Social Consequences of New Media

Social Consequences of New Media Identify the most consequential features of ‘new media’ and assess how and why sociological theory and concepts deal with these. Abstract This essay establishes the background of new media technologies within the context of their historical development. The argument is then addressed towards the largest social consequences tial outcomes of new technologies as through analysis of the augmentation and facilitation of social communities and online interest groupsthe key consequential developments of new media, culminating in the premise that online community augmentation is the most crucial in order to provide social structures for the existence and promotion of other new media consequences. This argument is then placed into a framework of related theoretical endeavour and elucidates salient arguments in order to establish the premise within contemporary academia. The essay closes with a summation of the discussion along with concluding comments. The term ‘new media’ has gained a great deal of currency over the past two decades. It is also worthy of note that the term has gained status as a collective, singular noun form as if it was in reference to a single, coherent entity. This practice has become increasingly common, not only in marketing circles and journalistic reportage but also in the world of academia. Whilst the term in itself is incredibly vague, the utterance of such increasingly implies solidarity of existence as a totally formed and fully achieved social and material practice. Whilst there is little truth in this premise, this nature of conduct continues, and in doing so undermines development of coherent debate. Throughout this paper, the term ‘new media’ will be applied to the technological practice, development and subsequent social construction of those technologies which have been borne of internet and digitally associated technologies. In addition to this, it must be pointed out that it would at best be truculent, and at worst benighted, to talk of the consequences of new media in terms of cause and effect; this does not do the subject justice nor does it recognise the transience of the situation. It is for these reasons that throughout the course of this critique the consequences of new media technologies will be catalogued in a historically linear form in order to demonstrate the manner in which such technologies lead to further technological developments, each built upon the innovation of the previous. This essay will address the inception of those technologies which have now come to be known as new media and establish them within a historical framework with particular e mphasis placed on the development of the World Wide Web. Scholarly endeavour on these matters is subsequently placed into context of existing examples of new media development, along with their societal consequences. These arguments are then consolidated with broader, underpinning theories which argue for the case of community augmentation as the primary consequence of new media technologies. The essay then closes with a summary of key points raised with according conclusions. Current developments in new media technologies can be traced back to the inception of internet technologies and the consequential developments which ensued. When John Licklider joined ARPA, Leonard Klienrock was already developing ideas for ‘packet sending’. This was a method of sending information in broken up pieces, or ‘packets’. The information would be reassembled at the other end. Because the files were broken up before sending, they would be more difficult to eavesdrop, therefore of great appeal to ARPA. In 1965 an experiment saw computers in Berkley and MIT linked over a low-speed dial-up telephone line, forming the first ever Wide Area Network (Sadar, 2000). ARPA scientists continued the development of networking protocols and in 1972 TCP/IP was born. This would allow different networks to communicate with each other. Now it was simply a matter of time and growth, as at this stage computers consisted of large mainframes that were not available to the majority of people. In 1982, whilst ARPANET was still the backbone of the system, they adopted TCP/IP. This is considered as the birth of the internet; an international network of computers all using the standard. Expansion of the system was also occurring due to advances in computer technology and in 1984 the number of online hosts was over 1000. Governments started using and promoting the system for educational purposes and by 1987 there were 10.000 hosts (over the following two years this number had swelled to 100,000) (Baym, 1998). The year 1991 saw the launch of the World Wide Web (WWW) which consisted of a network of searchable and retrievable sites that employ the use of Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). This protocol automatically searched for the site and retrieved it for automatic viewing. Tim Berners-Lee and other scientists had been developing ideas for making data easily retrievable since 1989 and several browser/editor programs were made shortly after. This formed the basis of what would become new media technology as it is now known (Baym, 1998).An important consequence of the proliferation of new media is the digital divide. In economic terms, the digital divide emphasises the gap between those with privilege and those without. Those without suffer a more limited access to the means of information distribution that new media has come to be synonymous with; internet access, email, smartphones, etc. The consequences of this are broad reaching since they can affect people not just on their individual access to digital