Note: if you have not set up Twitter name, posted it in the comments section and following me on Twitter @anneperez) you MUST do so by the end of today or I will assume you do not wish to remain enrolled in the course. If you are having trouble signing up for Twitter, please contact me. Do not leave it until you see me in class Wednesday.
For Wednesday :
Read: Here Comes Everybody by Clay Shirky, chapter 1: It Takes a Village to Find a Phone. You’ll find the pdf under the readings section above (if you forgot the password, either email or tweet me). Bring a paper copy to class. Make at least two tweets about the reading.
Read: The Circle. Try and make tweets connecting the two texts.
Write: Before 11:59 PM Tuesday, under comments, write your thoughts while reading. Read more about the story here in the New York Times account. I’d like to know how you felt reading about it. Were you, like Shirky, troubled or like Evan did you find the story pleasingly just? How did you feel about Evan, about Sasha? Does Sasha being 16, Puerto Rican or a single mother matter to how you feel about the story? What are other examples you can think of of viral organizing or flash mobs? How do you think someone makes an event like this happen?
Shirky ends his telling of the story with the question “What happens next?” The story was written in 2008 (it happened in 2006), what has happened with social media over the past almost decade? How would you connect it with the world imagined in The Circle?
(Note: You don’t have to answer all these questions. Just choose something to write about under the comments on this blog post. Your comments should be about 250 words and must be posted by 11:59pm on Tuesday. See you Wednesday.)
(Image credit: Here Comes Everybody book cover)
While I read this I could not help but think about how the story is from 2008 and how outdated MySpace and Sidekicks are. Nevertheless, this story is applicable to 2015 because social media continues to connect us and create a worldwide group. This reading is representative of a more real world example of the issues portrayed in the Circle. When I was reading the Circle I was a bit scared about the issues brought up and the direction in which they where headed; but kept thinking this is just a book and this will probably not happen. I felt like the Circle made the issue too dramatic, but after reading this I realize that the issues in the Circle might actually be more realistic than I thought. The rhetorical questions presented near the end of the reading left me feeling uneasy about social media, and opened my eyes to see the other side of the coin. Social media is great at making us feel connected to the world around us but it has other hidden and more problematic purposes. Examples such as the Charlie Hebdo viral support system; demonstrate how social media serves a benevolent purpose. Unfortunately, like in the story, people can use the anonymity of the Internet in order to hurt people and make racist and sexist comments. Cyber-bullying is another example of social media gone wrong. People use information that will hit the audiences emotions directly and therefore make them feel passionate about a completely foreign problem.
I think it’s interesting to consider how powerful the internet truly is. It can literally be used as a tool for investigation, and in some cases, harassment. But personally, I know the frustration and the panic that comes from having something like a cell phone or a computer stolen. On my computer, I have hundreds of short stories and unfinished novels that I have written, and I don’t think I’d be able to function knowing that someone has all that information and can use it however they please. With that in mind, I find it hard to truly sympathize with Sasha, especially considering that she had an opportunity to return the phone before the situation got even more out of hand. Still, it’s scary to think how technology can be used to police people, and it’s really disturbing to see how even her brother in the military was affected by all of this.
Chapter one was certainly a thought-provoking read. A few main concepts especially stood out to me while reading. For one, it reminded me just how powerful social media can be, largely and swiftly mobilizing the efforts of a group even when they are somewhat trivial. Inviting others to respond to a relatable and provocative situation can lead to legal action, causing me to wonder if there is even a limit to what else it can achieve.
The reading also brought to my attention the fact that this eagerness we have to connect socially is primal and necessary for our existence as a race. It is no wonder that social media has become such a popular and ever-growing aspect of our society, when our survival and progress has come to largely depend upon it.
Furthermore, like most things in life, social media consists of good and bad. It has enormous positive potential, but also creates a space for bullying and hatred. It is an impactful tool and we as individuals are able to choose how we utilize it.
