w2r

Being dubbed the "user generated generation" definitely has its perks as well as faults. According to TIME Magazine articles, "You -- Yes, You -- Are TIME's Person of the Year," "Power to the People," Enough About You," and "Your Web, Your Way" the present-day population has undergone a revolution of everything we thought was possible, all thanks to the world wide web and a little thing we like to call Web 2.0.

In the article, "Enough About You," Brian Williams discusses the concept of a "user generated generation" where the everything references the first person singular, and how we are convinced that our thoughts, opinions and ideas are all so crucial and interesting that we NEED to share them with the rest of the world. Williams also mentions how, "today, everyone gets celebrated...," but at what price? Children are receiving trophies not for winning but for merely entering and participating. We are beginning to feel entitled to everything as a result being over praised. This is effecting our work ethic, our attitudes and our overall lives. In addition to all this, we are now making our lives more public than ever before. Blogs have turned into viral diaries, tweets and status updates share your current emotions, and foursquare lets you check in and announce exactly where you are. With so many ways to express ourselves, are we really showing our true emotions or are we just inflating the positive aspects of our lives and sharing a more romanticized version of our lives?

In addition to a change of attitudes, we are noticing a shift in positions in terms of careers and business. Jeff Howe mentions in his TIME article, "Your Web, Your Way," how professional advertising, marketing campaigns and client relations efforts sought out by big businesses are now being replaced. Anyone with an internet connection can create a blog and trash a company, can give them negative ratings on an online public forum calling for hours of a social media specialist to intervene. Now more than ever, the internet has given a voice to just about everyone.

This newfound voice to the masses hasn't only effected us negatively, it has given the population a way to communicate and share details on just about everything known to man. Lev Grossman sums up this concept perfectly in his piece, "Power to The People," when he states; "...sometimes, the best inventions are the ones people find their own uses for." The internet and Web 2.0 isn't just for a young generation or that guy in his mom's basement with the screen-name hottiegal042...its for everyone. Its for you and me. So what are you waiting for? Go ahead, venture onward young explorers, type away you budding bloggers, sing it all out you you and coming youtubers....the web is entirely what you make of it.

w1r - TIME Profile of an ordinary person made powerful by social media

At the risk of being too similar to TIME's Person of the Year 2006...someone ordinary made powerful by social media isn't just you. No, it's your love life.  Not only had social media changed the way we interact with and meet other individuals, it has revolutionized the way we date, flirt and even get married. Today, 1 in 5 relationships began online through dating websites and other forms of social media. With so much going on in life, it seems like the best way to meet someone romantically. Social media has not only been the gateway to online dating, but a form of it as well. Just because social media outlets like Facebook, MySpace, etc were created typically to connect with existing friends and colleagues, that does not mean it is always used like that. Many social media sites are allowing people to reconnect with long lost friends, family and former flames. In addition, people are meeting through social media sites in addition to dating-specific websites (which are a form of social media in themselves). Our generation's dating and personal lives are being plastered all over the internet, with terms like "Facebook official" often determining how serious a couple's relationship really is. The test of true love is now being determined by whether or not a couple has made their relationship a public matter for others to see.

Although this entire concept of our very personal lives made public, social media site like Facebook are not far off in the concept of what they are making available for their users. Not only is there the option to post your relationship on your user page, but you can also tag your significant other in it as well, making it able for your friends to gain knowledge about your partner. Additionally, the options for how you can define your relationship seem almost endless. With typical options available like, "in a relationship with..." or, "married to...." one also has the option to define that they are "widowed," in an "open relationship" with someone, and now even "in a domestic partnership."

Facebook has absolutely capitalized on their ability to offer an extensive amount of options when publicizing one's personal life. Although this is not only useful, but one of the ways Facebook is so unique, it is without a doubt taking away a certain element from your relationship with another, no matter how you choose to define it as.

w1o

Welcome to my blog! Thanks for checking it out whoever you are, wherever in this crazy world you might find yourself.

This blog has been officially created for a CPR 590 course but I hope to spice it up with tons of personality and maybe keep it going long after this semester is over. To give you a little bit "about me" i want to do so in the form of 6-word memoirs. I'll just add them as I go along but here's a start to some:

1. "marching to my own drum beat"
2. "trying new things; not quite right"
3. "satisfaction of hard work completed; incomparable"
4. "gathering nuts from my family tree"
5. "clocking my heels; wishing for home"