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.

Use and Abuse

Analyzing the media I use every day has been extremely interesting, and yet unnerving. Looking in depth at how people use technologies like the cell phone, Myspace, and Second Life has created an almost cynical view on my part regarding these social practices. It is not that these things are inherently bad, but it is more, the misuse of these practices that causes me to feel this way. When individuals ‘chat’ on the cell phone and never say anything of importance, spy on others via Myspace, and waste away the hours on Second Life without forming new relationships with the people around them is when I begin to worry and wonder about the state the world is in. I feel as if these technologies are taking away from what is really important within life – human (meaning face-to-face) interaction. I believe that without this interaction, an important part of a person will be missing. This part, whether it is labeled social skills or physical communication, should be developed within every person, for we are all on this earth together. Without interacting physically with one another, the physical world around us would deteriorate right before our eyes. Staying together emotionally and spiritually through physical interaction is an essential part in every person’s personality and mental development. I do not see how these interactions could be replaced with virtual ones, and still have our everyday lives be meaningful and fulfilling. Although relationships can be formed online and through the use of the cell phone, and although some of our research from the semester may indicate otherwise, I do not personally believe these relationships can ever serve as a substitute for face-to-face interactions.

It is interesting to note, however, that although I have a certain outlook on these forms of media, I will continue to use them myself in everyday life. However, I think it is important that I learn to not abuse these technological privileges that I possess. Using the cell phone, Myspace, and Second Life to enhance the relationships I already have formed within my real life is possible. It is important, however, that I not become reliant on these technologies to form and maintain relationships. It is the dependence on these media that ultimately hurts interpersonal relationships among people. Hopefully, as a result from this class and my ability to critically see how these media are used and how they affect our lives, I will be able to achieve a balance between their use and my own personal relationships. Perhaps it is my small town values coming into play, but this whole dependence on media to create and keep relationships has me skeptical. This article, although in different terms, explains everything I am attempting to convey through this blog post. Media is both valuable and harmful to society. It’s all in how you use it.

This class has given me the outlet to embrace and showcase my inner-nerd. I love all of the advancements in technology and can't wait to play with the latest and greatest gadgets or software.

Like others have mentioned, I am seeing my technology use in a completely different light. This semester, I've started to analyze my own use of my cell phone, facebook, blogs, and SecondLife and have found myself pondering that identity question. "What is this person trying to tell me?" I find the need to ask, "How is this person using this technology to better convey their authentic self?" I think these questions will haunt my thoughts forever. I'm okay with that. I really enjoyed playing with the idea of identity and multiple identities online and through new technologies. I'd never thought about how different I am with the various people I call on my cell phone, or how the fact that it's a mobile phone affects the way I use it. Also, I've decided Facebook is like a billboard that advertises YOU. How creepy is that? And why am I still on it?

The past semester has been a welcomed forum and brainstorm for finalizing my comp topic. So thanks, you guys! Our class discussions were enjoyable, informative, and creative. I'm continuously amazed by the brilliant women at SMC!

That being said, this class has given me the blogging bug. I've started my own blog as a creative outlet and have been posting absurd, self-deprecating short essays. If you'd like to take a look, I'd love comments and feedback. It's a little crass, so please don't let my use of four-letter words harm my grade!
Bringing it back to academia... However, in beginning this blogging endeavor, I've discovered a very active and addictive "20-something" blogging community. Everyone is so supportive and encouraging. Knowing people read and enjoy what I write has me hooked!

When I first came in to this class, I never really imagined that I would look at the technological aspects of my daily life in such a different light upon completion of the course. I basically took for granted the technology in my life, since I have become so accustomed to using so many different forms over the years.

It all started with AIM for me, then the constant use of the cellular phone, leading to obsessive Facebook usage and eventually to the wonderful world of Second Life. I can honestly say that I don't know what I would do without certain aspects of technology, with my cell phone as the most important and Facebook creeping in at a close second. Second Life I could do without, but if I spent a few months getting used to it, I could see myself getting attached to it as well. As with any technology, it takes a while to get used to, but it becomes impossible to live without.

Comm and New Media has made me scrutinize my every use of technology, while analyzing my personal sense of identity and community along the way. I have also opened my eyes to my tendency to "lurk" within various communities. I have found myself frequenting many blogs, especially since most websites and online articles have adopted a "comment" section, which is essentially a blog in itself. While I have been frequenting these blogs, I have noticed an overwhelming urge to participate and include my own comments. I have even created a few usernames and begun to do this.

I think that this course really made me realize that I don't want to participate in the blogging world as a lurker. I want to open up and allow others to view my opinions, inside of having a verbal exchange with my monitor and keeping my opinions to myself. I like what this class has done to me in this respect, I enjoy being able to actively participate in the communities that I have been lurking in for so long.

A whole new world...

I was on a ridiculously long flight home to Chicago last week from Seattle when I engaged in a conversation with an employee from Yahoo! next to me. I had asked him, “If I have so much technology now, will my kids just be permanently plugged in?” To which he replied very matter of fact, “Yes.”

This has honestly been one of the most eye-opening classes I have taken here at Saint Mary’s… besides my Catholic Social Thought class of course :-) I was always aware of the fact that new media like blogs, cell phones, and social networking sites are slowing taking over our lives, but I never really came to terms with the fact that it is happening so fast! These things are consuming our lives like none other. Before I used to just brush off my, and others, use of new media forms. Now, I cannot get on Second Life without really considering how attached I am to my avatar. I can’t even get on Facebook without scrutinizing the identity I have put forth for all to see. Even cell phone use goes through my mind as more than just a daily activity. How did she answer her phone? What was her ring-tone? What kind of mobile does she own? It is all so much more fascinating to me.

I can honestly say I have really learned how to analyze and look at new media use in a way I never have before. I do not simply go through the motions any longer when it comes to blogging and walking along the beach as Trista Sands. Those activities are no longer ways to procrastinate writing that term paper that’s due in five hours. It’s a way to look at myself and who I am becoming.

