or means such as Wikipedia, Tweeting, Face book, blogs, etc.
There have been cases of cyber bullying resulting in suicide, legal action or violence and sometimes it almost seems as if people may be calling out for help of some sort through their social media sites, for example the recent shooting that took place in Arizona on January 8 of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, left six others dead and 14 wounded. It has been reported that the shooter, Jared Loughner's movements before the shooting left clues to his mental condition, he posted on his MySpace account a farewell to his friends and pictures, and called a friend to say goodbye. Whether something could have been done to avert the shooting is unclear as Jared Loughner's mental health was already deteriorating and his behavior becoming more erratic. I am also undecided as whether his postings were a call of help or may have just been due to his continued disillusioned state of mind. Some of his activities can be found at an article published by the Huffington Post. This is not the first, nor will it be the last where somebody's movements, mental capacity or status before an action or activity can be traced to their social media sites.
As an assignment, it was interesting when I began to search for Arizona shooting how much different information came up, and it was difficult to decide which articles were from a reliable source as there was also blog sites and forums that would show up in the results. It had me thinking about that Web 2.0 thing and how there is just an overwhelming amount of information out there... whether good or bad...reliable or simply an individual opinion means it really is up to the reader to decipher what is relevant and what is rubbish.
