Below are paraphrased interviews:
My brother - 29
How do you use the internet? I use the internet to do nearly everything. I work as a software engineer and focus mostly on computer networks. I spend most of my day setting up internet networks for companies and then making sure that no one can hack into them. I also use it to do all of my bills and banking. I can’t even remember when I went to a store last – I buy everything online.
What are your primary uses of the internet? Primarily I do work on the internet. I set up online networks for companies, which takes up most of my day.
How comfortable are you with communicating on the internet? I would much rather send an e-mail than call someone on the phone or have a meeting. It’s easy because it means that I do not have to drive anywhere or inconvenience myself.
What do you think of the internet? I like it.
Mom-
How do you use the internet? I use the internet for work a lot, and then I use it at home to send e-mails and shop
What are your primary uses of the internet? I use it a lot for e-mails and when I come home from work I use it to pay bills, shop, by plane tickets, and check the weather.
How comfortable are you with communicating on the internet? I like sending e-mails because it is easy to do. Sometimes they go back and forth too many times, so I pick up the phone and call the person.
What do you think of the internet? I think it is good, but sometimes there are too many pop-up ads and other junk that shouldn’t be there.
Grandma – 70 (lives in England)
How do you use the internet? I do not really use it. I like to write letters or go out shopping with my friends. I do not really understand the computer, and the internet seems very confusing
What are your primary uses of the internet? When I do use it, your cousins help me check my e-mail. I would much rather write a letter though because it is hard for me to look at the computer screen.
How comfortable are you with communicating on the internet? Like I said, I would much rather write a letter because the glare hurts my eyes. Also, I have a hard time typing with the keyboard so it takes me a long time to write a …. What do you call it……e…..mail?
What do you think of the internet? I think it’s hard to use. There are lots of buttons and it is difficult for me to use. I would rather have tea with my friend Margret down the road.
In this weeks Postman reading, he says “… we tend to believe that only through the autonomy of techniques (and machinery) can we achieve our goals” (142). This reflects on the overall tones of the interviews I had. The younger people were a lot more familiar with the computer and internet, and believed that the computer was vital to achieving goals. The older generations, that did not grow up with computers, thought that they were OK without the technology and that they did not need to learn this “high tech stuff”.
I think that the impressions I got from the 3 people I interviewed, were what I expected. My grandmother still believes that when you e-mail her a digital picture, she needs to send it back to you, so that you can have it back. It is funny to think that she really believes that she needs to do this- and there is no convincing her that it is untrue! I think that as generations grow up, technology will become more and more important, but I do wonder if we will be accepting of new technology and change as we approach 60…
Friday, August 14, 2009
Final Post
I think that the blog experience was different than I first expected. I had never written a blog before, so this was my first chance to do so. I found it slightly frustrating during the first few weeks because the browser I was using (firefox) would not let me post my blogs. I have actually just noticed now that my entire blog post from several weeks ago has never been posted (oops). I would submit my work – and later when I checked back, nothing was ever posted. I found that using Internet explorer helped with these problems most of the time.
I will not continue to post on this blog, nor do I think I will blog anywhere. For me, I just do not think I have time to go on the computer, type things, and then post them on the internet. Doing so does not interest me. I would much rather talk to someone or be outdoors, rather than sitting in front of a computer typing. I can understand why people enjoy keeping blogs and getting an opportunity to share themselves with others, but it just does not suit my personality. Some of the blogs written by my classmates are pretty amazing because of their writing styles. It was a lot of fun to read what others wrote about, and how we all took a different approach to each assignment. Some of us were straight forward and used information from the books, while others were much more creative in their writing styles.
I found that a lot of these blogs for me seemed rather fake. I think that the fakeness stems from the fact that it is a forced, class assignment, rather than a creative outlet. I am a very quiet person who does not like to share a lot about myself with other people. The idea of posting my thoughts online in an environment where anyone with an internet connection can read them, is unsettling for me. I would much rather keep to myself and share my thoughts and ideas in a more intimate setting or in person with friends or family.
