Somethings that I understood was that the "internet and related technologies has influenced [...] young people's lives"(McMillan & Morrison 73). The authors also wanted to create an understanding on how the internet is integrated into the daily lives and social interactions of young people. Parents were usually the first to buy a family computer and this provided them with a new form of communication with their children who went away for college. According to the Pew Internet & AmericanLife Project, college students were the heaviest users of the internet. Some things that college students use the internet for is checking and writing emails, shopping, downloading music, staying in touch with professors, instant messaging among many other thing. The internet was also used to "help define themselves as individuals with unique identities within the context of family and social structures. Others also used it to help build their character. Interenet and new technology can be viewed as both positive and negative. One postive aspect of the internet is that international students can use technology to enable them to communicate with people as they study abroad and more resources and information. Something that made technology negative is that itr can create social isolation. The authors provide a solution to the negative aspect of the internet and technology, they inform us that "students need to be counseled that the internet does not replace the need for traditional forms of research and should instead be viewed as a supplemental to the learning process"(91).
There wasn't anything I did not understand about this reading. Although, I did want to know more about how it affected teens specifically, especially with the new networking sites and upgrades in technology. This reading does show that media matters and can shape our daily lives. According to Kathy (someonethe authors interviewed), she stated that she uses thew internet all the time and believes her life would be different with out it."I would not be able to look up things that I wanted without calling to get a brochure, going to the library or ordering a book or a catalog[...]"(87). Something that I found quite interesting if that the first world wide web browser began in 1993. This form of technology is fairly new and recent.
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Amanda,
ReplyDeleteI remember what college was like before the internet...It required a lot of time to visit the library, pour through encyclopedias and books with tiny print or (I grimace at this memory)look things up on microfilm... I decided to resume my education as a stay-at-home mom and the internet was a gift!
The internet has completely changed my life. All communication at work is "paperless" via the internet, I have a facebook account that keeps me connected to dozens of people that I grew up with and I have always communicated better through writing, so it has given me back the "voice" that I am most comfortable speaking in.
I am definitely not the computer illiterate mom that many of the students in the article seemed to have. The only downside of the internet that I see is the readily available "porn" out there for the youth of today to view and at times, my daughter has been "victimized" by terrible chain letters and profane language.
i loved the youtube video you found...it shows how many people can not live their lives if not connected to everyone they know at all times (and many people they dont know). its a lot different from the times were mail was the only form of communication between people who were long distances from eachother.
ReplyDeletethe video was hilarious! it was funny, but so true.
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