This is the end...

My overall experience with this class was positive. I took this course based on what was available for a major elective. It was not a course I signed up for due to an interest in technology or computers. However, through the readings, blogs, and discussion board activities I learned a lot about myself, technology, as well as the culture we are living in. I never realized how dependent our society has become on technology. As I am somewhat skeptical of technology, computers, and the internet it was refreshing to see other people in this class share similar feelings. I found it interesting that a majority of the other students in this class had a "not so positive" outlook on technology and where it is taking us. I thought that I was in the small minority of people making up the resistance.

When I started this course eight weeks ago it was discouraging to see that I would have to read two different text books for an online class. After reading Wood and Smith in the first week and Postman in the second week I came to appreciate both books. Reading both texts was helpful in seeing both sides of the technology spectrum: one that Wood and Smith tend to favor and embrace and the opposite which Postman seems to resist. I soon learned that both texts were crucial to understanding the concepts covered in this class. It would be inappropriate for us, as students, to make claims and arguments about technology without seeing both sides of the issue. At points it became frustrating switching back and forth between the two. This led to a feeling of being bombarded with information from each side. As soon as a I started to grasp what Wood and Smith were claiming, I would follow up with Postman who contradicted everything the former had argued. Despite the somewhat present confusion, reading both of the texts was an enjoyable experience and helped me to make more informed decisions.

All of the weekly blog assignments were enjoyable for the most part. In the first week we all had to abstain from the internet for twenty-four hours. This exercise taught me the more than any other assignment. It was an excellent first activity as it showed me the dependency our culture has on the internet and technology. What I thought would be a relatively easy task turned out to be one of the more difficult things I have recently had to do. I also took a lot away from the interview assignment. Conducting three interviews with people from different generations was informative and let me see different perspectives. I was surprised to see how much my mom embraced and used the internet while my girlfriend could easily live without it. This taught me that not all young people embrace the internet and technology just the same way there are older people who are technically inclined and adept.

I had the most difficulty with the week six assignment. This assignment demanded that we join an internet group or community. The last thing I wanted to do for this class was sign up for something that I would never use after the week's assignment was completed. This is not a huge problem but becomes frustrating when you continue to get email from this website or organization long after you terminate your account. This is the one activity from this class that I would look to change, substitute, or modify in some fashion.

Now this class is finished and I am glad to have shared and received insight with fellow classmates. The assignments done in the class ultimately showed me how much, and to what extent technology runs our lives. This says a lot about our culture. As this has been the path we have chosen to follow it must be acknowledged that technology is here to stay and will continue to complicate our lives.

Cyber Scamming and Identity Theft

I spent some time thinking about this week's assignment and tried to reference a positive communication exchange that occurred in the realm of cyberspace. It was important to find something unique that did not fall into the everyday category of email exchange. I struggled a great deal and came to the conclusion that communication online was not something that had been an overly positive experience for me. As nothing stuck out in my mind I thought back to a time five or six years ago when I had my identity stolen online. I learned this through reviewing my monthly bank statement to find that someone other than myself had charged a great deal of money to my visa for various memberships to japanimation websites.

I knew these charges were incorrect right away as I viewed my monthly bank statement but I was unsure how this person got a hold of my credit card information. I thought back to recent purchases and my activity online. I had recently purchased some merchandise on ebay but was under this impression that my credit card information was secured through PayPal. This obviously was not the case as I became a target of identity theft. I am fairly hesitant to make online purchases and give out any private information online. This situation could have been avoided if I did not give out my credit card information to a complete stranger in cyberspace. This situation was exacerbated due to the fact my transaction took place online. When people give out information online they become easier targets for identity theft and scams. Identity theft can happen offline but it is far more difficult. When transactions occur online it becomes much easier to fall victim to scamming and identity theft.

The lesson I learned from this was that it is important to use caution and be responsible in giving out your credit card online. This may seem like a "no brainer" but I was misinformed to believe I was using a secure website in which my information would be kept private. Just because a website claims it is secure does not mean this is necessarily the case. Computer hackers are extremely intelligent as they can navigate through cyberspace and obtain very personal information from anyone or any organization.

