Sharing passwords



Image Credit: S. Diddy on Flickr

The NY Times article Young, in Love and Sharing Everything, Including a Password describes a new way couples in this era are showing their affection for one another: Sharing passwords. This new sign of affection is seen as an important sign of trust between a couple, and the pressure of sharing passwords is compared to the pressures of having sex (between a teen couple). Sharing passwords can also be very dangerous, which is expressed in this article. When relationships "sour," people use the the power they have over the other person's password and use it against them. The article also notes that passwords are shared for various other reasons, such as parents trying to monitor the thing their children do on the Internet. Another reason for the password swapping is for students who need to study swapping with other classmates so that their passwords are changed and the temptation to surf the internet is reduced.


Image Credit: Thembi Ford (Clutch Magazine)



      The author references individuals who share passwords and studies to prove his position on the changing society. For example, after visiting a high school and interviewing Tiffany Carandang, a senior, and her view on couples sharing their password, the author transitions into why sharing passwords can be dangerous. The author then provides anecdotes of when relationships go sour and how password swapping goes awry. The author also references a telephone survey done by the  the Pew Internet and American Life Project, which found that girls were twice more likely than boys to share their passwords, and addresses how this may effect a relationship in a negative manner.The author also references Sam Biddle, who called password sharing "a linchpin of intimacy," and gave advice to individuals who are asked to share their passwords, regardless of the countless amounts of people who regret sharing them.The references made by the author give him authority, mainly because his position is not just a result of personal opinion, but also a wide range of factual information provided in the article. The author also adds logos by showing the reader how devastating sharing passwords can be, and how they effect the lives of people. This makes the reader wonder why so many teens are still sharing their passwords with others, even though it is guaranteed that their relationship will go "sour." The author taps into the emotion of the reader by describing the emotional attachment sharing passwords have and how they portray the "ultimate sign of trust," in the beginning of the article, before addressing why sharing passwords can be dangerous.

            I liked this article because it talks about how sharing passwords shows the trust in today's relationships, and also how they can go bad. I also agree with the author's point on how society is changing so quickly that a letterman jacket or an exchange of bracelets is no longer the sign of a couple. Every aspect of society is changing, including how love is proclaimed. What I just can't understand is why there's even a reason for sharing passwords. I think relationships at such a young age are petty and almost always don't work out. WHY BOTHER?   





Print dictionaries: Are they really useful?

       In Erin McKean's essay, Redefining Definition: How the Web Could Help Change What Dictionaries Do, the way we use words in a dictionary as opposed how we should use them is exposed. Lexicographers (people who write, edit, or compile dictionaries), define words through careful analysis of the various meanings the word may have, and then give a general definition. It for that reason, McKean points out, that definitions cannot give the reader a feel of the many meaning it has. People usually see a word defined in the dictionary and feel as though it's set in stone and there's no arguing it's meaning otherwise. The author concludes that the reason why dictionaries only give the reader a general definition is because of space. Dictionaries, specifically those in print, do not allow the reader to get an idea of the various meanings a word can have, which is why McKean started Wordnik, a site where "using text-mining techniques and the unlimited space of the Internet to show as many real examples of word use as we can, as fast as we can." The author believes that this method of defining words allow the inquirer to feel more comfortable when using and understanding the word "more naturally."


Image Credit: Christian Payne

       In paragraph 2, the author compares sonnets to definitions of words. Because a word defined in a print dictionary is formed through several definitions a word has, it is similar to a sonnet, which consists of fourteen rhyming lines with a set structure. The author also adds to her credibility by quoting linguist Dwight Bolinger, who stated that dictionaries "do not exist to define but but to help people grasp meanings," to better support her stance on why print dictionaries do not sufficiently allow the reader to understand the meaning of a word. The author creates pathos in the final paragraph by using the word "we," in order to address the reader on a more personal level. This creates a relationship between the reader and the author.

The author also references a study done in 1987, which involved allowing fifth graders were given dictionary definition and told to write sentences using the words. One child stated that he and his family "erode a lot," because "erode" is defined as "to eat out." This reference justifies the position the reader has on just how confusing the abstract definitions found in a dictionary can be.
     I liked how this essay exposes people who use dictionaries to scientifically prove the definition of a word. I agree with the writer's position on how abstract definitions of a word found in a dictionary can be, and how the Internet can be used to show the varying definitions a word can have, so that the reader can understand and use the word more naturally.