I feel that both texts appeal to this incessant wanting to be and to stay connected. After finishing The Circle, I recognize the similarities in behavior of the people within Shirky’s article and Eggers’ characters. All possess the continuous need to be in relation with others, a need to be seen by others. In fact, Mae reveals that fact to be true as she explains how she feels heard while being a part of The Circle community. She reveals that her validation comes from each zing, every smile, every retweet. As the story continues, Mae transforms as a character where her independence becomes swallowed up by the need to be a part of the whole, a need to be a part of the community. All of her interactions with social media becomes necessary to her daily life, where she becomes dysfunctional without it. This dysfunction is apparent is she revels in this idea of a tear that is seeping through her. This tear showcasing the tearing away of her former self who had no reliance on technology or the validation that it incites. As Mae became consumed with all of the media constructs, so did those within Shirky’s story as the quest for the stolen phone became more and more viral. Throughout the reading, it becomes apparent how fixated Evan becomes on the justice that must be served to this young girl, that a wrong must be righted in order to make the world a better place. Evan’s persistence leeched onto the others reading the story, helping it gain more and more recognition and more and more people dedicated to his cause. Shirky discusses that concept within his work about how consuming technology can actually become. It was easy for Evan to become consumed by all of the input the story was getting, all of the comments and outpourings of help that was offered by those who were following the story. Technology is a really scary thing to think about concerning aspects of privacy and how far is actually too far. The phone technically was lost, but was then influenced to become “stolen.” And participation within the circle transforms from just another form of media to an all encompassing entity that holds all information. Both stories relay the message that technology can indeed be taken way too far. So, it is imperative that our eyes stay open to any kind of ways that we see technology sucking us in.
I was thoroughly intrigued by this story. The whole idea of people coming together just to help someone get their phone back seemed almost ridiculous, but also very empowering. Through this story I was able to see how much impact media actually has. From gathering thousands of people to support something to getting the police to take a theft case more seriously than they intended too; it was all very eye opening. People all over have used social media as a way of connecting themselves withy the public and getting people involved. For example the ALS ice bucket challange was used as a way of informing the public about their cause, and the videos were effective and entertaining enough to become viral. Back on terms of the story, I would see myself reacting and agreeing with Evans perspective, because it is frustrating to have someone taunt you at the fact of them having your phone and for them to be reluctant to give it back. I see myself as being just as active and hopefully as effective as he was. But on the other hand I do understand Shirkys perspective as well. It’s almost frightening how much power the media has, and with all of the new and upcoming technologies the idea of privacy continues to shrink. Another idea that led me to feel “unsafe” at the hand of the media was a video camera technology that was described in “The Circle” by Dave Eggers. This camera was said to be small enough to not be noticed, wireless and satellite streamed; all three factors seeming utterly convenient. But after thoroughly thinking about how convenient it is made me realize how this type of technology could literally obliterate privacy as a whole. This cameras streaming could be shared with anyone and brought up at any time or place, it’s scary! But just like everything else in this world there are consequences, but choosing between technological convenience and privacy is a decision I don’t think I’m ready to make.
The title of the chapter “It Takes A Village to Find a Phone” carries an extremely powerful meaning, especially in relation to the seemingly exponential growth of social connectivity and communication in present times. Before the explosion of social media, losing a phone automatically means you will not be able to locate it because the tools available back in those days were inadequate, but to think in a matter of a decade, development of newer tools of communication and socialization have allowed an ordinary human being to perform the jobs of professionals (a detective, a journalist, a computer scientist, etc.), and form a social circle that comprises of random strangers in an effort to simply find a lost phone. The thought of one human being holding so much power with such rapidly developing social tools is quite scary, especially since this story occurred in 2006, nearly a decade ago. Imagine the expansive possibilities Evan could carry out if he was given the social tools that have developed now.
On the other hand, I do feel a bit of sympathy for Sasha and her family. Admittedly, taking someone’s possession for personal use is wrong, but what Evan did was not entirely just either. Putting Sasha and her “group” on the spot as perpetrators and villains to a seamless amount of people for public discussion and shaming worked, but such an act also exposed the corrupted parts of our society: Sensitive topics such as sexism and racism were freely discussed, and harassment was used as a means of forcing someone into a corner. With further development and more social tools available to the public, not only the ability to perform justice expands, but also the ability to perform injustice increases.
