Monday, January 28, 2008

W.H.A.T.E.V.E.R.




At almost every turn on the web or every little software that we are trying to install(not necessarily from the internet,but even from a CD/DVD)/upgrade/(or sometimes even) download,we are asked to say 'YES'.....'Yes' to registration,'yes' to membership,'yes' to personal recommendations,'yes' to licence agreements,'yes' to 'Autocomplete' and security warnings....and it goes on and on.In fact,'yes' is said for us with pre-filled check boxes that read 'I agree','Keep me informed' and saying 'no' wold make navigating through the Web or installing stuff nearly impossible.More generally,however,it is a matter of clicking through the various formsin order to get what we want and to get it faster.A matter of saying 'Whatever'.And,when that happens,one might wonder to what extent 'yes' is our own default setting than that of the machine!




The aim with the 'Whatever' button,then,is to pause and ask why we give away personal information so easily.The point is to make our exchanges more honest i.e. re-labelling the buttons we press - whether they say 'search','send',,'i agree','yes','okay' or 'allow' - with a more accurate description,"Whatever".




The button is for fun,of course,but should,in effect,highlight rather than hide the significance of our various 'Whatever moments'.Buttons can be serious enough;consider the implications of the many license agreements we click through so quickly.Or the economic importance of websites requiring one's credit card information.Given this,perhaps the Whatever Button can be used as an experiment for reflection.Are u careful with your data,avoiding ugly Third-party clauses,eaves dropping adware or monstrous spyware? Or do u throw caution to the wind,opening up the personal information floodgates? What button fits u best?




In conclusion;


"Some people - make things happen,


Some people - watch things happen,and


Some people wonder 'What the hell happened?!' "


Me,i belong to category number one,n i personally am FOR the Whatever button! n m a pretty good programmer myself so i'd probably be coming up with somethin sooner or later.....


Meanwhile, if u belong to category one then u could vouch for me n pool in so v have funds to start 'Project Whatever'....n if u belong to category two,u could just wait n watch and if u belong to category three,then well...
(closing credits: Me,google.com)

1 comment:

Anubhav Mishra said...

i belong to the third category :-s