I loved taking this course! This was my first online class and I really enjoyed being able to interact with everyone from all walks of life, thank you for that opportunity. I think that the books were very enjoyable to read and kept my interest most of the time. Yes, there were a few chapters from both books that were a little dry but overall I learned a great deal from them. Call me crazy but I liked reading Postman's novel the most because of his ideas and he kept me thinking about our history, society today and how I view the world around me. I think that the reading assignments were manageable with the allotted amount of time and work that was required. I have learned a lot about culture from this course and having the class online has opened my view and perspective on what can be accomplished. I also liked reading everyone else's blogs and getting a different perspective on life. Our culture is constantly changing and with technology I feel it is increasing at an ever rapid rate. Technology in our culture today has given us the chance to explore completely new realms that were unfathomable in the past.
I think that the first assignment on abstinence was a real eye-opener for me. I don’t think I have ever gone a full 24 hours without using the computer but I’m glad I did. I learned that life is far more important than spending hours on end surfing the web when there are more valuable things that I could be doing with my time. I knew this already but it took this assignment to help remind myself and I think others would agree with me as well. For the second assignment I watched the Brad Paisley video and it represented to me all of the many things that can be accomplished on the internet. People can login to an entirely new reality world and be whoever they choose and it made me ask myself how I represent myself online to others. For the third assignment of Facebook and Myspace I had a chance to question why I had already had both communication networks. They are huge in our society and people have all different reasons to why they choose to use them. They are entirely used for communication and networking which I think is a great idea if not used too much. The next assignment was a great way for me to get back to the older values and write to a loved one which I had forgotten about. So many people including myself choose to use the internet and email instead of writing a hand written letter. I think it shows how much our society has and is still changing. The internet community that I joined for the fifth assignment was something else I had never done. Now that I have joined the breast cancer community I am able to talk to other people impacted by the horrible illness and its healing. Without the internet I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to meet these wonderful women and I’m thankful for the opportunity. Interviewing three different generations was also great because I was able to talk to three very important family members and learn how the internet impacts there life or not all. For the wild card assignment I liked picking an experience that I had in cyberspace. It’s amazing how so many encounters or communication that takes place in this realm.
Overall I felt that all of the assignments were great and I can’t think of anything I would change about this class. It was straightforward, innovative and fun. Thanks!
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Saturday, August 8, 2009
My Wild Card!
I loved the idea of choosing a wild card topic of my choice and discussing my experience but what I didn’t expect was having a very difficult time finding something to write about. I have been thinking of ideas over the past few days and I have decided to discuss an experience I had when I was a freshman here at Oregon State. When I came to college I had just discovered Myspace and Facebook so when I heard about AIM and the accessible way to talk to friends I was excited to give it a try. I found friends at college who had been communicating on AIM for years but for me it was a new adventure. Communicating became much more fun for me because I was able to talk to multiple people at one time and not worry about how I looked, what I was wearing and I loved the idea of being able to respond whenever I chose instead of instantly in a normal face-to-face conversation. With the ease of AIM I was able to accomplish a lot of tasks around my room and all I had to do was hear the little noise notifying me I had a new message and walk back to my computer. Communicating on the internet was fast and very easy.
So with the help of Facebook and AIM combined, my story begins. I had a very close guy friend who was on my computer one night and he saw that we were on the same Facebook group. It was a group related to fishing and hunting, a passion we both still share. For those of you who don’t know Facebook well enough you can see the other members that are part of the same group by their profile photo. I had looked before at the other members and had come across a guy who had a huge 6x6 bull in the picture with him and his bow. Now, as small as I may be I am in fact a bow hunter and love archery. When I saw that this guy had shot this bull with his bow I was pretty impressed because it’s becoming harder for me to find anyone who shares the same passion. I couldn’t look at his profile and all I had to go by was a very small picture that Facebook had provided me. When my buddy who was on my computer saw that the guy I was impressed with was part of the same group he told me he knew him personally and actually was a good friend of his. I was surprised but also a little excited because I thought perhaps he could introduce me sometime and we could talk about hunting and archery. My friend told me a little bit about him and then gave me the confidence to message the bow hunter via Facebook. Normally I would never have considered doing something this bold but because my friend knew him I thought that it couldn’t hurt. I messaged him saying that we knew the same friend, I was impressed by his picture and I was a bow hunter as well. I must admit I did feel very awkward messaging a complete stranger I didn’t know and telling him I liked his picture. Even with my hesitations to my surprise he did in fact message me back and we began to exchange messages. Once we reached more familiar ground he said that I could message him anytime on AIM and of course Facebook has a section where you can put all of your information to get in connect with that person. So with that said we began to communicate through AIM and slowly got to know each other better. Long story short we decided to me at the OSU gymnastics meet in Corvallis and became very close friends. A year or so later we dated and even though that never worked out were still very close friends today.
Now looking back at my experience I know that the internet gave us the opportunity to meet one another. I realize that my friend could have eventually introduced us but the internet gave me the opportunity to communicate with him that very moment. With the realm of cyberspace you can become anyone you want with a click of a button and I was lucky enough to find a friend who represented himself honestly. Cyberspace made it easy and very convenient for us to get to know each other and see if it was even worthwhile to meet in the future. It was easier to talk online compared to face-to-face because I feel we didn’t have as much to lose. We had never met face-to-face and if we didn’t like each other than either one of us could have ceased conversation. With that said I also think that the situation became harder at times because we were communicating on the internet and not in person. I have always had difficulty knowing what someone really means when I communicate with them via AIM or Facebook chat. The same goes for texting in the sense that perhaps someone is trying to be funny but I take them as being rude and unfriendly. I think that when you know someone and have become acquainted with them in person then it is easier to know their expressions or jokes when you are communicating online. For example I have a friend who is very brash and has a dry sense of humor. Whenever I talk to him online I am able to distinguish that he’s not insulting me but being himself and relaxed instead. The face-to-face personal interaction helps me identify someone when were speaking in cyberspace. As for the bow hunter I had never met him when we began talking on AIM and it made it more difficult for me to know if he was serious or joking at times.