When someone does something that is wrong and illegal, something needs to be done to bring justice. After reading It takes a Village to Find a Phone and Shirky’s reaction to what Evan did to Sasha I can relate and agree with both Evan and Shirky. I think that Evan was just bringing some public notice to what happened with Ivanna’s phone. I believe that it was wrong for Sasha to steal the phone in the first place and even more wrong to refuse to give it back to Evan. However, I agree with Shirky in that exposing Sasha as a fraud to all of the social media was not the smartest decision. Even though what Sasha did was illegal and immoral, what Evan did could be seen as cyber-bullying. Society has many policies and issues regarding minors and harassment. In many states there are laws that protect minors from cyberbullying and cyber harassment. However, many could argue that what Evan was doing was not cyber-bullying it was just exposing the truth. I believe that Evan had a right to do what he had to do but I think he did not think about the long term effects it was going to have on him and on Sasha and her family. Once something is put on the internet there is no turning back. Once something is placed on the Internet it is no longer private property but public property. I would relate this to what happened in The Circle in that it could be seen as almost truth because over the last decade social media has definitely taken over our lives. It is scary to think that what happened in the Circle could become a reality. It is very unlikely that like Mae, people could become transparent where there would be absolutely no privacy, but the idea that Eggers has that people are losing their identities to social media is not too far-fetched. People are constantly checking their phones and this is causing people to use it as an excuse to not have conversations with people face to face as a source of convenience. I believe that some people are starting to care more about how other people see them on social media then how people see them in real life, and I think this can become a huge problem in the future. I believe something needs to be done; soon.
While I do understand that Sasha was desperate, which is ultimately why she ended up with the phone and initially was resistant to returning it, despite the fact that she had been contacted, I don’t think that her actions were justified. The news story and chapter one do an excellent job in articulating the power of social media and online computer networking , but it fails to fully recognize the moral and ethical principles at play in this situation. For example, you could argue that Sasha should feel morally and ethically obligated to return the phone to its rightful owner, yet at the same time she could treat the phone like cash found on the street and simply keep it. It also arguable that Ivanna should be held accountable too, not because she left the phone in the car, but the fact that the device contained an abundance of personal information and lacked the necessary security to prevent another user from accessing it. Like the technology of the time, this story is outdated and ultimately could be classified as no longer significant. This is because the phones of the modern day, smartphones, are often equipped with GPS technologies that can be used to locate the devices as well as password protection, and remote erasing capabilities in the event of a theft. Do I sympathize for Sasha? No. She knew that the phone belonged to someone else and therefore I strongly believe that she had a moral obligation to return it to them. However, I don’t think that Mr. Guttman’s actions were completely justified. While he was demonstrating that he was a loyal friend to Ivanna, the investigation and steps that he took should have been taken by a police department, private investigation firm, or other group- not an individual, to both protect the individual (Mr. Guttman) and settle the case in a legally proper manner.
Upon reading the chapter, I had mixed feelings towards Evan’s actions. As many other people must have done, I related to Ivanna’s experience of leaving her phone behind carelessly. It may be a phone for her, but it could have been something more of worth to anyone else. As a result, it was so easy for Evan to get numerous amount of people helping him find the phone and spread the message of the lost phone. Evan was right in helping his friend, and making the best use out of his technological power in doing so. However, the fact that he tarnished Sasha’s reputation and respect on the internet instead of keeping his, Sasha’s and Ivanna’s secrecy was not the right move for me. He could have dealt with the matter in various other ways which would have not caused this experience to become the talking point of the city’s residents. Moreover, I do not feel sympathy for Sasha’s actions despite her situation. As she threw out threats to Evan on the first occasion, I could not help but feel as if Evan was just in doing what he did in the end.
Moreover, the fact that amuses me the most is that with just the use of the internet, Evan was able to turn a large amount of people against Sasha in a purpose to find Ivanna’s phone. Even today, most of us rely on social media for most of our interaction. We do not realize its significance in our lives until we lose complete access from it. That is what people lived like fifteen years ago. It is impossible for me to even think how people lived without the use of a phone or a computer in those times.
Like a few of my classmates have already said, both Ivanna’s story and “The Circle” have caused me to realize how terrifyingly powerful social media is and can turn into. While there are many useful features that come along with social media, these features can often be abused. For example, Facebook and Twitter are great ideas, in regards to keeping in contact with family and friends around the world. However, I feel as if when people are constantly on social media interacting with others, we are losing the value of interpersonal communication. Of course in Ivanna’s situation, social media prevailed and helped Ivanna find her phone. Yazmin also brought up the Charlie Hebdo incident and I also agree that was a great use of social media, for it helped bring awareness to the event. I also find Sean’s point (Sasha found a phone so how is that different than finding money or Ivanna shouldn’t have had “an abundance of personal information and lacked the necessary security to prevent another user from accessing it”) to be somewhat valid. While I understand the “finder’s keepers” aspect of the argument, money and valuable information on a device do not necessarily equate. However, I do agree that people should not be keeping such valuable information (e.g. social security numbers and passwords) on their devices. There is a risk that comes with technology and social media so people should be aware of that and take preventive measures to ensure their lives won’t be radically harmed if they were to lose technology. Both stories brought up good points and the potential outcomes of what was mentioned in “The Circle” could be plausible, which personally frightens me.
