Family Interview
For my family interview regarding electronic media, I interviewed my father. In my point of view my father is very insightful. During the interview he was able to provide me with new profound ideas I did not consider before. It all came from his own experience.
(The interview was in Spanish so I will not be specifically quoting his answers, but I will translate all his general thoughts)
When he was a child there was no electronic media surrounding him. His definition of fun was going outside and playing with his friends. Now that he has experienced what is to live surrounded by electronic media he has come to the conclusion that there is a very thin line between the world in the Internet and the real world. (This is idea is similar to the one i posted on my blog. Although I did not obtain it from him before, I can tell that we think similarly because we both experienced a similar situation regarding the Internet.)
My father thinks that the Internet is a breakthrough. Back when he was a child, the idea of talking to someone in Spain through a computer program was absurd. The Internet is the only way to be connected to other people worldwide. The irony of this is that this connection is not actually a HUMAN connection, but a connection to a screen and a keyboard. Through time we lost the ability to be "in touch" with someone else during a conversation. For example, during a romantic dinner both of them occasionally send a message to someone else. The feeling of being with that person is gone.
Using the Internet to obtain information is an "excuse" to simply use it. There are still other ways of getting information or learning. Such as learning from books. For example, people today research more about their own interests, like movies or songs, and end up downloading Beyonce's newest single. Then they a conversation with someone else about it. It would be something like:
-"Hey, do you like Beyonce's new song"
-"Yeah, its cool"
-"Yeah I know right"
This is not really a conversation. However, discussing a book makes people have much deeper conversations and become smarter. We are become dumber as we grow dependent of the Internet. Even though we can get any type of information.
The truth is that we cannot become less human or more human. We just grow colder. (I agree with my father on this. I think that our nature does not change, but our ability to communicate or to relate to someone else changes as we use electronic devices or the Internet to express our feelings or thoughts)
The Internet has become a bad necessity, and the price we pay for it is too high. Notice us, when we lose the Internet for one hour we go crazy for having nothing to do, even though we are all in the house. Together. Children today do not know how wonderful it is to go outside and be active. They haven't had the chance to really experience it.
In the future, there will be a time when human nature itself stops us from using the Internet. We are not "design" to be alone. And eventually when we realize that we truly ARE alone, then we are going to react. "What the hell am I doing?" then we will look for another human being naturally. We are slowly isolating ourselves more and more everyday from other people. There will be a very large number of people using the Internet when we realize this truth. I highly doubt that the Internet will be over even if most people stop themselves at some point.
I think my dad has really spend some of his time thinking about the current situation, specially with the Internet. He is aware that me and my sister have lost many hours, days, and months of our lives in front of the computer, but he did nothing to stop us. Although he knows that there is nothing beneficial out of my actions/choices he knows that it is futile to tell me to stop when the only one who can realize that it is truly wrong is myself. I'm very interested in learning more about my father's childhood without all this electronic media, but I cannot imagine myself living his childhood. It would be boring at some point. I think that because I know what is it to live surrounded by all this technology I cannot imagine myself without it. I have mistakenly grown dependant of it, and I have also distance myself from others as a consequence.
My father also uses the Internet, to work, to chat, etc. He also has a facebook account and watched videos on the Internet. But even still I do not think my dad would be able to truly understand what I feel when I use the Internet. Or it is part of my entire generation for that matter. Maybe the future generations will feel the same about us.
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Responses of Strangers.
During this activity I only interviewed five different people, and none of them provide me a nonstandard answer. This might have been because maybe there were not very interested in the interview. Or because they did not feel comfortable discussing something that is part of their lives as something negative.
Overall I got that most people consider the Internet as something "good" in their lives. Mostly because the Internet provides them with any kind of information they want. And although this statement was said by the five people I interviewed, I personally do not think that those five people actually use the Internet to research, or expand their knowledge. Everyone seemed to be more focused on the Internet when I asked them about Electronic media. This might be because it is the one that has the greatest impact on their lives.
A man around his 20's did say a rather interesting thing however. He said, "Young people do not know ho to use it. It is a great source and people just fill it up with craps. I am not really against because i don't think is a way of avoiding reality. It is like a movie, a short time to scape."
Although his answer was somewhat standard I think that this man was trying to make a unusual point. In other words he blames this generation for "messing up" this media, instead of of it messing up us. I partially agree with him because I think that it is our choice to make use of all these electronic devices and not face reality. I can also assume that this man does not really spend many hours a day using the Internet. He said it was "like a movie, a short time to scape" the reality that he is aware of. This suggests that this is his perspective on the Internet, therefore he is not really against it.