information services but also by geographical location or by their access to social entities such as businesses, educational services and public services. This gap also exists between nation states and is known on an international scale as the global digital divide (Halford Savage, 2010). The historically recent rise in new media has also prompted an interest in the academic study of mobilities; an area of the social sciences which was largely disregarded until the phenomenon. The turn in attitude is due largely, if not wholly, to the ubiquity of locative media and mobile communications in increasingly novel forms (Urry, 2000). These new technologies are augmenting and supplementing the manner in which members of society communicate with one another, and indeed their locations, on the move. Such ICTs (Information and Communications Technologies) are increasing in ubiquity, as increasing numbers of people begin to carry smart technologies with them, and rising numbers of architectural structures and public borders are becoming embedded with responsive entities which can relay pertinent information. Transport structures, public service buildings, architecture of interest, etc. are becoming increasingly embedded with satellite connectivity, GPS, responsive software, sens ors and other interactive data transfer forms (Urry, 2004). It is uncontroversial to argue that the most important and far-reaching consequence of new media is the increased ability for social and community forming; the world has witnessed a massive rise in online groups and communities. For many people it is now possible to be part of multiple online groups simultaneously. Much of the general debate around the value of the virtual communitiesdebate which surrounds new media also highlights the increase in digital representation and through subcultures. From the early days of online chatrooms and social portals which existed entirely in textual form, the development into widespread social media has brought with it a sharp rise in both the globalisation of culture and digital representation of the self through online platforms. Debate on such representation has become which have developed from new media technologies has become polarised in academic debateia. On the one hand is the groupA strong argument in scholarly endeavour which argues maintains that the internet has created a new platform for with which to resurrect traditional notions of community (perceived as fading in ‘real life’) which could be perceived as diminishing in modern culture; this and is a positive step towards achieving a new global solidarity, particularly with the co ncurrent development of cultural globalisation. The opposition to this school of thought maintain that cyberspace detracts attention from the issues faced in ‘real life’ community and is therefore erodes it. This point of view is eloquently allegorised in the opening page of Jean Baudrillard’s Simulations (1983). Baudrillard paraphrases the Jorge Luis Borges tale of cartographers who create a map of the empire to such detail that it perfectly covers the land it represents. Whilst the map is celebrated the land underneath it declines into wasteland. This is only brought to the attention of the people when the map itself erodes, revealing an uninhabitable â€Å"desert of the real† (Baudrillard, 1983). It is uncontroversial to argue that the most important and far-reaching social consequence of new media is the increased ability for the formation of communities which were previously unavailable. These community groups are salient and consistent throughout the development of new media technology and additionally it is now possible for many to be part of multiple societal groups simultaneously. Such communities are so influential because they underpin and promulgate the existence of other key elements of new media technology development, such as social change, cultural globalisation, digital identity, the mobilisation of smart technologies, etc. Theorists Wellman and Gulia argue that the current debate on virtual communities is problematic for several reasons. They state that the polarisation of opinion makes the debate Manichean, and also that a sense of the history of community is absent. In addition to this, they contend that the debate on virtual communities is largely unscholarly and is parochial in the sense that it forces a divide between ‘real life’ communities and those online. They go on to say that the notion of a traditional community is nostalgic and saturated with myth (Wellman Gulia, 1999). Whilst Wellman Gulia make some fair points, certainly the polarisation of the online debate (and also the separation of online life and real-life in theory) the two extremes of opinion have produced a substantial amount of research on the matter. When defining community it is useful to look at the work of German sociologist Ferdinand Tonnies, who developed the terms Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft. Gemeinschaft (translated roughly as ‘community’) is described by Tonnies as traditional community, characterised by bonding through kinship, friendship, shared religious beliefs and community loyalty. Tonnies termed modern, capitalist societies as Gesellschaft (community, or association), where social interactions and relationships are much less personal, more calculated and contractual, where the society experiences increased isolation of individuals living within it (Tonnies, 1988). There is also important work regarding broader communities, in particular Benedict Anderson’s theories concerning nations, or as he terms â€Å"imagined communities† (Anderson, 1983). Since the members of a nation cannot possibly interact with (or have knowledge of) everyone within that nation, certain symbolic resources and rituals (or as Anderson refers â€Å"invented traditions†) are utilised to coalesce people and create a sense of shared identity (flags, national anthems, etc.). Anderson maintains that these types of communities depend on their members believing in them, and are maintained through the shared practice of cultural customs and devices (Anderson, 1983). These Current definitions of digital community, whilst useful, suffer the same drawbacks as most in that they can be taken to extremes within their own boundaries, and do little to draw the line as to how far to go. A useful analogy is presented by David Bell (2001), who asks â€Å"I drive a car. To what extent could I argue that I belong to a ‘community of car drivers’?