The first chapter in Here Comes Everybody successfully portrays the impact that technology and connectivity can have on our society. This power of social media is most notable by its continued relevance in our current world. “It Takes a Village to Find a Phone” illustrates a particular situation that occurred 7 years ago, but the values within it remain very real today. Small matters and moments still have the potential to blow up and “go viral.” Issues of justice and awareness continue to thrive on the media’s widespread publicity. The public still loves to disregard personal privacy, get involved, and contribute to situations that have no direct relevance on their own lives. While the virtual battle between Sasha and Evan over a Sidekick phone happened back in 2008, the impact and results of their actions are still very relatable now in 2015.
Whether someone believes in having every account to every social networking source or not, the immense power and importance of the media on our world is undeniable. As Chapter 1 discusses, humans are social beings. Innovation and technology combined with the innate need to interact with others has led to this social media culture. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, among countless other apps and sites allow us to feel connected, in touch, and most importantly, not alone. We are addicted to the validation that social networking can give us. In “It Takes a Village to Find a Phone,” Evan manipulates this addictive nature of social media to draw attention to his cause. And he is certainly not alone in this strategy. In some way or another, we all buy into the media’s power.
When reading this story, I found it easy to get wrapped up in the position against Sasha. “Evan’s heroic efforts” (p. 7) fueled by “fighting for what he thought was right” (p. 11) were presented in such a way that made it hard to question the actions that were being taken. Rather than presenting it as fighting against someone, Evan, along with his numerous supporters, focused on the positive aspects, in particular, advocating for a just cause. Based on the way he portrayed the situation and the motivations behind his efforts, Evan attracted the attention of people who also wanted to “right a wrong” (p. 8). He even went as far to call it a “humanity endeavor” (p. 8). However, as soon as Shirky switched up the perspective, I realized a couple things. First of all, I recognized how easily persuaded I am to think a certain way or to believe a certain idea; it is so tempting to simply go along with what the author is saying. Second, I realized that the points Shirky was bringing up that supported Sasha’s side were entirely valid; there are other sides to the story that should be seriously considered. Finally, I understood that people team up not only with good intentions, but also as means of going against someone or something, such as with the racist remarks or disparaging sexist comments made against Sasha. As soon as Shirky began discussing the negative consequences that resulted from Evan’s bulletin board, I began to sympathize with Sasha’s side. Though I still supported Evan’s perspective, I found myself wondering if Sasha really deserved all the backlash she was getting, especially since it was going beyond the topic of the cellphone and into more controversial issues. Sasha didn’t have an army of supporters like Evan did, instead she had an army of enemies. In this case, technology and social media fueled both support and hate: two drastic consequences that came out of a comparatively smaller issue. The discussion boards allowed people to generate opinions, whether they were positive or negative. Without platforms of social media to build a case on, such powerful results would not have been accomplished.
Social media is not even slightly the most recent addiction of the human race. The bug of having the power to reach out and contact another person from across a city or even a country has been around since the letters we wrote were carried to loved ones on horses. In the past 10 years, however, the instantaneous and global connections possible through the Internet have exponentially heightened our addiction. The Circle really opened my eyes to this addiction, but I didn’t truly recognize it in our world until I read Here Comes Everybody by Clay Shirky. Fortunately, this addiction isn’t nearly as scarily perverse as it is in The Circle, but the fact that thousands of online readers were able to pass judgment upon this 16-year-old girl is unsettling. She is a minor, a child by federal law, but her address and family information was made public to the world because of the intense Internet focus on her life. Evan’s cause was sound, but his method? Sasha surely made a mistake, but that mistake is not worth her safety or privacy! Shirky mentions off topic threads on Evan’s website debating whether or not Sasha was attractive enough to engage in sexual intercourse with! Is the theft of a “cool phone” really worth the possibility of a maniac finding Sasha VERY attractive and traveling to her house to have his way with her? Social media privacy has always been a debated topic, but suddenly it seems that the world “forgot” about a girl’s privacy because of her choice of how to deal with a phone that ended up in her lap. It’s impossible to pinpoint the blame on any one person, but the mere of idea such power being available to anyone online should at the least ring some warning bells.
