Previous to this class, my concept of technology was that it is a necessary evil. Even though it helps us accomplish many tasks throughout our day, it also has its drawbacks. This class basically opened my eyes to the historical perspective of technology and showed me its future directions in a much bigger picture than I had imagined before. I like how Postman told the entire story of how technology has transitioned from a mere presence in our lives to a construct of our very own culture. He brought many points to the table which I have never considered before, including how medical technology is more important in the process of diagnosing a patient than is the communication between doctor and patient.
Wood and Smith talked more about the internet than about technology in general, but I think that they unearthed some major reasons why people act the way they do online. They talked about how the context of communication has changed because more and more of our communication is done through mediated means. I never really realized the extent to which these mediated means have affected our society. Personal relationships suffer because there is less face-to-face communication. I think that these trends are hurtful to the functioning of humanity, because they foster senses of mistrust, confusion, and deception.
This class has given me some pretty valuable experiences, especially in the blog assignments. I see the implications more clearly now of how technology lets situations become misinterpreted, and how situations are different when played out in the realm of cyberspace. With the first blog, we found out firsthand how dependent on the internet we actually are. Now just think how much harder that assignment would have been if we had to abstain from ALL electronic technology. Could you survive a day without your cell phone? Would you feel lost, alone, and depressed?
Technology fills multiple roles in our life. It’s both a footstep and a monster in disguise. As we saw with the interview assignment, younger people see the internet as part of their everyday life, whereas the elders are wary of its every function. I think the older people have a longer sight in the matter, because they have seen a greater amount of history unfold than the younger generation. However, the fact that I’m part of the younger generation makes me see the internet as a crucial part of society. If we’ve got it already, how difficult do you think life would be if it were destroyed?
I particularly found the letter blog assignment to have the most surprising result. When I sat down to handwrite a letter, I thought that it wouldn’t sound much different than an e-mail. I discovered that I have become so used to writing e-mails that when I actually wrote a letter to send through the mail, it was very formal and objective. I mean, who does that anymore? I’m sure people still do use this slower “snail mail” approach to communicate with their friends. I just think the way I do about it because I’m a college student who’s hooked to AIM and facebook. Why would I need to write a letter when I could just type an e-mail faster and find out what’s going on in my friend’s life by viewing their status on facebook?
This class has definitely enhanced my life and given me a fresh and sensible opinion about our culture and how it is influenced by technology. Both books did a very good job in explaining what is lost by the dependence we have incurred upon ourselves. I thought that Postman took much more time to read, and if I could change one thing about the class, I would take out some of the extra words and stories which Postman cited to prove his points. I loved how Wood and Smith communicated their message by defining newly coined terms to describe emerging technologies and their surrounding vocabulary. But overall, I truly enjoyed this class.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Friday, August 7, 2009
Miscommunication Online
I began dating my current boyfriend, Chris, in the early days of summer of 2007. We immediately hit it off, and began our initial friendship by telling each other childhood stories. We got along so well, and the words never stopped flowing. The communicative connection we had was one-of-a kind, and we thought it was irreplaceable. Conversely to these beliefs, when I went back to college in the fall, I lived 2 hours away from him. But the extension of distance between us was nothing compared to the miscommunications we experienced while talking online.
Chris and I had become so attached emotionally to each other during that summer. Then suddenly, we only saw each other on weekends and were forced to correspond through mediated means. He had Verizon, but I only had a tracfone, so talking on the phone was reserved only for emergencies and for information on a need-to-know basis. AOL’s instant messenger program consequently became our primary mode of communication. Now let me tell you both of our attitudes toward the program. Chris HATES AIM, and thinks that it’s a waste of precious time that could be used to be productive. However, since it was for me, he was willing to do anything, because I loved AIM. When I used to live at college, I was an instant messenger addict. The activity associated with talking to my friends and surfing the internet accounted for many hours of my day, and I used it to procrastinate my assignments every day. It was a bad situation looking back on it now, but at the time, I felt so stressed about my schoolwork that I dug the hole deeper.
While I was at college, Chris and I talked a lot over AIM. However, the communication lines between us became tense very easily, much more easily than in real life. It was harder to sense what the other was feeling, especially when Chris typed me one word answers to my questions. We are both extremely emotional and sensitive people, and AIM simply made our conversations less comfortable. I missed being with Chris so much when I was two hours away from him, because we continued to have a close and committed relationship, but he seemed so far away because of our AIM conversations. It just felt like there was always something left unsaid.
One day, our conversation went from rambling about our daily activities to a social situation which made Chris uncomfortable. When he attempted to explain himself, the details of his explanation confused me so much about the situation that I told him that I had no idea what he was talking about. Next, he replied with “no, and you never will know what I’m talking about.” Well, that phrase set me off in an angry rage, and so I said “screw you” and signed off. That’s not a nice thing to be saying to my boyfriend. We were both frustrated in the break in communication caused by our inability to express how we really feel online.