This semester has been very reflective for me. Analyzing my usage of new media helped me to understand the unique way I use cell phones and blogs in my daily life.

One of the things that has really been brought to my attention is how comfortable the younger generation is using this technology. I just have a sense that, even though I am pretty well versed in modern technology, I will be behind the times in a few years. I sometimes get exasperated when my mother can't figure out her cell is an actual phone and not a walkie-talkie...but I am afraid that will be me in a few years. Even being on Second Life, I felt like I was a bit outdated.

Second Life in particular was the one area of new media where I didn't feel that comfortable. Whereas, when I first got AIM or Facebook I was addicted from the start. Being on Second Life was a little too surreal for me. I felt very on edge the whole time I was on it, and think my own inability to adapt is going to be one of the reasons I will become outdated.

One of the things I did love about this semester was being able to reveal my secret celebrity blog obsession. :) Being able to talk about that and vocalize where the attraction to the blogs came from was a very introspective look at how I personally form communities.

Overview of Class

Thank you very much Renee for the pictures. They were quite lovely :)

Throughout this past semester we have touched on identity and community within the world of cell phones, personal blogs and second life. I never really put much thought into any of these new media resources, but now after this class, I have a whole new perspective.

Every time I see my brother texting back an forth between his friends and his girlfriend, I will think about how different the various age groups use the cell phone's technology. I will also be more cautious of how I treat my future children someday when they want a cell phone. Although there are many options today on keeping a GPS tracking system on the cell phone user, I will make sure that I don't make my children feel as if they have a "digital leash" around their necks.

The next time I go and read my favorite blog - Something Old and Something New, I will think more about the kind of interactions I may be having with the blog's author. Although I may not make a direct posting on that person's page (lurker), I do take the time to read her entires as well as check out the various items that she suggests (and even go on to buying them!). I will also be more aware of the kind of impact that a blog posting can have on my audience. If a blog is set to open readership, then everyone can read and respond, and I must be prepared to receive various different comments and feedback.

As for Second Life... there is so much more to be discovered that I cannot even begin to comment on. Second Life is truly a second world that can become addicting and even take over some people's lives. My computer, however doesn't seem to like the software that much, so it doesn't look like addiction will be a problem with me. I do want to be able to explore the world even more and test out my avatar, make friends (safely) and hopefully someday join SMC as we get our own island! Overall, it has been a very interesting experience.

Thank you Professor Berdayes as well as the rest of the class for a great semester. I never knew that there could be so many different levels to the items that we discussed in class - it was definitely eye opening!

Hey all, I was taking screen shots throughout our tour today and thought you guys might want to see them. You can get a better look if you click on each picture. It will open it bigger. I was having trouble getting good angles, but I don't think they turned out so bad. Feel free to download and edit anything.



Great shot of Misty's big hair



We meet Bender



Checking out Bender's SMC shirt. How nice was that?



Back of the SMC shirt



Art gallery tour



Hanging out in the church



The church was made from Bender's photographs - how pretty!



Watching a movie


Gathering at the library commons



Entering the library



Exploring the reading lounge



Misty relaxes in a bean bag chair


Checking out the research help



Thank you, Bender!!

MUDers

“Welcome to the wild side of cyberspace culture, where magic is real and identity is a fluid.” Chapter Five of Howard Rheingold’s The Virtual Community discusses the world of cyber cultures and its relations to human activity. In my opinion, these virtual gaming worlds present a huge social danger, especially for the college aged participant. It is an activity that is dangerously addicting. Rheingold argues that most of these MUDers “spend most of their walking lives in their alternative world.” MUDs (Multi-User Dungeons) were the main example throughout the article of an online social community. Within this world, users are able to create an identity as specific as your gender, social characteristics and physical appearance.

Most MUD users are males and usually college aged. I attribute this to the social shift that happens when you enter collegiate life. When coming to school here at Saint Mary’s, starting a new social routine was difficult. Where as in high school your day was pretty structured and filled with school and extracurriculars, college is a new experience that is open to many opportunities. For about the first month of school, I had no idea how to manage my time. I knew the priority was to go to class, but to find outside activity in a new, unfamiliar environment was difficult. Going from a very busy, high demanding lifestyle in high school to having complete freedom in college left me with enormous amounts of time to fill. This is where I see many student discovering online communities like Second Life or MUD. Because so much of a college student’s life is spent on the computer (writing papers, reading emails and so forth…) it is easy for them to create an alternative identity online which could occupy empty time that would have otherwise been spent in front of the television.

Although I did not join an online community, I did join Facebook within the first two weeks of college and I was hooked. I would just keep the web page up on my screen and refresh the browser every time I entered the room. In an article found on the Daily Vindette, the author discusses the addiction of Facebook (http://media.www.dailyvidette.com/media/storage/paper420/news/2006/08/31/Features/College.Students.At.High.Risk.Of.Internet.Addiction-2252399.shtml) Laura Braun exclaims, "Alcoholics have booze, drug addicts have cocaine and college students have Facebook. Just when students found a carefree activity to occupy themselves for those 45 minutes between classes a new addiction has surfaced. Internet addiction is on the rise and college aged students are highly at risk." Just like facebook, MUDers also have been criticised for being a high risk population for addiction. In Rheigold's article, he first and foremost examines the fascination behind the program. Why are people using this medium so obssesively? It challenges your real identity and allows you to develop a new person, if not multiple, to live the 'online life' the way you choose. You could be a 30 year old stripper or a 65 year old investment banker. In the MUD life, you can be a wizard, inheriting magical powers that in the real world, would never exist.

Even though Rheingold's chapter was interesting, I simply cannot imagine myself joining such a website. magic carpets and magic swords were never my thing. I will happily stick to my Facebook identity and real life Nicole. I like my authentic self and in no way would enjoy trying to juggle a duplicated version via the Internet. Although I appreciate this can be some college student's way to socialize and create an alternative identity, I feel it is better to continually develop the real life you that cannot just be closed with the click of the cursor.

