I don’t have the greatest relationship with technology, but I definitely try to use it to my advantage. Although I’m often on social media and use sites such as Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, and more, I never really understood what technology could do for me until recently. And even with that, I will never truly grasp the potential it has.
With Tumblr, I was able to be sponsored by some small Internet stores; in exchange for an item or two, I would write a review and take photos. I took it for granted in the past, but looking back on it, technology really helped me with everything. Without it, I wouldn’t have the connections that I did with the stores. In addition, I am currently trying to promote my travel/photography blog on the platform Blogger (also known as Blogspot) so I can do something with photography in the future, and I needed a way to get more views. When I made a post about it on Twitter, I suddenly found multiple people reaching my blog through Twitter (people I didn’t know) and I realized how far technology can help me reach. A Google search on my name can bring individuals to that page as well, and it really surprised me how I could use technology to my advantage just by using something as simple as key words. Earlier in the day I tried an experiment on Twitter. I gave a link to my Blogspot again, but this time I made sure to use the words “travel,” “France,” “photography,” etc. in the post. Sure enough, it brought more viewers. This sounds so simple, but it’s really just a small example of what technology can do and how you can use it to your own benefit.
Of course, I am no expert. I have Photoshop but I can’t do much on it. I’m on the computer and my phone quite often, but I only know a little bit about coding.
And now to the articles. The issues in Williams’ piece are definitely major. People with disabilities can’t access certain aspects of technology. Although technology has been created to help people with disabilities, we need to see more. Henn’s article/podcast centered around women’s involvement with technology and how it decreased over time. The market targeted men and boys more (ex: personal computers) even though women were widely involved before. I think that’s changing more now, but some women are looked down upon in the work field.
Perhaps that can change…and maybe digital humanities can help with that.
I LOVED your post! It really drew me in and grabbed all of my attention. What interested me the most, was when you wrote about the “tags” on a picture, and how using them causes more people to be able to view your photo or link. I believe this is completely true because I’ve actually experienced it before as well. Technology is forever advancing, and simple things like extra tags on a photo to gain more publicity, is amazing. I see how you said that “I don’t have the greatest relationship with technology,” but it seems like you are doing pretty well with it. Just by adding those words like “France,” “Photography,” and “Travel,” it opens up a whole new world of publicity, and lets new people see your photos and links, who otherwise wouldn’t have seen them without those tags.
I also like how you related your views, with Henn’s article/podcast, and how womens’ involvement gradually decreased in technology. On some points, I believe this is true, but also, I believe that there are women out there that are far more advanced in technology than some men.
GREAT JOB!!!!
I really appreciate your thoughts on my post. Thank you very much!
Your post definitely serves to showcase how features of our digital age create a more open world. Where you are able to post something on tumblr, have key words attached to it so that when people search for it, there is easy access.
On a separate note, when you address the topic of advancements made in order to help those with disabilities: Do you feel as that is an imperative to make advancements for a niche group rather than just cater to the masses?
Yes, I think so! Of course, I’m sure companies and people would address the masses first. However, I believe there should be more concentration on making advancements for certain groups (ex. people with disabilities) to satisfy more people and help make things more accessible for them.