†. Bell goes on to explain that his car driving community satisfies all aspects of popular community definitions. Identity as a ‘car driver’ is institutionalised by a driving licence, which not only provides certain privileges but also acts as a proof of identity in a broader sense, and this is a commonality with other car drivers. Bell continues to describe a ‘set of knowledges’ which all car drivers possess (of driving, of the road, etc.), some of them formalised and some tacit. Whilst the Highway Code formalises one strand of such knowledge there also exists a tacit und erstanding in the form of driving etiquette and the like. The final point Bell makes is that of facilitation. The car also facilitates his membership of off-road communities (Bell, 2001). Whether or not Bell’s example does satisfy a definition of community is still debatable, but it does raise some important points when trying to define community, especially when comparing or contrasting to those which exist online. The same terms of Bell’s analogy could just as simply be applied to MySpace or EBay, both of which have had a far-reaching and consequential impact on capitalist societies; MySpace in many ways became the prototype of digital self-representation, with its ability for photographic and thematic customisation, coupled with a platform for creative endeavour or the broadcast of opinions. This paved the way for a broad range of online social media platforms which developed or augmented the original MySpace model. Conversely, EBay provided a platform for commerce which laid down an archetype for online trading. The eBay model for the first time allowed people to generate income through private auctioning on a global scale, in many cases providing en tire businesses to operate solely within the confines of the site. Regardless of their achieved scope and proliferation of use, but would the question remainsthat mean regarding whether or not that these ‘created communities’ satisfy a Gemeinschaft definition of community, and even if they did this would not necessarily make them communities in the nostalgic sense. , would that make them a community in the nostalgic sense? Bell explores this matter by offering a distinction between the terms (sometimes used synonymously by critical theorists) ‘community’ and ‘sub-culture’: Clearly there’s a slippage between the two words, both taken to mean the same thing – Baym’s own work has used both to describe the same group of online soap fans, for example. But I think that the two words have very different connotations, so I started to wonder where the boundary between terms like these lies. (Bell, 2001:101) In this statement Bell makes a valid point. In the labelling of factions and groups as ‘communities’ more often than not the term either becomes encapsulate, including a whole host of assemblies which are perhaps better described in another category, or becomes exclusive to the point of rejection of all those groups which fail to satisfy the nostalgic and seemingly outdated notion of traditional community. With these comments in mind it seemsIt is important to establish a boundary by which to sector those groups which, although they may satisfy certain aspects of community ‘new technology’ consequences, are not engaged in sufficient humanistic interaction to be defined as such. This does not present an immediate problem as there are many online groups which fit this description and do not label themselves as communities, but remain consequential of new media. However, the emphasis on human interaction seems to be the key to which distinctions can be drawn between online organisations and actual communities. One notorious commentator on the subject, Howard Rheingold, states just that: Virtual communities are social aggregations that emerge from the net when enough people carry on†¦public discussions long enough, with sufficient human feeling, to form webs of personal relationships in cyberspace. (Rheingold, 1993:12) Since traditional community is no longer possible in its pure form, due predominantly to capitalism and globalisation, people have searched out the areas of their community which they now lack. Humans , being social animals (and at best, survivalists) have utilised the internetnew media in tandem with the development of technology to maintain and keep control of the things which they inherently hold dear. In this case, the elements of community which contemporary society have consequentially eroded with new media are also supported by new media. These consequences are now are now to be found online in forums, groups and interactive spaces. New media technology The internet does not house communities, but symbiotically supports those areas of community which no longer exist outside of the webof such developments, and arguably, due to such developments. Online platforms such as MySpace or Facebook provide many services, but