I enjoyed reading the assigned books and talking about the readings, but for me, the blog seemed silly. I am not sure what the lesson in blogging was, other than giving us another opportunity to relate the readings to other topics. I would much rather have been assigned short 500 word essays each week that were submitted via blackboard than going to a blog site. Despite my dislike for the blogs, I learned a lot about the internet and the change in communication as technology has increased. I have talked to friends and family about the readings in the books because there are many interesting topics. I think that my favorite blog assignment was the one where we sent out a letter and e-mailed a letter. It was a great opportunity to do something that many of us have probably not done in a long time (mailing a bill was the last thing I have mailed in the past few months). Thanks for all of the information!
I will not continue to post on this blog, nor do I think I will blog anywhere. For me, I just do not think I have time to go on the computer, type things, and then post them on the internet. Doing so does not interest me. I would much rather talk to someone or be outdoors, rather than sitting in front of a computer typing. I can understand why people enjoy keeping blogs and getting an opportunity to share themselves with others, but it just does not suit my personality. Some of the blogs written by my classmates are pretty amazing because of their writing styles. It was a lot of fun to read what others wrote about, and how we all took a different approach to each assignment. Some of us were straight forward and used information from the books, while others were much more creative in their writing styles.
I found that a lot of these blogs for me seemed rather fake. I think that the fakeness stems from the fact that it is a forced, class assignment, rather than a creative outlet. I am a very quiet person who does not like to share a lot about myself with other people. The idea of posting my thoughts online in an environment where anyone with an internet connection can read them, is unsettling for me. I would much rather keep to myself and share my thoughts and ideas in a more intimate setting or in person with friends or family.
I enjoyed reading the assigned books and talking about the readings, but for me, the blog seemed silly. I am not sure what the lesson in blogging was, other than giving us another opportunity to relate the readings to other topics. I would much rather have been assigned short 500 word essays each week that were submitted via blackboard than going to a blog site. Despite my dislike for the blogs, I learned a lot about the internet and the change in communication as technology has increased. I have talked to friends and family about the readings in the books because there are many interesting topics. I think that my favorite blog assignment was the one where we sent out a letter and e-mailed a letter. It was a great opportunity to do something that many of us have probably not done in a long time (mailing a bill was the last thing I have mailed in the past few months). Thanks for all of the information!
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Wild Card!
Communication has become a lot less personal as the internet has become more popular. It seems like one of the most common internet usages is email. E-mail allows people to send messages, information, and pictures to others much cheaper and faster than using standard mail. Because of the ease of email communication, it seems like even though people may be computer illiterate, they are still capable of sending emails.
Because e-mails can be sent out so quickly and people send out so many e-mails throughout the day, things get mis-communicated. It is difficult to relay emotion in emails, so that is often the cause of the misunderstanding. Something that someone intended as a joke may be interpreted as an insult by the recipient because there is no tone of voice.
Email communication gives us access to a medium that doesn't allow for tone or nuance. It is very fast, and we often use I impulsively to communicate. Sometimes e-mails go back a forth over 10 times between two people, and sometimes e-mails serve as the only communication. An example of this occurred at my work – a chemistry lab. We became so dependant on email that our department basically stopped talking to each other.
I use e-mail throughout the day with my supervisors and my coworkers. Sometimes e-mails are sent to people and cc’ed to others in the department. When this occurs, I think it is appropriate etiquette to keep everyone cc’ed on the email communication until the matter is resolved. My boss recently sent out an email to everyone in my department asking us to perform an inventory of various products in our company. It was a task that combined computer work, paper work and lab work – and more importantly it took up a lot of time. About an hour into the task, I noticed that some of my coworkers looked like they were doing the same thing as I was. It turns out that my boss had sent us each the same e-mail, asking us to perform the same tasks, but had sent it to each of us individually. Instead of sending one email and listing multiple recipients, he sent it to each of us alone. No one had any idea that we had all been asked to do the same thing.
and it's a fast, often impulsive way to communicate, which can be great – except when it isn't.
