Tag Archives: Communication

The last one!

In today’s society everyone wants to be a part of every new social network that comes along. In Rushkoff’s last four chapters of the book he discusses social, fact, openness, and purpose. Each one of these sections ties in with the significance of connections and communication between people. “Our interactions in digital media shifts back toward the nonfiction on which we all depend to make sense of our world, get the most done, and have the most fun” (Rushkoff pg.106). I think that in these last four sections the most important thing that Rushkoff wants to point out is that the digital community has rules and standards that the people who are a part of that community should be living up to. He wants people to know that programming is an extremely necessary skill that everyone should have instead of just being able to use the basic functions of every single computer out there. The rules of communication have changed significantly because of technology advancements and because of this people barely have a real life conversation due to the fact that people can’t pry themselves away from technology. This can result in someone falling into the digital divide because there are some people out there who either do not want to be involved with computers and the internet and those who don’t have access to computers and the internet. I think that it will be interesting to see whether or not people truly with “Program or Be Programmed” and if and how much the digital divide will decrease.

Blog 12

 

@starlingpreston

As I went about my day without my smart phone and laptop, I now realize how dependent I am upon them. First I had no way to contact my boyfriend at all. Seeing as he doesn’t have a phone, our communication is strictly based through Facebook and school. Without my laptop we wouldn’t be able to socialize and interact unless it was in person. This correlated with Monroe’s “access divide”, where my frequency of my home computer was halted (9).

Secondly, my homework was affected. Seeing as I have an online class, my ability to access, complete, and submit my homework was halted. Furthermore, my contact with the professor is through email, so any chance I had of explaining myself was void. My dependency upon technology for school and work emphasizes Monroe’s “economic opportunity divide” where “my experience for taking a course online” was severely effected (9). In order to have figured out my homework I would have had to look up WSU’s number in a print version of Dex, call from a pay phone, and ask for my professor’s number.

Those who do not have access to a laptop or cell phone would not be able to complete an online class. They would have to commute to a public library or do their work at the university. Furthermore, they would have to do it when these establishments are open to the public. Looking up information would all have to be done by looking through a newspaper, phone book, or having access to a public library.

Blog Post 9- Coleman

@starlingpreston

Coleman states that “media use changes the user. With each shift in automation, simulation, and transmission, we discover not only new technologies, but also new facets of ourselves,” (49). Going back to one of Coleman’s three C’s of Networked Media, media users can see how communication can shift “human perspective” as our “concepts of space, place, and time are impacted” (Coleman 49).  We can apply this idea to Facebook and Twitter, two popular social media sites.

My personal example of how media use of Facebook has changed me is through the communication with my sister in North Dakota. Previously, my sister and I had no need to communicate through Facebook, we lived together. Now, she lives thousands of miles away, and the only way we can talk is through Facebook. Yet, Facebook has eliminated that gap between us. No longer are we limited by snail mail, which arrives days after an exciting event. Furthermore, from using Facebook I have become more technologically advanced than I previously was. I learned how to post and share videos with friends, and to link sites I like on my personal page. I can show my friends in Germany a video instantly, instead of waiting until their time zone matches mine to call them.

I am no longer limited to a location or specific time to meet my friends, when we can just chat online. As Coleman mentions I now have an “online identity” that I use to represent myself during information exchange (39).