The reading this week was centered around the topic of technology in the publics eye. There was no surprise that “The biggest single event or storyline during the year involved the perils of technology.” All I heard last year was don’t text while you drive, don’t text while you drive, don’t text while you drive. Celebrities like Oprah and Tyra Banks had guests on their shows to talk about the dangers. Even giant billboards are scattered about across the nation now all because irresponsible new media users are making deadly mistakes. I feel almost like people want to blame the technology, maybe not as much as they want to blame the person responsible, but at least a little. It in the humans nature to place blame on something that might not even fight back. Here’s the truth: TECHNOLOGY DOESN’T CAUSE PROBLEMS, WE DO!”
“The second-biggest storyline addressed a more positive development: the launch of the latest Apple iPhones. Attention to the release of the iPad was not far behind.” No shock and no reaction here.
It seems as though the public does not know what to think about technology. Look at this chat ===>
Its either technology is great or I don’t trust it. We tend to teeter totter on what we really think about it. I am 99% positive that these 18% of people have the internet or at least have used it in the past and for whatever reason has just decided, “Meh, I don’t trust it.” For what rhyme or reason do they NOT trust it? Shoot, get a software to protect your computer, don’t download things that can harm your computer. I think this chart is making my blood boil.
Finally, The quiz we all were assigned to take was shockingly herculean. However, for some outlandish reason, I got 7 out of 10 questions correct. Each question seemed harder than the next and I purely just thought of what I had heard in the past year about news stories and media and then clicked an answer. Lucky guessing I suppose.
| QUESTION | YOUR RESPONSE | CORRECT ANSWER | THE BACKSTORY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 What was the most-covered technology story from June 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010? |  Texting while driving |
Texting while driving | The practice and danger of texting while driving accounted for about 9% of the technology stories examined in a PEJ study. The No. 2 story, the Apple iPhone, represented 6% of the stories. |
| 2 As of September 2010, how many states prohibited texting while operating a motor vehicle? | 30 |
30 | According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 30 states (as well as the District of Columbia) had outlawed texting while driving. Nine states have outlawed talking on a hand-held cell phone while driving. |
| 3 Which of these tech companies received the leastamount of coverage in the mainstream media from June 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010? | Microsoft |
Microsoft | Microsoft was the focus of only 3% of all tech stories, according to a PEJ study. Apple received the most: it was the subject of 15% of the tech stories during the period, which coincided with the introduction of two new iPhone models and the iPad. Google was second, at 11%. |
| 4 What media outlet broke a story about Apple’s next generation iPhone after acquiring the prototype from someone who found it left behind in a bar? | Gizmodo.com |
Gizmodo.com | Apple contacted police who searched the home of Gizmodo’s editor, setting off a legal debate about whether his home is a newsroom that should be protected by California’s “shield law” designed to protect journalists. |
| 5 What percent of American adults use the internet? | 79% |
79% | According to a spring 2010survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 79% of people aged 18 and older report having used the internet at some point. Young adults, aged 18-29, were the most likely to use the internet: 95%. |
| 6 Which technology company was the subject of the most posts and links on Twitter from June 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010? |  Microsoft |
Twitterers tweet more about Twitter than any other tech company, according to a PEJ study.The company accounted for 15% of the storylines on the site. The iPhone was No. 2, at 8%. | |
| 7 True or false: the Cub Scouts offer a merit award for video gaming. | True |
True | Tiger and Cub Scouts and Webelos can earn a video gaming pin by completing a number of tasks, such as comparison shopping for a device, explaining why it is important to have a rating system, and organizing a family tournament. |
| 8 What Apple-related stories received the most coverage in the mainstream media from June 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010? | The iPhone |
The iPhone | The debut of two new iPhone models received significant coverage, from favorable reviews to stories about stores running out of stock and troubles with its antennae. Altogether, the iPhone was the No. 2 tech story, representing 6% of the coverage from June 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010, according to a PEJ study. |
| 9 Which international technology story received the most attention in the mainstream media from June 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010? | China and its attempts to censor Google |
Iranian protests and the internet | Social media was not only used to inform the outside world of the protests in Iran, but was used to organize the protests themselves. The role of Twitter in what came to be known as the “Twitter revolution” became one of the biggest technology stories in the period, according to a PEJ study. |
| 10 Which of these technology-related topics generated the most attention on Twitter from June 1, 2009, through June 30, 2010? | Social networking trends |
Technology business and companies | Nearly one third, 30%, of the top tech stories posted on Twitter focused on the technology business and high-tech companies. That was twice the amount of links devoted to social networking trends (15%). Perhaps surprisingly, cyber security accounted for only 5% of the attention and privacy, just 4%.
|
{A. Rains} 