Digital Divide

In a world of globalization, doesn't it seem a little strange that in our own country their is a divide between who is able to access resources like cell phones and the internet? Or is all the talk of the great "digital divide" apart of a global agenda to make everyone the same, or as I like to think of it, to put a Mcdonald's everywhere.

Nevermind, the fact that we aren't even number one in Internet access area, because we are actually number 14. The country that was once so proud to be number one, especially in business, has slowly declined to "meh" status. We are divided in every sense of the word. Unfortunately, it seems to be affecting our world status. Most of our goods comes from China, to which we owe alot of money.We're not even number one in the internet area, which we invented!

So, will the divide get bigger? As long as the financial divide in America continues to get bigger, the digital divide will remain stagnant. If your looking for the best in internet access, like most other things, you may want to look into other countries. Boy times have changed!

Social Media and Learning

The advantages of the internet are almost immeasurable. The internet has changed many things. From the way we get movies and music, to how we learn. With the popularity of social media, has come a new platform for teachers to reach students. And rightfully so, people are taking advantage of this new venue.

Of course, noone is suggesting that social media is a better place to learn. It has simply given students a new way of getting the information that was previously only availabe in a person-to-person setting. One survey suggested that 80% of universities use social media in some form, and half of them using social media as part of their teaching.

I believe Social Media is a helpful method for students studying. I think social media is a great way to reinforce ideas, as opposed to being distracted from ideas. For instance, Facebook is a great way for students to get ahold of each other via 'groups' and Twitter hashtags are great place to find information.

In the end, I think Social Media can be a great tool in education. And as long as student's privacy is respected and no inappropriate communication happens, then we will achieve our goal

Business and Social Media

I love the internet. I'm a huge internet nerd. The internet has helped me make important decisions in my life much, such as business. Nowadays, when I make a big purchase the first thing I look at is the reviews for the item. If the item is overpriced and has bad reviews then I won't buy it. If the item is reasonably priced and has good reviews then the chances are then I will buy it.

The internet has become an automatic stop before I make most purchases. A place where I can get past the social marketing and get the truth from real people who have used the product. Social Media accounts are really annoying. I do not like getting discounts from corporate social media accounts. If anything the social media accounts are a turn off because the discount doesn't make up for the spam I have to receive on a daily basis.

The comments are nice to look at but I can view those comments on Amazon or Ebay. However, I would still avoid businesses without social media because feedback is not available to the user. And the most important thing to a customer purchasing an item is feedback.