Unfiltered ...

 

While it's my job to track the internet "buzz"  ... some days even I have to take take a step back from Twitter and Facebook and simply ask... "Why do I care?"

Those were the exact words that came to mind this morning when I logged on to Twitter and found that Katy Perry's vagina was a trending topic.

Seriously?

Turns out it was all a prank by an MTV producer. Even still ... it wasn't worth my tweet.

In an industry where the validity of social media and internet sources are questioned on a daily basis and on the day following our President's first State of the Union address, it's frustrating that something like this makes the trend list.

Next Morning Chatter topic, pleeeeease!

**Fortunately, my tweeps came to their senses later as #Katy Perry's vagina fell off the radar and #Union made the list!

 

As we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., most will recall the American activists' famous "I Have A Dream Speech."

Originally titled "Normalcy, Never Again," the famous civil rights speech served as a compilation of thoughts and speeches previously delivered by King.

Among the most famous lines ..."I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

But, that's just one of several moving quotations taken from Dr. King's life. Below you will find a few of my personal favorites, many of which I've admired since childhood. And on this 2010 MLK Jr. Day, I hope you'll take a moment to recount the deep impact this man has had on humanity as we know (and enjoy) it today.

==

"Being a Negro in America means trying to smile when you want to cry. It means trying to hold on to physical life amid
psychological death. It means the pain of watching your children grow up with clouds of inferiority in their mental skies. It means
having your legs cut off, and then being condemned for being a cripple. It means seeing your mother and father spiritually
murdered by the slings and arrows of daily exploitation, and then being hated for being an orphan."

Martin Luther King, Jr., Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?, 1967.

==

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies
hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction....The chain reaction
of evil--hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars--must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of
annihilation."

Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength To Love, 1963.

==

"We must combine the toughness of the serpent and the softness of the dove, a tough mind and a tender heart."

Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength to Love, 1963.

==

"If a man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live."

Martin Luther King, Jr., speech, Detroit, Michigan, June 23, 1963.

==

"I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear."

==

Amen, brother.

 

First, there was the Craigslist killer. Now, the Twitter murderer.

In our social media obsessed society, it seems this was bound to happen. And of course, we're all over it.

But, first a little background ...

According to the New York Daily News, Harlem residents Jameg Blake and Kwame Dancy took part in a virtual dispute via Twitter ...one that allegedly ended in Dancy being shot and killed by Blake.

Now, for the first time in history, their tweets could be admissible in court.

But, let's not blame Twitter.

Like Pete Cashmore of Mashable points out ... "Twitter is simply a platform -- how people use the service is not something under their control."

So, before you fill that 140 character box ... you might want to ask yourself: "Could I defend this tweet in court?"

 

Yesterday I had a virtual epiphany.

After six years of using social networking site 'Facebook,' I've come to the sad realization that I am completely absorbed... make that inexcusably obsessed with the website.

It's bad.

You'd think that after eight to ten hours of daily usage (I AM the Digital Journalist afterall!)... You'd think I'd be content to leave the site behind at the end of the workday.

Not the case.

Thanks to my iPhone, I gain immediate gratification for my Facebook fixation -- often before I even reach home.

Then ... once I've arrived at my place, I can't help but move my attention to the iMac. Clearly, computer time is on the list of things to do!

But, if e-mail gets ten minutes, Facebook gets an hour.

It's unacceptable.

From the joy of seeing numerous notifications to cruising status updates, liking way too many statuses ... and finding there are "new photos" available on my News Feed. It's more than just a casual glance into the lives of my "facebook friends." It's the darkside of social media.

But is it voyeurism?

Whether it's checking up on old classmates' profiles to see how the time has changed them or keeping tabs on a past lover or their new love or your lover's old love ... when does Facebook take you too far?

The definition of voyeur is "one who sees." And while the origin of the word takes on a much more depraved tone, the popular culture reference -- I'm afraid -- applies to a much broader segment of the population ...maybe even me.

==
1 : one obtaining sexual gratification from observing unsuspecting individuals who are partly undressed, naked, or engaged in sexual acts; broadly : one who habitually seeks sexual stimulation by visual means
2 : a prying observer who is usually seeking the sordid or the scandalous
==

Now, granted ... my intentions aren't sordid or scandalous (that I know of) and instead come from a place of curiosity. 

But, I believe it comes down to accountability. While my virtual fingerprint may get lost in the vast world wide web, at the end of the day ... does my Facebook reflection coincide with the person I am in real life "IRL?"

Does yours?

Now ... I'm not going to stop social networking. After all, it's my job! But, with hours spent on facebook, I'm going to have to regulate my own social media habits, so they can bare the light beyond my computer screen.

And I have a feeling my compu-conscience will thank me for it.

 

It's a comparison shoppers dream ...and now, it's available on my IPhone! Woo hoo!

The mobile application "Shop Savvy," which was first available on Andriod, allows shoppers to scan product barcodes. The app then provides information about the item, where you can get it and for how much.

No more running to three different stores to make sure you get the best price! AND it's free from the App store!

Shopping anyone?

**Check out the article on Tech Crunch!

 

Oxford Dictionary's taking a ride on the social media bandwagon after naming the term "unfriend" as its 2009 word of the year.

Here's the definition: “To remove someone as a ‘friend’ on a social networking site such as Facebook.”

So, do you "unfriend?" And if so, what are grounds for the digital demotion?

In my case, I've definitely been guilty of chipping away at my friend list on my personal facebook account. The way I see it ... I may have had trouble denying your friend request five years ago. But, these days .. if I don't know your name, you don't need to know my *personal* business!

Mashable.com has more on the story ...

 

I'll come right out and admit it. I'm not a sports expert. And I'm not exactly a super fan.

I enjoy going to the games, I tune in for most of the regular season... and while I know the starting lineup, I couldn't rattle off game stats or play by play if my life depended on it.

That being said, there's just something about this Phillies team that makes me care.

Maybe it's the boyish charm of guys like Cole and Chase ... or the fun-loving, yet always professional demeanor of J-Roll and Ryan.

Maybe it's the irony of a southern-spoken manager like Manuel or the way the guys were truly humbled by HK's passing.

Whatever it is, I'm in ... and so is ESPN.com senior national columnist Gene Wojciechowski. I may not fit the title of "die hard" by Philly's standards, but I like to see my team win. And I like when others point out that they can and should.

Last week, Miley Cyrus bid farewell to Twitter... This week, she's explaining why. (Oh, and now Courtney Love and Lily Allen are also pulling the plug.)

Your thoughts?