Final Post!

I was a little weary going into this class about having the blog every week. I was worried that I would not be able to find anything to say and putting my opinions and beliefs out there is something that has always been difficult for me. I am a pretty private person, especially when it comes to the internet and this class forced me to go outside of my comfort zone a bit. I really ended up enjoying this class. I enjoyed the feedback that I got from other students. I personally, did not have any negative experiences with the other students in this class and am glad that I was able to interact with those that I did. It was nice to be able to relate to people and sort of get to know them more than you might in other classes. I really enjoyed all of the participation. I was worried about other students seeing all of my work at first but ended up being very comfortable with it by the end. It was different from many other classes in the way that most of the time you just hand your work into the teacher and they are the only ones to evaluate it. While the teacher was the only one actually grading the work, it was nice to be able to hear from everyone how they felt about what I was writing. I don’t think that there is anything that I would change about this course. I am not just saying that to “suck up” or anything like that either. I really seriously enjoyed this class and am glad that I ended up taking it. When I started college six years ago now, I was really into the communications classes. This class reminded me of how much I enjoy the subject. If I was not just 17 credits shy of graduating I might just change my major (again) to communications. I really enjoyed the blogging assignments and how they forced us to really think about things and forced us to interact with the other students. I believe that I am taking a lot away from this course. I view the internet differently and even blogging differently. I used to really think that blogging was stupid and that your life should be kept off the internet. But, now I am thinking that maybe I will start doing a blog on my own. It really helped me in some ways to get some thoughts out. I worry only though that the rest of the internet and people who may come across a blog will not be as accepting as the people in this class. I hope that everyone else had a good term and good luck with the rest of your finals!

Tying this all into Postman this week. As mentioned, these assignments shaped how I view the internet. Postman this week talking about how we should as students being educated be aware of the relationships between the technological and our physical worlds. For me, these assignments really brought the different “worlds” all together.

Hate Sites and the Misuse of the Internet

The first person that came to mind this week with discussions in Wood and Smith of hate sites and the misuse of internet assignment was Fred Phelps. I am sure many of you know who he is by now. He is the so called leader of Westboro Baptist Church and founder of sites such as www.godhatesamerica.com and www.godhatesfags.com . If you dare go to these sites, which I don’t suggest you do, you may be sicken by the material you find there. Rather here is a news article about Mr. Phelps and his church published by MSNBC http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29557689/ . The first time I heard of this site was years back when they were trying to erect a “monument” of Mathew Sheppard in Laramie, Wyoming where he was killed. For those of you who don’t remember who Mathew Sheppard was: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Shepard The “monument” was engraved with “Mathew Sheppard entered into hell on this day” I don’t want to get too far into this because we all have our different views and I know that homosexuality and such is a touchy subject. But whether you agree with the lifestyle or not, these websites are filled with disgusting examples of hate. The MSNBC article talks about some of the groups other antics and it is just appalling that they have gotten away with so much. These cites fuel hate and encourage deplorable behaviors. It is one thing to me to create a site, not matter how filthy or disgusting. But to go out into the world and lead hateful picketings and other organized activities is completely crossing a line. Sites like these should be shut down. Any cite that encourages such behavior towards another human being or group of people, or any living creature no matter what the reason should not be tolerated. Some of these sites cross the line from freedom of speech into action.

Like Wood and Smith talked about this week, anyone can have a web page. Anyone can create a site, and as of yet in the U.S. at least there is no real censorship of these sites. I know the internet is almost an endless source of information and websites. But it seems if some things on the internet can be controlled to a degree like child porn and illegal downloads, than others could be controlled too. One of the only saving graces of the internet is that if you don’t want to see something, you don’t have to go to that page. However, some of these groups bring their opinions and hate out into the public through various methods and that is where something should be done. The freedom of speech was not intended so that people could use hateful words in order to try and harm another. It was instilled in order to protect us. This misuse of the freedom of speech on hate sites is not protecting anyone. If it were up to me all hate sites would be ripped down, but it is not and so I know that maybe nothing will ever be done.

