Rough Draft of Indepth analysis paper

Chikere
Wrt205
03.28.07

Blogs characteristically facilitate open corridors for communication and expression. Their ability to do so, works as a catalyst in creating new communities that transcend physical geographical borders. The attractive nature of these discourse communities possibly reside in non-discriminatory practices of its membership. Active participation in dialogue is not dependant upon academic credentials but rather the individual’s sense of community where all constituents have an equal voice. Immigration-activist blogs are possibly one of the most active discourse communities on the web. Conversation in these communities highlight that there are more regions of white and black than there are grey as members are sure to express their opinion, indicating the individuals are strong in their convictions. The purpose of this essay is to evaluate the impact of communication in realm of digital immigration activism; analyzing and applying David Weinberger’s theories on ‘togetherness’ and the ‘web public ’ to verify if his theories do in fact hold weight.

Within David Weinberger’s novel,’ Small pieces Loosely Joined; a unified theory of the Web’ the author asserts that since the web’s inception, it has consequently revolutionized concepts such as Space, Time and Togetherness (just to name a few), as we know them. Fundamentally he illustrates that the aforementioned concepts take different meanings dependant upon which scenario they should be interpreted; the real world or the internet. The following quote reflects Weinberger’s ideas of togetherness in the real world; ‘The bigger the crowd , the more faceless we each become, mirroring socially the physical fact that faces become smaller and smaller the farther back in the crowd they are.’ On the web however, togetherness is characteristically different. People enjoy the benefits of community and enjoy yet the luxury of being as visible as they deem fit. Ultimately the motive of this essay is to identify which realm has the greatest impact upon Immigration discourse communities.

Dissent within the community for immigration activism primarily regards illegal aliens who cross the Mexico boarder into America. As a result two generalized factions materialize; those who are in favor of illegal immigrants gaining certain privileges and the other faction pro immigration reform in the form of stringent control of US boarders. This is an ironic matter as both parties are unified on the basis of each wanting reform. In the real world these arguments fall into the strictly black and white categories either, pro-deportation and heighten domestic security or increased rights for illegal immigrants. Activists in these real world situations are forced to choose sides as there isn’t much room for middle ground. On the internet citizens who align themselves with either umbrella term can voice their sentiments about certain situations that aren’t being addressed. Therefore unlike the real worlds emphasis on black and white categorizations, the internet facilitates room for black white and all shades of gray.

A blogger by the name of Lau, expresses discontent over Lou Dobbs’ ideology of illegal immigration south of the border. Attempts to summarize Dobb’s viewpoint and assert their own with the following statements “He said among other things that people with Mexican descent who live in this country do not adapt to the American way of life, that we don't want to speak English and that we don't assimilate the American culture… the fact of the matter is that the words this gentleman is saying denotes great ignorance when it comes to border issues like immigration or historical and economic facts.” The commentary this individual provides is rather accurate when you examine certain references towards United States’ history, economic practices and culture. Lau argues, what is the American culture? The country was built at the expense of other nations and peoples, furthering the viewpoint of the nation a being a melting pot. Thus only through the commentary, a position on Immigration is voiced. Though pro-tougher border controls, Lau believes immigrants should be evaluated on the basis of why they seek refuge in the US and if they would be beneficial to the welfare of the Country. Secondly the question is who is Lau? Lau is a34 yr female American citizen, who lives in Texas, is of Mexican parentage and works in the public relations field. She is a the quintessential representation of Weinberger’s theory of togetherness in the web public. She is an individual, with individual concerns and voice. ‘On the web, each person is present only insofar as she has presented herself in an individual expression of her interests; many small faces, each distinct within the multitude (Weinberger).’

Summary/Weinberger comparison

Summary and Weinberger

I related my primary source of my summary to Weinberger’s theory of the web public; An idea that all constituents of online discourse communities are entitled to the freedom of speech. Web communities are ultimately utopian societies in comparison to the real world. There everyone is on a level playing field and possess equal voice. In summarizing the article then comparing it to Weinberger’s theory there is a visible differences amid both communities. Illegal immigrants of Latino decent have little or no voice. They are categorized as a singular unit, and their issues and concerns are jumble of generalized statements. Such a perverse system limits their voice due to the mere fact that they are not Americans citizens. Online individuals can move from one discourse community to another without hindrance, unfortunately in the real world borders and xenophobia prevents such fluidity of movement.