Another important point that I think should be made is that technology is flawed. I can remember at one point in our many discussions that he stopped talking to me in mid-sentence. I thought perhaps I had said something wrong but I found out days later that his computer was going haywire and he was trying to respond but couldn’t. The situation was indeed mis-communicated because of the technology. In Wood and Smith’s chapter on page 168 they state, “Already three fourths of all teenagers use the Internet for study, socializing, and entertainment. Just think, a mere decade ago, Internet usage was a rarity, a research tool for scientists or a plaything for the wealthy.” Now look at us. I was one of those teenagers using the internet to socialize and establish a bigger friendship network. I was drawn in by the ease of the technology and now I use cyberspace everyday. Postman also makes an excellent point on page 179, “Into this void comes the Technopoly story, with its emphasis on progress without limits, rights without responsibilities, and technology without cost.” I feel that cyberspace is becoming if not already is this realm of emphasis. Things are constantly changing and I’m not sure if it’s even for the better.
My entire experience told me a lot about our culture today. We like things to be easy and cyberspace gives us a great opportunity to do ample amount of things, including meeting someone through AIM or other networks. I could have very easily had a bad experience with my internet communication and the OSU student. Luckily I didn’t but I could have become very bitter I’m sure towards AIM and other chatting realms if I had a bad experience. I think overall that all of us need to be very careful with who we meet and what we present to other people because we don’t know who is watching.
So with the help of Facebook and AIM combined, my story begins. I had a very close guy friend who was on my computer one night and he saw that we were on the same Facebook group. It was a group related to fishing and hunting, a passion we both still share. For those of you who don’t know Facebook well enough you can see the other members that are part of the same group by their profile photo. I had looked before at the other members and had come across a guy who had a huge 6x6 bull in the picture with him and his bow. Now, as small as I may be I am in fact a bow hunter and love archery. When I saw that this guy had shot this bull with his bow I was pretty impressed because it’s becoming harder for me to find anyone who shares the same passion. I couldn’t look at his profile and all I had to go by was a very small picture that Facebook had provided me. When my buddy who was on my computer saw that the guy I was impressed with was part of the same group he told me he knew him personally and actually was a good friend of his. I was surprised but also a little excited because I thought perhaps he could introduce me sometime and we could talk about hunting and archery. My friend told me a little bit about him and then gave me the confidence to message the bow hunter via Facebook. Normally I would never have considered doing something this bold but because my friend knew him I thought that it couldn’t hurt. I messaged him saying that we knew the same friend, I was impressed by his picture and I was a bow hunter as well. I must admit I did feel very awkward messaging a complete stranger I didn’t know and telling him I liked his picture. Even with my hesitations to my surprise he did in fact message me back and we began to exchange messages. Once we reached more familiar ground he said that I could message him anytime on AIM and of course Facebook has a section where you can put all of your information to get in connect with that person. So with that said we began to communicate through AIM and slowly got to know each other better. Long story short we decided to me at the OSU gymnastics meet in Corvallis and became very close friends. A year or so later we dated and even though that never worked out were still very close friends today.
Now looking back at my experience I know that the internet gave us the opportunity to meet one another. I realize that my friend could have eventually introduced us but the internet gave me the opportunity to communicate with him that very moment. With the realm of cyberspace you can become anyone you want with a click of a button and I was lucky enough to find a friend who represented himself honestly. Cyberspace made it easy and very convenient for us to get to know each other and see if it was even worthwhile to meet in the future. It was easier to talk online compared to face-to-face because I feel we didn’t have as much to lose. We had never met face-to-face and if we didn’t like each other than either one of us could have ceased conversation. With that said I also think that the situation became harder at times because we were communicating on the internet and not in person. I have always had difficulty knowing what someone really means when I communicate with them via AIM or Facebook chat. The same goes for texting in the sense that perhaps someone is trying to be funny but I take them as being rude and unfriendly. I think that when you know someone and have become acquainted with them in person then it is easier to know their expressions or jokes when you are communicating online. For example I have a friend who is very brash and has a dry sense of humor. Whenever I talk to him online I am able to distinguish that he’s not insulting me but being himself and relaxed instead. The face-to-face personal interaction helps me identify someone when were speaking in cyberspace. As for the bow hunter I had never met him when we began talking on AIM and it made it more difficult for me to know if he was serious or joking at times.
Another important point that I think should be made is that technology is flawed. I can remember at one point in our many discussions that he stopped talking to me in mid-sentence. I thought perhaps I had said something wrong but I found out days later that his computer was going haywire and he was trying to respond but couldn’t. The situation was indeed mis-communicated because of the technology. In Wood and Smith’s chapter on page 168 they state, “Already three fourths of all teenagers use the Internet for study, socializing, and entertainment. Just think, a mere decade ago, Internet usage was a rarity, a research tool for scientists or a plaything for the wealthy.” Now look at us. I was one of those teenagers using the internet to socialize and establish a bigger friendship network. I was drawn in by the ease of the technology and now I use cyberspace everyday. Postman also makes an excellent point on page 179, “Into this void comes the Technopoly story, with its emphasis on progress without limits, rights without responsibilities, and technology without cost.” I feel that cyberspace is becoming if not already is this realm of emphasis. Things are constantly changing and I’m not sure if it’s even for the better.