This issue blew up into a slew of frustrated and angry e-mails between coworkers and managers and could have been avoided. We all sit within 40 feet of each other, so we could have easily had a meeting or split up the task. Eventually the matter was resolved, and general email etiquette was discussed.
When talking about relationships between coworkers Woods and Smith say, “As these systems become increasingly more common as part of the working experience, it becomes easier to take for granted the effect they have on human communication” (91). This is very true, and hopefully we recognize that working relationships need to be given attention in response to cyber communication. We can not forget to maintain “real” communication with coworkers rather than relying only on e-mail.
Because e-mails can be sent out so quickly and people send out so many e-mails throughout the day, things get mis-communicated. It is difficult to relay emotion in emails, so that is often the cause of the misunderstanding. Something that someone intended as a joke may be interpreted as an insult by the recipient because there is no tone of voice.
Email communication gives us access to a medium that doesn't allow for tone or nuance. It is very fast, and we often use I impulsively to communicate. Sometimes e-mails go back a forth over 10 times between two people, and sometimes e-mails serve as the only communication. An example of this occurred at my work – a chemistry lab. We became so dependant on email that our department basically stopped talking to each other.
I use e-mail throughout the day with my supervisors and my coworkers. Sometimes e-mails are sent to people and cc’ed to others in the department. When this occurs, I think it is appropriate etiquette to keep everyone cc’ed on the email communication until the matter is resolved. My boss recently sent out an email to everyone in my department asking us to perform an inventory of various products in our company. It was a task that combined computer work, paper work and lab work – and more importantly it took up a lot of time. About an hour into the task, I noticed that some of my coworkers looked like they were doing the same thing as I was. It turns out that my boss had sent us each the same e-mail, asking us to perform the same tasks, but had sent it to each of us individually. Instead of sending one email and listing multiple recipients, he sent it to each of us alone. No one had any idea that we had all been asked to do the same thing.
and it's a fast, often impulsive way to communicate, which can be great – except when it isn't.
This issue blew up into a slew of frustrated and angry e-mails between coworkers and managers and could have been avoided. We all sit within 40 feet of each other, so we could have easily had a meeting or split up the task. Eventually the matter was resolved, and general email etiquette was discussed.
When talking about relationships between coworkers Woods and Smith say, “As these systems become increasingly more common as part of the working experience, it becomes easier to take for granted the effect they have on human communication” (91). This is very true, and hopefully we recognize that working relationships need to be given attention in response to cyber communication. We can not forget to maintain “real” communication with coworkers rather than relying only on e-mail.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Rock Climbing Forum
This assignment was a hard one for me to complete. I am taking a full load of classes at Oregon State, then taking some additional classes at my local community college, and I work as a chemist full time. This means that I have very little free time to do much of anything. One of the requirements that I made for myself when it came to choosing a community to join, was that it had to be one I could participate and log onto while I was at work. Many community sites are blocked at worked for various reasons like “mature content” or “dating website” even though they have nothing to do with dating or adult content.
I thought it would be fun to join a community that I was interested in and could learn something from. When I do have free time I love to be outdoors running, road biking, or rock climbing. I did some searches on these topics and I found rockclimbing.com. This is a very large website which has a lot of different features. There are sections devoted to informational articles about new products or new climbing areas, and sections set up for discussion forums. There is also a section in which you can create a profile and list out all of your climbing accomplishments and then use this to search for climbing partners in your area.
Over the past two weeks I read and contributed to the various discussion boards on the website. Some of the discussions were very interesting and educational, where others were being used as a place to complain and gripe. I believe that I was accepted into this community because of the responses I received when I posted responses. I approached these discussion boards in the same way I would have approached any conversation with people in real life. I do not like to start arguments, nor do I react to peoples insulting words.