Summary

Summary

Latino’s Future

The sharp increase in Latino American populations is disproportional to the overall political clout of the constituency. This is due impart to fact that a high percentage of the population are non-citizen immigrants. Their future influence within the American political system is not underestimated as the American census bureau predicts their numbers will reach the 60million mark by yr 2020. Their impact upon American politics is illustrated by politician such as Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, D-Conn., who recently began incorporating Spanish words and phrase into his speeches, as a method of outreach to the Hispanic demographic. Official’s Pro-immigrant limitations, argue that the Hispanic population is increasing too rapidly. The sole argument is that immigration is occurring much quicker than the U.S. society can adjust; therefore the states in the southwest that are saturated with immigrants will ultimately wish to secede from the United States. To curb possibility of such occurrences there is question as to whether Latinos should be forced to assimilate to American culture. However, definitions as to what exactly is the ‘American’ culture are not particularly unanimous.

Data Chart

Primary Source	Pattern #1 Economics	Pattern #2 Politics	Pattern #3Culture
Lau	Immigrants are taking their due slice of the economic pie; Taking their reparations	Politicians are opportunistic and Corrupt	American culture multifaceted not singular entity
Lou Dobbs	Immigrants are the cause of downfall in middleclass America	Politicians are negligent towards what benefits the American people	Immigrants need to assimilate to the American culture
Man	Corporations are to blame for economic downfall(outsourcing)		Racism and xenophobia

Introduction for Indept Research Paper

Blogs characteristically facilitate open corridors for communication and expression. It’s ability to do so, works as a catalyst in creating new communities that transcend physical geographical borders. The attractive nature of these discourse communities possibly reside in non-discriminatory practices of its membership. Active participation in dialogue is not dependant upon academic credentials but rather the individual’s sense of community where all constituents have an equal voice. Immigration-activist blogs are possibly one of the most active discourse communities on the web. Conversation in these communities highlight that there are more regions of white and black than there are grey as members are sure to express their opinion, indicating the individuals are strong in their convictions. The purpose of this essay is to evaluate the impact of equal voice in realm of digital immigration activism; analyzing and applying David Weinberger’s theory on ‘togetherness’ and the ‘web public.’

Content Analysis Paper

Chikere Cottoy

02.19.07

WRT205

Prof: Madeline Yonker

Content analysis Essay

Social Networking and Security

In this day and age where Social-Networking sites are causing the internet to burst at its seams, one may question if this trend has reached its pinnacle of popularity. With sites catered to an array of consumer tastes ranging from politics to entertainment just to name a few there is indication this isn’t a mere fad. It would be absurd to ignore the popularity of these sites and their impact on the public at large. Social-Networking sites have provided means for people to communicate freely, distorting concepts of distance, time and convey the idea of a community; an online community that knows no border and encompasses regions in all corners of the globe. Such communicative options are very appealing hence the popularity of these sites by all genders, ethnicities, social or economic backgrounds. Its unselective nature therefore isn’t restrictive of users who may have malicious intent. The new web atmosphere has somewhat become more relaxed and this is transferring to online users. Information that was too taboo to divulge is now coveted online as individuals freely express personal happenings in their lives. This complacency though is a matter of concern as predators exploit such vulnerabilities. Vulnerabilities not only experienced by children but adults as well.

With shows such as Dateline’s ‘To catch a predator,’ designed to capture grown men whose intention it is to lure underage girls for sexual encounters, parents have grown quite apprehensive regarding their children’s online behavior. Dateline uses the metaphor predator to describe the actions of grown men preying upon the vulnerability of children. They perpetuate the stereotype that all sexual predators are aged men. The popularity of Social networking sites instills fear within some experts and parents that believe these sites may become new breeding ground for pedophiles. The mere thought of pedophiles capitalizing upon the anonymity the web affords, using these sites as their playground have caused many to push for more stringent online practices for minors. There is a notion that maturity comes with wisdom, and this idea causes many adults users of these networking sites to feel capable of not falling victim of online predation. Unbeknownst to many adults, there is a manner of online predation that occurs more often and is geared towards them. Their confidence in not falling prey to some of the schemes that children would, resulting in their relaxed behavior, and such complacency exposes them to predation methods like Phishing.