If this situation would have happened when Chris and I were standing face-to-face, we would have never gave up and stopped communicating. We would have continued the conversation until a mutual understanding been reached, and not walked away in anger like we both did the night of the tense online conversation. Wood & Smith cite on pg 182 that as we rely more and more on technology, it “plays a critical role in shaping changes in society.” Chris and I have both agreed that we hate where the world is heading, and that the changes brought upon by the continuing and increasing reliance on technology cannot be good ones. What is being gained by our culture is nowhere near the amount of what is being surrendered by our culture to technology.
Chris and I had become so attached emotionally to each other during that summer. Then suddenly, we only saw each other on weekends and were forced to correspond through mediated means. He had Verizon, but I only had a tracfone, so talking on the phone was reserved only for emergencies and for information on a need-to-know basis. AOL’s instant messenger program consequently became our primary mode of communication. Now let me tell you both of our attitudes toward the program. Chris HATES AIM, and thinks that it’s a waste of precious time that could be used to be productive. However, since it was for me, he was willing to do anything, because I loved AIM. When I used to live at college, I was an instant messenger addict. The activity associated with talking to my friends and surfing the internet accounted for many hours of my day, and I used it to procrastinate my assignments every day. It was a bad situation looking back on it now, but at the time, I felt so stressed about my schoolwork that I dug the hole deeper.
While I was at college, Chris and I talked a lot over AIM. However, the communication lines between us became tense very easily, much more easily than in real life. It was harder to sense what the other was feeling, especially when Chris typed me one word answers to my questions. We are both extremely emotional and sensitive people, and AIM simply made our conversations less comfortable. I missed being with Chris so much when I was two hours away from him, because we continued to have a close and committed relationship, but he seemed so far away because of our AIM conversations. It just felt like there was always something left unsaid.
One day, our conversation went from rambling about our daily activities to a social situation which made Chris uncomfortable. When he attempted to explain himself, the details of his explanation confused me so much about the situation that I told him that I had no idea what he was talking about. Next, he replied with “no, and you never will know what I’m talking about.” Well, that phrase set me off in an angry rage, and so I said “screw you” and signed off. That’s not a nice thing to be saying to my boyfriend. We were both frustrated in the break in communication caused by our inability to express how we really feel online.
If this situation would have happened when Chris and I were standing face-to-face, we would have never gave up and stopped communicating. We would have continued the conversation until a mutual understanding been reached, and not walked away in anger like we both did the night of the tense online conversation. Wood & Smith cite on pg 182 that as we rely more and more on technology, it “plays a critical role in shaping changes in society.” Chris and I have both agreed that we hate where the world is heading, and that the changes brought upon by the continuing and increasing reliance on technology cannot be good ones. What is being gained by our culture is nowhere near the amount of what is being surrendered by our culture to technology.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
3 Interviews
The internet has many uses. I don’t think I could even name every use of the internet if I tried. Although I already had an intuition that different generations use the internet for different purposes, this assignment really categorized the attitude each generation has toward the internet. My findings were not astounding, but they have given me some insight as to how our culture has changed and how newer, better, and faster technology affects the comparative generations. I say that technology is better because I’m in the 18-35 category, if you know what I mean.
For this assignment I first interviewed my grandmother aka “Grams” who lives down the street. She has only been around computers since 10 years ago. Her first personal computer came at the age of 63, when my dad decided to buy her a Compaq desktop. I remember loving that computer when I would go over to Grandma’s house, and it seemed like my brothers and I used the computer to play games and get on the internet more often than she did. When I interviewed her a few days ago, she informed me that I was correct in thinking that she rarely used it. The only two clear motives she has for using her computer is to download pictures from her camera and to check her e-mail. Even so, she also has an AIM screen name. I frequent AIM, and I have NEVER seen her online.
The next person I interviewed was my mom, since she fits into the middle-aged category. We talked a lot about this class in our discussion about the internet. She thinks of the internet as a place where you can make or break your future. Her entire job depends on the internet, mainly through use of e-mail. She works as a network administrator at a local company which builds equipment for chemists, and it employs hundreds of people. All of these people have their own computer at work, and my mom’s job is to respond to technical problems dealing with their computers. The internet is an essential piece of her life, and also a big part of her personal life. At home, she uses the internet to look up sports scores, check the weather every 5 seconds (seriously!), e-mail, do research, and just plain surf the web. I don’t know if my mom could go longer than a few days without the internet. It has changed her life by letting her develop a certain degree of dependence on the easy convenience of the technology. She knows this and is fully aware of the consequences. Don’t moms know everything? We had a deep conversation about how many people ignore other people by allowing technology to take precedence over their personal relationships. It’s sad how our culture has been changed by CMC.