Wood and Smith discuss race, class, and internet usage in chapter 8 of their text. Internet access has become a key component to public life for most Americans according to a research study conducted of September of 2001. During the time the research was conducted it was concluded that over 2 million more Americans will go online every month. It was also concluded that internet usage nearly doubled for users of all races between 1998 and 2001. With more people using the internet everyday it becomes easier for cyber-theft to occur. Identity theft can happen to anyone and crosses all boundaries of race, age, and sex. With more Americans putting themselves in cyberspace it is important for us all to use caution and be careful of our activities online.

Is the internet valubale for people of all ages?

Interviewing three different generations of people about their internet use taught me how important technology has become for our culture. I talked about the internet and technology with my girlfriend who is twenty-five years old, my mom who is on the upper end of the 35-60 spectrum, and my dad who is seventy-one. I was able to learn how between each age group there were some similarities but also some vast differences in how these people integrate the internet into their lives. One of the the most surprising differences was between my mom and dad; although they are fairly close in age,their use of the internet was very different. I also found out that not all twenty-five year old people use the internet as much as our culture may assume. My girlfriend is a good example as her use of the internet is very minimal, which I will discuss further. Most importantly, everyone from each age bracket realized and understood the importance of the internet in our culture today. We truly have become an Information Society as Wood and Smith mention in chapter seven of the text. The internet has become an integral part of how we live our lives and is something we must learn to adapt with.

The first interview I conducted with my girlfriend. She is probably more technologically impaired than I am, which is saying a lot. Her use of the internet extends to checking her online banking, reading email, looking up show times, and doing online assignments. She never seems to use the internet unless it is completely mandatory. Her most frequent online activity consists of submitting assignments online for either school or work. When I asked her whether or not she felt technology has changed our lives, it was difficult to get a straight answer. She feels the internet has not made our lives easier, just more confusing. However, technological innovations have without a doubt improved the quality of our lives. She is definitely behind the internet curve in a couple of ways. She has never used an instant messenger system, and quite frankly is intimidated by the concept. She has a Myspace page but rarely checks it. She will be lucky to log on to Myspace once a month. She recently purchased an iphone and does not fully utilize it. Although her internet patterns may not be typical for a twenty-five year old, this still goes to show that not all young adults are completely in tune with technology.

My mom, on the other hand, is fairly capable in her internet and technology use for someone her age. In some ways I believe her to be more computer savvy than I am, personally. I remember a while back we were having a discussion and Skype came up. She had to explain to me what Skype was and how it worked. She notices that her use of the internet seems to evolve and become more habitual everyday. Her main internet use revolves around checking email. However, there are many other things she uses the internet for as well; looking for airplane tickets, accessing work files and submitting grades, searching for travel info, buying books and movies off of Amazon.com, and integrating youtube.com into her classroom are all examples of how she uses the internet. She is fairly comfortable and confident in her online capabilities but still is hesitant in certain areas. Because she will be teaching a semester abroad this coming fall she felt it was important to have access to online banking. This is something she is very nervous about and would most likely not have done if it wasn't the fact she was going to be away from home for four months. She mentioned she has some privacy and safety concerns. Making sure she keeps her files clean and updating the anti-virus software is a must. Technology has undoubtedly made things easier. She can access work files and submit grades from home or on the road. Although she is somewhat resistant to technology innovations she feels it is important to be able to adapt. This is what Marshall McLuhan describes as the idea of "the medium is the message" and the concept of a "global village"; if you do not adapt and jump on the technology bandwagon there is the fear that you will be left behind.

Someone who is left behind from the technology bandwagon is my father. He has been retired now for about fifteen years, just as the internet boom was starting to gain momentum. He can check email and send email. For him those are two completely different things. He mentioned the majority of his internet usage revolves around checking consumer reports online. He will log on to consumer reports if he wants to buy a new car or see what people are saying about his new 3 Wood. His internet use is sporadic as he may be online three days in a row and then not for the next two months. He does not fully understand how the internet works and says he is fine with that. It has improved our culture but is not something he would have a problem living without.