Wild Card

This was really hard for me to think of something to write about. All I can really think about is an incident with a relationship I had years ago. My boyfriend at the time used to give his phone number and other personal contact information out online to people he would meet. He was a big “gamer” and would meet people through various gaming websites and such and consider these people friends like any other person you might meet face to face. Well, I was raised not to hand out your information to people over the internet so this really bothered me. I didn’t think it was safe and some people (the females) were getting the wrong impression and thinking that he was interested. So he would get letters and calls from all sorts of people and it would always just really bother me, and we would get into fights about it. Had he really met these people, I think that I would have felt a little better about the situation. But since he was giving out information to people over the internet that he had never really met, I was really bothered by the situation. Besides the fact that I did not feel it was safe, some people were misinterpreting the situation. Some of the girls he would become “friends” with did not understand that he was just trying to be friends and nothing more. I think had he met them face to face they may have had a better understanding of his intentions. But since he was giving his number out over the internet they thought, “oh this guy must like me to be doing this.” He had been doing it for years (he was a little older than me so had been exposed to the internet longer). I just think as the times changed and the internet became more of a place for predators and the such he should have taken more care and not handed out any personal information. Of course since he had been doing this for years before we met, I could not change his mind. It was a constant source of irritation for me, but we never saw eye to eye on it. It was really the insecurity of the internet that bothered me. Who knows what type of people he was really handing his information out to. He would barely “know” them before he did this too, sometimes the same day he “met” them. Without having a face to face interaction with someone I do not see how you could feel safe enough to give them that sort of contact information. Even meeting someone face to face now a days you may be skeptical about giving them any sort of contact information right off the bat.

Postman this week talked about how we rely so much on science and look it for answers it can no provide. How we forget to use our logic and intuition. I think this is a perfect case of that. He wasn’t using any common sense when giving out his information, and more than once it got him into a little bit of a tough spot.

Generations

Interview three people from three different generations, 18-35, 36-60, 61 and up.  Discuss with them how they use the internet.  What are their primary uses of the internet?  How comfortable are they with communicating on the internet? Has technology changed the way they live their lives, for the better or worse?  In general, what do they think of the internet?  Summarize your interviews on your blog.  These may be posted as one blog or three separate blogs (though this still only counts as one week’s worth of entries).  What do you learn from comparing the three generations.  Due Feb 24.

 

For the 18-35 age group I interviewed my best friend.  She uses the internet for school and research but also as a form of communication.  Not only in emails but on websites such as myspace and facebook and chat programs like AIM.  She does not use the internet for dating as many other younger people seem to do. For the 36-60 age group I decided to interview my mom.  She used the internet for emails from work and vacation planning.  These are the things she almost entirely uses the internet for. Her internet skills are very limited.  She is able to navigate google pretty well but steers clear of using the internet for much else.  For the 61 and up age group I decided to interview my Grandmother.  She very rarely uses a computer.  My Grandfather is a big internet and computer lover but my grandmother has clung for dear life to her typewriter.  She just now is learning to use a laptop for word processing only.  Sometimes I will get an email from her but that is rare, and I think it is mainly transcribed through my grandfather.  It was very interesting how people use the internet differently by generation.  It seems for the younger generations it is a part of life, that we have grown up with and so we use it every day and for all sorts of reasons.   For the middle generations it seems that a lot of people only learned to use computers for work.  Since it is almost impossible to find a job that doesn’t use computers in one way or another.  And for the older generations some people, probably not all, seem to avoid them all together.  They are retired and don’t really have any need to learn how to use the internet.  They have faired their whole lives with out it so what is the point now?  I think I would probably have the same thought process.  On the other hand, my grandfather, who  I did not interview has taken on the internet as a hobby.  So, I know not everyone over 61 avoids the technology.  He uses  the internet for all sorts of things.  There is hardly a minute in the day when his laptop is not on and he sits in his chair at the table watching TV, eating peanuts, and surfing the internet. Being 23 it is hard to think of a time without computers. But really it was not long ago that computers and the internet were not household names.   Even in my life time I have seem the internet get faster and faster and larger and larger.  While computers just keep getting smaller and smaller and more powerful.

 

In the Wood and Smith reading this week the authors talk about the change into the information world.  Through doing these interviews I was able to see how different the generations views on the changes are.  The generation that knows no different, the generation that adjusts because it has to, and the generation that avoids the change because they are set in their ways.

