So, this is my first blog. Ever. I've had a journal before, but this is different because I have to concentrate on staying focused on the subject matter. Please make your comments fun to read. Don't be afraid to constructively critisize, either. Everyone needs a smile and a chuckle amidst these tough times. Here it goes.
I decided to carry out my period of internet abstinence over last Friday-Saturday. Friday morning at 11am was the last time I surfed the internet before Saturday around noon. This was completely intentional to pick Friday - Saturday, because I had planned earlier in the week to go camping Friday night. I am not the type of person who checks their e-mail 20 times a day, but I still missed checking my mail when I returned home early Saturday morning. It is a habit of mine to google anything which I don’t understand, and I found myself yearning to do this as well. The time I spent staying away from the internet was not too painful, as it was more enjoyable for me to go camping. However, when I returned home Saturday morning, I spent my time instead of getting on the internet playing my Nintendo 64. I’m the type of person who must constantly be doing something. I get very antsy if I am forced to sit motionless. Although I do admit that I am addicted to playing Nintendo games, they do not allow me to communicate like the internet does. Everyday life in today’s world requires one to use a computer for internet purposes. If I had been forced to go without the internet for longer than 24 hours, I don’t think I could have done it. It is imperative for me to log onto my personal checking account online, to converse with my student loan company, to send e-mails to important correspondents, and to pay bills. Not to mention the importance of checking my facebook, myspace, livejournal, gmail, Verizon, and blackboard accounts. Yes, I could live without these accounts, but I feel like they add an enhancement to my life which can’t be found though physical means. Facebook connects me with my college buddies, who I no longer live close to because I recently graduated. Myspace is a social networking site that makes it easy to communicate with old high school friends, distant family members, and explore music sites. My livejournal account details my personal everyday experiences and is useful to channel my intense emotions. I used to keep a written journal until my two younger brothers repeatedly stole it and made fun of me, so I have found an online private journal to be amusing. I have at least 3 e-mail accounts, each with their own specialized purpose. Blackboard is essential to attend the OSU extended campus. My previous college, Juniata College, also used blackboard, so I am already acquainted with the site. I think that the average college student uses 2-3 different online academic programs. I have previously used Moodle and Blackboard. To attend college, a student is required to be able to navigate through a computer and utilize the internet’s resources. Over my past four years at college, I used the internet to do more research than the research I did using library books! I don’t know where I would be without internet databases. I think that it is amazing how quickly our culture has transitioned into becoming dependent on the WWW. Just 50 years ago, computers did not even have the internet. It was invented in 1969. Performing everyday jobs without the internet seems ridiculous to me. It would take forever to travel to pay my bills manually, visit friends just to communicate, apply for loans, and perform daily errands. It would be impossible if I had a full time job.
Hi Ash! Reading your blog reminded me so much of myself because I am a student as well and have several different accounts online (Facebook, checking, email, etc.) It sounds like you have a very organized, meticulous system with your email accounts (I don't know if I could keep up with 3 email addresses at once!) I totally get what you mean though in terms of getting antsy and the need to search on Google or communicate with far-away friends online. I also think it's great that you've found that channel for expressing deep inner emotions on the internet in your online journal. I bet it's very interesting.
ReplyDeleteIts funny because before taking this class I never blogged before and its my first time blogging as well! Im glad you found a good time to where using the internet wasnt going to affect you to greatly because of your camping trip. But with me I do not go camping and it was a big inconvience to not be able to use the internet from email to communication with other people via different networks. I was reading you spent some of your time playing your nintendo games. I also spent a great deal of time endulging in my playstation Madden and NCAA games. From doing this excercise I realized just how much the internet plays in my life and from reading yours you noticed that importance as well.
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