So this week's readings included an article written in 1995 about the internet, as well as some readings from Naomi Baron's book "Always On: Language in an Online and Mobile World."
First, let me begin with the Internet Nirvana article. From what I understood in a nutshell: the internet is good, but like everything else, it is not perfect. Clifford Stoll makes a great argument: even though the major appeal of the internet is that we are able to have everything and anything with the click of a mouse, we as a society are becoming more and more isolated. For example, in order to find out simple trivia, like how phonemes work (I decided to use this exampled since it's related to linguistics - bear with me!), all we have to do is turn on our computers and stroke a few keys. Lo and behold - we have an answer! Did we have to travel out of the comfort of our homes to a local library? Did we have to go through endless pages and encyclopedias to find this info? Not at all. However, did we ever communicate with another human during our search? Nope. Nothing can ever be compared to human contact - knowing that there's someone out there who is in a similar situation. Also, what if you feel so frustrated because you aren't able to find any good answers to what you're searching for? What do you do? You NEED to talk to someone who is an expert or who can sort of lead you in the right direction. With a computer, it's much more easier to feel frustrated, making you want to punch it in the screen. If that happens, then guess what? 1- you may have broken your computer - congratulations; 2- you've gotten exactly nowhere; and 3- you still need to find that info.
Of course, the internet does have many perks - find stuff instantly, not having to travel too far for certain items. Even when it comes to the basic bills - cellphone, cable, electricity, etc., etc. - we no longer have to send payment through snail mail. We can easily log on to our accounts for the required companies, put in our credit/debit card information, and we have paid off our bills! Huzzah! Well, what if I have a question in regards to my monthly bill or my account, you ask? Simply log on to your account and click on the "chat online" button to "speak" directly with a representative!
I admit, I do love the internet when it comes to certain things. I mean, c'mon who wants to leave their house on their days off just to pay bills or make inquiries? I'm lazy and forever tired! But I will put my foot down for certain things, like language learning software (Rosetta Stone - I'm looking right at you!). Personally, that is one thing I will not purchase. I tried the free demo they have on their website and it literally sucked! Language learning is something I demand there be human contact.
Now, for Naomi Baron, author of "Always On: Language in an Online and Mobile World," she mentions that among the people that are "'on' modern communication technologies, an increasing number are 'always on'" (pg. 4). Again, I will be honest and point out that I am a part of this group. I tell all of my friends and colleagues that the best way to get in touch with me is via email. Personally, I think emails are much more easier in regards to communication, as opposed to phone calls. With an email, you can go straight to the point, whereas I fell that with a phone call you MUST first go through the pleasantries in order not to look rude. Baron also points out that with the internet, anyone can now be a published author. Does it matter if they're self-published? Ehh, not really. I mean whichever way you're able to appear on a Google search is fine by me - just as long as it isn't because you got arrested or did something nasty!
Finally, I have come to Baron's last mention that really got me thinking: "the end of anticipation." Baron explained this phenomena as waiting for a family member or friend to come back from wherever they are and regale you with all of their adventures. While I was reading this explanation, it made me think back to this past summer. I traveled to Paris and London (by myself) for the first time. HOLY CRAP it was ah-mazing, but I digress: The interesting thing is that while I was away, I spoke with my mom and sister every single day. Because there was a 6-and 5-hour difference, I had to specifically time my phone calls, as well as FaceTime chats. The main point? My family didn't have to wait for me to come back in order to find out what I did during my visits. I would constantly communicate with them via text messages/emails/video chats, you name it and I did it! One time, I video chatted with my mom and I showed her that it was nighttime in Paris, while she showed me that hot and sunny back in New York - totally freaked me out!
With the "end of anticipation," you are still in constant communication with the person that is away. So in a sense it's as if that person never really went away. Now is that a good or bad thing? Personally, I'm stuck...what's your opinion?
