ABC: Minor Changes, Majore Differences

While thinking of an example for the assignment, my mind jumped around from several different subjects, mostly involving the alphabet. This seems like a logical choice as the alphabet and its importance in our culture, especially after reading these articles, is very clear. Language is the foundation of humanity, and learning to communicate can have profound effects on our lives and our history. Merely changing how one is taught can influence the world view of the learner in subtle ways.

For example, when i was still learning to read and right, my teachers would associate letters of the alphabet with inanimate objects and places. A was for apple, C was for car, Z for zoo, K for kickball, etc, etc. Because A was the first letter i ever learned and it was represented by a particular object (apples), the fruit in question became in my mind linked to academia in general. This seems to be a common connection, as whenever i remember the decorations in elementary school, the apple was heavily present in association with learning, appearing next to books and diplomas, and the old tradition of giving an apple to ones teacher.

But lets pretend that i was raised in a different climate, such as one where religion was more prevalent and influential in the culture. A Christian school would most likely use different associations with each letter in order to teach. Therefore A would be for Abraham, B for bible, C for Christ, etc. By doing so, children who learned through this method would have the religious beliefs ingrained into their psyche, reinforcing their belief in their faith. But lets take this a bit further. If it was still a religious area, but a more strict, fire and brimstone wrath of god kind of community, the alphabetic teaching methods would adapt to comply with this variation of the belief. A would change from Abraham to Abomination, B from bible to blasphemy, H would be hell, D damnation, and so on. This reflects the difference in the culture's religion while simultaneously teaching children a harsher view of god and their faith.

Ways of teaching the alphabet could also instill a sense of economic class differences. In situations such as medieval times, a peasant's method of teaching would involve associations with plants, animals, and agricultural tools, while a Noble's alphabet would consist of political and etiquette terms. Both of these methods create a separation between classes, creating large social-economic gaps which could then fuel resentment or entitlement towards the opposite class. This could lead to conflict between the two, eventually paving the way for oppression and rebellions that eventually leave large impacts in history.

There are hundreds of other situations and variations as to how something as seemingly simple as learning the alphabet can affect people and events, but the point is clear. Children grow up and change the world. They rely upon what they were taught and whatever they learned at an early age makes a big difference in how they view the world, be it politically, religiously, or socially.

The Affects of Physical and Digital Cartography

In this day and age, maps, at least to me, are taken for granted. With modern technology such as satellite imaging and computer graphics it is easy for one to believe that we have reached the pinnacle of cartographic perfection. I mean, who can argue that a map is inaccurate when it is a, supposedly, unaltered photograph? But what we, or at least i, failed to realize was the significant power that maps wield, for political, theological, social, and military purposes. And according to the readings this week,  it is still a powerful tool that is being used today, by both conventional paper maps and online digital maps.

    In the past, maps were used as a way of staking claims, dividing lands into manageable portions which allowed for both political and social control. For example, In the middle ages (approximately) rulers would partition their lands to various dukes, lords, and other such nobles. By mapping out and assigning each region of their kingdom the rulers were better able to regulate property rights and have more control over population, laws, taxes, trades, and overall instill a more permanent social order where status was based on land ownership (Harley, pg.7) However, today, while map still serves the purpose of defining territories they are also being used to further the agendas of various people and organizations. This is in part due to the greater variety of maps available thanks to social and technological development. Although the physical landscape is set in stone, the features and destinations can be tweaked for certain needs.

    For example,According to Harley (pg 8-10) purposefully misplacing key locations on a map was a military tactic used by Russians to help curb potential invasions. Another example from Harley would be naming landmarks other their native name was used as a way to instill subliminal religious or territorial messages, adding to the territorial claiming argument i stated earlier. A modern day example would be the tourism and advertisement fields. Every tourism brochure maps have defined landmarks (such as buildings or public areas) with the intention of  drawing in potential customers. Maps based on surveys often distort information to highlight their desired messages, which is why all such maps must be taken with a grain of salt.

When it comes to online maps, according to Farman the advent of social networking tools allows people everywhere to modify these. Digitizing maps allows for more accurate topographical accuracy but allows for a vast amount of modification by both companies and consumers. The biggest example of such a thing would be the I-Phone and its thousands of apps. There are ones for planning routs, locating restaurants, connecting to google maps, even posting where one has been including pictures of these locations. by being able to share these application and personal information via facebook and twitter, we then become the ones who shape maps, creating our own landmarks and locations, giving our own opinions of where the best place to go is and being able to tell it to the world. By doing so we then are able to shape how others see the world, opening up new possibilities that go unnoticed on conventional paper maps due to marketing and tourism needs.