Seeing how three different age groups use the internet was insightful and helped me realize how it has become something our culture cannot live without. My girlfriend uses at work, my mom uses it for submitting grades and to enhance the classroom learning environment, and my dad has fallen off from the technology bandwagon but sees the internet as valuable tool in society. The one thing all three people had in common was their concern about privacy and safety. As Wood and Smith discuss in chapter seven, it is important for people to be aware of cookies, voluntary data submission, and data mining. All three are examples of how employers and companies can track your online activity. The more information we put out there, the easier it is for us to be vulnerable to this type of surveillance. There is also the issue of identity theft which my mom brought up as a reason she tries to minimize shopping online. Although online surveillance is inevitable, we should still take proper precautions when spending time online.

Frustarations in Cyberspace

To be completely honest I was not very excited about this week's assignment. Joining an online forum to talk to people in cyberspace was not something I was looking forward to. I thought about Facebook and Myspace and looked at how I used social networking in my everyday life. Although I am not a Facebook user, I do have a Myspace page and do check it fairly regularly. However, I do not communicate with people that I don't know through Myspace. Everyone I talk to through social networking are people that I am acquainted with and have engaged with in immediate communication. When I thought of joining a chat forum a couple things came to mind. The first thing I thought of was a people who cruise the internet, talking to people, and pretend to be someone other than themselves. Maybe they are not telling the truth about their age, status, motives, or even their gender. This is not something I wanted to experience first-hand. The second thing that came to mind was my experience joining a chat board a few years back. I joined a online chat community that was dedicated to a new television show I was interested in at the time. The show got canceled half way through the season and four years later I am still receiving junk emails from people wanting to be my friend who joined the same forum. Despite my previously bad experience I chose to join a chat group dedicated to a newer television that I follow and watch on a regular basis. I thought this new show was in no danger of being canceled and would allow me to give an online forum a second chance.

On this past Tuesday I tried to join the HBO chat group for True Blood, the new vampire show I watch on a regular basis and follow fairly close. Just as with any other website I had to register and create an account. I entered my email address, created a password, and entered the annoying, jumbled text for authentication. I then was taken to a screen telling me to check my email for a verification code to complete the process. Of course I checked my mailbox only to find it empty and not containing any email from HBO with a verification code. I gave it some time and checked again. After several times checking my mailbox and receiving nothing I thought it was possible I entered a typo in the address when I first signed up. After going back to HBO.com and completing the entire registration process I found out my original idea was wrong; I received an error message stating that the email address provided was already registered. There was not a lot I could do other than wait. On Friday afternoon I had finally gotten a confirmation from HBO, seventy two hours after I originally signed up.

In any other situation I would not be particularly frustrated but due to the urgency of this assignment I was not pleased. Perhaps it was nothing more than Murphy's Law, or perhaps we become too dependent on the internet and technology. Postman would argue that although technology itself is not a bad thing, too much of it can be harmful. My experience was just one minor example but it showed me how reliant we have come to be on the internet and technology. This says a lot about our culture; we expect technology to be efficient and work whenever we need it to, but we know this is not always the case. We cannot rely on technology, and especially the internet, to always be reliable. When our society becomes completely dependent on technology we put ourselves at its (technology) mercy. I believe our culture has become so technologically infatuated that we let the internet and technology run our lives. By doing this we are subject to many problems that we would not otherwise encounter.

In the interim of waiting for a verification email from HBO I decided to look and see what else I could do to solve this problem. My solution was to buy a cheesy application for my iphone that allowed me to talk to other people who were interested in skateboarding and snowboarding. When I started to do this I looked at what other people were saying and made it a point to respond to all of the posted threads before starting a new one. This seemed to be what Wood and Smith refer to as characteristics of the group and its members. The commonalities between all of the group members determined how much interaction occurred between us. Responding to the other posts before posting my own seemed like the appropriate thing to do. Once I did I noticed that the people I responded to posted back and responded to my thread. It seemed like a courtesy to do this. I also noticed the communication being very informal and brief. I am not so sure if this was due to the fact it was an online forum, or just because people in this group were responding via iphone and did not want to take the time to make complete statements.

My experience was overall frustrating and not something I would want to go through again. I was finally able to reach some people in cyberspace and converse with them. However, this is not something I see myself continuing any time soon. I think I have had enough chat forum experience for now and hope to not receive any junk mail from HBO in the near future.