do not create a social network for its users. Rather, new medi a they allow users to supplement their existing social networks with online support. Furthermore online Interactions can take place which will allow families who are miles apart to keep in touch in ways that have previously been impossible, thus they are solving previous difficulties pertaining to traditional community, predominantly that of distance and (the resulting factor of) time, and strengthening these communities in ways that previously could not be achieved. It is now possible for community to become reinforced by new media technologies in ways that were previously impossible, thus strengthening the weak elements that existed in the Gemeinschaft-style structure. Utilising technology, traditional communities are able to function over distance in real-time, in cybernetic unison. References Anderson, B. (1983) Imagined Communities: reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism, London: Verso. Baudrillard, J. (1983) Simulations, USA: Semiotext[e] Baym, N. (1998) ‘The emergence of an on-line community’, Cited in S.Jones (ed.) Cybersociety 2.0: revisiting computer-mediated communication and community, London: Sage. Bell, D. (2001) An Introduction to Cybercultures, London: Routledge. Halford, S. Savage, M. (2010) ‘Reconceptualizing Digital Social Inequality’, Information, Communication and Society 13 (7): 937-55. [online] Available from: www.cresc.ac.uk/sites/default/files/Paper No 86_0.pdf (Accessed 18/11/20130). Rheingold, H. (1993). The Virtual Community: Homesteading on the Electronic Frontier. New York: Addison-Wesley. Sardar, Z. (2000) ‘Alt.civilizations.faq: cyberspace as the darker side of the West’, Cited in Bell, D. and Kennedy, B. M. (eds.) The Cybercultures Reader, London: Routledge. Tonnies, F. (1988) Community and Society (Gemeinschaft und Gesellschaft). (C. P. Loomis, Trans.). New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction. (Original work published in 1887). John Urry (2000) Sociology Beyond Societies London: Routledge. John Urry (2004) ‘Mobile Sociology’, ch.13 in Frank Webster (ed.), The Information Society Reader London: Routledge. Wellman, B. Gulia, M. (1999) ‘Virtual communities as communities: net surfers don’t ride alone’, Cited in Smith, M. Lollock, P. (eds.) Communities in Cyberspace, London: Routledge. Bibliography Benton, T. Craib, I. (2001) Philosophy of Social Science: The Philosophical Foundations of Social Thought. Basingstoke: Palgrave. Benton, T. Craib, I. (2001) Philosophy of Social Science: The Philosophical Foundations of Social Thought, Basingstoke: Palgrave. Castells, M. (2001) The Internet Galaxy. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Craib, I. (1997) Classical Social Theory: An Introduction to the Thought of Marx, Weber, Durkheim, Simmel. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Flew, F. (2002) New Media. Melbourne: Oxford University Press. Lievrouw, L.A. (2006) ‘New Media Design Development: Diffusion of Innovations Vs. Social Shaping of Technology’, in Lievrouw, L. Livingstone, S. Handbook of New Media: Social Shaping and Social Consequences, London: Sage Lister, M., Dovey, J., Giddings, S., Grant, I., Kieron, K. (2003) New Media: A Critical Introduction. London: Routledge. May, C. (2002) The Information Society: a sceptical view. Cambridge: Polity. Sayer, D. (1991) Capitalism Modernity: An Excursus on Marx Weber. London: Routledge. Webster, F. (2006) Theories of the Information Society, 3rd edition. Routledge. Woolgar, S. (ed.) (2002) Virtual Society?Oxford: Oxford University Press.References Anderson, B. (1983) Imagined Communities: reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism, London: Verso. Baudrillard, J. (1983) Simulations, USA: Semiotext[e] Baym, N. (1998) ‘The emergence of an on-line community’, Cited in S.Jones (ed.) Cybersociety 2.0: revisiting computer-mediated communication and community, London: Sage. Bell, D. (2001) An Introduction to Cybercultures, London: Routledge. Rheingold, H. (1993). The Virtual Community: Homesteading on the Electronic Frontier. New York: Addison-Wesley. Sardar, Z. (2000) ‘Alt.civilizations.faq: cyberspace as the darker side of the West’, Cited in Bell, D. and Kennedy, B. M. (eds.) The Cybercultures Reader, London: Routledge. Tonnies, F. (1988) Community and Society (Gemeinschaft und Gesellschaft). (C. P. Loomis, Trans.). New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction. (Original work published in 1887). Wellman, B. Gulia, M. (1999) ‘Virtual communities as communities: net surfers don’t ride alone’, Cited in Smith, M. Lollock, P. (eds.) Communities in Cyberspace, London: Routledge. Bibliography Castells, M. (2001) The Internet Galaxy. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Webster, F. (2006) Theories of the Information Society, 3rd edition. Routledge. Lievrouw, L.A. (2006) ‘New Media Design Development: Diffusion of Innovations Vs. Social Shaping of Technology’, in Lievrouw, L. Livingstone, S. Handbook of New Media: Social Shaping and Social Consequences, London: Sage May, C. (2002) The Information Society: a sceptical view. Cambridge: Polity. Flew, F. (2002) New Media. Melbourne: Oxford University Press. Benton, T. Craib, I. (2001) Philosophy of Social Science: The Philosophical Foundations of Social Thought. Basingstoke: Palgrave. Craib, I. (1997) Classical Social Theory: An Introduction to the Thought of Marx, Weber, Durkheim, Simmel. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Sayer, D. (1991) Capitalism Modernity: An Excursus on Marx Weber. London: Routledge. Benton, T. Craib, I. (2001) Philosophy of Social Science: The Philosophical Foundations of Social Thought, Basingstoke: Palgrave.