My entire experience told me a lot about our culture today. We like things to be easy and cyberspace gives us a great opportunity to do ample amount of things, including meeting someone through AIM or other networks. I could have very easily had a bad experience with my internet communication and the OSU student. Luckily I didn’t but I could have become very bitter I’m sure towards AIM and other chatting realms if I had a bad experience. I think overall that all of us need to be very careful with who we meet and what we present to other people because we don’t know who is watching.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Three Generations
I loved completing this assignment not only because I was able to talk to three different generations but the fact that I learned so much from the interviews I gave. I decided to talk to my boyfriend who is 22, my brother who is 37 and my grandmother who is 72. All three of them use the internet differently. I decided to interview my boyfriend first. We are the same age and he uses the internet everyday either for school, work or just for fun. Primarily he likes to use the internet to catch up on his sports on ESPN but he also likes to chat with his sister through Facebook who goes to school in Colorado. My boyfriend David is very comfortable communicating on the internet with friends and family. His parents are not very technology savvy but throughout the years growing up he taught himself and now is fairly knowledgeable when it comes to the internet. He believes that technology has given people a lot of advantages but that it has made our society lazy. He thinks that we have become less independent and more dependent on the technologies including himself. David grew up without the internet and technology but now that he has had it while he has been away at college I think that he has become to rely on it much more. He would be able to live without it very easily but because it is such an item of convenience if he doesn’t have to then he would prefer not to.
My brother’s interview went a little differently in the sense that I discovered he doesn’t use the internet as often as I thought. He lives in The Dalles and specifically where his house in located he has a dial up connection. He chooses not to use the internet just because it takes so long for a page to load when he is at home that it isn’t worth the effort. Growing up he didn’t use the internet, he was always outside playing, fishing, hunting and golfing that he barely spent anytime inside. He expressed to me that the only time he uses the internet is to check his email or to occasionally shop online at Cabelas for outdoor gear. Luckily where he works as a firefighter he is able to use the internet and check those items more freely because they don’t have a dial up connection. My brother said that he is comfortable sending an email to someone here or there but other than that he either has no time or the interest to communicate on the computer. He doesn’t really see the sense in Facebook and Myspace when someone could call or talk to a person face-to-face. He agreed 100% that technology has changed the way people live their lives and not necessarily for the better. He thinks just as David did that people have become far too dependent on it and everyone should read a book, go outside or do something far more constructive than being on the internet all day long. He knows that not everyone does that but people have become far too reliant on it.
Out of all of the interviews, I enjoyed talking to my grandmother the most. I try to talk to her at least once a week but asking her for some help on a homework assignment really made her happy and she was willing to give me all the information I needed. My grandmother doesn’t use the internet. She doesn’t have a computer and doesn’t choose to have one. Having a cell phone is a big leap for her and just about all the technology she wants to deal with. If she did have a computer she said her primary use for it would probably be email so she could talk to family members and communicate with them that way. If my grandma did have a computer I know she would be very uncomfortable communicating as she said so herself and she would get too confused with all of the technology they have now a days. My grandma absolutely believes that technology has changed the way people live their lives and she doesn’t like it. She doesn’t see the point of people spending hours of time on the internet, she said there are always better things that people should find to do.
From all of the interviews I noticed that there was one common theme. The fact that all three of my interviewees thought people could find something more constructive to do in their spare time besides being on the internet. In general my boyfriend and brother like the internet and think it has its purposes but my grandmother remembers when she was younger and people did just fine without all of the technology that is now present.
There was one particular sentence that continued to stick out to me when I was reading Wood and Smith’s chapter. On page 157 they state, “Time provides a dimension to study the unfolding of events in various contexts.” I think this related perfectly to this assignment because of the three different generations that I interviewed. All three of them grew up in different generations and experienced completely different lifestyles. Things take time to emerge and I think that is the same case for technology. It doesn’t develop in a split second but throughout time and there are different generations that experience that particular change. On page 143 of Postman’s chapter he states, “And so it is necessary to understand where our techniques come from and what they are good for; we must make them visible so that they may be restored to our sovereignty.” I think that my boyfriend, brother and grandmother all felt that there is a time and place for technology and once it is determined what purpose the particular technology is used for to try and not exceed its limits.
I think that this assignment says a lot about how our society is constantly changing. Things are completely different from when my grandmother was growing up to even my brothers childhood even though it doesn’t seem like very many years have passed. I think that our society now, right at this moment relies on the internet and all of the technology given. Perhaps that might evolve into something else in a few years but for the time being we are the technology generation. Do you agree?
My brother’s interview went a little differently in the sense that I discovered he doesn’t use the internet as often as I thought. He lives in The Dalles and specifically where his house in located he has a dial up connection. He chooses not to use the internet just because it takes so long for a page to load when he is at home that it isn’t worth the effort. Growing up he didn’t use the internet, he was always outside playing, fishing, hunting and golfing that he barely spent anytime inside. He expressed to me that the only time he uses the internet is to check his email or to occasionally shop online at Cabelas for outdoor gear. Luckily where he works as a firefighter he is able to use the internet and check those items more freely because they don’t have a dial up connection. My brother said that he is comfortable sending an email to someone here or there but other than that he either has no time or the interest to communicate on the computer. He doesn’t really see the sense in Facebook and Myspace when someone could call or talk to a person face-to-face. He agreed 100% that technology has changed the way people live their lives and not necessarily for the better. He thinks just as David did that people have become far too dependent on it and everyone should read a book, go outside or do something far more constructive than being on the internet all day long. He knows that not everyone does that but people have become far too reliant on it.
Out of all of the interviews, I enjoyed talking to my grandmother the most. I try to talk to her at least once a week but asking her for some help on a homework assignment really made her happy and she was willing to give me all the information I needed. My grandmother doesn’t use the internet. She doesn’t have a computer and doesn’t choose to have one. Having a cell phone is a big leap for her and just about all the technology she wants to deal with. If she did have a computer she said her primary use for it would probably be email so she could talk to family members and communicate with them that way. If my grandma did have a computer I know she would be very uncomfortable communicating as she said so herself and she would get too confused with all of the technology they have now a days. My grandma absolutely believes that technology has changed the way people live their lives and she doesn’t like it. She doesn’t see the point of people spending hours of time on the internet, she said there are always better things that people should find to do.
From all of the interviews I noticed that there was one common theme. The fact that all three of my interviewees thought people could find something more constructive to do in their spare time besides being on the internet. In general my boyfriend and brother like the internet and think it has its purposes but my grandmother remembers when she was younger and people did just fine without all of the technology that is now present.