Another woman around her 50's also said something interesting. She said "It is so confusing to me. I think it is twisted how there are kids who are addicted to the Internet. I would not use it to chat with strangers. It is not safe. The Internet is tricky, and it is tricky to know what will happen to those children who are obsessed" In my opinion this lady said what she said because of her age. She is not able to understand how my generation considers the Internet. Or how much we need it. However, I am not saying she is wrong for not doing so. Her point of view is completely valid, and If I was her I might have given a very similar response. Similar to the younger man, I assume that this woman has not being using the Internet for long periods of time. She uses it to talk to her family and friends, but as she said, "I would not use it to chat with strangers. It is not safe." she is demonstrating that she does not see the Internet as a wall which will disguise her and protect her from the outside world.
The rest of the responses were very standard. Ideas such as "Younger generations will not be able to interact with reality in the future", or "It is great to talk to other people around the world" were the most stated. Everyone seemed aware that if the Internet is used for a long period of time it would cause a negative impact on the user. It would cause him/her difficulties to interact with others in reality. But if it isn't, then the Internet turns out to be a wonderful thing in our lives (I agree).
I conclusion electronic media is not really considered as something negative by most people. I do not think it is because they are ignorant, but because they find more positive aspects than negative ones when they experience it. As it was discussed in History class, most people do not think, therefore these people do not ask themselves how their current actions are affecting their surroundings. In other words their perspective on life.
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Best Friends Interview
I Interviewed two very dear friends of mine and because they are foreigner I was very interested to know what was their idea on electronic media.
Because the conversation was more comfortable compared to interviewing strangers, I was able to obtain more specific answers. However I did have to translate to English, so this is not exactly what they said. I asked several questions as the interview went but I will not mention these on the post with the purpose of not disturbing the flow.
*Some of their answers were very standard but other answers were rather interesting.*
One of them said: "In America the Internet is very convenient. Because of it, Japan is closer and I don't feel lonely or miss my family. I think it is great that your generation uses the Internet. I would do the same if I was part of it. Maybe if you help each other you might be able to stop using the Internet if you think is bad for you. Now that I think about it, Sometimes I spend the entire day on the Internet watching T.V. series, and I know this is not healthy. I would be surprised if my child uses the Internet everyday. I would ask him "Why the Internet? Aren't you interested in something else? You can go outside, or play any instruments."
Regardless I am sure he will want to do something else at some point.
Also it is scary how people in America negatively express themselves on the Internet. Like if that were their real personality. People in Japan do not really bad mouth each other not even on the Internet. We are afraid of the consequences."
What I found most interesting about her answer is how she plans to deal with her children using the Internet. We often know that parents have the authority to restrain their children from using the Internet, because they "know" it is bad for them. However the way she sees it is by allowing her child to realize on his own the damage he is causing to himself. As a parent she will suggest that there is a world out there and he has the change to experience it. I also think that that will help the child to feel more attracted on going outside and being active than using the Internet.
The other one responded:
"The Internet is very helpful to obtain information. Before it was very difficult to get learn about something i wanted to know. Now thanks to it it is so easy! The world is so wide but we are able to keep it small through it. It is very good that I can keep in touch with my friends and family. If I was a college student and I had to use the Internet to do my work it would be very easy to cheat! I would not be able to think or come up with ideas on my own. Overall I consider the Internet as a very important part o my life. In my list of having to pay for services for my house I would pay for water, electricity, Internet, gas. In that order.
Also because my husband's job depends on the Internet. It is very important to have it around the house. It would be like the end of the world if we were to lose the Internet for us.
I also think that If I lived inside the Internet my life would be much different. For example living in something like the matrix, I wouldn't be afraid of getting hurt. So I think that expressing yourself on the Internet is cowardly."
Out of this interview I understood that there are people who are also aware that children from our generation are not thinking by themselves. Because the Internet provides all types of information there is no need to spend time and ponder about something we can just google it. I have experienced that myself. I do not think this is matter of being smart, wise or ignorant. It just has to do with our interest of learning through thinking or theorizing. If this century is compared to the one before, the thinking and dedication difference is considerably huge. and if that one is compared to the one before is the same result. We are becoming less interested in creating and more used to updating.
Overall, it seems that in other parts of the world they are taught to be Thankful to the Internet for being a great source of information. That alone covers up any other negative impact it might have on us.
Monday, September 28, 2009
HW 6 Video Project
Digital Life
Originally uploaded by SayuriSatsu
Digital Life
Originally uploaded by SayuriSatsuDigital Life...
What Did I do?
On my video I showed myself doing what I usually do when I dedicate time to using electronic devices. I play the piano while listening to my ipod at times. This is because I am learning to play songs by ear so I found it very helpful. However I am aware that I am not really enjoying the moment of playing piano because I am being distracted with some other song and trying to imitate it. I honestly enjoy it more when I read notes or simply make up my own pieces.
When I stop playing piano I usually play wii. On the video I was playing alone, but usually I always play with my friends. And although we are not really paying attention to each other but each other's characters I consider it as spending time with them...During this time I usually listen to my ipod as well.
I decorated the setting by bringing many cables, remotes, CD's, etc. to demonstrate an electronic life. These are things that are in my house and although these are not put together like shown on the video, these are things my family and I do use. The room looked very disorganized because of all this but it seemed right because when I think of myself living the way I am surrounded by all this stuff, I consider it as a big MESS. I am not proud of it, but I do not try to hide it either, therefore I chose to show it on my video. There...shamelessly.