Bud Light Presents

Ok, so I know this is in no way academic, but I thought it was hilarious so I HAVE to share...

Everyone knows the "Bud Light Presents" commercials right? you know, the ones where they salute a real man of genius? Well here is a new one:

BUDLIGHT PRESENTS: REAL MEN OF GENIUS..."Today we salute you, Mr. Myspace addict. You thought you could just log on once, but little did you know it would consume your life. Joining one pointless group was just not enough. Adding every person you never spoke to in high school, and people you've never met who live 3000 miles away just to be "virtually" popular. As if IM wasn't enough to feed into your stalker-ish behavior. Oooo look at you with your 14393 "friends". So go ahead, crack open an ice cold BUD LIGHT, Compulsive Away Message Checker Turned Myspace Psycho. It's too bad that you're not too popular at the bar, but in virtual reality, you'd be the life of the cyber party."


I think it's hilarious to see how much this whole obsession with social networking online has saturated everything in our 'real' world! Even our beer ads!

Is Blogging Another Man's World?

I am a 21 year old female, and can honestly say that I have never really been into blogging. For me blogging is not something I think about doing when I am on the Internet. I have never posted, read and responded to a blog prior to this class. I tend to find blogging to be some what time consuming and something my short attention span cannot handle. When I am on the Internet, I tend to overlook most blogs I come across especially if they are too wordy. The few blogs I happen to read tend to be juicy or important to me in some way, but I still do not comment or respond to the few blogs I do read. With that in mind and going back to last Tuesday’s readings, I think I would be classified as a “lurker” (creepy word for people like me) and not a participator in the blogging community (Blanchard 3). The reason I believe I am a “lurker” instead of a participator is because I am not a big fan of intellectual discussions/arguments, writing about what is on my mind, or giving detailed information about myself on a public space for others to see (Blanchard 3). I believe all the things I just mentioned provide fuel for blogging communities.

We are living in a time in which people want to be heard and want stand out. This is a big world and people always seem to be competing for things. Unfortunately, not everyone is heard, not everyone stands out, and not everyone wins. It is for this reason in which I think blogging has gained popularity. Blogs are people’s private/public space in which people can quickly and conveniently write blogs about whatever they choose. It is through blogs that people are able to express themselves without shyness, interruption, and can be heard by several of other people worldwide. Blogs are a place in which a person can show or discover his or her identity. For the most part, blogs can be a place for heavy debate, questions, thoughts, or as a place to keep record of day to day events. Unfortunately the thing is, now that there are so many blogs, not everyone’s blog is heard or given much attention.

In today’s article it is stated “that a ‘democratizing’ technology does not automatically result in social equality, and points to the importance of social and cultural factors surrounding technology adoption and use” (Herring 1). I agree with this statement. I agree with this statement because blogs are meant to be used by anyone how he or she pleases. Blogs are suppose to give everyone the same equal opportunity by allowing people to stand out, say what they want, and be what they want. Instead, I do not see this when I happen to run across blogs online. What I see is some extremely popular blogs, and then I see some blogs who do not have any visitors. Additionally, I tend to see more females and teenagers spilling their personal lives/thoughts online, and I wonder to myself- is this because women and teenagers are not heard in society so much as men? Is blogging online the only place women and teenagers are able to be themselves, and express what they want and still be heard because they cannot do so in society without feeling out of place? If this is the case, then why do the numerous blogs written by women and teenagers not get as much, if not more, attention than the few popular blogs written by men? Is this just another world in which a man still tries to prevail over women and teenagers, and blogging is just another form of technology that reiterates that? I hope not, but according to Herring’s article, and this article I am starting to think it might be that way.

P.S. To check out the only blog I tend to be a “lurker” at click here, and I am proud to say it is by a woman. =)

The differences between women, men, teens, almost teens.

When I was going over the reading for today, I was thinking about the graphs that there are in the reading where they show who and how many are using blogs, and online journals and etc.

I think that it is interesting to think of the reasons why the different demographics blog and why some don’t blog as much.

In the first graph, it is a graph charting the usage in teens verse adults and within that is female and male bloggers. Female users are more prominent as teenagers. I think that there is a reason for that which is related to the fact that teenage girls really want to talk. When it comes down to it, girls want to talk and since they are teenagers, it is a little awkward talking to either their parents or other teenagers, and by other teenagers I mean boys. The article that I found relating to this was in USA today http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techinnovations/2005-10-30-teen-blogs_x.htm.

I think that boys who are teenagers are also less likely to blog during those years because they are more awkward and like to be silent as opposed to talking. Teenage boys usually don’t even like talking on the phone, let alone getting them to write online journals.

As teenagers grow up, I think there is a social change between men and women. Women become more likely to stop blogging and men become more likely to start blogging. Men become more interested in things online and I think that is a reason why they start blogging more. I think they want to have a place where they can let out personal and even emotional things considering that is socially unacceptable when they do it all the time in the open and in real person. I think that women are socially allowed to do that kind of thing. It is almost expected for them to be emotional and personal when in public and in real life so they may be less likely to feel the need to do it online.

The other charts were quite similar and they expressed the same results. That at younger ages, girls are more likely to have weblogs of some sort and as they grow older, through the emerging adult to full fledged adulthood, girls simply fall out of the blogging communities. Boys however are less likely to belong to these communities as teenagers because of the socially awkwardness and the unmotivated ness to talk on the phone, online, or through text messaging. When these teenage boys grow up to be men, they are faced with the unacceptability of their emotions and feelings and live in fear of not being “real men.” Writing on the internet could potentially be an outlet for them to express themselves and still maintain their strong persona in the real world.

I think that is very interesting after reading this article to think about the differences between men, women, teenage boys, and teenage girls. There really is a difference in their abilities to socialize and to express themselves as a result of their age and I think that as they grow older it either becomes not as necessary or a an alternative route to expression depending on men or women. .