There was one particular sentence that continued to stick out to me when I was reading Wood and Smith’s chapter. On page 157 they state, “Time provides a dimension to study the unfolding of events in various contexts.” I think this related perfectly to this assignment because of the three different generations that I interviewed. All three of them grew up in different generations and experienced completely different lifestyles. Things take time to emerge and I think that is the same case for technology. It doesn’t develop in a split second but throughout time and there are different generations that experience that particular change. On page 143 of Postman’s chapter he states, “And so it is necessary to understand where our techniques come from and what they are good for; we must make them visible so that they may be restored to our sovereignty.” I think that my boyfriend, brother and grandmother all felt that there is a time and place for technology and once it is determined what purpose the particular technology is used for to try and not exceed its limits.
I think that this assignment says a lot about how our society is constantly changing. Things are completely different from when my grandmother was growing up to even my brothers childhood even though it doesn’t seem like very many years have passed. I think that our society now, right at this moment relies on the internet and all of the technology given. Perhaps that might evolve into something else in a few years but for the time being we are the technology generation. Do you agree?
Friday, July 24, 2009
My New Found Online Community
I decided to join the National Breast Cancer Foundation for my new internet community. I thought that this community would be a great one to be involved with and it is one close to my heart. The registration process was very easy, easier than I thought in fact. All I had to do was fill in a small amount of information and I was accepted as a member of the discussion group and website. I then proceeded to look at other people’s profiles and the information they had listed on them and read some of the blogs posted between the users. Some people were friends and I noticed others just responded to a person’s blog they didn’t know in support of something they had posted online. In chapter six of Wood and Smiths book they state on page 124,“Virtual communities thus allow people to transcend geographic boundaries and unite with others who share their common interests, whether that’s watching a particular television series, promoting a social cause, or collecting original vinyl recordings of ‘Love Me Tender’.” I like this quote because I think this is one of the main reasons people decided to converse online. They want to talk with other people that share the same views as them and they have the opportunity to do so whether they are living in the country or in the big city. Sometimes it's hard to find other people to relate to and the virtual communities give people a broader spectrum to find those individuals. It was very easy to assimilate into the group I chose and as far as I know if you fill out the required information then you are automatically accepted. Once I did I had a message informing me I now was a member and congratulations. I guarantee that everyone is accepted into this community if you fill out the small amount of information. My group happens to promote a social cause so that to can be the reason for the quick acceptance.
I think that it has become so easy to find an internet community today. All I had to do was search in Google related to my area of interest and I found a lot of sites. It was easy, convenient and very simple. I think that one of the draws to internet communities is that people like things to run smoothly and easily. Since it is so easy to find a community online related to your interest and then become accepted quickly, people are probably more willing to do so especially if they are not as fond of face to face interaction. Postman states on page 118, “We have devalued the singular human capacity to see things whole in all their psychic, emotional and moral dimensions, and we have replaced this with faith in the powers of technical calculation. Because of what computers commonly do, they place an inordinate emphasis on the technical processes of communication and offer very little in the way of substance.” I agree that as people we have began to rely on technology and replace what we have commonly known for a different type of substance. I don’t think communicating online equals very little substance but that is a change that has been made. There are a lot of people that probably have or feel that their online community has given them more importance because they can relate to others through this virtual realm.
For my new found community I believe that the agreements or disagreements are resolved through the discussion groups and posted blogs. For the most part though I have found through discussion and observation that the messages are of hope and encouragement. I have read some people having struggles related to breast cancer. Some have just learned they have cancer or a family member or are starting chemotherapy/radiation and are asking for advice. Others write just for someone to listen and give them guidance. Even though some of the messages and conversations are very tough and not always the most uplifting topics I haven’t found any disagreements but instead encouragement for others. I think that these online communities say a lot about our culture and society today. We like to be able to connect with those we can relate to and share similar stories with. For my community knowing that I’m not the only one impacted by breast cancer is very healing because I can go online and discuss with others who are going through the exact same experience. Now normally I might not have had the opportunity to meet them if it wasn’t for the internet. I might not have gotten along with a particular person but because we share a deep common interest in this case we don’t find those areas we might dislike in face to face interaction. We focus on the topic or area of interest whether its sports, religion or any other cause and focus primarily on that.
Our society revolves around some sort of personal connection and communication between other people that are similar to us. We choose our friends based on common interests, looks, hobbies you name it and the internet communities are another opportunity to take. I think that everyone’s internet community experience depends on the person and the community they are involved with. I think that if someone does have a negative experience because there are so many communities that the person could find another group with the exact same area of interest. I liked joining a new online community besides Facebook or Myspace and it has given me an opportunity to meet other people that share the same passionate view. It’s nice to talk to other people that want to fight for the same cause and I really like that we have that chance because of the internet, technology and all the separate realms of the internet community. What community did you join?
I think that it has become so easy to find an internet community today. All I had to do was search in Google related to my area of interest and I found a lot of sites. It was easy, convenient and very simple. I think that one of the draws to internet communities is that people like things to run smoothly and easily. Since it is so easy to find a community online related to your interest and then become accepted quickly, people are probably more willing to do so especially if they are not as fond of face to face interaction. Postman states on page 118, “We have devalued the singular human capacity to see things whole in all their psychic, emotional and moral dimensions, and we have replaced this with faith in the powers of technical calculation. Because of what computers commonly do, they place an inordinate emphasis on the technical processes of communication and offer very little in the way of substance.” I agree that as people we have began to rely on technology and replace what we have commonly known for a different type of substance. I don’t think communicating online equals very little substance but that is a change that has been made. There are a lot of people that probably have or feel that their online community has given them more importance because they can relate to others through this virtual realm.