Watching my video makes me feel somewhat bored. Because seen from this perspective I am not doing anything interesting. I am surprised that I didn't get bored myself after doing the same for about one hour. I find it somewhat fascinating how all these devices can make you think/ feel differently once we are using it. However, I am aware that what I choose to do at times, such as the one on the video, is not healthy. I am wasting life time on something that is not physically helping me. But seen from this point how is doing what I am doing any different from staying at home and reading a book, or playing cards with a friend. These are not physical experiences but these are considered as "better" than playing video games or listening to music at home. I do not think that the main issue comes from being physically active or not, but how we behave with those around us inside or outside our comfort zone. So in other words, I do know that I am physically active enough to maintain a balance in my life, therefore when I see myself in the video I do not think it is suggesting anything else than a couple of minutes of me using electronic devices.
Based on my experience I do not want my little sister to continue on using this stuff for so long. Although she is aware of the impact on her life she still chooses to spend a long time on the computer. I do not tell her not do to it, but I do "remind" her of what she is doing. My attempts have been useless all along, without mentioning that I too spend too much time on the computer giving her an example. I cannot tell her to stop because I would be contradicting myself. The same would be if I had a child. If I were to use the computer for a long period of time a day and then restrain him would be confusing to him. If I want him to understand that I do not want him to spend so much time on this cyber world then I have to be outside of it myself to tell him some of the negative consequences it may bring based on my past experiences. I do not want to raise him in an electronic environment where he will eventually consider as normal.
Furthermore, I have adapted so well to believing that I AM the person on that video rather than the one who is watching it. I do not know how to clearly explain this type of thinking, but I can tell that not being able to distinguish the line that divides the real world with a frame showing the real world is something I learnt while growing up.
Electronic devices such as the wii can lead a person to ignore the real impact these are causing to his life. Personally I think the wii is one of the best, if not the best way of entertaining yourself and others around you. Being able to move it around to cause something on the video game causes the user to physically move. Therefore it is not as bad as it seems dedicating time to a video console where you have to be active to WIN. In other words devices such as the wii, or the PS3 are ways of distracting and attracting someone to the idea of "This is FUN". By communicating this message and make many people practice it, it causes the users to not be able to identify this contrast which is obviously harming. But then what isn't?
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
HW 5 Response to comments - GHIJK
Sandy:
First of all I would like to thank you for your response to my writing. I know it was very long to read and not very clear. So I appreciate that you dedicated your time to read it and understand it, even though it was assigned to do so. This is because, although we were in a group of 4 people you were the only one to respond to it, so once again thank you. I can tell that you really understood my different ideas regarding digital and electronic media, and I'm glad you liked the visual of my post. I really spend a fair amount of time choosing the right color that goes along with the background of my blog and of course the right image that would represent this topic.
I am aware that my writing is often not organized and therefore it could be rather difficult for the reader to really understand my point. Usually I have so many ideas about the assigned topic, and I just type them up as fast as I can so I do not forget about them. In your response you suggested me a way to make my writing better. By saying that "this blog could be further developed if you organized your ideas and put them in a logical order" it make me reconsider brainstorming my ideas first instead of writing a draft as you originally suggested. I personally do not like writing drafts. I am more comfortable using different methods, but I still appreciate your suggestion and I am even more aware that I do need to do something about my writing skills.
After reading your summary of my blog and your own personal connection to it, I considered a new fact that did not even crossed my mind while I was writing about this topic. I mentioned that our generation was so consumed by this technology and cyber space because we had grown up with it. I had in mind that the previous generation was the one who had brought up this electronic world into us for actually making it. But we are main the users of it. And the users are the most experienced. Therefore when you said that " we are the ones teaching our parents and grandparents how to use them" It made me realize that we are not the victims of this electronic world that was enforced into us, as I considered us to be, but the actual cause of disaster. We are not only influencing our previous generation, the one that is supposed to be teaching US about how to live, but we will also influence the future generations into this cyber space.
I can tell that you are more focused on how the number of people who are involved with this cyber world is just increasing through time. And although I mentioned that idea in my post, my main point was that cyber space causes the user to not be able to distinguish the gap between the real world and the cyber world at some point. I remembered that this was your main point on your own post, so I can understand why you interpreted my main point in that way. Although these two are different points they go hand by hand. If someone does not dedicate enough time using the Internet then that person is less to be unable to separate his real world with the world that the Internet offers. Therefore the number of people who uses the Internet, which is constantly increasing, is most likely to become less aware of reality and define this daily activity as "normal"; which will be passed on to future generations creating a never ending chain of unrealistic ideas.