Ross Mathews: Self-Proclaimed Flamboyant Television Personality and Creator of "RossBlog"

Who Exactly is Ross Mathews, and how has blogging escalated him to virtual and literal stardom?

During Ross' senior year in college he earned a position as an intern with The Tonight Show - the #1 rated late-night talk show in the nation. His internship was spent doing the typical (menial) duties that most interns face, until the last day of his internship when he was informed by the head writer, that they believed Ross had what it took to be on television. He was told to leave immediately with George Clooney, whom he was to accompany to the premiere of "Ocean's Eleven." His assignment was to interview various celebrities as they made their way down the red carpet.

The premiere was an enormous success, and Ross was asked to cover many other highly publicized events, including the Olympics. During the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Torino, Ross started writing an extremely popular blog for The Tonight Show website. Ross was subsequently hired to blog full-time, has traveled the world as a Tonight Show correspondent, and is now described as "a staple of late-night television and a favorite of the public and celebrities alike."

Blood concedes, "By writing a few lines each day, weblog editors redefine media as a public, participatory endeavor" (130). RossBlog allows its readers to gain access to events that are typically off-limits to the public. Readers are able to get a glimpse into an ethereal world, feeling as if they are celebrities, even for a brief moment. Ross' silly, light-hearted commentary provides for, what Blood describes as "an unexpectedly intimate view of what it is to be a particular individual in a particular place at a particular time" (131). While the majority of us "common folk" will never get to experience what it feels like to be jet-setting with George Clooney, we can always live vicariously through RossBlog.

Although RossBlog is seemingly just a light-hearted account of the "marvelous and mundane details" of day-to-day life, Ross also covers current events of great importance. He participates in "the dissemination and interpretation of the news that is fed to us every day" (Blood 130), adding a unique spin to the stories.

For example, he covered the Writer's Guild of America in a somewhat personal manner. Ross described seeing many of his friends on strike and wrote, "After telling them all how much I support them, I took a picture with my blackberry and wanted to share it with you in order to put a real face on a story many of you are reading about in the paper or watching on the nightly news" (11/5/07).

RossBlog allows its readers to experience events that they would probably never have access to, outside the virtual world. Ross Mathews is able to insert his own views on current events and influences his fans to follow his example and "find [their] own opinions and ideas worthy of serious consideration" (Blood 132).

If the blogging world could escalate this college senior communications major to star-status, what could it do for us?!

Blogging about Blogs

I have experienced firsthand how powerful belonging to a blog community can be. Reading blogs has become an obsession of mine the last year or so. By doing so, I have fully integrated myself into an online celebrity gossip community. Celeb gossip blogs are becoming extremely popular, and I have found my place in a physical as well as online blogging community. People who read certain blogs religiously, like Perez Hilton and TMZ are connecting in person as well as on the internet. I will only discuss my favorite celebs with other friends I know are frequent Perez, TMZ, and The Superficial readers. Reading these blogs affords a user status among other celeb fanatics. If someone does not read these blogs, there is an assumption that the person is clearly behind in her celeb knowledge. The only way to fully participate in a celebrity-based conservation in person, is to have all of the up to date information. While the blog is important to me in physical conversations, I am more of an observer on the actual blog than a participant. I do not leave comments or replies to blog postings. My sole purpose while on the sites is to read the information provided. Even though I am not a contributor to the blog, I still feel like I am a part of it.

The blogs are considered the most up to date sources and to not be acquainted with them leaves you behind in your celebrity knowledge. These blogs are replacing weekly gossip magazines for me. While I will still occasionally buy an US Weekly or People, more often than not, the information in the magazines is something I have already known for days. The turn around time for the blogs is so much faster than the magazines, that it is entirely possible that the continued growth of blogs, could potentially wipe out competing magazines one day.

Blogging has become such an integral part of our generation that bloggers themselves are able to become celebrities. As a career blogger, Perez Hilton has done his own television special, has appeared on countless television shows including, The View, and is a common fixture in the weekly gossip magazines. Through blogging, a person who was once just reporting on celebrity scandals has now become a celebrity himself. That is a true symbol of how wildly popular blogs have become. In some cases it is not even the information itself, but the way the work is presented. The celebrity blogs have continued the traditional language of blogs as “irreverent and sometimes sarcastic.” It makes reading the blogs, not only a way to be informed about celebs, but it has an entertainment factor that continually draws me back.

The blogs have even evolved into something bigger than themselves. Most have truly become, as Blanchard states, “a website that is updated frequently with new material posted at the top of the page.” This style is incredibly conducive to following your favorite celeb’s antics. Frequent updating allows for the newest information to be easily accessible. Then as you scroll down the page, or move backwards to a previous page, it is a process of “catching up” on my celeb gossip. The accessibility of the blogs is also a huge factor in my devotion to them. I regularly check the blogs, multiple times a day, and checking them does not require a large time commitment. I am usually on my computer doing homework, or on AIM, so the blog reading can happen simultaneously. Reading blogs has become a large part of my daily life and their importance to face-to-face conversations will likely continue to grow.

You've been Facebooked!

I remember freshmen year, I used to wait with bated breath at my computer, hoping against hope that my Hottie McGorgeous from Dillon Hall would accept my friendship on Facebook. I remember my roommate used to get “Facebooked” by guys across the street that found her in the DogBook and looked her up on Facebook. I remember when the most important goal in my life was hitting triple digits in my friend count. As young, awkward freshmen in college, our most important contacts were made through such sites as Facebook and MySpace. I didn’t know a soul on campus, and these online networks were ways for me to find people and groups that I was interested in.

I kind of miss those blissful days of care-free Facebook. I didn’t care who I friended and being “facestalked” was flattering. However, I now have my profile set so high on the privacy settings that I might as well not have a profile at all. As I have grown older and a little bit more mature, I began to realize that those connections I make in real life are so much more satisfying than those I made on Facebook. My relationships of those I met on Facebook or MySpace never went anywhere beyond a poke or wall post; hardly a satisfying relationship.

