I agree, and I think I would go as far as saying that people will always be lazy. If there isn’t the prize right in front of their faces, it’s going to take a lot of voluntary action for the individual to vote or donate money for a cause. The Internet is basically free for the average consumer, so sharing an article might be the farthest the user is willing to go for a cause.

I mean, I think that’s why advertising exists. It’s clever and strategic, which is why big business that have the money are able to get to where they are today.

I found your thoughts to be a very interesting representation of history repeating itself. To me, it seemed like the Internet allowed users and the common man to have a voice, and maybe in the beginning stages of the Internet people were able to find news beyond newspapers and radio stations, both of which would be controlled by the government or big businesses. It’s crazy to speculate this far into the future, but what if the Internet becomes so saturated with advertising and big business control that something like the Internet 2.0 emerges? Would we leave the Internet to join a newer community?

I actually think Screech would still face similar feelings of isolation from the group even if social media existed. I think that instead of being “out of the loop,” Screech might just not be tagged in a photo. We talk about FOMO (fear of missing out) on social media, so maybe that has become today’s understanding of what it means to be left out.

I also thought that it was interesting how easily so many conversations on these shows could have just existed on our phones. Even for myself, I text most of my friends nowadays because we’re all busy and on different ends of campus. As this image becomes the norm, I wonder how TV series and episodes will try to compensate for the transition of communication into virtual communities.

I thought your comment about the SF Giants subreddit was really interesting. I honestly can’t imagine how in a community as big at 14,000+, you recognize other users by their names and their content. I guess for me, many of my social media outlets are smaller and more intimate, and while I knew the Internet allowed for interconnectivity your example really solidified that idea for me.

Wow, I really enjoyed your comment about the importance of developing social capital. I immediately thought of Tumblr, as my own Tumblr has recently deviated from posting about my personal life to simply reblogging content from other bloggers. With Tumblr, I’ve felt like it is simply more convenient for me to reblog others’ content than for me to curate my own, which has taken a toll in how I think my Tumblr profile truly describes me. Rather than speaking in my own words and style about what I find valuable in life, my personality is curated through others’ content. I wonder if this dependency has to do with the connectedness of the Internet.

Whoa, I didn’t know you were a co-founder of COLLO! As a fellow artist, I applaud you for your visions for this group and all that you’ve done! This is not completely related to our readings, but do you feel like the university is very supportive of your group? I know that as a dancer, the student interest dance groups on campus definitely get less support than the TAPS department. Another example would be the extreme difficulty AATP (Asian-American Theater Project) had to face just to book Bing for their production of My Fair Lady. Do you try to reach out to administration in order to develop more support?

I can see where this is coming from, but I wonder if the initial decision to pick a non-random password is just because it’s easier to remember. I still remember the first password to my home computer to be “express” – the word that was on my t-shirt when I first helped my family log in. At that time, the word was arbitrarily chosen, but looking back now it definitely has sentimental value!

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Yes!! I totally see this shift, and I see it on YouTube as well. YouTubers who don’t seem genuine on their channels ultimately don’t become as successful as others, but that environment is also different because well, personalities sell and are the main attraction for subscribers. Do you see similar changes in the music industry/Soundcloud/aspiring musicians?

This isn’t specifically related to the lone genius, but I thought it was super interesting that there seems to be such a heavy focus on teamwork these days in our educational settings. I’m currently taking a d.school class called Designing Your Life, and literally yesterday a problem solving method we were introduced to is talking to people who have completely different interests and problems as you. It’s supposed to help you gain a fresh perspective on your problem and how you can tackle it, which I thought was very relevant to this specific reading.

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I thought your title was a really interesting phrase! I think we all grew up with the idea that it’s a small world, but only really begin to see that once we start working. Through social media, I believe that we’ve come to realize this more and more early, especially since it’s pretty normal to express some “stalker” vibe occasionally while searching for someone. Furthermore, I think that going to Stanford has also helped increase our connectivity to the world because ours peers are going on to do some diverse and incredible things!