Based on your comment and your post I would say that we are both interested about the ways of communicating to other people through the Internet, or through any electronic device. This leads me to think of an alternative way of living which I imagine rather complicated if not impossible to practice. The following question represents this idea, If the Internet was suddenly stopped along with other ways of communicating electronically, how would we share our feelings and thoughts to other people without that protective wall that saves us from fatal criticism?
I would love to hear what you have to say about this and I hope this comment about your comment made you think more about this topic or even provide you with new ideas!
First of all I would like to thank you for your response to my writing. I know it was very long to read and not very clear. So I appreciate that you dedicated your time to read it and understand it, even though it was assigned to do so. This is because, although we were in a group of 4 people you were the only one to respond to it, so once again thank you. I can tell that you really understood my different ideas regarding digital and electronic media, and I'm glad you liked the visual of my post. I really spend a fair amount of time choosing the right color that goes along with the background of my blog and of course the right image that would represent this topic.
I am aware that my writing is often not organized and therefore it could be rather difficult for the reader to really understand my point. Usually I have so many ideas about the assigned topic, and I just type them up as fast as I can so I do not forget about them. In your response you suggested me a way to make my writing better. By saying that "this blog could be further developed if you organized your ideas and put them in a logical order" it make me reconsider brainstorming my ideas first instead of writing a draft as you originally suggested. I personally do not like writing drafts. I am more comfortable using different methods, but I still appreciate your suggestion and I am even more aware that I do need to do something about my writing skills.
After reading your summary of my blog and your own personal connection to it, I considered a new fact that did not even crossed my mind while I was writing about this topic. I mentioned that our generation was so consumed by this technology and cyber space because we had grown up with it. I had in mind that the previous generation was the one who had brought up this electronic world into us for actually making it. But we are main the users of it. And the users are the most experienced. Therefore when you said that " we are the ones teaching our parents and grandparents how to use them" It made me realize that we are not the victims of this electronic world that was enforced into us, as I considered us to be, but the actual cause of disaster. We are not only influencing our previous generation, the one that is supposed to be teaching US about how to live, but we will also influence the future generations into this cyber space.
I can tell that you are more focused on how the number of people who are involved with this cyber world is just increasing through time. And although I mentioned that idea in my post, my main point was that cyber space causes the user to not be able to distinguish the gap between the real world and the cyber world at some point. I remembered that this was your main point on your own post, so I can understand why you interpreted my main point in that way. Although these two are different points they go hand by hand. If someone does not dedicate enough time using the Internet then that person is less to be unable to separate his real world with the world that the Internet offers. Therefore the number of people who uses the Internet, which is constantly increasing, is most likely to become less aware of reality and define this daily activity as "normal"; which will be passed on to future generations creating a never ending chain of unrealistic ideas.
Based on your comment and your post I would say that we are both interested about the ways of communicating to other people through the Internet, or through any electronic device. This leads me to think of an alternative way of living which I imagine rather complicated if not impossible to practice. The following question represents this idea, If the Internet was suddenly stopped along with other ways of communicating electronically, how would we share our feelings and thoughts to other people without that protective wall that saves us from fatal criticism?
I would love to hear what you have to say about this and I hope this comment about your comment made you think more about this topic or even provide you with new ideas!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
HW 4- First comments
To Sandy G.
After reading your post I realized that technology is much more around us than what I thought.
It is a great post and I really got something from it. You are very clear and I understand your point of view on Americans using technology.
From your post I understand that as a civilized human being it is inevitable to avoid the use of technology. Because of its current availability it is very easy to be consumed by it. Digital music, twitter, facebook, texting, etc. are awfully attracting, specially to young people. Therefore we choose to substitute any type of real interaction or physical activity with all this fascinating technology. It is categorized in such way because of the mayor improvements that have been done throughout the years. As a result it is now harder to distinguish the difference between reality and the virtual world. As we continue to progress technologically we continue to lose ourselves into it by drifting away from reality.
When you said "I also notice that in video games, as time has progresses the graphics for gaming becomes better and better, looking more realistic. "Good graphics," generally, are supposed to look real " It reminds me of my own experience with video games during my childhood. For example, I used to play the sims when I was little. It was a very fascinating game because I saw it as the "life" I did not have. Although the graphics were not that good compared to the ones in the sims 3, which came out recently, I still considered it as real. And even now with better graphics I can experience the same thing I did before. Which brings me back to one of your main points, which is, that as society develops technologically we continue to forget what was real before and what it is real now.
I agree with your point of view on the use of this technology. However, if you are making a point demonstrating that what you are saying is valid and represents society, then I suggest you to use additional information from a book or a reliable site that supports your ideas. This would not only expand your perspective but it would also represent that your idea is a reasonable concept on what we are currently experiencing. You could also consider adding examples of how your life is affected by using this technology. For example, you mentioned facebook and twitter, then you could add how you personally feel about them despite if they are identified as wrong. And also what are the advantages and disadvantages of using these communication methods based on your own experience.
