- What role does social media play in providing “surrogators” (219) from whose current experiences we can learn? Will that reverse our refusal “to use others as surrogates” (224)? Has it?
- Are digital media a means for observing how happy people are in different circumstances (225)? Can we trust what we see online?
- Does the prevalence of online reviews refute Gilbert’s assertion in the 1st paragraph on page 222? Why or why not?
- Can social media make a change in our tendency to see ourselves as “unique” (219)? Does it allow or force us to see that we are like most other people (222)?
November 18, 2015 at 8:00 pm
Social medias do in fact create a change in our tendency to see ourselves as unique because since social medias give opportunity to announce your opinions freely, it is quite common that multiple people will share the same opinion, thus making them less unique. For instance, lets imagine someone made a post pertaining to their thoughts on the war in the middle east. Since numerous amounts of people are bound to share those same beliefs, it can make it seem like every person who shares those same ideas is less unique since every person isn’t the only person with that idea. I think this forces us to realize that we are like most other people because since the average person thinks that they are above average, social medias force us to realize how average we actually are by having so many commonalities with average people.
November 18, 2015 at 8:57 pm
Question 8
I feel that some social medias have the tendency to make people believe that they are unique. Everyone likes to think that what they have to say is important and that they are unlike anyone else in the world. The problem with this philosophy is that if everyone is special, then really no one is special. We seem to view our own popularity and the popularity of others based off of how many “likes” are received via social media. Having a lot of people requesting to view what you’re posting is the reasoning behind why people are led by social media to think that they are outrageously unique and important. I do think however that sometimes social media can help us come to the recognition that we are just as important as everyone else. There isn’t really an unfair advantage to anyone on social media so it’s a level playing field. When you realize that you mindlessly scroll through peoples’ posts with no regard to what they’re saying, you come to the realization that they’re probably doing the same to your posts. I think the way social media makes you feel is solely dictated on the significance that you hold over it. If you’re constantly on social media and you care about how many people are viewing your things, then obviously you believe that you are unique. Yet if you notice that half of the people on social media share your opinions, and you are more apathetic to what is being posted, then you have a general understanding that you’re just as important as everyone else.
November 19, 2015 at 1:33 am
Question 7- I wouldn’t say that Gilbert’s assertion in the 1st paragraph on page 222 is entirely futile. Gilbert uses his theory of predicting levels of enjoyment by comparing a restaurant menu to an actual review of a restaurant. He emphasizes that people would choose to view a restaurant menu over a dinner review because the food is what will determine the satisfaction levels of individuals; I agree and disagree with that analysis. I understand when Gilbert says: “If your like most people, you would prefer to see the menu” (222) but the problem is most people are not the same. Looking at a restaurant menu can determine how good the food choices are, but if the restaurant service or the restaurant itself isn’t up to part then you’re not going to be focused on how well your food is prepared. It’s about the atmosphere and if the scenery isn’t comforting then a persons mood can quickly be affected. So, I believe you need to consider every aspect of the situation and the potential events that may transpire into future emotions. Within Gilberts example, I think you should consider the restaurant menu and the dinner review because both have an even chances of shifting a persons feelings in the future.
November 22, 2015 at 10:07 pm
Question 7-
I believe online reviews such as Yelp completely refute the argument Gilbert tries to make in his book. Review websites allow people to serve as surrogates for others and can make or break businesses because of their strong influence. In his claim, Gilbert states how most people “would prefer to see the menu”(Gilbert 222) rather than “some randomly selected diner’s review”. However in today’s day and age people read reviews and do research online on restaurants and products first before buying them. The prevalence of online reviews alone refutes Gilbert’s believe that most people rather not use others as surrogates. In my experience, I always read what others have to say about a product before I spend my hard earned money on it. Even though people do have different tastes and opinions I make my decision based off of the ratio of good reviews to bad reviews instead of just trying out something for myself and ending up dissatisfied.
November 23, 2015 at 6:27 pm
Question 7-
According to Gilbert’s assertion on page 222, I would both agree and disagree with him. He believes that people would rather see the menu than reviews. “If you are like most people, you would prefer to see the menu”(222). Personally I like to look at both the menu and reviews. I have worked in the food industry for four years now and I know that sometimes reviews don’t live up to what the food is really like. With that being said I do like to see if it’s mixed reviews or all leaned toward one side, good or bad. I’m also the kind of person who enjoys looking at the menu though. I know what I like so looking at a menu is always really beneficial. If I enjoyed trying new things maybe I’d just read the reviews, but I’m a very picky eater. So I’m not sure how other people go about trying a new food place, but I believe that it is about the menu and the reviews.
November 23, 2015 at 6:28 pm
P.S this was amber
November 22, 2015 at 8:49 pm
There is 7 billion people on this planet, no one is unique. As much as we would like to think we are, we are not. The hashtag almost proves this. When you hashtag something online you can instantly see everyone else who has talked about the same topic. Almost every time someone will have the same thoughts and views as you. This means you are in fact not unique. You might be unique in your close circle of friends, classrooms, families and so on. Big picture there are at least a few people exactly like you, you just don’t know them. On the other hand, if a tree falls in the woods, does it make a sound? In this situation that scenario holds some weight. If you don’t know that there are people around the world just like you, does this mean that you are in fact unique? I suppose it is all perspective.