 

 

 

 

Internet communities

Internet communities can be very helpful and informational. They allow you to connect with people of similar backgrounds or interests all over the world. In my case I decided to join a community focused around people who have the same medical condition as me. I thought that this would be a good way to share experiences and stories about our strugals and triumphs. People who are just being diagnosed and feeling depressed can get support from others who have already been there. Or people who have known for years and are going through a hard patch can just get their voice heard. General frustrations can be voiced as well. At first I really liked joining the community and it was nice to connect with other people and see what they were doing. It was nice to know that I wasn’t alone and I could turn to people for advice that was gained through their own experiences and not just the word of a doctor or someone who doesn’t have first hand experience.

After some time there were some things that I did not like about the community. One was that some people were convinced that they knew all the answers and that their way was the only way. Instead of giving advice in a helpful way they would give it in a judgmental criticizing way. Also, there is the saying “misery loves company” and it’s true. Some people just join these communities to feel sorry for themselves and bring others down with them. It could be frustrating at times to try and communicate with people and the same people would be just leaving their discouraging remakes. That really wasn’t what people were there for, but you can’t control what others say or do. Also, there was still some poor information provided. Since people would just use the internet to research things and decide that what they found was fact, and regurgitate it to the community. This was particularly frustrating because if you were to try and correct someone, they would get really defensive even if you were just trying to help. I did not want false information being passed on and the others/newer people to the condition being misinformed.

This week Postman talked about doctors being too reliant on machines for answers. This happens a lot in the modern world. We rely on all sorts of sources of technology for answers and don’t really question their validity or supplement them with other information. This can be a very dangerous trend in society. In relation to internet communities and my experiences with them I can see how many people could turn to these sources for answers. It’s important not to forget about the world around us and the other resources we have. Technology can not give us all the answers. After all, humans existed before any of these things came along. Doctors had to rely on their own hands for diagnosis. Even though the fatality rate was higher, as some things are difficult to diagnose without being supplemented by diagnostic tests, there were still able to treat many people successfully. We should let technology aid us, not take over.

Critique your sources

Going with the theme of this weeks readings I decided to find sources about Internet Addiction. I opened up my ever handy Google home page and typed in the phrase “internet addiction.” From this list, as I normally do, I looked at the description of the site and the actual web address. I am more than a little weary of clicking on just any web page. First, I chose Wikipedia. I often consult Wikipedia, as I think many of us do for quick information. In general I find that their information is pretty accurate but since anyone can edit a Wikipedia definition I like to refer to the sited sources at the bottom as well as see who actually wrote the article. You can do this by looking at the page history, and see all the times it has been edited and by who and what they did. Next I chose a site that I might not actually use myself, but I can see many people using it just for its name “internetaddiction.com.” Upon looking over this site I became very skeptical of it because it was a “12 step program” for internet addiction AND it seemed to charge for it’s services. Last time I checked, AA programs were free. This put up some red flags for me and I would not trust the information from this site because it seems like a web scam praying on those that feel they have an addiction. (This would be one of those sites Wood and Smith would say to look out for when searching for internet therapy, I’m sure.) For my last source I added another word to my Google search, “research.” This lead me to an article on www.apa.org . I would definitely trust this site because it is posted by the APA, a well known and reputable name in Psychology. Also, and this is something I learned in high school, anyone can have a “.com” site but not just anyone can have a “.org”, “.edu”, or “.gov” site. Any web address that ends in these is most likely( I am scared to say definitely) a reputable site. You also always want to check who wrote and article and what their affiliations are. Like if you read an article about how milk will solve all your health issues and then you see that it was written by the CEO of Dairy World. You would have to assume that they have some anterior motives rather than just presenting the facts. I think it is incredible important to evaluate your sources because one should be careful and thoughtful about what they repeat, especially in an academic context. If I were a professor, I would definitely look at the sources my students used critically. I would use the same techniques that I employed above, but also I would probably be more impressed if the student actually consulted texts rather than the internet. I am guilty, myself, of often just using internet sources, but I feel that texts are much more reliable and show initiative on the students’ behalf.

