500 word essay (2)

The idea of having a mobile device that is able to measure sound pollution seems like a good thing as it allows the user to have their own way of measuring sound and participating in something that could, in all, help the environment. However, there are many limitations to this that could mean that it is not successful.

Cost/availability, credibility and lack of a knowledge infrastructure all prohibit the success rate of the feature. With smartphones becoming more expensive and more clever with each upgrade, within a few years I’m sure this feature could be available on all devices. However at the I feel there are a lot of other aspects that need to be worked on before something like this is considered. Many smartphones have significant computational power, internet connectivity and integrated sensors (e.g. microphones, cameras, GPS, motion sensors) but reliability is still not a strong point of many smart phones and it could be argued that they are simply not ready for something so complex.

Although the creation of Web 2.0 has made participatory culture more prominent and people are more motivated by a desire to volunteer and be part of a community, how often would this feature actually be used? Yes, noise pollution is something that needs to be looked at and dealt with however most people with smart phones are only concerned with checking their twitter and ‘fattifying’ their faces on apps available to download in the blink of an eye.

Furthermore, once the mobile application has measured the sound and given the user an indication of the level of noise pollution, the user can then either choose to put in some ear plugs to prevent hearing damage or they can contact local authority and alert them that the level of noise pollution is too high. However, it is uncertain whether these authorities will do anything to prevent this sound pollution, therefore, not helping many other members of society.

The text states that currently only 7 smartphones are compatible with the application. This means that only people with these phones will be able to use the application, meaning not very many people will be able to have input.

After reading the text i decided to search ‘NoiseTube’ in the App store. Surprisingly I came across the exact app that the text refers to. What I had predicted was right, the app had no ratings and therefore had not been downloaded very much if at all. It stated that the research project started in 2008. Although it was good to see that the app was available on something as common as the iPhone, it simply didn’t look like the app was very popular. The day to day citizen probably wouldn’t be aware that noise pollution was such an issue let alone know there was an app to measure it.

Chapter Eight Response - 500 words

Whilst reading ‘Chapter Eight - Conclusion’ I came to my own conclusion that twitter plays a huge part in people’s day to day lives. I myself have a twitter account and although I don’t post many tweets, I find myself continuously scrolling up and down the timeline. I think this is due to the fact that people nowadays constantly have their smartphone glued to their hand and so feel the need to explore the endless social abyss that is twitter. There definitely is an innate need in human beings to be noticed and included so I think we then convert this need onto twitter. Although i’d like to say I’m not bothered about how many followers I have, when I get a new follower there is a small buzz of excitement that makes me feel slightly more accomplished.

The chapter asks the question if people can tweet questions like “thinking about going to dinner tonight… anyone want to join?” and although this is a perfectly normal question, as soon as it is tweeted, the tweeter is automatically more aware of himself and whether or not he gets an answer. This is due to the fact that everyone that follows him can see this tweet and can see if anyone replies. It all becomes about social status. On twitter you are simply judged by how many followers you have, how many retweets you get and who favourites your tweets.

I think twitter has strengthened communities. I live in Crouch End in North London and Crouch End has it’s own twitter page, updating followers with events going on in the area. If it wasn’t for the twitter page, many people wouldn’t be aware of what was happening in the area. Although e-mail was a way of getting word a while ago, Twitter is instantaneous and so makes it automatically accessible to everyone.

‘Is the intimacy and immediacy of Twitter less favourable to the star system of television and film?’ I think that although celebrities seem more desired and mysterious as they are less accessible on TV and film, the use of twitter makes them seem more like real people. Following celebrities allows the everyday, average person to tweet these famous people and in the rare cases, get a response. It allows you to feel more connected to these people. I was followed by Barack Obama and I got overly excited, despite the fact i was aware he probably has his own twitter-operator that bulk follows people.

Despite this, twitter can also be used in a less shallow way that benefits society. Twitter can have a society-centric focus as well as a me-centric focus. The society-centric focus usually appears when a disaster happens. In 140 characters, many tweeters post informative, useful tweets that allow users to understand what’s going on. And with hashtags and trends, these updates are easily accessible.

Due to the constant flow of thousands of tweets a minute, it is impossible for tweets to be monitored and censored. People might not always like what they see but that’s twitter for you. It’s sole purpose is to allow people to express themselves. In all, twitter is used for all purposes and as the chapter says, it will probably be eclipsed at some point but for now, it’s egocentric Twitterverse is very much in use.

New Blog!

I have set up this blog to display work and other bits and bobs during my course