Long-Hand vs. Email: The Written Letter Wins

I enjoy writing letters. I believe the written letter to be a far better and more elegant alternative to sending a letter electronically. As we become more technologically advanced it is my belief that we become lazy in our communication prcatices and habits. Although internet and email have made accessibility faster and easier, it has also opened the door for "rushed" communication. As many of us have email access at our fingertips we tend to spend less time making an effort in our communication initiatives and responses via the web. Taking the time to physically sit down, gather our thoughts, and write a letter out long-hand has started to become an obsolete communication practice. However, I still prefer this method far over the faster alternative.

When I sat down to write my letters the first thing I had to do was think about my audience. I knew that some people would be more receptive to getting a letter electronically and others would prefer a long-hand, written letter. I chose to write my mom a letter via email and take the time to write a long-hand letter to my dad. I communicate with my mom through email on a fairly regular basis and talk to my dad regularly on the phone. My mom is not tech savvy but knows her way around a computer as well as most people her age. My father, on the other hand, would need an instruction manual just to turn a computer on. He is also "old school"; he would much prefer a hand written letter to any other form. He believes the written letter is an excellent way to communicate. I think sometimes he almost takes it too far in the sense that he would prefer to write someone a letter opposed to speaking with that person face to face.

After I finished both of my letters I noticed some very important things. I first noticed that both letters essentially said the exact same thing, but they were written in a very different manner. The email letter I sent to my mom was much shorter, more informal, and not organized the way a proper letter should be. It took much longer to write the letter to my dad. I had to use white out in a couple of sections and go to the computer just to spell check a word. This says a lot about our culture in the sense of how we gravitate to the easiest and fastest alternative. I could have just as easily pulled out my dictionary and looked up words the "old fashioned" way. However, I did not. Why would I? Why take three minutes when we could take thirty seconds? Also the fact that the email took a lot less time shows how we use the internet and email to speed up the communication process and save time. We as a culture gravitate to fast letter writing, short sentences, and employ abbreviations to make the writing process faster. I think no matter how formal you may be through email, the tone can never be seen as formal as it does on paper.

When looking at this I thought about what Wood and Smith describe as the ACE model. This model provides a theoretical explanation for gravitation to the internet based on the qualitites and relevance to accessibility, control, and excitement. This model is believed to be grounds to leading to IAD; this is a psychological condition that leads to addictive uses of the internet. I first thought about how sending a letter electronically is not necessarily exciting, but still allows the sender to exercise control and gives him ample accessibility. Writing an email is much more accessible than composing a hand written letter. That much I could relate to and understand the relevance. However, I had a difficult time seeing how this could lead to IAD. The more I thought about it, the more it fit. I thought about how ever since I recently purchased an iphone my internet and email use has skyrocketed. I constantly check my email. I would guess I check it five times more than I did prior to the purchase of an iphone. My girlfriend has seemed to notice this as well. Just this morning she made a begrudging comment to me and said, "Geez, you are always on that thing!" I guess no one is safe from the allure of the internet in today's culture.

Social Networking: how we present ourselves online

Social networking sites such as Myspace and Facebook can be used as tools to enhance our communication. We use these sites to interact with friends and family. You will be hard pressed, in today's society, to find an adult who does not have an account on either one of these social networking sites. When Myspace started to gain speed in the interactive community a few years back I was not sure how relevant it would be to my life. I made an account, found some of my friends on there, and sent emails and messages back and forth. I did not see the purpose or benefit to using this type of site because everything I was using it for could be done via email. However, over time I saw how these types of websites came to evolve as an outlet for expression for many individuals. You can personalize your page and make it unique by choosing a skin or background. A song by your favorite artist can be used and shown to all of your friends. For people who are more technologically savvy, the integration of HTML code helps to insert personal pictures in your background or messages.

When I began to personalize my page I chose a song by an artist that I liked. I could change the song periodically based on what kind of mood I was in or what I was listening to. I gave a brief description of myself, talked about some of my hobbies, and discussed movies that I liked. When it came to putting pictures on my page I sought to find images of myself and friends that I felt best highlighted some of my most memorable experiences. I have pictures of myself engaging in the activities that I love to participate in. Wakeboarding, camping, wedding receptions, and with family members are all examples of experiences that I enjoy and want to share with my friends to see. But still the question remains of whether or not these pictures paint an accurate portrayal of who I really am. Can pictures alone tell you enough about a person to know who they really are? I do not think this is the case. However, what we see online or on Myspace influences the judgments we make about other individuals. I portray myself in ways that I would normally, but try not to distort myself in any manner. As companies now scan these websites as a normal part of their screening process for prospective employees we must be cautious of the image we present online. I have not used Facebook enough to figure out all of its features but I have been told their are privacy settings for image viewing. When using Myspace we can set our profile to private and make prospective friends or contacts answer questions about us before giving them the green light for adding us to their account.