For my new found community I believe that the agreements or disagreements are resolved through the discussion groups and posted blogs. For the most part though I have found through discussion and observation that the messages are of hope and encouragement. I have read some people having struggles related to breast cancer. Some have just learned they have cancer or a family member or are starting chemotherapy/radiation and are asking for advice. Others write just for someone to listen and give them guidance. Even though some of the messages and conversations are very tough and not always the most uplifting topics I haven’t found any disagreements but instead encouragement for others. I think that these online communities say a lot about our culture and society today. We like to be able to connect with those we can relate to and share similar stories with. For my community knowing that I’m not the only one impacted by breast cancer is very healing because I can go online and discuss with others who are going through the exact same experience. Now normally I might not have had the opportunity to meet them if it wasn’t for the internet. I might not have gotten along with a particular person but because we share a deep common interest in this case we don’t find those areas we might dislike in face to face interaction. We focus on the topic or area of interest whether its sports, religion or any other cause and focus primarily on that.
Our society revolves around some sort of personal connection and communication between other people that are similar to us. We choose our friends based on common interests, looks, hobbies you name it and the internet communities are another opportunity to take. I think that everyone’s internet community experience depends on the person and the community they are involved with. I think that if someone does have a negative experience because there are so many communities that the person could find another group with the exact same area of interest. I liked joining a new online community besides Facebook or Myspace and it has given me an opportunity to meet other people that share the same passionate view. It’s nice to talk to other people that want to fight for the same cause and I really like that we have that chance because of the internet, technology and all the separate realms of the internet community. What community did you join?
Thursday, July 16, 2009
To Email Or To Snail Mail...that is the question!?
I decided to write to my aunt who lives in Portland and a long time family friend who lives in Arizona. I knew before I had begun writing the letters to thank them for their continual support that I would email my aunt and write a long-handed letter to my friend Frank. I have been trying to contact Frank for quite some time now and we have failed to communicate through email. We don’t know why our letters are not sending to each other so with that I decided this assignment would be a great opportunity to send him and his family good old snail mail. As for my aunt I have realized throughout the years that the fastest way to stay in contact with her is through email.
My language was different when I look back at the two letters that I sent. My aunt’s email was shorter in length then the hand written version and I was not as cordial or professional I should say. I am closer to my aunt and we know each other very well so it was easier for me to joke around, leave smiley faces and other such things. I was also able to ask her a more serious personal question instead of being more formal toward Frank. Now, I have known Frank since I was a little girl. My mom had been very close to him and I am able to discuss openly but because we haven’t gotten a chance to really catch up recently I didn’t want my letter to include anything negative. Or perhaps something that would worry him and his family. With my aunt we can start where we left off no matter how long it may have been so it was a much easier letter for me to write. I think that these circumstances depend on how well I know the person I am writing to and our relationship. I found this to be the case as I analyzed the two different messages.
The two lengths of the messages were different as I briefly mentioned earlier. I think because I was sending a hand written letter and it was going to such a far destination that I wanted to make it much longer. With email things can be very cut and dry and you can send a message within minutes. Compared to the email I sent, my letter took a lot more time. For those of you who might know me, I really pride myself on my penmanship and want things very neat and precise. When I was writing the letter I wanted to make sure everything looked just right. I guess you could say I put much more pride and effort into my hand written message. As for the responses I received, I have only received one from my aunt a day ago. I haven’t heard from Frank yet and I sent them on the same day but of course ones slower to arrive than the other. I am curious to see if Frank will in turn send another hand written letter back to me or if he instead will send an email.
To me an email is much easier but not as personal as the hand written ones. Its shows you put some time and effort into writing the letter especially in today’s society. Postman states on page 72, “The relationship between information and the mechanisms for its control is fairly simple to describe: Technology increases the available supply of information. As the supply is increased, control mechanisms are strained.” I really like this specific quote and I have to agree. The more information technology is able to put forward, the harder and more difficult it becomes to control the situation. I also can compare this to our assignment because before email people relied more heavily on hand written letters. I know there were other forms to communicate but specifically comparing these two with one another, letters came before emails. People relied on letters for their interpersonal communication not emails. With technology constantly changing and people now having the option of emailing they rely more heavily on this method. Therefore technology is being increased, the old methods are being used less and less and its becoming harder to control the realms of communication.
Chapter five in Wood and Smiths novel goes into detail about therapy online. They state on page 107, “Cases of people whose lives have been negatively affected by the presence of the Internet.” I believe that email messages can be sent very easily. Perhaps you’re writing a mean message in your drafts when you’re angry not meaning to send it to the person but you do so anyway on accident. The internet has made things very accessible and easy. Its also very easy to find someone or past information that could in turn hurt an individual. With a good old hand written letter, people are aware of what their sending, probably are taking a little more time and putting more thought into it. They have a lot of time to think about what they wrote while they get a stamp and then mail the letter.
So the question now is what is the importance of all of this? I think that this assignment says a lot about our culture and society today. I think we have become lazy, including myself and the idea of sending a hand written letter just seems to take too much time. I bet if I asked people if they emailed or sent a personal letter more, I guarantee they would say email. I think that its fine but I think we also have lost sight on what’s important. Taking the time to send a personal letter to a friend, thanking them for having influence in my life is huge. I have not specifically sat down to write a thank you letter in a very long time. It felt great to do so and I think that sending a hand written letter is the way to go if possible. Our society is constantly changing but I hope to rely more on the good old fashioned snail mail. Does anyone else agree?
My language was different when I look back at the two letters that I sent. My aunt’s email was shorter in length then the hand written version and I was not as cordial or professional I should say. I am closer to my aunt and we know each other very well so it was easier for me to joke around, leave smiley faces and other such things. I was also able to ask her a more serious personal question instead of being more formal toward Frank. Now, I have known Frank since I was a little girl. My mom had been very close to him and I am able to discuss openly but because we haven’t gotten a chance to really catch up recently I didn’t want my letter to include anything negative. Or perhaps something that would worry him and his family. With my aunt we can start where we left off no matter how long it may have been so it was a much easier letter for me to write. I think that these circumstances depend on how well I know the person I am writing to and our relationship. I found this to be the case as I analyzed the two different messages.