Based on your post, I mainly realized that going against technology would only cause me not to be able to adapt to the current society. This is because we identify society as a technological society. It is indeed easier to choose the use of technology. However as you said it is not the best choice. I consider technology as one of the worst and greatest inventions of all times. I do find great advantages as well as disadvantages. But in my opinion, reasonable speaking this development is becoming out of control. We will not stop using technology. We cannot stop using technology. We do not have enough motivation to stop; and as an answer to your question "what can be done to avoid a totally technological society?" My answer would be "no much"
I really want to thank you for writing this post. It did not only make me think about certain things I did not consider before, but I learnt more about you. If you do add something to your current post, I would like to read it.
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To Brittani C.
This is a good first post. I really identified your voice, and your personal perspective on technology is understandable.
After reading your post I become more interested about the answer you are looking for. It is unknown what keeps a person so interested about technology. Based on your experience a person can spend a large number of hours infront of a computer or a TV screen. Although the reason is unkown you are still aware that someone can become addicted to virtual social networks, such as facebook or myspace. In your post you also identify the advantages and disadvantages of using the internet based on your personal experience. But are these advantages enough to explain the countless hours our society chooses to invest into this technology?
Your idea of "People spending so many hours a day watching T.V and web surfing" reminds me of the conversation we had in History class. We discussed how people chose to replace real activities or real conversations with the virtual world. To explain this choices we gave our own reasoning based on the positive side of using this technology. And with the purpose of continuing the discussion, I asked the following question to our small group: "Do you regret spending so many hours infront of the computer?" I do not specifically recall your answer to this question, but I do however remember what Esther said. She said that she did regret losing about five years of her life on that, which connects back to your idea of how there is something that keeps people so attached to this other world. The discussion we had was a just mere example of your point, and a demonstration of how other people experience a very similar situation like yours.
I agree with you about the advantages and disadvantages of using the internet. It is possible to be aware of what is going on around the world by using the internet as well as keeping contact with people around the world. However, the negative side of it is the time invested into it. As a reader of your post I identified these ideas. However, as a reader I would like to see more outside information from other people's perspectives or from the internet itself to support your ideas. I can relate myself to you because you speak only about your personal experience. But how about the society's perspective on the internet? Or how do you interpret what the previous generation says about our generation's choices regarding the internet? I think that adding more of this information would help you expand your knowledge of how society deals with this technology. I recommend using Andy's guiding questions or thoughts on the assigment instructions to help you cover most of the ideas that are currently being discussed in this unit.
Your post made me reconsider the time I choose to invest on my computer everyday. It would not hurt me to replace that time doing something more effective. I am aware that I will not have a second opportunity on living my youth and your post just convinced me even more that I have been doing the wrong choices. I became even more aware about the fact that there is people like me or worse with this way of life, and this caused to feel even more uncomfortable. I ceratinly do not enjoy it as I used to, but I doubt that I will reduce my time on the computer considerably. It is rather difficult killing bad habits.
Thank you so much about your post. It made me rethink my current actions and I might as well make a significant change in my life regarding my time using the internet, phone, TV, etc. If this actually happens then be happy because you contributed to this change by doing your homework.
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To Brendan S.
I really liked you first post! I liked how you started with a question regarding facebook. It sounds to me like if you were complaining about facebook throughout most of your post which shows your voice and a clear idea on what your opinion is about it.
Facebook has resulted to be a HIT in our society. Not only our generation but as well as the previous one. It apparently is one of the most addicting sites. The reason of why it has become in such way might be because people interpret facebook as a method of escaping from their own reality and hiding behind a virtual profile which shows a better image of themselves. Because this actually tends to work it causes people to feel more good about themselves. Based on your post, I can tell that your main idea of digitalzation is facebook. This might be because you have experienced many types of situations while using facebook. Such as people lying about themselves in their profiles, or people behaving in a different way compared to real life, etc. This can lead a person to feel frustrated about such a site, and therefore not see the advantages or the purpose of it.
This reminds me of one of my posts from last year. I specifically talked about facebook and I share a very similar idea to yours. This is what I wrote: "Another example from popular culture is facebook. In my opinion facebook has a great impact on the youth today. It is found as a way of communication between one another, and it is perfect for those who cannot talk face to face.This communicating method suppresses reality even more. Due to the practical way of hypocrite self-expression, facebooks helps the youth on avoiding reality. For example, countless hours are invested into checking messages or sending messages, so that the level of cyber popularity increases. Most people urge to be recognized in some way, therefore facebook exists to save their day. After all, the Internet is classified as the life of many. I personally do not have facebook, so I would not know the satisfaction it can bring. I cannot help to assume that it would be a total waste of time, but if folk messages are communicating methods to reduce life time on facebook, then I assume that it is "bad".
Today I do have a facebook account and I do get on it time to time. Because i only spend approximately 5 minutes on it everyday I still do not know why people are you fond of it. I am aware of some of the advantages, but I do still consider facebook as a waste of time.