In the chapter in Wood and Smith’s book this week they talked about the good and the bad in turning to the internet. I’ve always been skeptical of what I find online but it was interesting to see how many people just suck up what they find online instead of questioning its credibility.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_addiction_disorder

http://www.internetaddiction.com/

http://www.apa.org/monitor/apr00/addiction.html

The Battle of Letters

After writing my letters I observed some distinct differences. First, with email there was a more casual feel. There was less emphasis on punctuation, formal letter form, capitalizations, and even the language used. In emails I often use the little symbol smilies like “:)” or “;)”. In a handwritten letter I would never even think to use these. The email was much longer because the ease and flow of typing made it quite easy to just go on and on. However, when writing my letter I just wanted to get it over with because writing by hand seems more like a chore than fun. Even when I get hand written letters, I respond by email. In my email letter (and other emailing experiences) I often start the email with “hey” or “hi” or just get right into what I am talking about. In the written letter I started it with the formal “Dear…” It would seem entirely strange to be to write a letter beginning with “hey!” There was much more thought and detail put into the grammar and punctuation in my hand written letter. In my email, I just typed and typed many a run on sentence and only stopped when a word was flagged with the little red squiggly. In the email, I didn’t use proper capitalizations. Instead of “I”, I would just leave “i”. This would never happen in a handwritten letter, I do not think ever in my life have I accidentally put a lower case “I.” But I supposed in the world of internet communications this has become acceptable. There were some differences, however in my email letter than in my normal emails. Because of who I was writing to, I refrained from using internet slang. Whereas in some emails I may use “lol” or other such acronyms. I don’t think many people would use these internet short hands in handwriting. I have seen it before but when I do it just seems out of place and I think the person doesn’t know what they are talking about. Also, how my letters were ended was different. At the end of my long hand letter I wrote “Love, Kim.” At the end of my email letters (as I end most of my emails) I wrote “~Kim.” I would seem rude and abrupt in a long hand letter to just end it with “Kim.” However, it seems with the internet there is a whole different set of rules. What may seem rude in a handwritten letter is completely acceptable on the internet. There are two different sets of manors for each technology. I have never really thought about it until now, but it seems that most of us follow these rules without even thinking about it. In most cases people are raised that letters are formal, emails are casual.

Interestingly enough, when thinking about this weeks reading of Postman Chapter 4, I wonder why we put so much stock into the information on the internet. Why is it that we believe the internet just because it is a technology, and has its roots in science? We have learned too much this term that people lie on the internet. So why is it that we use it so casually? After this assignment and critiquing my two letters, I think that I am much more likely to believe what is said in a handwritten letter/source (I am extending this thought to texts as well) than what I find on the internet.

Internet “alter egos”

I have both a Myspace and Facebook. My Myspace is private so only the people on my friends list can see it. When I first made my page 4 years ago it was public and the typical teenage page (I was 19). I was selective with my pictures, only posting falttering ones, tried to post something witty in the “about me” sections. However, I quickly became disturbed with attention from random strangers on the internet, so I turned my profile private and only have friends who I actually know in “real life.” I can see how easy it would be to create such a alter reality, but that sort of thing is just not for me, so I couldn’t do it. I keep my Myspace now only to have another way to stay in contact with people from back home. I don’t check it every day like I used to, and rarely even leave comments or posts (My last blog was about 2 years ago). My Facebook, however, is a whole different cup of tea. I don’t distort who I am on my Facebook, but I leave a lot out. I have lots of family on my Facebook: aunts, uncles, sister, in-laws etc. I supposed it is actually distorting my reality to “edit” my life. It’s not that I don’t have a family that I feel close enough to share with, it is more the fact of who will the information get around to. My husband comes from a very religious family, and there are a lot of things in our lives that they may not approve of. He comes from a family that does not ever drink, no swearing, just certain life style decisions that I chose to respect. So I guess I unintentionally create this clean cut alter ego to protect my family. I choose very carefully the things I say or post on my Facebook just for that reason.

Looking at other friends’ pages I can see how people distort their reality. A lot of people do this, I don’t know a lot of people that are completely honest on the internet. It’s your chance to create this person that you really want to be, or maybe even the person you really think you are and not have to answer to anyone. I mean, I’ve never gone up to a friend and say “Hey, you don’t look like any of your pictures” or “You’re not an athletic body type.” I remember when I first got the internet when I was 14, I never told anyone online that I wore glasses at the time. I hated wearing glasses and thought that I would be cooler without them. Did it hurt anyone for me to tell that little lie? I don’t think so. Did it make me feel better? Yes, at the time it did, no matter how silly it was. I think that is a lot of what it is, people changing their world to reflect how they wish things were, and in most cases it doesn’t really hurt anyone. It’s really a silly thing to do, but after writing this blog I realized that I still do it too, unintentionally. I edit my life to protect those around me, even though there is nothing wrong with the way I live. By leaving things out, it’s just the same as distorting reality because people don’t get the correct picture of who I am.

