Blog 3: Millennial Makeover Blog

Most of the YouTube videos from the presidential election were straight from the debates. I did not come across any videos that looked like ads but rather organic. These two candidates were not trying to sell anything as they debated. Most of the videos were debates between the two about various world issues. The videos were taken straight from CBS and other news channels. These videos were not amateur since they were taken right off the television. These videos were not tampered with in any way making them polished videos.

Many people throughout the world voiced their opinions about the election in a more amateur way. These people had a camera on their computers and just spoke about the debates. These videos were user-generated political videos and were more convincing to me. I felt I could relate to these videos more as they were simplified. Many times, when watching the two candidates debate, I find myself lost in the translation of what the two are arguing for or against. These people could analyze the debate and take their time rather than responding without any time.

Many of the arguments formulated in Millennial Makeover are built on generational theory, and the authors make much generalization about the philosophy, preferences, and cultural touchstones of my generation. I agree that my generation relies on internet and continues to grow in this direction. I would call my generation the “Internet bums” because that is all we do now. It has become a way of life rather than informative. We can get our information a lot faster than the past. Our generation is caught up in the popular shows and music as we see the top rated videos first. Even iTunes lists the top songs each day.

Here are some of the videos I watched on YouTube for my blog:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioy90nF2anI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7C-2-jtKFM
http://www.youtube.com/user/johnmccaindotcom?ob=4

Blog 2: The Wisdom of Crowds

After having time to think about the whole concept of “The Wisdom of Crowds”, I cannot completely agree with the idea. I can see where James Surowiecki is coming from, but in the end, there is a reason somebody is an expert. I think certain people who go through intensive training will be better off than a group of complete strangers because he or she has the expert and experience. For example, if I was in a serious car accident and needed medical help right away in order to survive, I would put my fate in the hands of a doctor who has been practicing for years rather than in the hands of ten complete strangers. I think experience and hard work pays off in the end and there is a reason people go to college to attain a degree.

On the other hand, the jellybean example is different. A crowd will most likely be closer in determining how many jellybeans are in the jar compared to one person’s guess. This is not important to me. I do not personally care about how many jellybeans are in the jar. In the end, Surowiecki makes a good argument but I do not buy into it. I would much rather trust a trained expert when my life is on the line.