Final Thoughts

Naturally, I'm sure I'm the last to post...

But save the best for last! I reall enjoyed this class. I cannot help but apply concepts from class to my everyday media use. Whether someone is talking on the phone while checking out at the grocery store, to every time I pick up my blackberry, I cannot help but analyze my personal media use and judge others in the same way.

I think what was most useful in class were the round table discussions. I really enjoyed hearing what other thoughts about in class topics (especially during the cell phone unit). It was also comforting to know that my obsession with my cell phone and facebook is the norm amongst other girls my age (Thanks, Donna) which was apparent in classroom discussion.

I think in the future, it would be best to spend more time on Second Life. I truly believe that within the next few years, online activity within the classroom with increase. This year alone, I had three classes interacting with blogs and only completing assignments online. As this teenage generation (which has helped create and expand online virtual communities like MySpace and Facebook) grows older, so will the increasing amount of socialization on the Internet.

I also think I will be a better parent down the line. Though parenting is in the far, far future for me, I will be sure to pay close attention to my child's online usage and interaction with new technical innovations.

It's been a great ride for 11am on Tuesdays and Thursdays! Best of luck everyone! Have a happy holiday!

Cheers!

final thoughts

This class has really forced me to re-evaluate my media uses. It has made me look at things with new eyes, eyes that are far more aware of the influences technology has on our society and how the idea of community is being re-defined by technology.
I have given the most thought to my cell phone practices, probably since this is the medium that I most use in my day to day life. I now notice things about how I use my cell phone and I am more aware of how I am using it. For example, I try to never interrupt a conversation that I am having in real life with a cell phone call, either coming or going. Its that whole idea of “absent presence” that seems to take away from the value of day to day interactions. Also, when it comes to text messaging, I have noticed that I text more and more to the people I am close to in real life and less with people I don’t know as well. This is probably because I know I am going to remain close to the people I love no matter how I communicate with them. Texting allows us to communicate more often than we would with actual phone calls Sending quick little messages to those people keep us connected more often. However, with people I don’t know as well, I feel like the voice interaction helps us establish more of a relationship as well as lessen the chances for misunderstandings or confusion since we don’t yet know each other to well.
The same goes for IMing over the internet. I only IM with people I know and am close too. In fact, I have my screen name blocked to people who are not on my buddy list. I did this when I started to get IMs from people I did not know or did not want to talk to. Again, I believe this is because I like having the alternative form of communication with people I am close too but do not want that for people I am not close too.
In terms of social networking, I am starting to see it as a way from people to express who they are. I did not see it this way in the beginning because for me personally, I find it very hard to express myself in this manner. After spending time on MySpace and seeing the profiles of others, I can see how people do put a lot of time and effort into creating a page which is a true representation of who they are, what they stand for, and what they enjoy.
But I am still not convinced that this is true of Second Life (surprised?) I do not see people’s avators being an extension of who they are because it seems like such a change. I do however, believe that it is a good means of vicariously doing what is not always possible to do in the real world, such as fly or transport. When I was younger, I spent plenty of times wishing that transportation was really possible. Actually, I still wish it was possible whenever I am traveling or running late.
Overall, I do feel as if I learned a lot this semester about me and my media uses as well as some of the new media coming about that I would not have engaged in otherwise. Thanks everyone for the great semester!!!

This is the end

First I would like to start by saying that I am so sad the class is over. I have learned so much about media and the way it affects people in every aspect. Thanks Linda for making the class enjoyable and entertaining.

I never really thought about how much and for what reasons I use my cell phone and the internet. It was facinating having to sit down and think about my identity and the communities that I belonged to because of these different types of technologies. I have learned that I am very dependent on my cell phone. I also noticed that there are certain reasons why I make my online profiles the way I do.

I think that second life was an awesome expierence as well. I was really nervous about it at first because I had hear how wierd it was. I thought it was absolutely crazy that there were thousands of people online from different places around the world talking to eachother face to face....through our avatars. This section of the class was probably most interesting to me because it was so foriegn and more like an out of body expierence sometimes. I think that along with the girls in the class, and Linda I will also miss Greta from time to time.

Thanks again for a great class.

Love you all!

Thanks to all for a great class!

Thanks to all for your willing spirits in sharing this adventure with me. I learned so much from all of you about how these new communication technologies are integrated into your day to day life. Your stories and experiences gave me new insights into a subject I have thought about for years. Not only did I learn a great deal, but I enjoyed getting to know all of you better. Your generous and kind ways will remain with me for a long time.