I love my Amazon Prime account; I just bought $400+ of books for less than $100! Although I saved a ton of money purchasing my books online, I encountered a HUGE problem. The problem – One of the books I purchased was out of stock. I know what you’re thinking: “Okay, if the book is out of stock why would they still have it on sale?” Honestly, I have no idea. Furious, I called Amazon (answered by a machine), cancelled my order (on a machine), and waited for my money to be refunded – and that process literally took about 1-2 weeks! Now, if I would've purchased my books at Lehman’s bookstore I would've spent the $400 (which I don’t have considering I’m a broke college student), had someone to help me search for the right book (making sure I wasn't getting the wrong edition), and start reading my books instantly (without waiting for UPS). Like Laura pointed out in regards to Clifford Stoll’s argument, he states: we as a society are becoming more and more isolated. HA. Reflecting back, I DID ALL MY PURCHASES ON A MACHINE; stressed, and frustrated, and not once did I hear a genuine voice. Considering I had no interaction with an actual human being, I missed out on a lot. I would've met new people, saw new faces, and had the ability to ask new questions, but that didn't happen because 1. I was too lazy to walk across campus, and 2. Purchasing things online is just so much easier, and affordable! Although it would've been nice to hear someone’s voice over the phone reassuring that my money wasn't stolen, is the reason why I agree with Stoll’s “Why the Web Won’t be Nirvana”, insinuating the internet is good, but like everything else, it’s not perfect .
ReplyDeleteI like the internet, however I prefer human contact. I have no facebook account, had no twitter until this class and I pretty much avoid social media as whole. I hear those things can be addicting and personally I think it's very time consuming. Like who cares what color someone dyed their hair, or how long it took someone to pick what color shoes they were going to wear. I can see how people find pros in social media, but nothing beats human contact. I know the WWW is not only about social networking, but it seems like that is what its all about sometimes. If I want to window shop, at time you can only get a coupon code if you "like" them on facebook, like SERIOUSLY! ( That ain't even right!) What about those who boycott facebook or other social sites for personal, political or other reasons?! C'mon broke students like me love those discounts! When people me ask me, "you on facebook"? And I say "No" its like sacriledge not to have one, they look at me like "what is wrong with her?" All I have is a phone, an email and my face.
ReplyDeleteI'm in the hospital right now typing this up on my tablet (I'm okay by the way) and guess what just happened, a security guard passed by and said playfully "don't look for me on facebook"....Jeez....I don't even have an account and it's already annoying me how people assume everyone has a facebook account.
I'm done ranting about social media, I do, however enjoy the internet. I like how I can keep in contact with people, have conversations without people reading everything I write ( which can later bite people where the sun don't
shine). I can shop in the comfort of my home when I'm too lazy to get out of my "jamas", know what I mean? We can do homework and turn in assignments and also do research. Still, there's something missing- human contact. Face timing is not the same as Face to Face, I just "face timed" yesterday and was still wishing that person was next to me. You cannot hug a person through face time, you cannot playfully pinch someone or wipe away the tears off someone's face. What about when you need to go to the hospital, will you prefer an online doctor or a doctor at your side expalining to you what may be wrong? These are just some things out of many reasons why I would prefer human contact before anything the world wide web and these new technologies have to offer.
Like most things in our society, the internet is both an asset as well as a hindrance. On many levels I think that the internet allows us to think that we are more important than we really are with our opinions and views on particular subjects. For example, I think many of the statuses that I see posted on Facebook do not really have that much effect or impact on the actual topic if only 100 or so people read it and you yourself are not doing much on the subject other than ranting about why it bothers you. The internet can never be perfect because it was created by people with their many conflicting and imperfect notions of perceiving the world around them thereby limiting and filtering its (the internet) capabilities. The internet is only as strong as the information that we input into it.