Don’t get me wrong, I have tons of friends on Facebook that I know in real life, but I would definitely say relationships with those I friend on Facebook are more solid in real life than they are in cyberspace. Hottie McGorgeous is a fleeting thought to me now. I communicate with my friends via Facebook to wish them a virtual happy birthday, make inappropriate comments on their walls, or to share an inside joke through a virtual Facebook “gift”. It is no longer a way to create my relationships, but to enhance them.

It does seem that some relationships are suffering due to these online networks. I have actually seen buttons and t-shirts that say “MySpace ruined my relationship” before. On the other hand, this blog post argues that Facebook itself is using trust to make advantageous marketing ploys. The duality of online networking systems is a very interesting theme to explore. I know that I personally do not think that Facebook is a base for my relationships, but I do believe that it enhances them. Other individuals, however, feel it has more influence than that.

Dwight is on Second Life!

Okay, for all you The Office fans in the class...did anyone see this week's episode??

http://youtube.com/watch?v=qQGTyc6k4JA

You better believe Dwight is on Second Life! Too funny!

See you in class!
Nicole :)

social networking, how real is real?

I am still surprised by how popular online networking has become over the past few years. Almost everyone I come in contact with has some profile online. In the 'getting to know you phase' of relationships key questions are now "where do you live?", "Whats your phone number" and "Can I look you up online". It is pretty much a guarantee that you can find someone online. But I always wonder, how well can you get to know someone through what they post on the internet? Is the internet really a way for you to get to know other people or is it a means for people to pretend they are something they are not. There really isn't a 'big brother' censoring what you put about yourself on the internet. Sure, there are consequences and nothing is ever private, but for the most part, there is no way to prove what is true and what is false when it comes to online networking. In many ways, social networking allows participants to create the identity that they want, not necessary the identity they have, as seen by other individuals. This became apparent to me in the article about teens and MySpace. In the very beginning, there is a quote from a teen who admits that MySpace allows her portray the identity that her peers in school know nothing about. Social networking allows for self-expression in a way that you might not be able to show in real life with your face-to-face relationships.
This use a social networking is absolutely harmless and in some ways, probably healthy for that shy, new girl with few friends. The main appeal of social networking is that you are able to write whatever you want and be whoever you want. However, this fact only does create a problem, cue the online predator. Which such an opportunity for flighty identities, more and more people are falling victim to online harassment, especially teens and younger. CBS examines the growing interest in social networking, noting its increased probability for online predators here.
With such a vast online community, it is next to impossible to censor it and even more impossible to trust it. When developing relationships primarily online, who is to say what is true and what isn't? Are so many people depending on online relationships because they feel it is safer because they don't have to interact face-to-face, despite the fact that they might never know if they person they are communicating with is really who they say they are.
Needless to say, I am bringing out my untrusting nature at this point. I just cant imagine getting involved in a relationship online with someone, anyone, without knowing them in person to back up what they are saying online. Who is to know whether they are presenting themselves accurately or not.
This fact concerns me even more when I think about all the children and preteens with internet access these days. A good percent of users on social networking sites are children under the age of 18. These children and their parents should be aware of the internet dangers these sites present.
So despite the freedom the internet allows, I cant help but wonder if this is all too much of a good thing when it comes to the more impressionable youth. Who knows what kind of people are out there in cyberland . . . . .

How Private are your Privacy Settings?

I have taken every possible precaution to make sure that every profile on every online community I have is as private as possible. My profile is blocked on MySpace. You cannot even search for me on Facebook if I haven’t already added you as a friend. I don’t even have anything written on my Second Life profile. However, I recently discovered that putting all of your privacy settings on “stay the hell out” doesn’t always work. Here is an article describing some of the problems this conundrum has created.

I won’t go into details, but I had placed something on my supposedly private Facebook profile that I did not want the entire world to see, just those people that I know. However, one of my supervisors at Notre Dame hacked on to my profile and found it. I was reprimanded by about 73 different people about 86 different times that day. My scholarship was even threatened.

I felt so betrayed by my good friend, Facebook. That day I even stripped half of my profile. All the pictures that were tagged of me, my interests, I was tempted to delete my entire wall as well. I am frightened to know that even if I place all those protections on my profile, people can still find me and people can still see things I don’t want them too. Does that make me naïve to think something as expansive as the internet is not private? Or is it wrong of those communities to lull me into a false sense of security?

Even administrators seem to be having a problem with online communities and their reputation. However, it does seem that employers are being pressured to stop this type of behavior.

(Just incase that last link does not work: http://www.onrec.com/newsstories/18848.asp)

Online communities - a breeding ground for hate?

I love online communities. I love Facebook, I love blogs, I love Second Life. Connecting with people from all over the world makes me feel worldly. However, I recognize there is a danger in the internet. There always has been. I remember when I was in middle school, my parents gave me unsupervised unlimited time on the internet. Of course, I spent it chatting with boys on AIM, but my one rule was "No Chatrooms." I'm sure my mom had a vision of some creepasaurus rex stalking and abducting me (she, like many of us, has a horrible fascination with Dateline's To Catch a Predator). But after many years of scouring the internet and "meeting" new people, I realize that, if I play my cards right, I'm not going to encounter the elusive internet predator. However, I feel that if I identify as an "other", or what Slack identifies as the "marked", I open myself up for relentless harassment. By "other", I mean by identifying as a woman.

Sexual harassment and threats are not new to the internet. The anonymity of the virtual community is a breeding ground for hate. You think The Observer is bad? Check out some of the comments on youtube. It's downright hateful. And because it's so rampant and so anonymous, it can't be pursued legally.

Which begs the question.... do you all think the internet should be monitored?