…Some Concluding Thoughts…

When I signed up for this Comm and New Media course, I had no idea what to expect. From the course description, I knew we would cover certain technologies, such as the cell phone, social networking, and “Second Life,” but I had no idea what we would be discussing about each of the different technologies. Now that I have completed the course and can reflect on my class experience, I have gathered some concluding thoughts about my course experience.
First off, I can actually say there is a lot to consider when it comes to technology. This class helped open my eyes to things I never really considered before, or even had the idea to begin considering. Even though we spent a lot of time on mobile telephones, I must admit that I really enjoyed studying that area of technology. Mobile telephones are interesting pieces of technologies that are constantly changing and influencing the ways people interact with one another. Prior to this class, I would have to say that I did not consider myself to be addicted to my personal mobile telephone, but this class changed my mind, and it is scary! After several readings and analyzation of my personal mobile telephone practices, I would have to confess that I may be addicted to my personal mobile telephone. I was not aware that my personal mobile telephone was given to me as “digital leash” for my mother. Additionally, I find it amazing how slowly it is consuming my life during times such as “interspace,” and changing the way I interact with others around me. I realize that I have a weird attachment to my mobile telephone and have a hard time disconnecting the attachment. I feel naked if I do not have my phone with me, and texting has consumed my life. This class has made me aware of certain personal mobile telephone practices, and has influenced me to try and change my dependency on my mobile telephone.
Another thing this class has taught me is how to blog! I am not a blogger and this was the first time I have ever had to post a blog. I cannot say that I will continue blogging, but it is nice knowing how to do one. Oh yeah, and thanks to Mary, I now find myself checking out celebrity blogs every now and then-but thankfully not addicted yet! Haha! Along with Internet, I liked talking about social networking sites because I was interested to see everyone else’s pages and how they portray their identity. I am not big on social networking, but I do have a facebook and myspace that I like to use when I am bored or procatinating! By the way after two years and comments from my roomie, I finally updated my myspace-so check it out! What! What! My last favorite thing I liked in the class was the class experience on “Second Life.” I wish we could have spent a little more time because even though I found it frustrating, it was quite interesting and entertaining!
In conclusion, I liked this class and enjoyed receiving a new perspective on technology use. The most important lesson I learned is that technology is good so long as you use it within moderation. I am currently trying to work on my cell phone addiction! Additionally, I learned to be careful when it comes to people on social networking sites and “Second Life” because you never really know who the person behind the screen is. People can play with identity easily online and it is easy to be drawn into a potentially dangerous situation. With that said, I will end by saying I enjoyed this class!

Final Thoughts...

This has been a truly remarkable course that has allowed me to think outside the norm and really focus in depth about my experiences with the cell phone, blogging, social networks, and virtual worlds. I think that I have been able to gain an incredible amount of knowledge from this course. I have realized that I am so dependent on my cell phone and it holds me back in a lot of my relationships. I feel like through texting, I cut back on a lot of conversations and face-to-face interaction. I really wonder if relationships are going to be forever changed or if there will really be some way to bring back face-to-face interaction, so that our relationships with others are not weakened and/or terminated all together.

Something that was really reinforced throughout this class was the fact that these advances in technology keep children these days from the most important thing in life; family. Our society today has become so obsessed with the growing technology that we take so much of it for granted and we never seem satisfied, only hungering for more. Clifford Stoll talks about this major concept and in all actuality it really frightens me to think about what the next generation will be like! I feel like children are learning way too much at an early age and they are acting too old. It saddens me to think that they are missing out what is truly is to be a child.

All in all, this course was extremely helpful. It made me realize that although these new advances in technology are able to transform our lives and in some cases make things easier, there is a negative side to them that most people are not aware of. I have to admit that if I was not forced to think about how these types of media affect our lives, I never in a million years would have thought that talking on the phone in public was so bad! Also, I now feel like I am much more aware of the danger of social networks, especially the “not so private” privacy settings on facebook that we talked about. I feel extremely grateful that I was exposed to all of the information in this class regarding the types of identities that I portray with my cell phone especially. I am much more self-conscious about my ring tone and when and where I choose to use it!

Thinking back and reflecting on this whole semester…the role new media has played in my life is kind of depressing because it ruins so much! However, now that I am made aware of the problems, I am one step closer to fixing them!

Thank You Linda and Everybody else for opening my eyes and making the class discussions so great!!!!! :)

Comm. & New Media, as many have already mentioned, forced me to examine technologies I use on a daily basis but often took for granted. I never really thought about how these new technologies affected me personally, or my relationships with others.

From cell phones to blogging, this class was especially relevant and really resonated with me because these are things I use every day. In thinking about our class discussions I realized my cell phone, especially, is something that really is an extension of myself. If I forget my phone at home I feel lost, and almost empty for the day. It is an embodiment of who I am-from the ringtones, pictures, and phonebook full of friends-and I don’t feel right without it.

Also, our study of social networking sites really made me think about my expression of identity. In one of the previous posts someone wrote that Facebook is a billboard that advertises ourselves. I completely agree! But I also have to remember the discussions we’ve had about impression management and wonder if these representations of ourselves are really for us or, instead, meant for the public. If we’re playing for the audience our identity representations aren’t always wholly accurate-but rather what we want others to see.

Now, in my use of these communication tools I am so conscious of the things we’ve talked about I’ve began to change how I use them. Now, for example, I try (key word-TRY!) not to talk on a cell phone when I’m in public places. This is mainly because now when I feel I’m in a public place I want to be present and not off in my own world talking on a cell phone. This class almost made me feel guilty about how I was using these things in the past! I want to have that small talk and I do not want to be the girl in the corner, isolated, because I can’t break away from a probably meaningless conversation in the first place.