The two lengths of the messages were different as I briefly mentioned earlier. I think because I was sending a hand written letter and it was going to such a far destination that I wanted to make it much longer. With email things can be very cut and dry and you can send a message within minutes. Compared to the email I sent, my letter took a lot more time. For those of you who might know me, I really pride myself on my penmanship and want things very neat and precise. When I was writing the letter I wanted to make sure everything looked just right. I guess you could say I put much more pride and effort into my hand written message. As for the responses I received, I have only received one from my aunt a day ago. I haven’t heard from Frank yet and I sent them on the same day but of course ones slower to arrive than the other. I am curious to see if Frank will in turn send another hand written letter back to me or if he instead will send an email.
To me an email is much easier but not as personal as the hand written ones. Its shows you put some time and effort into writing the letter especially in today’s society. Postman states on page 72, “The relationship between information and the mechanisms for its control is fairly simple to describe: Technology increases the available supply of information. As the supply is increased, control mechanisms are strained.” I really like this specific quote and I have to agree. The more information technology is able to put forward, the harder and more difficult it becomes to control the situation. I also can compare this to our assignment because before email people relied more heavily on hand written letters. I know there were other forms to communicate but specifically comparing these two with one another, letters came before emails. People relied on letters for their interpersonal communication not emails. With technology constantly changing and people now having the option of emailing they rely more heavily on this method. Therefore technology is being increased, the old methods are being used less and less and its becoming harder to control the realms of communication.
Chapter five in Wood and Smiths novel goes into detail about therapy online. They state on page 107, “Cases of people whose lives have been negatively affected by the presence of the Internet.” I believe that email messages can be sent very easily. Perhaps you’re writing a mean message in your drafts when you’re angry not meaning to send it to the person but you do so anyway on accident. The internet has made things very accessible and easy. Its also very easy to find someone or past information that could in turn hurt an individual. With a good old hand written letter, people are aware of what their sending, probably are taking a little more time and putting more thought into it. They have a lot of time to think about what they wrote while they get a stamp and then mail the letter.
So the question now is what is the importance of all of this? I think that this assignment says a lot about our culture and society today. I think we have become lazy, including myself and the idea of sending a hand written letter just seems to take too much time. I bet if I asked people if they emailed or sent a personal letter more, I guarantee they would say email. I think that its fine but I think we also have lost sight on what’s important. Taking the time to send a personal letter to a friend, thanking them for having influence in my life is huge. I have not specifically sat down to write a thank you letter in a very long time. It felt great to do so and I think that sending a hand written letter is the way to go if possible. Our society is constantly changing but I hope to rely more on the good old fashioned snail mail. Does anyone else agree?
Saturday, July 11, 2009
The World of Facebook and Myspace
Before I came to college I was emailing me future roommate whom I was going to live in the dorms with. We had been emailing each other for some time but we both hadn't seen a picture of one another. She mentioned to me that she had a Myspace and I could add her as a friend so we could communicate through there. Now when she told me this I had just finished my Senior year of high school and had no idea what she was talking about. I felt a little ridiculous but I had to ask her, "What was Myspace?" Okay so I'll admit I was definitely not the "in crowd" especially when it came to technology at that time. Some people had a Myspace years before I even knew what it was. Soon afterwards I found Myspace, created an account and it became my new realm of communication between my friends. Instead of email I would use Myspace. Then after I came to college sometime after, Facebook was created. At the time Facebook was only meant for college students and I loved the idea of being part of the "selected" one's who got to use it. Myspace became the sloppy second shortly afterwards because Facebook was for college students for goodness sakes, there were no 15 year old girls posting pictures as if there were 21.
Now if you look at how Myspace and Facebook have changed our form of communication it is HUGE! Everyone I know has chosen to create accounts at either one of the networks. Some people in the beginning said they would never have one or decided to get rid of it because of the changes that it had made...but after a month or two either that friend had created an account or the other decided to join again. Why, you may ask? The reason is because it has become such a large social network that people will feel left out if they don't have one. What do we all hear nowadays when were trying to meet with a classmate or communicate with a new found friend? We don't ask for their email anymore, we ask, "Do you have a Facebook?" The answer is usually, "Great I'll find ya/I'll add you." I know of so many parents that now have a Facebook as well. The majority I have seen are not to check up on their kids (well that's probably a bonus) but to communicate in their own social network with their friends who as well have a Facebook. Myspace was the beginning of the technological change but now Facebook has become the new rage and everyone uses them...okay not everyone but all college students I know have/use it to communicate.
I think the fascination with Myspace and Facebook is how easy it has become to communicate with other people. Perhaps you have lost touch with an old friend. These networks allow you to find that friend and communicate with them no matter how far away you might be from each other. It's fun, you can add pictures, updates and people have a better idea of what's going on in your lives....or at least what you choose to show. I remember in the beginning of Facebook it was all about how many friends you had. It didn't matter if you never talked to that person from high school or only had one class with that cute guy, "friends" were still automatically added.
As Wood and Smith state on page 59, "However, in an online forum, he can more readily adopt and enact a change in his gender, race, or any other characteristic he chooses. In whatever identity he selects, he can exert greater control over his identity in the online environment than in face-to-face interaction. In face-to-face interaction, we communicate not only through our words but also through our appearance." This is exactly the same message that is portrayed via Facebook or Myspace. Yes, a lot of time we try and befriend others that we know or at least are acquaintances with but what we choose to disclose is still our choice. I have seen on Myspace in the past young girls who are either 12 or 13 and on their profile it says 21 or 22 years old. Now I have known for a fact that some of the girls are indeed 12 or 13...It has made me wonder, why do they say their older than they really are? I conclude that either their parents require they put an older age so that they are "less" at risk for predators or perhaps they are in fact trying to be older than they really are and grow up way too fast. Either way the internet and Facebook and Myspace in general allows any of us to choose the route we want to take. It's our Freedom of Speech!
In Chapter 4 of the Wood and Smith's book they go into detail about online dating and the relationships that have or try to take place over the internet. They state on page 78, "However, a growing body of literature argues not only that people use networked technologies for social purposes but also that, in some cases, people prefer the medium for interpersonal relating." People seek interpersonal and romantic relationship via online. My best friends parents met on Match.com and they are still happily married. There are people who are constantly meeting online with Facebook and Myspace as their networks. If you notice on both sites there are constant advertisements that are associated with the networks in finding "true love" and so on. These communication realms have sparked a new wave of interpersonal interaction.