(Note: I've lost my toolbar. This seems to be a site-wide problem, according to Blogger.)
Here are the links I wanted to add: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10912603/
http://www.tpmcafe.com/blog/coffeehouse/2007/apr/12/misogyny_in_our_midst

Connectivity Across the World

In Smart Mobs: The Power of the Mobile Many, Howard Rheingold presents a case for the emerging importance of technology, specifically the use of Short Message Service, in the formation and coordination of unified masses. Despite the fact that these groups – termed “smart mobs” by the author –demonstrate a plethora of diverse objectives, they are united by the (radical) ways in which (coordination) is achieved. Rheingold presents several examples of significant smart mob movements, such as the assembly of tens of thousands of anti-Estrada Filipinos in 2001 or the highly-tactical maneuvering of demonstrators at the “Battle of Seattle” in 1999. The outcomes of these gatherings – the peaceful overthrow of President Joseph Estrada and the disruption of World Trade Organization talks – indicate that today’s technologically-assisted methods of “swarm strategies” are indeed important considerations for politicians, militaries, organizations, and citizens alike.
In the modern world, the cell phone has become one of the most effective means of communication. The cascading effect of this, of course, has been the implementation of cell phone technologies into countless facets of everyday life. From joke-sharing to advertising, the cell phone has changed the ways, and speed, in which we live our lives. Rheingold captures this in his article, highlighting SMS’s effect on an abnormally large scale. As he indicates in the latter part of his article, the emergent properties of swarm systems is potentially reflected in the evolution of the cell phone into an instrument of massive social networking – both for good and for bad. In essence, the development of cellular technology has progressed far beyond the visions of its creators based upon the morphing cultural climate of our world today.
Whereas the author focuses on events that are, to some extent, outside of the individual reader’s life (such as the use of global positioning for the military or the utilization of SMS for the organization of a protest group), he does not fail to mention emerging technology’s presence in the day to day lives of people around the globe. For example, he briefly discusses “interpersonal awareness devices” such as the Lovegety keychain device that was introduced in Japan in 1998. Since then, the world has witnessed the invention of diverse applications that enhance communication, such as the introduction of GPS technology or the growing force of SMS marketing. Today, a cell phone user can employ an application such as Loopt to determine her friends’ positions to within thirty feet – a capability that one could hardly have dreamt of years ago. (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/11/14/BUGMMMC1KE1.DTL) Another possibility over which advertisers have lusted is the potential for SMS marketing; from coupon distribution to the notification of special sales, companies are taking advantage of the cell phone’s proximity to its user. Already, text messages have been used to send offers and promotions to potential customers in malls or small localities.
Finally, Rheingold’s reflection on the cell phone’s ability to coordinate group behavior is epitomized by the inception of emergency text message alert systems at college campuses across the country, including the University of Notre Dame. Similar to the ways in which text messages were used to coordinate movement during the “Battle of Seattle,” these systems alert students of danger on campus in order to prevent their usual congregation in classroom buildings and other structures.
As the use of cell phones continues to grow across the globe, it is no surprise that its capabilities are expanded and developed to enhance the ways in which we live. The quickest and, arguably, most reliable form of communication, it is the perfect instrument for transmitting a message; whether that be the announcement of a promotion, the warning of a danger on campus, or the disclosure of a time and place for a protest, SMS and related technologies surely indicate a dramatic shift in the ease of connectivity across the world community and the ways in which such changes affect every aspect of our lives.

“I’m So Much Cooler Online”

This is a song title from the new Brad Paisley CD. The song lyrics are all about the different personalities that one can acquire through online chatting and profiles. The lyrics are both funny but scary at the same time. http://www.elyricsworld.com/look/b/Brad-Paisley-lyrics/Online-lyrics.html

These lyrics remind me of the days when I was younger and just starting out with the whole instant messaging thing. When my family first got a computer, My mom would talk online to my family in Germany and my aunts and uncles. She started by using AOL instant messaging, which I also wanted. My first screen name was emmylousallysue. That is a name that my dad and uncle call sometimes and I needed a screen name that no one else would have. I talked to the kids that were from school and occasionally when outsiders to me would IM me, I would respond if my mother wasn’t looking because she was totally against it. One of the things that I remember most was the beginnings of the short hand words like lol for laughing out loud. I also remember when random people would IM me they would say, a/s/l which meant age, sex, location. I always said the truth about my age and sex but I remember my location changing all the time. Sometimes I was from California, others I was from New York and sometimes I was from another country. I don’t know why I did that, I guess it was because I didn’t want to give out all my information but I felt that if changed my location, I would be able to be myself and yet feel the securities of knowing that me as a person from that state didn’t even actually exist.

After AOL IM, it became a craze in my middle school to have MSN messaging. It was the hotmail account messaging and everyone had it at school. There were ninety three kids in my middle school class and I probably had 75 people on my list of friends that spanned not only my grade but the other kids in higher and lower grades that I knew. This was the first place where I discovered emoticaons, which began to make regular appearances in all of my messages to people. I do not think that I had anyone on my friends list that was not from Dillon where I am from. Everyone I talked to on there was less than two miles away talking right back. I do not feel like my identity changed at all through MSN messaging because everyone who was on my friends list knew me.

When I got to college, I realized that everyone here has AOL instant messaging so again I took on that role. This time, I changed my screen name, emmamt5, and only have friends on that list that are students at Saint Mary’s and Notre Dame. I only get on when I am bored or need something from someone who frequents their computer. They all know me as well so there is no need for me to lie about where I am from or who I am.

I also have facebook and myspace. I have facebook because everyone has it and it is a way to talk and learn about other people at Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s as well as entertain me when I look through everyone’s pictures and comments. I have Myspace because my mom and my sisters do not have facebook and I want to be able to communicate to them through some sort of technology other than the cell phone. I have a few friends on myspace and am very apprehensive about adding people I do not know who request to be my friend.

I think that the reading Culture and Identity is a great reading and a reassuring article about the need for self protection when it comes to information on the internet and instant messaging. Dateline has been doing installments of their investigation into child predators through the internet. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11152602/ This address is a link to the site that talks about the work that dateline has been doing to catch these sick freaks.