On pg 129, Wood and Smith cite that “Formerly sharp divisions between home and office-illustrated by the vast differences built between suburban ”bedroom communities” and urban corporate centers-are hard to differentiate as millions of Americans learn the art of telecommunicating.” It’s true. There are becoming less and less boundaries as to what is appropriate in the workplace, or even where the workplace is located. My dad used to telecommute, and he did performed his job just the way as he would in the office. However, I think he played more computer games when he lived at home and worked. I don’t even think his boss cared that he played computer games, as long as his productivity didn’t waver too much. I think that telecommuting isn’t fair to everyone else, and that it allows corruption and many people to take advantage of the company they work for. CMC has allowed us to work at home. Is it the best thing for society? I don’t think so…
For the third person to interview, I talked about this assignment with my boyfriend. His relationship with the internet is not unlike my own. The main purpose he has for getting online is to take care of the need-to-do errands. He checks his e-mail, pays bills online, checks his account balances, and on the fun side, watches youtube videos. He feels as though use of the internet in excess is bad news. He also brought up the point that when you attend college, it’s impossible to stay away from computers and the internet. I agree with him in that it feels like much of a college’s student’s time is taken up by being online. Whether it’s researching, socializing, or getting those need-to-do things done, the internet is at the center of today’s higher education curriculums. Our generation is much more dependent on the internet, and it has made its way into our culture. Social networking sites are everywhere, and the internet has transitioned into something with which you can fulfill your every need. My boyfriend Chris is very uncomfortable with communicating over the internet, because he can’t pick up on nonverbal signs well through its use. I remember when I used to talk to him though AIM and he would give me one word answers to my questions. It was because he couldn’t tell what emotion I was feeling, and didn’t want to say the wrong thing. He’s right, online communication definitely distorts lines of communication.
For this assignment I first interviewed my grandmother aka “Grams” who lives down the street. She has only been around computers since 10 years ago. Her first personal computer came at the age of 63, when my dad decided to buy her a Compaq desktop. I remember loving that computer when I would go over to Grandma’s house, and it seemed like my brothers and I used the computer to play games and get on the internet more often than she did. When I interviewed her a few days ago, she informed me that I was correct in thinking that she rarely used it. The only two clear motives she has for using her computer is to download pictures from her camera and to check her e-mail. Even so, she also has an AIM screen name. I frequent AIM, and I have NEVER seen her online.
The next person I interviewed was my mom, since she fits into the middle-aged category. We talked a lot about this class in our discussion about the internet. She thinks of the internet as a place where you can make or break your future. Her entire job depends on the internet, mainly through use of e-mail. She works as a network administrator at a local company which builds equipment for chemists, and it employs hundreds of people. All of these people have their own computer at work, and my mom’s job is to respond to technical problems dealing with their computers. The internet is an essential piece of her life, and also a big part of her personal life. At home, she uses the internet to look up sports scores, check the weather every 5 seconds (seriously!), e-mail, do research, and just plain surf the web. I don’t know if my mom could go longer than a few days without the internet. It has changed her life by letting her develop a certain degree of dependence on the easy convenience of the technology. She knows this and is fully aware of the consequences. Don’t moms know everything? We had a deep conversation about how many people ignore other people by allowing technology to take precedence over their personal relationships. It’s sad how our culture has been changed by CMC.
On pg 129, Wood and Smith cite that “Formerly sharp divisions between home and office-illustrated by the vast differences built between suburban ”bedroom communities” and urban corporate centers-are hard to differentiate as millions of Americans learn the art of telecommunicating.” It’s true. There are becoming less and less boundaries as to what is appropriate in the workplace, or even where the workplace is located. My dad used to telecommute, and he did performed his job just the way as he would in the office. However, I think he played more computer games when he lived at home and worked. I don’t even think his boss cared that he played computer games, as long as his productivity didn’t waver too much. I think that telecommuting isn’t fair to everyone else, and that it allows corruption and many people to take advantage of the company they work for. CMC has allowed us to work at home. Is it the best thing for society? I don’t think so…
For the third person to interview, I talked about this assignment with my boyfriend. His relationship with the internet is not unlike my own. The main purpose he has for getting online is to take care of the need-to-do errands. He checks his e-mail, pays bills online, checks his account balances, and on the fun side, watches youtube videos. He feels as though use of the internet in excess is bad news. He also brought up the point that when you attend college, it’s impossible to stay away from computers and the internet. I agree with him in that it feels like much of a college’s student’s time is taken up by being online. Whether it’s researching, socializing, or getting those need-to-do things done, the internet is at the center of today’s higher education curriculums. Our generation is much more dependent on the internet, and it has made its way into our culture. Social networking sites are everywhere, and the internet has transitioned into something with which you can fulfill your every need. My boyfriend Chris is very uncomfortable with communicating over the internet, because he can’t pick up on nonverbal signs well through its use. I remember when I used to talk to him though AIM and he would give me one word answers to my questions. It was because he couldn’t tell what emotion I was feeling, and didn’t want to say the wrong thing. He’s right, online communication definitely distorts lines of communication.
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