Society + Technology

So I thought this article was an interesting combination of technology and society.

The last thought in there is interesting, that people see google and information on the internet as "the official word". Who's responsibility is it to say "hey, maybe this information isn't correct?" Is it the information provider? Or the information consumer? This comes up with media (news) ALL the time - I think the general consensus is that the information consumer needs to be skeptical of the information source. I would say the consumer often does not think satellite images from google maps could be inaccurate. Especially with Katrina damage, this poses a problem, as many Americans think that the affected areas have been rebuilt, which as you can talk to over 20 Illinois ASB'ers is not the case.

I can't find the link to an article a while back about video game design. In games similar to GTA, predominately suburban game designers were creating games about the "ghetto" without doing research into the actual culture there. This misinformed representation would then go to the hands of young children, perpetuating stereotypes. Is it the designers responsibility to have done situational research into the locations and situations they present? How much of those stereotypes are transferred to the kids? Do the kids actually think about whether the game designers are representing the truth? Is it really just a game.