Native Americans in California Missions Essay

Spanish wanted to colonize some of America, just like the Europeans. Building religious based Missions all throughout California was a way for them to maintain ultimate social, political, and economic control. Spanish explorers arrived on the border of California during the 16th century. The very first Franciscan mission was built in San Diego during 1769. By 1833, twenty two Spanish Missions existed from Southern California to Northern California. Native Americans made up about one-third of those who lived and worked at the Missions. There were an estimated 310,000 Indians living in California during the 16th century. The Spanish provided the Native Americans with the necessities such as food, clothing, and shelter. Although the California Missions had the right intentions of providing for the Native Americans, the Spanish acted in an inhumane and unfair way. Junipero Serra arrived in San Diego in 1768 and lead a group of Franciscans to find property and more importantly, workers. He welcomed the Native Americans with open arms and open doors. In a primary document written by Junipero Serra himself, he admitted that he used the Native Americans solely for work. However, he said that providing them with food and shelter compensates for their hard work. â€Å"So if families other than Indian come from there, it will serve the same purpose very well—that is, if we can provide for them†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Serra). Serra’s defenders state that he respected the Natives’ culture. However, his criticizers argue that he used force to urge the Native Americans to live at the Missions against their will. Although the Natives did not agree with Serra’s beliefs and actions, they were very respectful for the most part. For those who did not respect Serra received physical punishment with â€Å"whips, chains, and stocks to enforce religious obedience† (Serra). Junipero Serra was a great leader who made sure the California Missions were in order. The California Mission had worthy intentions and plans for the Native Americans. The Spanish welcomed them into their ‘homes’ and provided them with the essentials such as food, clothing, and shelter. However, living at the Missions had its consequences. The Native Americans were forced to change their entire lifestyles – from their beliefs, their daily routines, to the way they dressed and what they ate. Although anthropologists conducted that some Native Americans enjoyed their new lives, more than eighty percent refused to convert their ways of life (Sandos, 13). For thousands of years, the Natives were accustomed with their own lifestyle and beliefs, and all of a sudden, everything was stripped away from them. Even their personal identity was taken away from them. The Franciscans provided each individual with Spanish names which were to be used instead of their native birth names. â€Å"The missions were not agents of intentional enslavement, but rather rapid and therefore violent social and cultural change† (Archibald, 24). The Native Americans ended up becoming tax pay citizens along with being under Spanish wing twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. The Franciscans had very different beliefs and traditions from the Native Americans. The Native Americans were forced to convert their religion to Roman Catholics. The Native Americans were more of a â€Å"spiritual† group rather than a religious group. Instead of believing in personified figures, such as Jesus, they believed spirits lie within their nature. Native Americans feed their energy off of nature. They believed that they are protected by the Mother Nature that surrounded them. The Spanish used religion to explain their actions, which made it ‘okay’ for them to convert the Native American’s beliefs because they were backed up by their god (California). Every person living and working at the Mission had to be officially baptized as a rite of passage. On Sundays and holidays everyone was obligated to go to church and worship. The Natives were forced to memorize Catholic rituals, songs, and scriptures. Prayer lasted four hours on Sundays and feast days. On a regular basis on typical days, prayer lasted two hours. Catholicism was a huge part of living at the Missions. The Missions were surrounded by Spanish soldiers so everyone was watched very closely. Once the Native Americans accepted the Spanish lifestyle, it was nearly impossible to escape. It was as if they were held against their own will. A few sources compare the treatment of Native Americans to slavery (Archibald, 48). Slavery is defined as an economic exploitation that benefits only the slave-owner. In the California Missions, the Native Americans worked solely to provide and maintain a certain lifestyle for the Spanish. Besides minimal food and shelter, the Native America’s natural human rights were stripped from them. Native America women made clothing, prepared meals, cleaned the rooms, and whatever domestic chores needed to be done at the Mission. Native American mothers even had to care for Spanish children instead of focusing on their own (Mission). The Native American men had