New Product Syndrome

This runs rampant throughout the world as if it were a plague. New products are constantly coming out every year for many different companies. Most of these products compete with other similar products out in the market. However, the biggest problem comes from the continuous distribution of new products from the same company. One day there is an iPhone 3G, and the next iPhone 4 is out on the market. The iPad was recently released, but iPad 2 is already out on the market as well. People fawn over these new products. They run to stores and wait in lines for days just so they can be one of the first to receive an item when it is released. I have a friend who waited 2 days in line for the first iPhone 4 available. I thought it was crazy, but my friend was obsessed with being one of the first to get his new phone. The worst part about it was he just bought an iPhone 3G a month or so before.

The problem with all of these new products is that it becomes a necessity for a lot of people. We do not see that it is not necessary to buy the newest products when we have items that still function properly. People are blinded by the flash and glamour of having the newest item on the market. If they see other people with the product, they are instantly envious of them. When we finally get the product we have dreamt about, a new one comes out and we instantly turn to the quest for the newer product. I remember when I got my Macbook they changed everything to Macbook Pro a week later. I was pretty upset about that, but I did not just go back and buy another Macbook. I will admit, I am envious of people when I see that they have really cool products that just came out. It is hard to watch other people enjoy things that you know you would enjoy if you had it. However, people need to learn that wasting money on newer products all the time is not a good option. People spend more and more money than they can afford just trying to keep up with the fads and newest fashions. iPods are remade almost every year, and they keep attracting some of the same customers over and over again. It has become a huge problem for some people because not everyone has the money to spend on all of these new items. In my opinion, people need to figure out that their products are perfectly fine for the things we do with them daily. We need to start saving money instead of useless spending on the new iPhone or iPod. By doing that, we are controlling what we buy instead of letting the new products control us. We have the power to the destinies of the newer products. The products will not consume the minds of all people and be massively bought for no reason. I admit that I need to figure this out for myself as well. By doing this, I believe that people will be able to save more money in hard times like today.

Required blog 3

Technology has spread to the many generations of people around the world and is widely used for numerous things. With all of the good things that come from technological advances, a lot of problems arise as well. In my opinion, technology has taken a toll on everyday face to face interaction. Technology can cause people to become lazy and not want to speak with people face to face anymore.

I was told a story by my Dad about an employee of his. He said that the employee was trying to ask him a question regarding something he was working on. Instead of speaking to my father in his office, he decided to instant message him. In my father's eyes, this was a sign of laziness. He would rather have his employees come to him in person to report or ask questions rather then send him a message through the internet.

This story is an example of the laziness that I believe comes from technological advances. We find ways to speak with people without having to have face to face contact with them. I also believe that this later hinders our abilities to speak with people face to face. In my own experience, I find it much easier to speak with someone over the internet rather than speak with them face to face. I have gotten more comfortable with instant messaging, texting, or even emailing people rather than speaking to them in person about what it is I need to address. This is something that I see as a problem that comes with the good of technology.

Using the internet to meet people is a really difficult subject for me. I believe that it is something that can be utilized to help meet people, but it should never be a person's first choice when trying to meet new people. People cannot be dependent on the Internet because it will hinder their ability to socialize face to face. To me, it is a real skill to be able to introduce yourself to someone face to face without seeming shady or strange. To some it comes easy. However, to others, it is a very difficult task. I believe that the Internet can be an escape route for the people who do not believe in their ability to break the ice face to face.

I do not think connecting with others through online communities is a viable way to create meaningful relationships. The Internet gives us the ability to be whoever we want to be because most do not really get to see the real person behind the mask. I can be the funniest person in the world on the Internet while in real life being a very boring person. That is not a way to create meaningful friendships. Meaningful friendships come from the interaction that people have daily face to face. Two people must really know who that person is and whether or not they can put up with the good things about them and their faults. A "virtual relationship" does not allow this to happen.