There is 7 billion people on this planet, no one is unique. As much as we would like to think we are, we are not. The hashtag almost proves this. When you hashtag something online you can instantly see everyone else who has talked about the same topic. Almost every time someone will have the same thoughts and views as you. This means you are in fact not unique. You might be unique in your close circle of friends, classrooms, families and so on. Big picture there are at least a few people exactly like you, you just don’t know them. On the other hand, if a tree falls in the woods, does it make a sound? In this situation that scenario holds some weight. If you don’t know that there are people around the world just like you, does this mean that you are in fact unique? I suppose it is all perspective.
There is 7 billion people on this planet, no one is unique. As much as we would like to think we are, we are not. The hashtag almost proves this. When you hashtag something online you can instantly see everyone else who has talked about the same topic. Almost every time someone will have the same thoughts and views as you. This means you are in fact not unique. You might be unique in your close circle of friends, classrooms, families and so on. Big picture there are at least a few people exactly like you, you just don’t know them. On the other hand, if a tree falls in the woods, does it make a sound? In this situation that scenario holds some weight. If you don’t know that there are people around the world just like you, does this mean that you are in fact unique? I suppose it is all perspective.
November 23, 2015 at 11:50 am
Question 6
I think that digital media is a mean for observing how happy people are in different circumstances. Today we are more in touch with people then we have ever been before. Instead of talking to a person once a month, we talk to them once a day. We do not even have to start a conversation with them since they post their thoughts to a general audience of 200+ friends. I think that people do use social media to get their thoughts out in hopes to get some sort of attention based off of the short facts they give. We can tell people opinion on a topic because they share one thing or like another. When they share a topic, they usually put a little caption with it saying how they think about it. They can share with the intention to oppose what it says or they can share with the intention to say that it is a good idea. We are able to see how people are in different circumstances because we are even closer than we were before and people are not afraid to give their opinions one bit. I think we can trust people, on social media, because they are posting and sharing what they believe in. They take the time to write about it and share it with a few hundred friends. They might tell a little lie, but in the end I think what people say can be true full.
November 23, 2015 at 1:25 pm
Question 6
Are digital media a means for observing how happy people are in different circumstances (225)? Can we trust what we see online?
I think that digital media serves as both an accurate way of observing how people are and an inaccurate way of observing people. It can be accurate for example when someone is posting pictures of them with lots of friends or family. We assume that a person is happy when around this kind of company and the probable smiles on their faces further displays a sense of happiness. People can post pictures of them winning a sports or academic around and we assume they are happy as anyone would be for receiving something they worked hard for. But at the same time people can post and display whatever they want on digital media formats sometimes giving an altered view of what is really going on. Someone could be struggling with something that is causing them to be extremely unhappy, but they don’t want others to find out so they continue smiling and acting as if they are having fun in photos and videos. Digital media creates a way for people to really filter what feelings want to be shown to the general public and what feelings should stay private.
November 23, 2015 at 4:17 pm
Question 5
One of the purposes of social media is to connect to people. You can connect closer to those you already know and get to know those you maybe haven’t met yet. These sites can also provide surrogators in a sense that when other people post comments about their feelings or experiences, we are suppose to see that as relatable. For example, maybe the cause of a person’s bad day had to do with something that happens to us all the time. These experiences and relationships are to serve as a predefenition of how we would feel in similar circumstances. This situaltion could change our way of thinking in regards to this because a lot of people belive that there is no way that one person could possibly feel the same way we would. “Every human being is as unique as his or her fingerprints…” (219) I f we belive in the vast variability of humans then our thinking could be changed by social when we poosible do see so many other people, even ones we don’t know, facing the same challenges we face, and even reacting the same way we’ve reacted and would react.
November 23, 2015 at 5:12 pm
Question 5
What role does social media play in providing “surrogates” (219) Social media plays a big role of our daily routines. Social media allows us to share our thoughts, emotions, experiences, videos and photos. Through other peoples status, photos and videos we are able to share our experiences and through those experiences we read we are able to relate to similar situations. From here we are able to create a conversation among other individuals who are discussing their experiences or opinions. “Yes, other people are probably right now experiencing the very things I am merely contemplating, but I can’t use other people’s experiences as proxies for my own because those people are not me” (219) We all experience situations that are similar however every persons experience its different and unique in its own way. For example, one of my friends on Facebook posted a status “I went skydiving today. As I jumped out I could feel my nerves kicking in and my heart racing, If I could I would do it again in a heart beat.” Each individual who will read this status can talk about their experience and how they felt when they went skydiving. Each individuals experience is different however, they may have similar emotions.
November 23, 2015 at 5:18 pm
Question 5
The use of social media is good and bad since often times people become too caught up with social media. By using social media we can share opinions of our own and others and it gives us a place to post these opinion/ideas. Social media is a place where there are plenitudes of ideas so many people find it as a place to connect with others who have the same opinions. We can use surrogate s a way to connect or provide reasons to disagree. I think we will continue using surrogates since its up to the person reading to agree or disagree. We can also use surrogates to learn opposing sides and to understand more about a persons view.