So what does all of this information say about our culture and society in general? To me it says that we are continually relying on technology and it's advancements to communicate with other people. We use Facebook and Myspace to communicate with friends and family. To be perfectly honest, I feel that it has become a cop-out. Instead of sending a nice card or even calling a friend on their birthday, instead what do people do? They write happy birthday on their friends page. Now how many of them would have known it was their friends birthday if they didn't have the constant reminder on Facebook and Myspace? I can't answer that question but I do know that I have done that before as well. I'll admit it's nice to wish someone a happy birthday, someone who don't talk to or see, it's a nice gesture...but I still think that a card, a face-to-face interaction or a phone call is still better. I realize that sometimes face-to-face interaction is not possible but when someone actually goes out of their way to write a hand letter or send a card to a friend, to me it show they care more than just a few words and a click of a button.
What's ironic to me about all of this is the fact that I'm saying a phone call now is more personal when before that was unheard of as interpersonal communication. I think our society is relying so much on technology that the telephone/texting became the new "face-to-face" interaction, email became the new phone and Facebook/Myspace has become the new email. It's a constant pattern that is continuing and were getting farther and farther away from good old face-to-face communication. It makes me sad. I love using the technology given to me, I think it's great but another part of me cant help but wish texting and all of that form of communication was gone so we could concentrate on the person not the device. I know that we all can make a personal choice for ourselves though and choose what we do. I have a professor that absolutely hates cell phones. He doesn't like them and his entire family is the same way because he and his wife raised them to be self sufficient without them. I think if we were raised without the technology we wouldn't know any better (just as the people in our history) but if we have it and then it's taken away like our first assignment, well then that's where it tends to get real sticky.
If someone has a bad experience on Facebook or Myspace...like the examples I gave in the beginning about not joining or refusing to re-join...I think in today's society the majority of people would crumble and resort to these networks. I'm not saying its a bad thing, I use them and nor am I trying to be pessimistic...I like to think I'm optimistic, but in reality with our world revolving around technology I think the majority will automatically resort to it in the end. Do you agree? Or perhaps you have some more insight that I missed?
Now if you look at how Myspace and Facebook have changed our form of communication it is HUGE! Everyone I know has chosen to create accounts at either one of the networks. Some people in the beginning said they would never have one or decided to get rid of it because of the changes that it had made...but after a month or two either that friend had created an account or the other decided to join again. Why, you may ask? The reason is because it has become such a large social network that people will feel left out if they don't have one. What do we all hear nowadays when were trying to meet with a classmate or communicate with a new found friend? We don't ask for their email anymore, we ask, "Do you have a Facebook?" The answer is usually, "Great I'll find ya/I'll add you." I know of so many parents that now have a Facebook as well. The majority I have seen are not to check up on their kids (well that's probably a bonus) but to communicate in their own social network with their friends who as well have a Facebook. Myspace was the beginning of the technological change but now Facebook has become the new rage and everyone uses them...okay not everyone but all college students I know have/use it to communicate.
I think the fascination with Myspace and Facebook is how easy it has become to communicate with other people. Perhaps you have lost touch with an old friend. These networks allow you to find that friend and communicate with them no matter how far away you might be from each other. It's fun, you can add pictures, updates and people have a better idea of what's going on in your lives....or at least what you choose to show. I remember in the beginning of Facebook it was all about how many friends you had. It didn't matter if you never talked to that person from high school or only had one class with that cute guy, "friends" were still automatically added.
As Wood and Smith state on page 59, "However, in an online forum, he can more readily adopt and enact a change in his gender, race, or any other characteristic he chooses. In whatever identity he selects, he can exert greater control over his identity in the online environment than in face-to-face interaction. In face-to-face interaction, we communicate not only through our words but also through our appearance." This is exactly the same message that is portrayed via Facebook or Myspace. Yes, a lot of time we try and befriend others that we know or at least are acquaintances with but what we choose to disclose is still our choice. I have seen on Myspace in the past young girls who are either 12 or 13 and on their profile it says 21 or 22 years old. Now I have known for a fact that some of the girls are indeed 12 or 13...It has made me wonder, why do they say their older than they really are? I conclude that either their parents require they put an older age so that they are "less" at risk for predators or perhaps they are in fact trying to be older than they really are and grow up way too fast. Either way the internet and Facebook and Myspace in general allows any of us to choose the route we want to take. It's our Freedom of Speech!
In Chapter 4 of the Wood and Smith's book they go into detail about online dating and the relationships that have or try to take place over the internet. They state on page 78, "However, a growing body of literature argues not only that people use networked technologies for social purposes but also that, in some cases, people prefer the medium for interpersonal relating." People seek interpersonal and romantic relationship via online. My best friends parents met on Match.com and they are still happily married. There are people who are constantly meeting online with Facebook and Myspace as their networks. If you notice on both sites there are constant advertisements that are associated with the networks in finding "true love" and so on. These communication realms have sparked a new wave of interpersonal interaction.
So what does all of this information say about our culture and society in general? To me it says that we are continually relying on technology and it's advancements to communicate with other people. We use Facebook and Myspace to communicate with friends and family. To be perfectly honest, I feel that it has become a cop-out. Instead of sending a nice card or even calling a friend on their birthday, instead what do people do? They write happy birthday on their friends page. Now how many of them would have known it was their friends birthday if they didn't have the constant reminder on Facebook and Myspace? I can't answer that question but I do know that I have done that before as well. I'll admit it's nice to wish someone a happy birthday, someone who don't talk to or see, it's a nice gesture...but I still think that a card, a face-to-face interaction or a phone call is still better. I realize that sometimes face-to-face interaction is not possible but when someone actually goes out of their way to write a hand letter or send a card to a friend, to me it show they care more than just a few words and a click of a button.