I think that this is a definite problem that people face while chatting on the internet and everyone should be fully aware of the risks. Anyone can say anything about their location, their age, and their attributes because there is no way of knowing for sure the actual truth. It is so easy to make up things about yourself online and no one ever has to know that you are lying. People find it easier to confront each other through messaging, and predators are able to seduce and corrupt youth into believing they are someone they aren’t or that they are who they are and their motives for chatting are not what they actually are.

I think this article does a lot for the sense of real identity being corrupted by the possibilities that lie within the wave lengths of the internet and the ability one has to completely change themselves and every quality true to the self. That is both intriguing and scary at the same time.

Emma

"Online"

Has anyone heard the song "Online" by Brad Paisley? Well, here's the video... it's actually about what we are learning in class! Linda, I thought you might get a kick out of this...

I Forgot What My Roommate's Voice Sounds Like

Stoll offered a different perspective about the internet community that I believe is rarely taken into consideration. While most of us praise the internet for all of its capabilities and take pride in our Facebook and Myspace addictions, there is something missing in our internet communities. Stoll believes that it is “a feeling of permanence and belonging, a sense of location, [and] a warmth from the local history” that makes internet communities less “real” than our face to face ones. Other authors agree that real world interactions are being lost.

While I can admit that it is an amazing thing to be connected with anyone around the world at anytime, the internet can be a very cold place. The internet is replacing real life experiences with electronically mediated ones. No longer does a child select and care for a new pet, they just create their own online on a site called Webkins. The internet pet must be fed and exercised, but it can be left alone for hours, taking away from the real experience of raising a pet, a great tool for building childhood responsibility. Children are really losing out on a sense of personal responsibility and accountability because of the internet. If they did spend more time in the real world, than the virtual world, they would have more hands on experiences to teach them.

Not that children are the only ones who are suffering from living in virtual worlds. I myself will find that I will not speak a word to another human being for hours, but spend an entire night talking online. The internet takes away from that sense of camaraderie you might build having a late night chat with a girlfriend. Now, conversations can be simultaneously had with multiple people and the people you are IMing are none the wiser about who else you are talking to. A deep meaningful conversation can not have the same function and success online as it does in person. In person you have someone’s undivided attention and you are actually using real words, not abbreviated IM language.

The internet has become more common than speaking out loud for some people (myself included). My roommate and I, who at no point in our apartment can be more than 30 feet apart, talk online frequently. We will be in the next room and instead of getting up and walking to each other we will talk for hours online. One of the strangest sensations I have noticed is that when we will be having a conversation online, and then one of us will get up to go to the kitchen, one of us will pass the other person, and not say one word. Then when whoever was walking around sits back down at their computer the conversation will be picked up right where it started. We never even discuss how strange this is because it has become totally common place for us. We even have very strange mixed conversations of yelling out loud to one another and typing online. If I yell to my roommate and she can not understand me, she will type "What did you just yell to me?" and we will continue our mixture of vocal dialogue and IMing. (Luckily, my roommate and I are not the only ones.) A common occurrence is asking the other one what we should have for dinner, once decided on AIM, we silently meet in the kitchen and begin cooking without a word passing between us.

Although my roommate and I have been able to maintain a healthy friendship, the next generation will have an even harder time separating their online community from their real one. I think this will greatly impact their personalities and interpersonal skills.

Are we all on the way to becoming Internet addicts?

I agree with Victoria in the sense that after reading Bucy’s book, I did not realize how prevalent the Internet is in our lives today. Bucy describes this phenomenon as “Internet fever,” and states that “it seemed that all we needed to do was get a person online and he or she would be changed forever. And people were” (Bucy 26). This is true. People in our society have come to use the Internet for many things such as a form of communication, source of information, a way to browse and make purchases, a sense of control over money through online banking, and as a form of entertainment. If you think about it, this a lot of dependency on one thing, and this dependency is scary! It is scary because like Victoria mentioned too much Internet could lead to the possibility of an Internet addiction!

Bucy states that “the Web is an unnatural world, one we have built for ourselves” (Bucy 43). This statement is true because if you think about it, everyone uses the Internet how he or she wants, but is the way we are using the Internet unhealthy? Is it addictive? I believe so. Through sites such as “Second Life,” people can create new worlds and new identities. This sounds fun, but this can be addictive. “New worlds create new people” (Bucy 45). This means people could be living double lives: a physical and a virtual one that could be difficult to separate. Is living a double life unhealthy? If you can’t decide check out this article.

Bucy also states, “computers networks isolate us from one another, rather than bring us together” (Bucy 192). I believe this concept is true especially when it comes to family life. Victoria briefly touches this subject in her blog when she mentions that her sisters spend lots of time on aim talking to friends instead of communicating with the family. “Kids that interact with computers rather than their parents miss out on the most important part of growing: being close to their families” (Bucy 192). This is so true! The Internet brings less face to face social interaction, and it is sad that it is occurring within families! Are parents saying it is ok to be this way by allowing their children to become isolated and addicted to the Internet? I hope not!

Unfortunately, at the rate our society is accepting the Internet, it is a wonder we are not all on the way to becoming addicts. What I mean by this is so many things in society are now being available online. For example one does not have to have much face to face interaction anymore, let alone leave the comfortable atmosphere of his or her home any more than he or she chooses because there is the option of online classes, online banking with direct deposit, and browsing and purchasing items online such as food, clothes, etc. I am sure these things were developed out of convenience for our fast-paced society, but is this convenience tearing apart from face to face social interaction? Are we all on the way to becoming addicted?

The First Step Is Admitting You Have A Problem.

After reading the chapters in Bucy’s book, I realized that the internet really DOES have a huge place in our lives. More than likely, every person on the Saint Mary’s Campus accesses the internet daily, and if not, at least weekly. Email is one of the preferred forms of communication between everyone that belongs to this community, and classes often require the use of Blackboard (or this blog!).

But I found an extremely interesting web site that actually discusses the possibility of an internet addiction. There is a test that you can take to see if you, in fact, are addicted and if the internet is negatively affecting your life! Netaddiction.com is actually a primary source for internet addiction (or the term IAD - internet addiction disorder) and recovery. The web site covers everything from online affairs to obsessive online gaming, and everything in between.

