Response to Reading 3

The article about Google's record of searches caught me off guard. I don't know what you can necessarily tell about someone by his/her searches. For instance, my recent google history includes "grilled cheese," "starting salary journalist," "sex offender registry," "your love is my drug tshirt," and "tetris." But that doesn't mean I'm obsessed with grilled cheese and Ke$ha. I don't know how dangerous it is to have that kind of information available, but I suppose if I ever needed to know something private and I typed it into Google, I wouldn't want the whole world having access to it. However, from what I gather, it may not be too hard to get Google history, but I don't think anyone is going to take the time to look it up unless it is very important, and let's face it: nothing I research is of much importance to other people.

The second article worries me. I don't like the idea of having big conglomerates slowly eating away the diversity that makes this country so unique. I think that in order to continue having freedom, we need to encourage competition and variety. When too many companies are owned by one person, that person's preferences (in politics especially) are shoved down the throats of consumers, and they slowly adopt those beliefs subconsciously.

The last article was something to think about. I do think of myself as a unique individual. I think I am able to stand out on my own or stand with my peers as a team player when it's appropriate. It's almost overwhelming to think about how many journalists there are and how many spots are available for them. Independent journalism is something I've thought about before, but for most people, you need to first gain a following through more mainstream means. I think that by being in this class I will be much more Internet savy, and I expect that by the end, I will be able to present myself professionally online as well as in person.