What's ironic to me about all of this is the fact that I'm saying a phone call now is more personal when before that was unheard of as interpersonal communication. I think our society is relying so much on technology that the telephone/texting became the new "face-to-face" interaction, email became the new phone and Facebook/Myspace has become the new email. It's a constant pattern that is continuing and were getting farther and farther away from good old face-to-face communication. It makes me sad. I love using the technology given to me, I think it's great but another part of me cant help but wish texting and all of that form of communication was gone so we could concentrate on the person not the device. I know that we all can make a personal choice for ourselves though and choose what we do. I have a professor that absolutely hates cell phones. He doesn't like them and his entire family is the same way because he and his wife raised them to be self sufficient without them. I think if we were raised without the technology we wouldn't know any better (just as the people in our history) but if we have it and then it's taken away like our first assignment, well then that's where it tends to get real sticky.
If someone has a bad experience on Facebook or Myspace...like the examples I gave in the beginning about not joining or refusing to re-join...I think in today's society the majority of people would crumble and resort to these networks. I'm not saying its a bad thing, I use them and nor am I trying to be pessimistic...I like to think I'm optimistic, but in reality with our world revolving around technology I think the majority will automatically resort to it in the end. Do you agree? Or perhaps you have some more insight that I missed?
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Blog 2: Media, Brad Paisley's Online Video
Brad Paisley's music video is a great representation of our modern online society. The main character played by Jason Alexander represents the "nerdy" man who is still a kid at heart. The first scene where we are shown his white socks with tevas and glasses sets the tone for the video clip. As he delivers the pizza to his customer, he is disrespected and called a jerkwad. He was excited about the party in the background but was dismissed none the less. As soon as Jason Alexander's character climbed into his beat up car, he has his computer by his side and watches Brad Paisley perform in front of a large audience. He instantly gained confidence and held his head higher as he drove away. As Wood and Smith stated on page 37, "The world wide web is exciting because of its transformation of how people interact with computers and each other." The fact that Alexander had a computer in his car shows a glimpse of society's need for technology and specifically the internet. When he gets home he instantly logs onto Myspace and again that is a representation of our culture. One of the song phrases is, "everytime I login." If you ask students today, even adults for that matter if they have a Facebook or Myspace, I guarantee they will say yes. Those internet communities are realms for mass wide communication.
The next scene of the online video shows him going home and he still lives with his parents. His character is shown as a sci-fi "nerd", who has asthma and is scared of girls. Now with all of that said when Alexander logs online, he can transform into anyone he chooses and no one would know the difference. He puts on his cowboy hat and has all the confidence in the world. In his world, with the power of the internet he can be anyone he chooses. The internet is a huge realm of possibilities. The line sang throughout the video, "so much cooler online" says it all. Anyone can choose the be another person when they're online. The idea is that you can be successful, smart, funny...you name it. Its whatever and whoever you chose to be. The freedom of speech.
In the video when Alexander goes online he is Brad Paisley. He is good-looking, famous and well liked. The women he is having a three way chat with, have no idea what he really looks like, everything can be fabricated. It can be extremely difficult to distinguish between fabrication and the truth. As Postman stated in chapter 3, page 45, "Technocracy filled the air with the promise of new freedoms and new forms of social organization. Technocracy also sped up the world. We could get places faster, do things faster, accomplish more in a shorter time." The internet has given our society the option and choice of how we want to represent ourselves. It's a unique form of social organization and Postman is correct when he states technocracy has created speed. Today you can create or change a profile online, and talk on instant messenger with someone far away within seconds. The speed is increasing at an alarming rate.
So what does this idea of online communication say about our society and culture in general? If we didn't have the internet to communicate or have the opportunity to be someone else in the online realm, things would be a lot different. There are so many people who thrive in the "made up" online world. There are games where you create characters in altered realities and also internet communities such as Myspace where its just a click of a button to become someone new or anyone of your desire. I think that our culture would be completely different and society standards would be altered. If the online media was stripped/taken away or someone had a bad experience, our society would still keep on going. We would continue as is and make adjustments along the way. That's what both authors express in their chapters, the need for technology and the advancement of it. The internet online is a huge new reality that anyone can join. It makes me wonder, have any of us pretended to be someone else online?
The next scene of the online video shows him going home and he still lives with his parents. His character is shown as a sci-fi "nerd", who has asthma and is scared of girls. Now with all of that said when Alexander logs online, he can transform into anyone he chooses and no one would know the difference. He puts on his cowboy hat and has all the confidence in the world. In his world, with the power of the internet he can be anyone he chooses. The internet is a huge realm of possibilities. The line sang throughout the video, "so much cooler online" says it all. Anyone can choose the be another person when they're online. The idea is that you can be successful, smart, funny...you name it. Its whatever and whoever you chose to be. The freedom of speech.
In the video when Alexander goes online he is Brad Paisley. He is good-looking, famous and well liked. The women he is having a three way chat with, have no idea what he really looks like, everything can be fabricated. It can be extremely difficult to distinguish between fabrication and the truth. As Postman stated in chapter 3, page 45, "Technocracy filled the air with the promise of new freedoms and new forms of social organization. Technocracy also sped up the world. We could get places faster, do things faster, accomplish more in a shorter time." The internet has given our society the option and choice of how we want to represent ourselves. It's a unique form of social organization and Postman is correct when he states technocracy has created speed. Today you can create or change a profile online, and talk on instant messenger with someone far away within seconds. The speed is increasing at an alarming rate.
So what does this idea of online communication say about our society and culture in general? If we didn't have the internet to communicate or have the opportunity to be someone else in the online realm, things would be a lot different. There are so many people who thrive in the "made up" online world. There are games where you create characters in altered realities and also internet communities such as Myspace where its just a click of a button to become someone new or anyone of your desire. I think that our culture would be completely different and society standards would be altered. If the online media was stripped/taken away or someone had a bad experience, our society would still keep on going. We would continue as is and make adjustments along the way. That's what both authors express in their chapters, the need for technology and the advancement of it. The internet online is a huge new reality that anyone can join. It makes me wonder, have any of us pretended to be someone else online?
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