To improve your post I would recommend you to be more open to this big idea of digitalzation. I am aware that facebook has impacted your life, but how about other sites or other devices under this category. You could add other people's opinions on this topic, like your parent's or your teacher's. What do you think of your own generation being so involved with this technology? And what do you think about the previous generation enforcing it even more everyday by upgrading it? You can brainstorm different ideas that would make you think more about the big picture and expand your knowledge regarding the general idea of this technological society.
Although I am not entirely against facebook I too do not understand why people choose to sit around for hours checking other people's profile or their own. I do agree that people use it to hide their true self in order to feel more comfortable about life in general.
After reading your post I began to consider more about the people who is really "attached" to this site. I am personally worried about them, but I do not see how it is any different from myself. I also spend many hours on the computer even though I am not using facebook. Either way we are wasting time and it is not helping us develop in any way. I need to seriously reconsider my schedule on the computer.
Thank you for writing this post. I enjoyed reading it and I hope you do add to it.
After reading your post I realized that technology is much more around us than what I thought.
It is a great post and I really got something from it. You are very clear and I understand your point of view on Americans using technology.
From your post I understand that as a civilized human being it is inevitable to avoid the use of technology. Because of its current availability it is very easy to be consumed by it. Digital music, twitter, facebook, texting, etc. are awfully attracting, specially to young people. Therefore we choose to substitute any type of real interaction or physical activity with all this fascinating technology. It is categorized in such way because of the mayor improvements that have been done throughout the years. As a result it is now harder to distinguish the difference between reality and the virtual world. As we continue to progress technologically we continue to lose ourselves into it by drifting away from reality.
When you said "I also notice that in video games, as time has progresses the graphics for gaming becomes better and better, looking more realistic. "Good graphics," generally, are supposed to look real " It reminds me of my own experience with video games during my childhood. For example, I used to play the sims when I was little. It was a very fascinating game because I saw it as the "life" I did not have. Although the graphics were not that good compared to the ones in the sims 3, which came out recently, I still considered it as real. And even now with better graphics I can experience the same thing I did before. Which brings me back to one of your main points, which is, that as society develops technologically we continue to forget what was real before and what it is real now.
I agree with your point of view on the use of this technology. However, if you are making a point demonstrating that what you are saying is valid and represents society, then I suggest you to use additional information from a book or a reliable site that supports your ideas. This would not only expand your perspective but it would also represent that your idea is a reasonable concept on what we are currently experiencing. You could also consider adding examples of how your life is affected by using this technology. For example, you mentioned facebook and twitter, then you could add how you personally feel about them despite if they are identified as wrong. And also what are the advantages and disadvantages of using these communication methods based on your own experience.
Based on your post, I mainly realized that going against technology would only cause me not to be able to adapt to the current society. This is because we identify society as a technological society. It is indeed easier to choose the use of technology. However as you said it is not the best choice. I consider technology as one of the worst and greatest inventions of all times. I do find great advantages as well as disadvantages. But in my opinion, reasonable speaking this development is becoming out of control. We will not stop using technology. We cannot stop using technology. We do not have enough motivation to stop; and as an answer to your question "what can be done to avoid a totally technological society?" My answer would be "no much"
I really want to thank you for writing this post. It did not only make me think about certain things I did not consider before, but I learnt more about you. If you do add something to your current post, I would like to read it.
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To Brittani C.
This is a good first post. I really identified your voice, and your personal perspective on technology is understandable.
After reading your post I become more interested about the answer you are looking for. It is unknown what keeps a person so interested about technology. Based on your experience a person can spend a large number of hours infront of a computer or a TV screen. Although the reason is unkown you are still aware that someone can become addicted to virtual social networks, such as facebook or myspace. In your post you also identify the advantages and disadvantages of using the internet based on your personal experience. But are these advantages enough to explain the countless hours our society chooses to invest into this technology?
Your idea of "People spending so many hours a day watching T.V and web surfing" reminds me of the conversation we had in History class. We discussed how people chose to replace real activities or real conversations with the virtual world. To explain this choices we gave our own reasoning based on the positive side of using this technology. And with the purpose of continuing the discussion, I asked the following question to our small group: "Do you regret spending so many hours infront of the computer?" I do not specifically recall your answer to this question, but I do however remember what Esther said. She said that she did regret losing about five years of her life on that, which connects back to your idea of how there is something that keeps people so attached to this other world. The discussion we had was a just mere example of your point, and a demonstration of how other people experience a very similar situation like yours.
I agree with you about the advantages and disadvantages of using the internet. It is possible to be aware of what is going on around the world by using the internet as well as keeping contact with people around the world. However, the negative side of it is the time invested into it. As a reader of your post I identified these ideas. However, as a reader I would like to see more outside information from other people's perspectives or from the internet itself to support your ideas. I can relate myself to you because you speak only about your personal experience. But how about the society's perspective on the internet? Or how do you interpret what the previous generation says about our generation's choices regarding the internet? I think that adding more of this information would help you expand your knowledge of how society deals with this technology. I recommend using Andy's guiding questions or thoughts on the assigment instructions to help you cover most of the ideas that are currently being discussed in this unit.