‘It Takes a Village to Find a Phone’ evoked mixed emotions in me. Positive emotions because Evan’s actions were based upon good intentions, but negative ones as well because I think that media in our day and age has gotten to a point where we have lost a lot of control over it. I’m inspired by Evan’s drive and commitment to get Ivanna’s phone back, as it contained meaning and value for her. And even though I do not agree with the way that he worked to get the phone back, I understand why he did it. Exposing the lives of everyone involved was the most effective way to get the job done. It got millions of people behind him, the police changed the complaint from “lost” to “stolen” property, and of course, Ivanna got her phone back. But at the same time, that exposure tarnished the reputations of Sasha, her brother, and her boyfriend. Their MySpace profiles were known everywhere, and someone even drove by and took a video of where she lived. Now, in this particular situation, I think that the benefits of social media clearly outweighed the cons. But looking towards the future and the big picture, it’s frightening. I am taken aback by the almost uncontrollable power of social media. Evan did not mean for his website to explode the way it did, and after it did, there was almost no stopping it. Over the last decade, technology has advanced like never before, but no one in our generation has really noticed because we were born into this era. Using something that we don’t entirely understand the scope or potential of may not be the best idea.
I think the there is a strong correlation between the people in Shirky’s article and Egger’s characters. From their need to affirm their presence/status through possession of the newest technologies to their pursuit of control via advancing technological outlets. However, the two differ in that Shirky’s article points out the ethical flaws of those handling the technology, while Egger’s book stresses the need for a guideline allowing us to judge how much technological advancement is too much. With Shirky’s article being an example of past problems and progression and Egger’s book being a fictional portrayal of what could very well be in our near future. I feel that the contrast between the two demonstrates how quickly technology can advance and how that same rapid progress can change our problems in such a short amount of time.
This chapter was extremely eye opening in the way that it shows how powerful social media is in our society. After reading this chapter I can relate to Evan in that I found that the outcome was very pleasing due to it providing justice to the situation. Through this reading I found that Evan’s character was exemplary due to him making an attempt to help his friend Ivanna find something as miniscule as a cell phone. In my opinion, Sasha’s background should not affect her actions in this reading. I think that stealing in any circumstance is wrong. I find it very surprising that social media impacted this situation in this way especially since technology was not as prominent then as it is now. Technology has definitely advanced and changed since the time in which this chapter was written. In a way reading this text made me reminisce to how technology used to be due to discussing things such as Myspace and the Sidekick. This chapter showed me the power that social media and technology has especially in today’s world. I cant fathom how big this story would have been in today’s world since technology is much more prevalent now then when this story took place. In my opinion this story became so viral because it was extremely relatable to the average individual. I found this chapter to be very interesting because it shows that through the collaboration of a community something as small as a phone can be found in the largest city in the United States.
This chapter was extremely eye opening because it shows how powerful social media is in our society. After reading this chapter I can relate to Evan in that I found that the outcome was very pleasing due to it providing justice to the situation. Through this reading I found that Evan’s character was exemplary due to him making an attempt to help his friend Ivanna find something as miniscule as a cell phone. In my opinion, Sasha’s background should not affect her actions in this reading. I think that stealing in any circumstance is wrong. I find it very surprising that social media impacted this situation in this way especially since technology was not as prominent then as it is now. Technology has definitely advanced and changed since the time in which this chapter was written. In a way reading this text made me reminisce to how technology used to be due to discussing things such as Myspace and the Sidekick. This chapter showed me the power that social media and technology has especially in today’s world. I cant fathom how big this story would have been in today’s world since technology is much more prevalent now then when this story took place. In my opinion this story became so viral because it was extremely relatable to the average individual. I found this chapter to be very interesting because it shows that through the collaboration of a community something as small as a phone can be found in the largest city in the United States.