ReplyDeleteOn another note, I completely agree with Kevin Kelly when he said that the internet needs us just as much as we need it. We have now become so co-dependent on one another (us and the internet) that it is impossible to see our future without technological innovation. I do not necessarily think it is something to fear but rather it is something to be cautious about. We are having more and more venues and access into each other’s lives that we should start taking more precaution to what our internet presence looks like. A few months ago I attended a seminar in which the speaker told us to be careful about our Twitter feed and Facebook profiles because more and more companies are looking at those as criteria for our professional future. As I stated before I think the internet can both help us and hurt us because it allows us to be more visible in and to the world.
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ReplyDeleteThere are pros and cons to everything. In regard to the internet, its amazing that we can obtain information almost instantaneously. Its wonderful that we can see how our family and friends whom we don't get to socialize with regularly are fairing. As well, its sad that we prefer to mostly socialize via social media, whether its an e-vite to a party or share some special news. It has gotten to the point where we actually say "OMG" and "hashtag" in person. The evolvement of our society due to the web is interesting. Now, i don't have Facebook and I'm using my Twitter account for the first time in two years for this class. I am curious as to why people need to have multple ways of communication via social media. I can get having a Skype and Facebook account. Those two have totally different functions. But how much closer are you to a person by being their friend on Facebook, Google+, Instagram, Vine, Path, all at once? Aren't they all the same thing essentially? Is there a line that we as humans are crossing by socializing so much virtually and so little physically?
ReplyDeleteAll these social media are just easier from one user to the other depending on their situation and the content they're trying to inform you with.
DeleteNaomi Baron does have a point on modern communicators always being logged on the internet. I honestly feel like sharing is caring. The more we share about our experiences we are able to learn and broaden our knowledge on all levels. This is true for technology, but sometimes I do think we should turn off the switch. Too much of it will not impact the true meaning of life, which is differently for everyone. It is not the same to be in a wedding always connected to your phone, while missing the true meaning of family time. I think that emails are good for academia, but true human contact is even better because you can really get to know someone.
ReplyDeleteIn that case, sometimes meeting that scholar may be better than a search engine.
If that person didn’t really go away maybe they needed time off from technology. I have to admit that when I am on vacation I don’t like to be connected to any devices in anyway. I always leave updating my facebook, instagram, or any other social media for when I return back to the city. I rather be in isolation from the quick paced city that I live in and have pure peace to connect with nature and my surroundings.
Computer does help me a lot. When I read the section about proofreading in Baron's book, I recalled the experience that when I do my homework on Microsoft word, I do not have to worry too much about the grammar and spelling because Microsoft word will let you know if you make mistakes. But we are not doing all our works on computer all the times. We also do writting assignments. The problem emerges. At this time, we have to fix all the problems by ourselves. I am still bewildered how to spell "February".
ReplyDeleteHowever, technology does enhance our communication. I can talk to my family that are in Hong Kong by skype. I will be able to see their face. I don't have to wait a year or years to talk to them. I can even watch TV shows on the internet which is so convenient. Although I am in the United States, internet and technology help me to connect with my home country.
I have a love/hate relationship with the Internet. I do like the fact that I am able to communicate and keep in touch with my friends and family around the world. It's easy to just add them on Facebook and see updates on their feed quite easily. However, the downside of Facebook is can be quite addicting. I don't mean it but sometimes people post up videos or blogs and you get caught up sometimes! As a young adult, I also have the travel bug! ISo as a young student traveler I appreciate about the Internet providing me websites like Couchsurfing.org. This particular website allows me to connect with locals who might have a place for me to crash on their couch or bed. This probably wouldn't be too easy if it happened on a "normal human interaction". Perhaps I would need to know a friend of a friend or use word of mouth for a cheap hotel. The internet allows me to get a good/cheap deal that easily. Now, the thing that I don't like about the internet is how it's all in your business. They know what you've been searching, suggest places you should go, it knows everything you do! Of course, its hard to get away from the mega monster, GOOGLE! Hopefully my geek boyfriend will show me some tricks to avoid that. How is that suppose to happen, who knows? Again, the internet can either be your friend and it can be your enemy.
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