Upon reading "Smart Mobs: The Next Social Revolution", I started thinking about "Lovegety and P2P Journalism" and the future of blogging. (Rheingold 165) I must admit that I'm a bit torn between whether or not "inter-personal awareness devices" (IPAD) are creepy or not. IPADs allow one to find people in real-world spaces (though I'm not sure within what radius), are nearby. On one hand, that sounds cool. For instance, with the company Lovegety, I can see when a person of the opposite sex is nearby. The Japanese have been using this product for a while. Let's be honest: someone gets desperate, Lovegety (or the other products like it such as Gaydar, Mobile Cupid Service, and ImaHima) can provide a quick answer. By desperate I mean for a relationship, though I suppose it could be used for a prostitution ring, if one was THAAAAAAT desperate. I suppose it is kind of like a website like e-Harmony, or the dozens of other dating services that "guarentee" results.
On the other hand, that's just plain CREEPY. It is the perfect place to say "HI! I'M A STALKER! YOU WILL NEVER ESCAPE!" Perfect. Facebook/Myspace didn't allow for enough stalkers anyways....
But the whole idea of using mobile devices (such as Lovegety, etc.) is so key to current society. For instance, the usage of cellular phones has improved the news. By improved I mean getting it out faster/easier. For instance, with the terrible tragedy of Virginia Tech earlier this year, one kid had footage on his cell phone and sent it to the news services. It provided a real video stream prior to the video crews being able to get there. In this instance, mobile devices played an important role. It will be interesting to see how mobile devices continue to impact the news.
Rheingold, Howard. Smart Mobs: The Next Social Revolution. 1st Ed. Cambridge, MA: Basic Books, 2002.
Scoble, Robert, and Shel Israel. Naked Conversations. 1st Ed. Hoboken, NJ: Jon Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2006
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Stalking 101...Via Mobile Technology...
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5 comments:
I agree that it is wicked stalkerish to use programs such as IPAD to locate people. It would be an interesting study to see whether or not there is an increase in the number of criminal cases based on stalker type crimes (ie restraining orders being broken, trespassing, etc)
While there are benefits to phone technology, as the VT example I think that programs such as IPAD are invasion of privacy to a certain extent..
I totally agree… stalkers, stalkers, stalkers!
I had no idea that all these devices existed, technology is getting creepier by the minute. What are they going to come up with next? To be honest, im scared to find out. I just don’t think that they are necessary, what happened to meeting people randomly? And the surprise of seeing someone by chance?
Facebook, Take 2
i don't worry about stalker as much as I worry about "smart" advertisement.
My phone tells whoever where I am, and whamo instant ad on my phone telling me to look to my left at the blowout sale or coupon for that other store down 1 block.
No thank you, I have enough of telemarketers as it is, I don't want them around while I'm not home.
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