Happy 7th Birthday, Twitter!

140 characters is plenty to get a point across or create an expression. Actually, 140 words is rambling. If reading “run-on” tweets makes you want to check your Facebook, try following my favorite twitter account that is short and to the point.

Avatar Cosby, @astoldbyJosh is my favorite because his tweets are dark, twisted, and honest. “I bleed Merlot” Cosby vents over what seems to be an addiction to red wine or a tough day. Cosby’s humorous side shines as he comments “I love to sleep. They love to cackle.” I can respect a tweeter that can complain in a comedic tone. “True Life: I’m literally perfect” a tweet with confidence is always refreshing.

Although @astoldbyJosh is entertaining to follow, informational tweets are always a must. Twitter is for expression and communication. It should keep us connected and updated to current issues. @nytimes sums up current issues in the 140 character limit. This twitter account is perfect for staying updated with the news.

Writing tweets about characters, plots and authors in classic British literature is my forte. Follow me, @ladydeadlock1 on twitter. Brace yourself, make sure your a Brit Lit fan before following.

One of my favorite things

Is Tegan and Sara moving 'Closer' to Popular Music?

Tegan and Sara, two sisters that are known for their underground indie music, recently released their new album, Heartthrob, and are currently on tour. A 13-year career in the music industry has created a wide range of fans.

In 2007, Tegan and Sara released The Con, invoking a critical and commercial acclaim to their music. In 2009, their self-published album, Sainthood, kept the raw and original sound of their music present. Tegan and Sara are politically and socially involved as they are advocates for LGBT equality.

A history of unique and indie music lays in their past. However, with the release of Heartthrob some fans may say that Tegan and Sara are becoming too mainstream and overproduced. Their new single Closer is capturing the attention of Katy Perry fans as Perry herself tweets, “Watch my new favorite music video. Closer by Tegan and Sara.”

After viewing Tegan and Sara's new music video it does seem to lean more towards a Katy Perry world. Sleepovers and balloons are a little too familiar. Similar to Katy Perry's music video Last Friday Night?

Facebook Unveils New Search Function

The Takeaway announced  that Facebook has caught up to Google and added a search tool called graph.

Why is the graph search function special?

Over a billion users on Facebook index the data that the users provide makes it different from a common Google search and more of a personalized search. You can search  people and background information certain individuals. Google information may seem irrelevant compared to Facebook’s search function because it is not as personal.

Will Google be able to compete with Google +?

It will take a long time for Facebook to train people to search on their cite. However, Facebook is considering moving towards mobile devices.

According to The New York Times, Mr. Zuckerberg announced that photos on Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, is not a part of the photos that are able to be searched.  He also stated, “The search we wanted to build is privacy aware. On Facebook, most of the things people share with you isn’t public.” However the personal search Facebook is promoting is playing with potential privacy hazards.

Is Facebook challenging Google?

Bloomberg shares an informative perspective “Facebook’s new service, which is being rolled out in test mode to a limited number of members, draws from a pool of information that includes 240 billion photographs  and more than a trillion connections.” This could be what will drive Facebook’s new search function to exceed more activity than Google or other search functions. 

The Filter Bubble

Notes on Eli Pariser: Beware online “filter bubbles”

 

• An invisible Shift in information flow
• News feed- “A squirrel dying in front of your house may be more relevant to your interests right now than people dying in Africa.”- Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook
• A web based on this relevance goes against an internet that is supposed to connect the individual to the world.
•  Invisible algorithmic editing of the web
• 57 signals that Google looks at including where you are and what server browser you are using
• The results are based on what the search engine assumes you want to see.
•  Yahoo News, New York Times, Huffington Post and Washington Post
• Not necessarily what we need to see. “It will be very hard for people to watch or consume something that has not in some sense been tailored for them.” Eric Schmidt- Google
• All of these filters and algorithms are a filter bubble
• Your filter bubble is based on who you are and what you do except you do not get to decide what gets filtered on or more importantly edited out
• Ethic struggle in our Netflix views (dessert vs. vegetables)

My Filter Bubble

 

Using Google+ made me realize how little the internet actually knows about my personality. After creating an account, Google+ subscribed me to “communities,” which are topics to follow. The topics that Google+ immediately subscribed to were Music, Photography, and News. The feed that I observed included anything from Katy Perry to CNN en espanol. The algorithms, as Pariser would say, assumed that I first, speak Spanish, and worse, listen to Katy Perry. Whether or not, Mary Kate Olsen’s work-out attire is fashionable is beyond my personal interests. Another example of my filter bubble took place as I searched Google+ for the community “digital photography.” This feed is something I am interested in viewing; however it is the only feed that appears under my communities. This is a problem because I am not being exposed to any other type of photography.

 

A Filter Bubble in Action

 

I conducted an experiment with the images shown below based on a simple Google search, similar to Pariser in his lecture. I searched the word “Plant” and before I pressed the button “search” Google provided me with a list of phrases that included “plant” assuming what I wanted to search. My personal, or not so personal, search appears as the first image on the top. My friend, Sharon Roll, had a similar experience but different phrases popped up.  The phrases that were suggested to me were plants, plants vs. zombies, and plants vs. zombies 2. Sharon’s suggested search phrases were plantar fasciitis treatment ankle pain, plantar fasciitis, and plants vs. zombies. Given my friend Sharon’s  history with ankle pain, it is clear that Google was attempting to convenience Sharon’s search by linking it to her search history.

My Search

Sharon's Search