Prompt #6-Natalie

I'd say that Facebook is a huge center for sharing culture, and values. Not only am I able to read status' and get a person's point of view, or feelings on a certain topic, but even through pictures and songs that people share, you are able to get a sense for their moods and certain likes and dislikes. Many people find themselves relating to another persons views through status updates. I know for a fact when people post a status and depicts something that they like or hate, if I happen to feel the same way about it, I automatically "like" it, in order to depict the fact that we share the same feelings on that specific topic.

I think that the website Tumblr, actually has more aspects of culture sharing, because people blog about things and then other people are easily able to reblog what that person posted if they agree with it. Many times you can tell a lot about a person by the things they blog about. I know that when there is a controversial event in the news, many times different pictures will arise that relate directly to that event. Recently with the cases of Casey Anthony and Troy Davis, there were numerous pictures that had something to do with the cases, whether good or bad, many people reblogged the photos or even paragraphs that detailed the way the public felt about the cases. Many people were throwing morals into it and there were heated arguments about it, where the country's values were being questioned. In that sense I think that this social network also helps people connect and relate or even disagree and question culture and values.

prompt #6 response.

I think online blogs are an exclusive community in themselves. There is an understanding amongst online bloggers that each person is allowed to post what they want, when they want, and how they want. You can definitely argue that not everyone is going to like or agree with what you post, but it's very rare that anyone will specifically ask you to remove a post. The bulk of the comments express another person's opinion, but no matter how bad these opinions get on blogs, they are usually not directed towards the removal of a specific post. I think that online bloggers share an understanding that everyone has the freedom to express themselves, and that by attempting to remove someone else's post, you are also contributing to the narrowing of your own freedom of expression. Another important value that is shared amongst online bloggers is honesty; this is logical because there is little reason to hide your true self when you can already remain annonymous. I know this is especially true for me; there are things that I would be willing to share on my blog that I have not shared with some of my best friends. This seems quite paradoxical because you would think that I would be much less comfortable sharing my secrets with a world of strangers, but I think online bloggers most value this kind of public annonymity. There is a safety net about this kind of sharing; I never have to worry about being judged as a person because I am no more than my words when I am online. I can detach myself as far from or attach myself as close to as I wish to what I post, but either way I can always protect myself. I think online bloggers also share a need for want of instant gratification. This might sound strange in terms of blogging, but the difference between blogging and the actual act of writing is that us bloggers get instant satisfaction from publishing our work. We can put something out in the world within the blink of an eye, and I don't think that we'd be willing to settle for any sort of slower pace lifestyle.