New Media Convergence

First Assesement

• How you believe public opinion may have been influenced through social media and new devices?

        I believe that majority of the public opinion is definitely wavered by the way social media and new devices take their perspectives on it. The majority will be the masses on social media, while those who are so called "opposed" are shunned and considered wrong and immoral. We have seen many cases throughout this debate on what marriage is. I remember when I was in California in 2008-2009, there was the Proposition 8, stating that marriage is defined between a man and woman. If you voted yes, that is what you believed marriage to be, if you voted you believed that marriage can be between anyone, exclusively same sex marriage. Facebook was the biggest outlet besides the news to get opinions and remember specifically, a girl I went to high school with sharing her status as, "if you are voting yes on Prop 8, you are a horrible person and might as well delete me as a friend." Well me being at the time, liked to stir the pot, so I wrote on my status, "I support Prop 8 1000% because marriage is between a man and woman." Needless say to she deleted me off her friends list. 

       I feel that however much majority feels on the issues, such as Obama, Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman, same sex marriage, or even abortion, there will always be majority on the social networks ramming their opinions all over your feed. And if you disagree with them, you are ignorant, racist, horrible person or just stupid. So those who want to speak up feel that it is not necessary to even try and pick a fight. 

What you think about technological determinism's role in this

    Technological determinism is very essential in the role of same sex marriage. I mean it is very debated topic, I remember someone telling me, two things you don't bring up as a subject, religion and politics, because they are very sensitive and could be pulled in many different directions. But then again, when a topic is reached in social media, it is only studied as far as social media goes. For example, when the Kony 2012 hit social media, everyone was all for it, and shared the video. People didn't look into it too much, now there was another side to the story, yes it was true but it was as extreme at the time as the video has shown. So people donated money, and come to find out that the guy who spear headed the whole thing actually kept most of the money himself which resulted in millions of dollars. Once the ball gets rolling in social media, it can just be an over night sensation or take a while for it to die down. 

• How social media have contributed to the push for action, either in efforts to petition for or against marriage equality in Utah, and to organize for civil protest.

    I don't know the facts or even really knew about the same sex marriage equality but I do know that if social media had a big push there were groups formed and definitely a lot of things that could be organized from that standpoint of social media. Especially with Facebook, that is something that literally everyone has so it is easy to set up meeting times and everything. From both sides, I am pretty sure there was strong advocates to help and get things set up to what was needed for the political battle.