to hunt for food and build new Missions. In addition, they learned carpentry, leatherworkers, smiths, and farm work. The Franciscans controlled their days into a rigorous schedule announced by church bells (Archibald, 104). If the workers were not done with their tasks by the chimes of the church bells, they would suffer major consequences. The Franciscans did not view their actions as imprisonment because they believed that the providence of food and shelter compensates for Natives’ hard work. In reality, the Missions were not a place to live a life of ease nor was it a place to acquire personal fortune and prosperity. The Native Americans were not worked to death like the slaves in southern United States at this time. However, the strict regulation, cruel and unusual punishments and forced new traditions are extremely inhumane acts. According to Julio Cesar, â€Å"When I was a boy the treatment given to the Indians at the Mission was not good at all. We were at the mercy of the administrator, who ordered us to be flogged whenever and however he took notion† (Mission). Every Mission had two priests. One priest’s duties were to preach and teach about religion. The other priest’s duties were strictly on the work field. He instructed and gave the Native Americans and other workers their duties. The lifestyle in the California Missions was set in a very rigorous schedule so it was nearly impossible for the Native Americans to take a break or escape the hardship. The Natives resisted colonization after just a short time living and working at the Missions. There were a few deadly rebellions conducted by the Native Americans. They destroyed Mission property and even threatened to kill priests. The most infamous attack occurred in San Diego. On November 4, 1775, hundreds of men completely destroyed the Cuiamac Rancheria Mission of San Diego. The men also killed three Hispanics, including the Father, Padre Jaime (Sandos, 92). In addition, in 1824, another great Indian rebellion in California occurred at the Missions of Barbara. A large part of the Mission building was wrecked by a large fire. On the same day, hundreds of Native Americans attacked the Spanish defenders and soldiers. Leaders of the rebellion were severely punished. Seven were executed and the others were imprisoned or required to do even crueler labor. The Natives revolted because of their poor treatment and forced labor enforced by the soldiers and Fathers (Sandos, 73). These rebellions were among the many others throughout the 16th century in the California missions. This proves that the Native Americans were furious about getting different beliefs and work forced onto them. The Spanish settlers caused a lot of health problems to flourish all throughout California. Soon after the arrival of Spanish colonists, diseases spread from Southern California to Northern California so Native American fatalities heightened. Highly infectious diseases such as smallpox, measles, and syphilis killed thousands of Native Americans, especially children, so the Indian population dropped drastically (Sandos, 64). About sixty percent of the Mission Native Americans’ death was due to introduced diseases. In just a few decades, the Native American population in California decreased from 310,000 to about 100,000. Since the California Missions held many residences, people lived in such confined spaces which caused contagious diseases to spread rapidly. In order to keep the population at a steady rate for enough workers, Mission leaders separated Native American children from their parents to maintain the children’s health to save them to work at the Missions as they got older (California). The Natives were furious that their families were being separate. Mothers were not there to care for their children, so the Native children were on their own. There was a lack of physicians to care for the ill so not everyone could be helped. Diseases were not the only reason why the Native population dropped drastically. They went through rigorous changes in diet so their bodies were not used to the food they were eating. In addition, malnutrition caused toxins in their bodies. In addition, the intense demanding manual labor is a factor that contributed to their inability to overcome the sickness. Death rates were higher than birth rates so the Mission had to keep recruiting different tribes all throughout California (Mission). By 1834, there were only about 15,000 Native American residents in the twenty two Missions. The Spanish were only in contact with the Native Americans for personal gain. The Franciscans maintained total economic, social, and political control all throughout California. Very few Native Americans chose to stay at the Missions voluntarily. During their time at the Missions, they had to conduct harsh labor and all of their rights were taken away from them. Although they provided the Native Americans with food, shelter, and clothing, the Franciscans treated them like slaves. The Spanish’s involvement backfired since a majority of Native Americans died due to illness, making them nearly extinct. The physical and metal demands required were a major strain on the Native Americans.