In this weeks reading Wood and Smith explain many of the "social" characteristics that come along with online interaction. One thing in particular that came into mind was the SIDE model. Through this lens of communication we identify with forms of communication that coincide with group norms. Social networking sites have become specialized channels for communicating with others. It is clear to see how much influence these sites have in our everyday life as the number of people who use these sites has increased dramatically in the past couple of years. This raises the issue of deindividuation. When everyone uses Myspace and Facebook to communicate do we lose the ability to be unique in our expressions? To counter that we use pictures and images along with emoticons to create and enhance our identity. Some will argue that online communication adheres to the cues-filtered-out approach as it lacks the ability to pick up on the nonverbal cues present in immediate communication. This is why some scholars believe why the internet and face to face communication are not functional alternatives.

Cooler Online

Brad Paisley's music video for So Much Cooler Online shows us how in online communication we can create an inflated picture of ourselves that is not accurate. When we communicate online we lack immediate communication which makes it easier for us to describe ourselves in any manner that we would like. For some people, online communication has been a way to simulate fantasy. They can create a picture that is inaccurate and false unbeknownst to anyone else. When we replace immediate communication with more CMC channels we gain some things but also lose others. CMC provides us with better and faster accessibility. However, it also allows people to fabricate an image of who they are.

Paisley's video took this issue to the extreme and had some very comedic elements in it but the message he is sending does ring true about online communication. In the video the main character is 5'3, overweight, and bald. He lives at home with his parents in their basement and is in the marching band. This Peeping Tom has never had a girlfriend and uses the internet to build himself up, or simulate the fantasy world in which he would like to live. Online he is 6'5, in great shape and has great abs. He drives a Maserati and models for GQ and Calvin Klein; a far better profession than delivering pizzas out of the back of his Hyundai. Even on a bad day he can go home, power up his computer, and have a three way (online).

What we see is how the internet can be used as an escape. This is not a bad thing but some people will take this to the extreme. Brad Paisley is sending a message to inform us how the internet can be used to create an enhanced or fabricated image of who we are. In the music video the main character has a three way conversation with two other women; one blond and one brunette who are both very attractive. As he engages in conversation he has no idea that he is talking to two males. I think this is accurate in the sense that online people lack the immediate communication which makes it easy to hide who they really are. When communicating online all we have to base our opinions and perceptions of other people are what they tell us. Even pictures can be be deceiving. I have friends who use myspace and faebook and put pictures on their accounts that are over 5 years old. In this way I think pictures can be misleading as well.

When we examine this topic it is important to study how it relates to the idea of a technocracy and technopoly. In a technocracy tools play a key role in the world of culture but do come at a cost. Postman suggests that tools attack culture, and in doing so they attack our traditions, social mores, myth, politics, and religion. If we compare this to what Paisley says in his song we can see how Postman's negative view of technology applies. We can use the internet and technology as a tool, but at what point does it become counterproductive? Going online and painting a completely inaccurate portrayal is counterproductive to communication. This attacks our morals and traditions in the sense that we do not have to show the world who we really are. Postman further goes on and describes a technopoly as a society that is only loosely controlled by social custom and religious tradition and is driven by the impulse to invent. In our culture we seek out and welcome and form of communication that will make our lives easier. This is not necessarily a bad thing but there are some costs associated with doing this. I would not go as far to say that technology is an attack on our culture. I would say that technology does challenge some of our cultural and social traditions. If we solely rely on technology to communicate with one another we put ourselves at the mercy of computers, cell phones, and twitter pages. I think it is important to use these tools as they can enhance technology, but we do not want to completely rely on them.

When using the internet it is important to paint an accurate picture of ourselves. We should describe ourselves as we are in real time, not what we wish we could be. In the end we do not gain anything by distorting images of who we really are. In Paisley's video we saw how at the end the main character became true to himself and stopped hiding behind his computer. He put on his marching band uniform and got the girl of his dreams.