Phishing is the practice of luring unsuspected users to divulge sensitive information on fake websites with authentic-looking organizational logos. Phishing is a metaphor used to describe the act fishing and the internet users are the fish. Phishers use false sites as bait to reel and capture information of their prey. For instance when information s logged into fraudulent sites usernames and passwords are now in the possession of the criminal. The article ‘Social Networking Sites under Attack’ the office of Information Technology and IT Security at the University of Maryland, reports that the popularity of social networking sites such as Myspace, have consequently made their users vulnerable to acts of Phishing. The report highlights that in ’06 many of Myspace’s users were victim to a Phishing scam.

The attractiveness of sites like Myspace to Phishers is that it encourages its users to divulge personal information, therefore fake sites can easily ask for personal information and users often oblige, unknowingly placing info into the wrong hands. ‘Social Networking Sites: A Haven for Identity Thieves’ the article posted on Trustedid.com illustrates the complacency of one online user of Myspace.com. This specific woman takes the regular precautions such as not opening spam offers and pop-ups but admittedly relaxed when it comes to offering personal information. The article delivers its point further when it presents the statistics that 74% of social networking users give out their personal information. Many people fall under the impression that giving such personal information is harmless, the idea of if it were so dangerous why would the site have it available? Sites like Myspace publish information as to warn minors not to reveal too much personal information. These sites however aren’t as diligent in warning theirs adult users making them prime targets for identity theft.

The act of spear Phishing is common to those that perform identity theft. These cybercriminals make targets and personalized attacks. Usually these attacks are geared toward acquiring information such as bank account and social security numbers. Example; I usually purchase telephone ring-tones from Myspace and would like to acquire a new tones for my phone. I follow the link to purchase the items and am instantly directed to a site asking for credit card information. As I list my information and send to towards the site for verification. Unbeknownst to me I have given information to a fraudulent site that not has my crucial information. I would now be a victim of Identity theft. My example is a personalized account, aiming to convey an idea presented in the article ‘Social Networking Sites under Attack’ written by staff in the Office of Information Technology and IT Security at the University of Maryland. This isn’t limited to identity theft but also spyware and viruses, both piggyback on links of fake sites and emails. Spyware is a form of spying these sites use to steal information such as your online web habits, which sites you frequent. Knowing such information simply allows them to devise new spear Phishing techniques.

The occurrence of malicious incidents geared towards adults far outweighs those of children. It is imperative that Social networking sites provide a safe haven for adults as well and try to eliminate some of the online complacency. I do acknowledge that there are sexual predators that prey upon children however more provisions should be made to secure both children and adults. There is sufficient knowledge indicating that both forms of predation are commonplace however protection practices are quite uneven. Underestimating the power of social networking sites due to their alluring and appealing nature could quite possibly be detrimental for individuals young and old.

Bibliography

TrustedID, ‘Social Networking Sites: A Haven for Identity Thieves’ Feb. 19 2007 <https://www.trustedid.com/html/identity_theft_protection_resource_013.php>

Office of Information Technology & Security, ‘Social Networking Sites under Attack’ Feb. 18 2007<http://www.nethics.umd.edu/Phishing%20on%20Social%20Sites.pd>

Probable body paragraph

Underestimating the power of the internet due to its alluring and appealing nature could quite possibly lead to the demise of an individual. The web is a labyrinth filled with hidden and sometimes very unwanted surprises. Those naïve to its power will use it, enchanted by its usefulness and wisdom and negate its predatory tendencies. These predatory tendencies are not exactly exhibited by the web as it is not a physical entity and does not take up space but reflective of its users. It enables users to be either the audience or the actor. This mere fact makes it possible for one to assume multiple personas and thus deceive others in by what we do and say online.