Readings for Wed.

The male gaze was an interesting concept to me-- I talked about it in my previous blog. I would agree with the concept that art has been removed from its context and therefore lost a greater sense its meaning. In my first degree I minored in visual arts, and we discussed the fact that many works were commissioned as a way of advertising ones own wealth or selling status.

I think by this point most people understand that what they view on the web is recorded in some way. If activities are not recorded by ones and zeros in some unknown data tracking system, we know they’re being tracked to a certain extent on the computer being used. I typically function under the belief that anything I do or say online could possibly be viewed by people I am unaware of. To a certain extent I feel consumers already “explicitly approve all data collection” (Industry Tightens Its Standards for Tracking Web Surfers) just by participating in online activities. Additionally, I feel consumers have access to the data being recorded about them because they’re the ones who entered it in the first place. I think the real issue people have with these tracking systems is they feel they will be targeted using the gathered information. This is a valid concern. However, I also feel it is a risk of using these systems of communication and commerce. We have a choice not use the Internet and its search engines and social networking sites. Personally, I would rather be tracked and resist the ads than go without the conveniences the sites add to me life. Further I’m not sure a dictionary of “Weblish” terms qualifies as quantitative, cutting edge, trend setting information.