Your post made me reconsider the time I choose to invest on my computer everyday. It would not hurt me to replace that time doing something more effective. I am aware that I will not have a second opportunity on living my youth and your post just convinced me even more that I have been doing the wrong choices. I became even more aware about the fact that there is people like me or worse with this way of life, and this caused to feel even more uncomfortable. I ceratinly do not enjoy it as I used to, but I doubt that I will reduce my time on the computer considerably. It is rather difficult killing bad habits.
Thank you so much about your post. It made me rethink my current actions and I might as well make a significant change in my life regarding my time using the internet, phone, TV, etc. If this actually happens then be happy because you contributed to this change by doing your homework.
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To Brendan S.
I really liked you first post! I liked how you started with a question regarding facebook. It sounds to me like if you were complaining about facebook throughout most of your post which shows your voice and a clear idea on what your opinion is about it.
Facebook has resulted to be a HIT in our society. Not only our generation but as well as the previous one. It apparently is one of the most addicting sites. The reason of why it has become in such way might be because people interpret facebook as a method of escaping from their own reality and hiding behind a virtual profile which shows a better image of themselves. Because this actually tends to work it causes people to feel more good about themselves. Based on your post, I can tell that your main idea of digitalzation is facebook. This might be because you have experienced many types of situations while using facebook. Such as people lying about themselves in their profiles, or people behaving in a different way compared to real life, etc. This can lead a person to feel frustrated about such a site, and therefore not see the advantages or the purpose of it.
This reminds me of one of my posts from last year. I specifically talked about facebook and I share a very similar idea to yours. This is what I wrote: "Another example from popular culture is facebook. In my opinion facebook has a great impact on the youth today. It is found as a way of communication between one another, and it is perfect for those who cannot talk face to face.This communicating method suppresses reality even more. Due to the practical way of hypocrite self-expression, facebooks helps the youth on avoiding reality. For example, countless hours are invested into checking messages or sending messages, so that the level of cyber popularity increases. Most people urge to be recognized in some way, therefore facebook exists to save their day. After all, the Internet is classified as the life of many. I personally do not have facebook, so I would not know the satisfaction it can bring. I cannot help to assume that it would be a total waste of time, but if folk messages are communicating methods to reduce life time on facebook, then I assume that it is "bad".
Today I do have a facebook account and I do get on it time to time. Because i only spend approximately 5 minutes on it everyday I still do not know why people are you fond of it. I am aware of some of the advantages, but I do still consider facebook as a waste of time.
To improve your post I would recommend you to be more open to this big idea of digitalzation. I am aware that facebook has impacted your life, but how about other sites or other devices under this category. You could add other people's opinions on this topic, like your parent's or your teacher's. What do you think of your own generation being so involved with this technology? And what do you think about the previous generation enforcing it even more everyday by upgrading it? You can brainstorm different ideas that would make you think more about the big picture and expand your knowledge regarding the general idea of this technological society.
Although I am not entirely against facebook I too do not understand why people choose to sit around for hours checking other people's profile or their own. I do agree that people use it to hide their true self in order to feel more comfortable about life in general.
After reading your post I began to consider more about the people who is really "attached" to this site. I am personally worried about them, but I do not see how it is any different from myself. I also spend many hours on the computer even though I am not using facebook. Either way we are wasting time and it is not helping us develop in any way. I need to seriously reconsider my schedule on the computer.
Thank you for writing this post. I enjoyed reading it and I hope you do add to it.
Friday, September 11, 2009
HW 3- 1st Blog Post
The digital/electronic media is considered more and more as a necessity as we develop technologically. One of the results of this development is that the current youth is becoming more vulnerable to the effects of cyberspace. But, how can this affect their community and the next generation's?
The Internet is generally known to be the most effective way of finding any type of information. The number of people who make use of it increases everyday. The exploration of this virtual world is rather fascinating, specially for younger people. Who are known to be discovering themselves. Knowing about new sites, chats, updates, etc. Has become one of the greatest topics to maintain a conversation globally. This is because the entire generation many different countries are often to know about these as well. By doing so, the youth focuses more on a virtual community rather than the one they are surrounded by.
Furthermore, thanks to the computers, people can become the habitants of this virtual world. People who chat through the Internet tend to feel more comfortable about themselves and their situation. Because of this it is inevitable to make these people become less dependant of the Internet. We could recognize these concepts as being similar to a real community and because the virtual community offers identity, communication, confidence, self expression, objective, etc. Like an ideal real community causes the gap between these two almost nonexistent.