Experiential Learning Essay

The tradition of didactic learning is naturally giving way to the new era of experiential learning which allows the individual to enhance the knowledge based on real interaction (experience) with the world of knowledge. As the name suggests, ‘experiential’ itself is a way of experiencing the patterns of accessing knowledge, with emphasis on individual reflexes, at micro level and macro levels. However, it should not be confused with experiential education which deals with broader issues of educational structure and objectives. How it works? The experiential education is constructivist to the core. It depends on the active mental process of involvement of the learners. The learning builds understanding by the application of inquiry and reflection. This understanding is called the ‘mental model’ of the process. For instance we can take the mental model of the heart and how it works to pump our blood. It can be compared to an individual, or a learner guided by another, or a group of individuals working together to make out meaning from their inquiry. The process can evolve from our individual mental model and inquiries about something (construction), that can then be enhanced by our additional experiences and reflection (re-construction), and further modified by our interactions with others who are also engaged in inquiring about the same topic (re-co-construction). At the heart of the experiential education model we will find this evolving and scaffolding of learning through continuity and interactions. Why we need experiential learning? I hear, and I forget I see, and I remember I do, and I understand. —Ancient Chinese proverb As the Chinese proverb itself explains a lot regarding why we need experiential learning, yet here are some more reasons why it should be opted. A simple research on thinking and learning can take you to the outcome that learning through actively engaged process can actually make a huge impact on the understanding level of any individual. What we learn by doing is something that gets stored in our data stock forever. Kid’s Play School can be taken as a simple example to establish this very fact. It’s totally unlike formal education system, where only the information is being passed. â€Å"Give a person a fish and they can have a meal, teach the person to catch fish and they can eat fish for a lifetime. † This proverb throws some more light on the topic of experiential learning and how it benefits us. At times it is also seen that watching a video clip can also make us learn things. It to a great extent is helpful. But there’s still a huge difference lingering between the two. You can easily forget the content of the video clip or maybe you confuse it with some other clip, but what you experience in real life, can neither be forgotten nor confused. Its damn clear always, crystal clear! Therefore, it is highly recommended that whatever you are learning, you should for once experience it too. Be a part of this experiential and adventurous family. Wonder Outdoors welcomes you aboard.

The Communist Soviet Union and Faith in God - 768 Words

Do all things pass with time? Can man’s purpose change? The rise of secular society made these questions central in public life. Man up to this point in time had always been oriented by faith towards something beyond the material world. Now men asked if faith is dispensable, can something in the world take the place of God? While secularism claims that man does not need faith, that belief only blinds him to real, scientific, truth in the world, this does not seem to be the case in practice. Whittaker Chambers saw the reality of a secular culture that made such claims firsthand. He rejected it himself, and saw how it would always be rejected in the end by mankind. Russell Kirk saw what would become of man should he reject the purpose handed down from his ancestors, the evil that would result from throwing away tradition. The Communist Soviet Union was the perfect example of secular society. Communism denies faith in God, denies that anything beyond the material world matters a t all. If man must have faith, he should trust in his country and mankind in general. Logically, this seems like it would make for a better nation. If patriotism is the highest virtue in man, then the country should be elevated by his reverence for it alone. The problems in Communist countries come from a returning belief in God that breaks down the Communist system. As all Communist systems so far have failed, the question is whether man’s faith can be wholly transferred from God to the state. If itShow MoreRelatedCondemning The Lies By Ronald Reagan1856 Words   |  8 Pageswar, courtesy of the Soviet Union. The ultimate goal of the Soviet Union is to suffocate the ideology of capitalism, which of course is the support on which America is built, and replace it with their own ideology- communism. This pronounced menace also threatens all those who worship God, as communism does not support belief in a higher power. After achieving an understanding of this fact, our Presiden t at the time, Ronald Reagan, who is heavily devoted to the Christian faith, sets about exposingRead MoreKarl Marx And Its Impact On Society1306 Words   |  6 PagesHegel, Marx also studied the works of Ludwig Feuerbach. Marx agreed with Feuerbach’s statement that man realizes himself in history, not God. He even went as far as to redefine man and Homo faber meaning â€Å"man the maker.