Internet Personas

First off I’d like to say that I love Jason Alexander’s portrayal of “the nerd.” He plays a character that is a middle aged, overweight, pizza delivery guy who still lives at home. He is the epitome of “uncool.” As many people do, he compares his life to the lives of people in magazines (in this instance Brad Paisley). He goes onto Myspace and creates a profile, claiming to be Brad Paisley who is everything he is not. He sits by his computer telling women he is tall, dark, handsome, and rich but avoids all personal contact. Turns out all the “hot women” he thinks he is talking to online are just other people like him pretending to be someone they are not in order to make themselves feel better. I do not get the feeling that his charade is really satisfying him though. In the end he finally comes to terms with who he is and goes for the girl next door who is much like him.

I know that there are a lot of people out there who claim to be things they are not, hiding being the shield of an internet screen. If there weren’t then we would not have to worry about internet predators and such. Although the character in Brad Paisley’s “Online” was virtually harmless it says a lot about the society we live in today. People feel that they have to create false personas or even steal someone else’s identity in order to feel good about themselves. I believe the effect is short lived though, because at the end of the night you have to look at yourself in the mirror. That was sort of the message towards the end of the video, in the end you have to be happy with who you are. He didn’t have to lie to get the girls, all he had to do was be true to himself and he was able to find his perfect match. People who aren’t going to love you for who you are aren’t worth it.

I would also like to comment on the part in the video where the mother asks the father why all of his friends online are so “chesty.” The pictures people post online are getting to be more and more sexual. Girls lunge their chests towards the cameras, and their friend’s list sky rockets. I hope no one takes that as any sort of a jealous comment, because it is not intended to be. Women just tend to put themselves out there are purely sexual beings on the internet instead of displaying their other attributes. It is one thing to have pictures on your profile, it is entirely another to be posing in lingerie. Why would someone want the world to see these pictures? Just for a long list of drooling comments from strangers around the world? Does it really make people feel that much better about themselves.

Basically the internet personas all come down to ego boosts, and low self esteem. I really think that only people who are truly unhappy with themselves would find a need to create a different persona online. Unfortunately, I think most of us are guilty of this in one way or another. Who is really going to know if we lie a little? We really only have to answer to our self.

Internet Abstainence

*Students must abstain from the internet…ALL internet interaction for one 24 hour period. You cannot use email, check Blackboard, see the sports scores, research, or do anything else on the internet. If you fall off the wagon, you have to start all over again. WHAT HAPPENS? You should blog about your period of abstinence. How does it affect your ability to communicate? How does it affect how you spend your time? What do you do to replace your time on the internet? These and other questions should be discussed in your blog.*

The assignment for this week was to abstain from the internet for a 24 hour period, which was actually a lot easier than a I though it might be.  My first reaction was, “Great, how am I supposed to abstain from the internet with 5 classes to attend to.”  Then I realized it’s the first week and it’s probably not going to hurt much of anything. I think the hardest thing was the fact that I was being told to abstain, which always makes something more tempting.

I do use the internet to keep in contact with a lot of my family since I am far from home, and so I have a facebook with many of them as my “friends.”  Normally that would be something I would check every day, but I  found that going one day without checking it really threw off my routine and so I went a few days before I remembered to check it and had lots of messages.  A nice surprise more than anything.

I spent my time with my husband watching movies and actually getting some much needed work done around the house.  It’s amazing how easy the internet makes things to procrastinate.  All the reasons seem really justifiable too, like “oh I have tons of homework can’t do the dishes right now”  but really? Who doesn’t end up window shopping or looking at some silly site like YouTube?

The internet is really just a crutch in a lot of instances.  From using it instead of a phone book to look up a number, or myspacing/facebooking instead of the old fashioned snail mail or *gasp* phone call.  It really has changed many things, whether for good or bad, that  is up to personal opinion.  It’s nice to have the world almost literally at your fingertips, but we shouldn’t forget about all the other things in life, like the dishes.