I believe that society does need to create more places for people to interact and socialize. It can be really hard for someone to find the right kind of human interaction without going to a bar or club. Even at those kinds of places people are not seeing each other for who we really are. In my opinion, people need to try to communicate more through face to face interaction rather than online interaction to truly have a healthy relationship with that person. The only way this will happen is if we are able to branch away from the computer or phone and into a club of some sort where people with similar interests can meet.

Required blog 2

Facebook, Twitter, and other social media websites such as these have taken over the lives of many people today. Personally, I do not use any of these websites except for Facebook. Even though I do use Facebook, I do not use it religiously like a lot of the people that I know.  Usually, I go on Facebook when I see that I have a notification or am looking for someone that I need to talk to. This generally happens a couple times per month. However, when it comes to texting on my phone, I am a frequent user. I text someone every other day for numerous reasons. However, I would not say that I am constantly using texting throughout the day. I believe that a good majority of people abuse these medias because of how fun or easy they are to use. They can overuse these medias and this is a problem that has been occurring with people in our society today.
Even though these types of media do not have as much precedence for me, I believe that a lot of people use these things a huge majority of their time during the day. I constantly see people texting, using Facebook, or tweeting. I have a friend who tweets every single day, sometimes multiple times a day. I believe the cultural move towards social networking has a lot of issues and problems. The privacy of people becomes property of the companies of Facebook and Twitter. Also, the constant access of these tools has caused a lot of people to find speaking in person not necessary. It is really simple to send a text message to someone if you need something from them. Because of this, the alternative choice of actually speaking to the person in person is becoming obsolete. Also, the amount of time people spend on these things is a problem as well. There are so many different things people could be spending their time on. However, they choose to spend a lot of time on these kinds of media. Everything that a person puts on these kinds of media are open to public, and this can cause huge problems if the wrong types of things are posted. Personally, I have never done anything on these medias that I regret. I do not use them enough to have something to regret. However, I know there are people who have had bad experiences with their privacy on these medias. It is hard to say whether these things will positively or negatively impact us in the future. However, at the moment, I believe that people spend too much time on these medias. I also believe that privacy is a huge problem on them right now. Also, these things give people the abilities to ignore comments posted by people that they may not want to hear from at the time.
Some benefits of this technology, however, is the ability to communicate with people over vast distances. Through these medias, I can talk to my cousin living in New Jersey any time I want to. The ability to speak with people quickly through these tools is a huge advantage when a message needs to be sent.

My Media Diet

Monday
Computer: Sports sites, games, news sites, 3 hours
TV: Sports, House, News, 3 hours
Phone: texting, 15 minutes

Tuesday
Computer: Sports sites, games, 2 hours
TV: Sports, Futurama, Family Guy, 4 hours

Wednesday
Computer:  games, sports sites, 2 hours
TV: Sports, Outsourced, Futurama,  News, 4 hours

Thursday
Computer: games, 1 hour
TV: Sports, Futurama, George Lopez, News, 3 hours
Phone: texting, 10 minutes


Friday
Computer: games, sports sites, 3 hours
TV: Futurama, George Lopez, Camelot, Simpsons 5 hours



My media diet is mostly filled with the computer and television. I do not use my phone much, but I use the computer and television almost ritually for numerous hours. A very good amount of the information I read about comes from media on the internet. This shows me that these kinds of media are a huge part of my life. I think that other people my age have very similar routines with their computers and televisions. While there might be some differences with some people in the type of media they use, I think our media consumption is very similar. Some people would rather play on a Xbox instead of their computer. Some may watch television shows on their computer instead of their actual television. Other people may be on their phone for a good majority of the day. However, I think a good majority of people my age consume a very great deal of similar media.

American society has become a lot more centralized on technology for their media consumption. Everyone has a cell phone, and most people have a computer and television. People are continuously using these things throughout their day to find information or just relax. Technology has become a very necessary part of the American livelihood. We communicate with each other through these things, and we learn about what is going on in the world through these types of media.

My media consumption probably could be changed a lot to benefit my life. However, it is hard to do so because everything a person might need can be found on the internet. I do not think my surroundings influence my media intake very much. I mostly use what I use because it is what I have found interest in.