It is crazy to think of using the internet because you are actually addicted to it, but it totally makes sense! Individuals spend so much time on the internet that they may be shutting out others, avoiding responsibilities, and even hurting their psychological state. This article found on webmd.com talks about internet addiction being linked to teen depression. I know many people who spend countless hours behind the computer, and never have real face-to-face social interactions. Especially with the creation of sites such as Second Life, I can see where people substitute virtual interactions for authentic ones or use an avatar to express who they believe they truly are inside. It is this emotional attachment that may be creating the addiction – the need to feel connected or understood.

My younger sisters spend countless hours talking to their friends via AIM and I distinctly remember staring at the computer screen so much that my eyes would start hurting from the strain. But are we addicted?

For more internet addiction information, go to addictionrecov.org

Ellen stand up about cell phones

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sfx7UUJbjvo&mode=related&search=

if you like Ellen...this is a hilarious clip about cell phones. Watch from about 3:00 forward OR just watch the entire series :) very funny!

If you are familiar with the PostSecret blog, you might find this article very interesting. Actually, even if you're not familiar with the blog, you'll probably like it. Very heartwarming.

new technology, new language

OMG, R U for real lol idk im LMAO - Chances are this will make no sense to anyone born after a certain year. That is because they are not trained in the language of text messaging, a dialogue based off of the once commonly used tongue of Instant messaging. In this suspicious, yet somehow comprehensible language, words are abbreviated, shorten, and even eliminated. Just think of the cingular phone commercial:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySR3hpieiQc .

I love this commercial because it so perfectly captures this society's increasing obsession with text messaging and the text messaging lingo. Alot of times, someone from a different generation might read the sentence above and think "what is the world coming too!" Generation Y doesn't even bother speaking proper English anymore. One cant help but wonder what effect the text messaging language is having on teens. Is it hurting their ability to communicate effectively with anyone outside their texting network because they have become so accustomed to messaging shorthand and communication via text instead of face-to-face. But a study done by Toronto University shows that this might not be the case.
http://www.news.utoronto.ca/bin6/060731-2474.asp
Despite the oddness of it all, teens are learning how to differentiate a speaking voice from a writing voice, yet that writing voice is at a more formal level.Ling points that out in this chapter that text messaging is combining the spoken language and the written language. Text messaging is becoming just another outlet for individuals to express themselves.
However, the main reason, according to Ling, for the growth in text messaging is "that text messages are relatively cheap and convenient." The cost of sending a text message is drastically different than the cost of making a phone call. Many cell phone services are now planning their marketing technique around the fact that cell phones are so much more cheaper. Exhibit A, the cingular commercial. Whether this is going to be good for society overall is a hard call to make. True, text messages are allowing individuals to communicate with others more continuously but I have also noticed a trend developing when it comes to text messaging, people message others for the stupidest reason. I am most certainly guilty of this when I catch myself sending messages that just say "hi", "I'm bored", "I just saw a skunk". Chances are good that the receiver of these messages doesn't care that I'm bored yet still becomes excited at the text simply for the fact that its a personal message for them. Even with the growth of text messaging, there is still an element of excitement involved with it that makes people want to continuously engage in it, no matter how pointless our logic says it is.
Ling says the text message is the most utilized medium in communication. Needless to say, its going to be around for awhile. I believe what we will begin to see is a shift in society where people will send a text message before they actually make a phone call. I am afraid this will only widen the gap in intimate relationships because now, you are not even hearing their voice, just words written on a screen. IDK, maybe we will all adjust. . . .

Texting

As I was reading Chapter 7 of Ling, I came across a very interesting quote. "Often when we are sitting on the bus or subway it is boring, and so we can write messages and that entertains us in those boring moments." (Ling 147) This pretty much sums up how pathetic some people are in life....including ME! When I take the train home to Chicago, which is quite often, I find myself texting to distract myself on the two hour ride. Why texting? Who knows. Its not like I don't have homework to do or reading to get ahead in my classes. Instead I think it is just the fact that I would rather text somebody even if I had the option to call them, and I would most definitely prefere to socialize (but not with the strangers surrounding me because confrontation is not my thing)!

Determined to find some answers, I decided to read further to where it said that instead of trying to make it through an awkard conversation, you can take the time to really plan out what you are going to say and then edit it at the same time. This is definitely true for me and a huge plus because a lot of times I say something when I am nervous that I wish I could take back. There was even a section that talked about the timing of texting and it also mentioned that there were rules of what you can say in a text. So if there are all of these "restrictions" of what can be said in a text and at what time, why do people still resort to them over calling? I guess I am still searching for that answer myself. But in the meantime, I loved this part of the reading because one of my good friends just told me that her boyfriend of 1 year broke up with her in a text!!! Yes, I am totally serious too. But, that is not as bad as this story Malaysia permits text message divorce. I am pretty sure that breaking up/divorcing in a text message should not be permitted in society, so why do we let it happen?

Another very interesting part of this chapter I found was that people texting has been associated with social movements, revolts and campaigns and also bullying! I never knew that such behavior occured and I was skeptic about it until I read this When Text Messaging Turns Ugly. Further on in the reading, it said that people can anonymously send text messages and that is when most of the bullying takes place. I definitely disagree with though. In fact I did an experiment with my roommate. On my particular cell phone I can block my number while making calls. To my surprise though it is only with calls. I sent her a text and my number showed up. I do not though if this varies with each different carrier, but in my own experience I found that you could not block your number. However, if this service would ever be available or is now, I think that it would be a liability to carriers to allow this service because people might take advantage of the anonymity to the extent that they are harming people by: bullying, harassing or stalking somebody.

In conclusion, this reading was very repetitive in some aspects, but the information that we have not talked about before was fascinating to me. I never knew that there were so many restrcitions and rules of texting. On a lighter note, check out this website and entertain yourself with theseFunny texting cartoons.

-Molly