I think this article serves as a testament to how big of an impact social media can be on our lives and the lives of others. This article can obviously be viewed from two different perspectives, Evan’s and Sasha’s. For Evan, his determination to spend all his time garnering up a social media army to retrieve the phone was fascinating. Fascinating in the fact that he was able to conjure millions upon millions of supports by simply creating blog posts. I believe that he was able to amass such a group not because of the fact that he wanted to get back at something that was stolen, but that it was something that could never be replaced. On the other hand, Sasha, a teenage girl, viewed that it was simply a harmless act, and it wasn’t really a big deal. Although she would regret it now, it was really surprising to me how much of an effort she (and her family) made to try and keep the stolen phone. I think that although this article portrays social media in a somewhat positive light, it can potentially be terrifying. Terrifying in how someone’s life could turn upside down or how one comment could impact an entire race or country and can even start a war! This event happened 9 years ago. 9 years ago! Technology has changed so much in the past 9 years and it will continue to evolve and grow, we can only pray that we do not become completely consumed by our own creation.
In reading the article it seemed that the author’s perspective was to highlight the enormous power of social media and networked conversations, focusing perhaps on the leverage it affords to seek justice and promote a better society. At the same time, in reading the story I became increasingly disturbed by the level of vulnerability of a teenage girl whose actions were stupid, unjust and rude; but who was now subject to a virtual vigilante brigade. Sasha’s offense was real, but Eric’s massive media response caused me to feel alarmed that one individual convinced of his own justice can mobilize a nationwide army of citizens focused on seeking retribution for a presumed wrong. What if the roles were reversed? What if Sasha were in face an innocent young girl, and Eric an outraged loner with a perverted notion of “justice”, who happened to have a mastery of the social media tools required to destroy his victim’s friends, career, reputation and more? These issues were raised on a larger scale in The Circle, and it is alarming to see how far technology has advanced in less than a decade. When we were children, MySpace was a leading edge platform; today, each one of us has at our fingertips the tools to seek and provide information far beyond anything available when this incident occurred. It will be interesting to read and discuss other videos, stories, and events that have gone viral through the internet.
When I first started reading the chapter, I was actually torn on whose side i was on. Sasha did handle the situation extremely rudely, but I thought her punishment was very blown out of proportion. As I continued to read, I actually became really impressed with Evan and realized he did have good intentions. It amazes me how much impact the internet has on society. It spreads information so quickly and can turn a lost phone into New York Times news. The internet brings people together who want to help each other or who have similar interests. I think a definite problem of the internet in this situation was how quickly Sasha’s information spread. The internet isn’t always a good thing. It could be used to harass people, like in Sasha’s case. This chapter reaffirmed the fact that the internet can do very powerful things, both negatively and positively.
While reading this chapter, I found myself having mixed feelings. I that Sasha had to reprimanded, or so to speak, because she wouldn’t give back the cellphone to Ivanna. The fact that Sasha was 16, Puerto Rican or a single mother does not really affect how I feel about the story because she acted in a rude and nasty way. I’m sure that if any other person, no matter what background they are, had acted in such a mean and racist way, I would feel just the same. The amount social media help that Evan was able to generate is something that blows my mind because the number of people involved in the cause is so big, it makes the cause not seem as important. In a broader perspective, it is kind of saddening how small things such as loosing a cellphone could possibly cause such an uproar when there are so many other important things like human trafficking and human rights that need our attention. In realizing this, I have also reflected on my thoughts and my priorities and feel embarrassed at the fact that I too also pay for attention and time to things that are not as important, such as musical sensation like Gangnam Style, as compared to other more important things. I once watched this episode on a Korean show where many idols go on an overseas trip to a foreign country. One of the members forgets his phone in the taxi and spends the rest of the evening and night (along with the other members) trying to track down the cellphone. It was kind of sad to see how much technology means to us that even when we are presented with beautiful chances, we lack to really see into them in order to keep our technology with us in order to “capture” the moments.
I felt that this story was pretty impressive by the fact that Social Media could spread out the word that one measly crime could end in the most tragic of fates. What Evan and Ivanna did just to get back the phone was impressive by the fact that they just exposed what this teenager was doing because she refused to give back the lost phone. From that they just exploited her and she got arrested for it because she had stolen property. It went from one small problem and blew up to this exponential topic of discussion that was in the New York Times and people in government were even talking about how this was quite a phenomenon and a serious crime, and it was. Social Media has the power to make an average everyday story become this nation wide story that everyone will cover, just because everyone can relate to it or have an interest in it.