† In Marx’s eyes, a man’s identity is completely in what he does for a living. God has no room in that. A person’s identity cannot be in God because God does not exist. Religion is the opium of the people used solely to keep the proletariat in line. Marx believed that community is createdRead MoreBiography of Mao Zedong 1284 Words   |  5 PagesINTRODUCTION Born on December 26, 1893, Mao Zedong was the founding leader of the Peoples Republic of China and ruled as the Chairman of the Communist Party of China from 1949 up until he died on September the 9th, 1976. He is largely accredited with crafting the post-revolution policies known as the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution (Joseph, 1986) which have left many critics arguing that the political and economic devastation those policies left are what define his legacy. Mao ZedongRead More Karl Marx and His Work Essay1110 Words   |  5 Pages 1818 - 1883 This year marks the 150th anniversary of the Communist Manifesto, written by Karl Marx and his partner Friedrich Engels. The document first appeared in 1848 and has been a manuelfor the following political parties: Socialist, Social Democratic, Labor, and Communist. In the time of its existence it has created disagreement all over the world. Friedrich Engels said these words in 1888 to summarize the Communist Manifesto. In every historical epoch, the prevailing mode of economicRead MorePublic Service: John F. Kennedys Inaugural Address1219 Words   |  5 Pagesexperience and his Catholic faith (JFK Library). His opponent, Richard Nixon was the vice president of an administration popular with Americans and had significant experience in foreign affairs (Mehltretter). The 1960 Election was also overshadowed by rising tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States. In 1957, The Soviet Union launched Sputnik (The first man made satellite to orbit earth) and three years later shot down an America U-2 spy plane in Soviet territory and captured its pilotRead MoreReligious Conflict in Russia5041 Words   |  21 Pagesdisease. Many of these problems began following the collapse of the Soviet Union, when quality of life took a drastic turn for the worse. Abortion has also played a major role in the decline with some e stimates placing the abortion rate higher than the birth rate. As a result of these factors, Russian president, Vladimir Putin, placed population decline at the top of the countrys list of urgent problems in his first state of the union address in 2000. Social and Ethnic Groups With such a vastRead MoreKite Runner Essay1471 Words   |  6 Pagestells the story of his friendship with Hassan. Hassan and his father, Ali, are Amir’s servants. Hassan on the contrary is a low-caste ethnic Hazara and belongs to the minority Shi’it religious faith. This provides many of the Afghan’s who are different such as Sunni’s, who make up 85% of the Muslim faith, to persecute people like Hassan for their religion. The division between Shia and Sunni dates back to the death of the Prophet Muhammad, and the question of who was to take over the leadershipRead MoreThe World War II Era1410 Words   |  6 Pagesfervent propagation of Communist Party ideologies such as willingness to share property and total loyalty to the government also led to atrocities being committed under Joseph Stalin in the Soviet Union. While a communist government as conceived by Karl Marx involved a â€Å"dictatorship of the proletariat†, in which everyone shared power and wealth, by the time Stalin came to power in the USSR, it had transformed into the belief that the country ought to be ruled by one party (the Communist Party) to make sureRead MoreJustice in The Kite Runner Essay1459 Words   |  6 Pagestells the story of his friendship with Hassan. Hassan and his father, Ali, are Amir’s servants. Hassan on the contrary is a low-caste ethnic Hazara and belongs to the minority Shi’it religious fa ith. This provides many of the Afghan’s who are different such as Sunni’s, who make up 85% of the Muslim faith, to persecute people like Hassan for their religion. The division between Shia and Sunni dates back to the death of the Prophet Muhammad, and the question of who was to take over the leadershipRead More Marxism and Religion Essay1315 Words   |  6 Pageshow big of an impact he would have on the world within the next century. Karl Marx, the philosopher, had to have one of the biggest impacts on the world to this day. Marx’s most well known following came from the Communist nation the Soviet Union. The Soviets believed in all of his philosophical writing and thoughts of religion. Not only did people back then believe him, but also his teachings are studied and followed by many people today. Karl Marx’s basic idea of religion is that