I Thought You Were 30?

I found this cartoon on Cartoonstock.com, which is targeting grown up women who are using the internet to find a date. The argument of the visual is that people on social networks are not truthful about their identities. Many people lie about their age and names while others are too truthful and give all their real information like their address. The cartoon wants the audience to think twice before using the internet to build a relationship with a significant other and releasing personal information to people they haven’t met yet. The visual appeals to honesty. It’s showing us that not everything someone tells you through social networks and the Internet is the truth and that you shouldn't trust everyone you encounter on the Internet. This visual evokes laughter to the reader but that just goes to show how careless we can be while using the Internet. Some people may see situations like this, as funny until they have a problem as you can see on the visual. People that are looking for relationships on the Internet are being criticized and the cartoon is shows that these people can be careless at times. The whole cartoon centers on the older woman and the child. They make it visible that the boy is young as they drew him really short. They also showed the difference in the ages as the older woman is really tall. The cartoon only uses bright colors on the people's clothing which makes the reader focus on the people and not their surroundings. The visual emphasizes how kids are trying to exploit grownups using the Internet but it ignores that there is also grownups trying to exploit kids using the same medium. The role of the language is to support the visual by explaining in greater detail what is going on.

We should really take the time to realize some dangers we are encountering on the Internet and start thinking twice about our actions. Not everyone we encounter on the Internet and social networks are bad people but we should really get to know people before we start sharing our personal information with them.

Technology can be Safe!

I’m pretty sure that everyone has heard about the tragedy that happened in Bastrop county recently. But how is it that so many people have found out so quickly? The reason is the advancement in technology. About two weeks ago there was a horrible fire that burned down many acres of land and homes. Many people were in danger but thanks to the news, the Internet, and cell phones, all these people were able to evacuate to safety. The fire lasted many days and as it grew families were being evacuated to safety. Many families were able to contact family members to ask for help and others were offered help. 

It is amazing to realize how times have changed and along with time so has technology. When many people think about the inquiry area I chose; Identity, Privacy, Safety, the first thing that comes to mind is that social networks and other advanced technology can be dangerous but it's not always this way. The proof of this is this horrible event that happened recently. Back in the day, families who lived far away from each other could last weeks without knowing anything about each other but not anymore. If something horrible were to happen years ago it would have taken a very long time for anyone to find out. Thanks to the Internet and social networks many families were warned before the fire could get to them. Social networks were also helpful so that donation drives could be organized to help all the harmed families. Without technology none of this could have been possible and thanks to technology families are safe and ready to start all over again.

I am very thankful for technology because I was able to keep in contact with all my family during this event. I am from Austin and my family lives very close to Bastrop so my family was extremely worried that are home was in danger but thanks to the Internet and news I was able to keep my parents informed about how the fire was spreading. I am going to take the opportunity to ask everyone to support all these families because it is not going to be easy to start all over again but we should all do our part and help!

The inquiry area I have chosen is; Identity. Privacy and Safety. Out of the three inquiries I have chosen this one because as a community we have lost all three things. We don't have our own identity anymore, we don't have any privacy and therefore we are not safe. We have lost these three things mainly because of the new technology that has arose throughout the years, like the internet and social networks.

Even though the rise of the internet has taken away these things, I also believe that as human beings we put ourselves in danger daily. By using social cites such as Facebook and blog cites, we expose information about ourselves that makes it easier for ciber stokers to find us.I'm excited to look more into the subject and to inform others of the dangers that are out there.