How could it be any different than what it is today when kids are often introduced to this technology around the age of 6. Teachers and parents allow the children to begin adapting to this virtual world and digital/electronic media since early age, causing them to involve these on a day to day basis. Today it is considered Normal to avoid reality and therefore it is continued to be practiced and taught to future generations. Even if parents decide not to introduce this virtual world to their children. These children will be eventually forced to make use of them to become part of a community, either the real one and/or the virtual one. One example is, the current job careers in society. It is a natural interest to gain a large amount of money from a career/job. And the jobs that depend on this technology are often to give a better income than the ones without it. This leaves no choice but to make those who are after it obligated to know more about all the actualization's of electronic media to avoid competition. And by doing so they are also updating themselves on current music, movies, video games, sites, etc. which helps them have a normal conversation.
The use of technology has advantages and disadvantages. Some of the disadvantages include of course addiction, apprenticeship of bad words, access to inadequate content, discourtesy to others, or even anarchy. The main advantage of it is that the user gains more knowledge of his society and history. As well of any interest of that person.
Personally I have experienced living in the virtual world and depending of it. As well as all devices such as cell phones or ipods. This electronic media has become a crucial part of my life, and I imagine it rather complicated and boring living without it. I do feel more comfortable speaking though chats or any other communication program that the Internet offers. without mentioning that making friends from other parts of the world is one of the most fascinating things to me, although it was through the Internet. In the virtual community I am involved these actions are not considered unusual, and although in my real community is the same, the many hours I have invested into it is often criticized by older generations. This causes me to feel somewhat uncomfortable, which leads me to think that the choices of the youth regarding electronic media is misunderstood, rather than wrong. Because older generations did not grow up surrounded by this technology, they are not able to understand how it automatically becomes part of one's life. In my opinion someone has to experience something in order to fully understand it. I do regret spending so many hours using the Internet and depending on my phone. This is because I became aware of the life I was missing out there. However, I am not able to stop being part of this media regardless of how much I regret it.
In conclusion, the digital/electronic media will always be present from this point and on.
So it is inevitable to avoid the cyberspace into our lives or the next generation's. The government continues to provide computers or new technology to schools, and teachers continue to make the children make use of these. It is a never ending chain that will not only become part of our lives but our lives at some point.
The Internet is generally known to be the most effective way of finding any type of information. The number of people who make use of it increases everyday. The exploration of this virtual world is rather fascinating, specially for younger people. Who are known to be discovering themselves. Knowing about new sites, chats, updates, etc. Has become one of the greatest topics to maintain a conversation globally. This is because the entire generation many different countries are often to know about these as well. By doing so, the youth focuses more on a virtual community rather than the one they are surrounded by.
Furthermore, thanks to the computers, people can become the habitants of this virtual world. People who chat through the Internet tend to feel more comfortable about themselves and their situation. Because of this it is inevitable to make these people become less dependant of the Internet. We could recognize these concepts as being similar to a real community and because the virtual community offers identity, communication, confidence, self expression, objective, etc. Like an ideal real community causes the gap between these two almost nonexistent.
How could it be any different than what it is today when kids are often introduced to this technology around the age of 6. Teachers and parents allow the children to begin adapting to this virtual world and digital/electronic media since early age, causing them to involve these on a day to day basis. Today it is considered Normal to avoid reality and therefore it is continued to be practiced and taught to future generations. Even if parents decide not to introduce this virtual world to their children. These children will be eventually forced to make use of them to become part of a community, either the real one and/or the virtual one. One example is, the current job careers in society. It is a natural interest to gain a large amount of money from a career/job. And the jobs that depend on this technology are often to give a better income than the ones without it. This leaves no choice but to make those who are after it obligated to know more about all the actualization's of electronic media to avoid competition. And by doing so they are also updating themselves on current music, movies, video games, sites, etc. which helps them have a normal conversation.
The use of technology has advantages and disadvantages. Some of the disadvantages include of course addiction, apprenticeship of bad words, access to inadequate content, discourtesy to others, or even anarchy. The main advantage of it is that the user gains more knowledge of his society and history. As well of any interest of that person.
Personally I have experienced living in the virtual world and depending of it. As well as all devices such as cell phones or ipods. This electronic media has become a crucial part of my life, and I imagine it rather complicated and boring living without it. I do feel more comfortable speaking though chats or any other communication program that the Internet offers. without mentioning that making friends from other parts of the world is one of the most fascinating things to me, although it was through the Internet. In the virtual community I am involved these actions are not considered unusual, and although in my real community is the same, the many hours I have invested into it is often criticized by older generations. This causes me to feel somewhat uncomfortable, which leads me to think that the choices of the youth regarding electronic media is misunderstood, rather than wrong. Because older generations did not grow up surrounded by this technology, they are not able to understand how it automatically becomes part of one's life. In my opinion someone has to experience something in order to fully understand it. I do regret spending so many hours using the Internet and depending on my phone. This is because I became aware of the life I was missing out there. However, I am not able to stop being part of this media regardless of how much I regret it.
In conclusion, the digital/electronic media will always be present from this point and on.
So it is inevitable to avoid the cyberspace into our lives or the next generation's. The government continues to provide computers or new technology to schools, and teachers continue to make the children make use of these. It is a never ending chain that will not only become part of our lives but our lives at some point.
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