I’m completely with Evan on this one. I’m happy the justice was finally served. Yeah, I understand that Sasha was a young 16 year old who stumbled upon a new phone that she wanted to keep. At that age who wouldn’t want to keep it? When I was 16 years old I probably would have been thrilled to find a new and expensive phone the way Sasha did. But the differences is, if I knew to whom the phone belonged to or how to track down the owner, I would do the right thing and return it to them. The fact that Sasha was almost, in a way, taunting Evan really rubbed me the wrong way. Then, to add to that she and her friends and family were making threats. Everything she did in this situation was wrong, in my opinion. The fact that she was 16, and Puerto Rican, and a single mom makes no difference to me. She essentially stole the phone and that’s wrong, regardless of your social status or family background.
The problem with Sasha, is she thought she was untouchable. She thought she would never be caught because there was very little paper trail. But thanks to social media she was brought to justice. I was surprised to see many aspects of the article remind me of The Circle. The web page and blog in this situation actually reminded me of the sea cameras from The Circle. Both the web page and the cameras have the ability to prevent social injustices due to the fact that people know others are watching. In this case, it was in the mobilization of the NYPD, who would have otherwise brushed off the report of a “lost” phone.
After reading the story, I believe that arresting Sasha was the right thing to do. Evan was definitely determined to get the phone back for his friend and I would have probably done the same thing. Many people lose their phones or get their phone stolen, and many will never get their phones back. Evan saw the opportunity to be able to retrieve a phone that was lost and did everything he could to retrieve it. Sasha having the phone was not a crime, but since she refused to return it and continued to harass Evan and Ivanna through emails, she was not taking the rightful actions. A missing phone’s story should not be played on the fact that Sasha is 16, Puerto Rican or a single mother, what is important is that she still harassed and refused to return the phone, which is still a crime. When looking at crimes such as these, people should be looking at the actions, not the race and social standing of the people. I think Evan gained attention for his story online based on the fact that everyone viewing the story knows of someone or has been the victim of a lost or stolen phone. When they saw the story, they probably saw an opportunity to help a woman who had the ability to get her phone back, and helped to spread the word.
The chapter “It Takes a Village to Find a Phone” from the book “Here Comes Everybody”, is a an excellent portrayal of how powerful the internet and social media has become. Evan was able to create a website in efforts to recover Ivanna’s phone and gain an enormous following in such a short amount of time. I do not think Evan would have been able to get Ivanna’s phone back without the help of social media. That is where the title of the chapter comes in. “It Takes a Village to Find a Phone”. Sure, he would have been able to find out that Sasha had the phone. However, Sasha had her family and friends behind her so Evan would not have done anything himself. Also, the NYPD would not have reversed their stand on the case without Evan’s followers and the rest of the public complaining.
Even though Evan was able to get Ivanna’s phone back, I find Evan’s efforts a bit ridiculous. Ivanna was able to buy a new phone and recover all of her data, especially all the information for her wedding. So despite being out $300, she was thankfully able to have all of her information back. Before all of Evan’s efforts, Sasha was clearly not going to budge. From a moral perspective, Sasha should have given the phone back since it was not hers. However, people aren’t always going to do the right thing.
While reading this article, it has come to my attention the power of mass media. The first day of class we discussed the topic of what makes something viral? What does viral mean? This situation that took place is a clear example in real life of what viral is. This action caused a reaction and this reaction was spread vastly across the nation, and as a result, given the time and technology that is averrable to us, created a huge controversial and moral discussion on what should be done about the phone and the relationship between Ivanna and Sasha that took the phone. In this situation, age is a huge factor to me. When dealing with this I see it as a lack of maturity from Sasha, as well as a lack of moral development, as a good person. In response to the “no” that Sasha gave, as an individual I believe that what Ivanna and Evan did the right thing. They brought attention to something that is not import to the situation, but as a member of society calling out injustices that occur. If you see something that isn’t yours it doesn’t give an individual a right to go pick it up claim it theirs’. Its just like it is illegal to remove or go through anyone’s trash for recyclables or trash once its placed curbside for collection. This viral organization was perfect, and I totally applaud those two for making known what injustice took place, regardless of age. Every action has a reaction and every decision has a consequence, and this is the the resulting occurrence.