2 reasons why the term "crowdsourcing" bugs me

I really like what the author said about how a lot of people view crowdsourcing as a "faster/cheeper/better" and maybe a more unique way or producing a product. I agree with that, to do the best kind of creative crowdsourcing, there has to be passion in it, not just a monetary incentive. If money is the only motivation for crowdsourcing then it can sometimes lack luster and passion, that being said I don't discourage payment for contribution. "Great communities are not factories", I think that quote pretty much covers that. I think the idea that crowdsourcing abstracts or "insults" the creators vision is a good concern but keep in mind, the creator in crowdsourcing is everyone involved. The source for the inspiration of the project and the one in charge isn't necessarily the creator.

Speaking In Memes

Memes are some of the best parts of the Internet. Memes are the diamonds in a vast ocean of disappointing Facebook posts that makes having a social network worth all the while. Memes can be used to make a simple joke or make a political or social statement. This article talks about memes being used during the 2012 presidential campaign, and I couldn’t think of a better time to read this article because of the presidential campaign that’s coming up in 2016. I notice sometimes people will put the picture of a really smart person and meme it with some super right-wing conservative view point that you know that person would never say in real life. A lot of people really believe that. Its an affective way to get a point across for sure. This article does go into the fact that memes are made for just the present then they disappear. It kind of reminds me of the saying “here today, gone later today” I think that applies to memes for sure.

Panting for breath on a virtual shore

I think this article is very interesting because doesn’t focus on the benefits of having the Internet in our lives is, but rather what the Internet and smart phones are doing to us as a species. This is actually something that I think about quite often. Mainly being a college student in this day and age, I’m on the Internet all of the time. Sometimes I’ll be doing work all day and I haven’t moved from that spot because I’ve been in front of my computer. It is a little scary to think about the fact that the Internet really is affecting our developmental cycle as humans. The article goes as far as to say that we are basically turning into “cyborgs” because we always have technology on us and were becoming so engulfed in the world of cyber communication. This articles advice is to not get too attached to our devises and that we are “still in the honey-moon phase with this technology” and that it’s going to get worse and worse. I actually can see that point and will say that I actually agree with it. I think we are getting to dependent these technologies. Becoming to dependent on anything is dangerous because there is always this possibility that one day we will no longer have it.

Tiffany Shlian-From Failure to Innovation

Wow, the beginning of the Internet, pretty crazy to think that it really hasn’t been around that long, though it has been around about as long as I have.  Tiffany described her method of filmmaking and I thought of it to be a lot like making a collage. She uses pieces of other works to create a work of her own. I think that method is a really interesting use of creativity. The film she made titles “Let it Ripple” is one of the most effective uses of crowdsourcing I’ve seen in filmmaking.  We see this format of “sentence completion” all of the time in commercials and TV. Hearing all kinds of people saying the same thing can really have an impact on the viewer.

Jimmy Wales on the birth of Wikipedia

Wikipedia really is one of the best parts of the Internet. Anytime you Google a person or event, most of the time the Wikipedia article is one of the first options. Wikipedia really has innovated the way we can access information. For anyone that uses the internet on a day-to-day basis, there really is no telling how many times we’ve used Wikipedia. Wikipedia is the ultimate example of the most effective use of crowdsourcing that I can think of. The fact that they can get so many people to volunteer is truly amazing. I’ve always thought how anyone can go and change or update any profile at any time was the coolest part of that website.  Having people want to volunteer their free time to help build the worlds largest encyclopedia is really the most effective example of crowdsourcing. That being said, the fact that ANYONE can go on there and change anything they want also is the part that gives it stigma. Most teachers and professors HATE Wikipedia because its assumed to be unreliable because anyone can add to it. One thing that you have to keep in mind is that it’s almost impossible to try to add something to a page without a source to back it up (I know this first hand) There is a huge community that is passionate about keeping Wikipedia reliable and accurate.