There is quite a lot of rudeness and unkindness on this website. There are lots of discussion posts where people use language which I do not think is appropriate for a general use forum. There are also many cases of people using all capital letters, and just being flat out rude to other people. In other cases people would ask questions and would get sarcastic responses from others. An example of this was a guy asking for advice on popping or not popping a blister on his foot. Many responses were very good, but a few were similar to this one, “Pop it and have your dog lick it. You'll be amazed how fast it will heal. Dog saliva is like magic on wounds. Don't ask how I know this.” In my opinion, I do not understand why a person would even respond like this to a stranger they may not really know.
I think that our society has become accustomed to websites and forums where you can interact with others behind a computer screen. It makes people say and respond in ways that may not in a face to face conversation. I think that not many people would have the nerve to jump into a strangers’ conversation and say something completely rude or even yell at them.
In Woods and Smith they say that “Despite the distances that can separate them, people have an intrinsic need for community” (122). This was exactly true on rockclimbing.com. People who participated in this community live in places throughout the world, which shows that everyone wants to belong and be a part of the group. Like Woods and Smith said, this self created community does have rules and will “regulate members through sanctions” (139). In the forum I belonged to, this was the case and there were moderators who would read through posts giving warnings to participants who were getting out of line.
I think that this was a good experience, and although I do not participate regularly in forums like this, it is nice to see that large groups of people can get together and have constructive conversations and disagreements with each other.
I thought it would be fun to join a community that I was interested in and could learn something from. When I do have free time I love to be outdoors running, road biking, or rock climbing. I did some searches on these topics and I found rockclimbing.com. This is a very large website which has a lot of different features. There are sections devoted to informational articles about new products or new climbing areas, and sections set up for discussion forums. There is also a section in which you can create a profile and list out all of your climbing accomplishments and then use this to search for climbing partners in your area.
Over the past two weeks I read and contributed to the various discussion boards on the website. Some of the discussions were very interesting and educational, where others were being used as a place to complain and gripe. I believe that I was accepted into this community because of the responses I received when I posted responses. I approached these discussion boards in the same way I would have approached any conversation with people in real life. I do not like to start arguments, nor do I react to peoples insulting words.
There is quite a lot of rudeness and unkindness on this website. There are lots of discussion posts where people use language which I do not think is appropriate for a general use forum. There are also many cases of people using all capital letters, and just being flat out rude to other people. In other cases people would ask questions and would get sarcastic responses from others. An example of this was a guy asking for advice on popping or not popping a blister on his foot. Many responses were very good, but a few were similar to this one, “Pop it and have your dog lick it. You'll be amazed how fast it will heal. Dog saliva is like magic on wounds. Don't ask how I know this.” In my opinion, I do not understand why a person would even respond like this to a stranger they may not really know.
I think that our society has become accustomed to websites and forums where you can interact with others behind a computer screen. It makes people say and respond in ways that may not in a face to face conversation. I think that not many people would have the nerve to jump into a strangers’ conversation and say something completely rude or even yell at them.
In Woods and Smith they say that “Despite the distances that can separate them, people have an intrinsic need for community” (122). This was exactly true on rockclimbing.com. People who participated in this community live in places throughout the world, which shows that everyone wants to belong and be a part of the group. Like Woods and Smith said, this self created community does have rules and will “regulate members through sanctions” (139). In the forum I belonged to, this was the case and there were moderators who would read through posts giving warnings to participants who were getting out of line.
I think that this was a good experience, and although I do not participate regularly in forums like this, it is nice to see that large groups of people can get together and have constructive conversations and disagreements with each other.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
snail mail vs. mail
I wrote a letter by hand to my grandmother who lives in England. The usual way that we communicate is via snail mail or by phone. Because she is a widow and lives alone, her favorite thing is to receive a letter in the mail. It does not matter if the letter is short or long or has nothing important written in it, it is the highlight of her week. I get a letter back in the mail from her in less than a week thanking me for the letter I sent.
I start the letter with:
Dear Nanny,
I hope things are going well for you. I recently moved to Truckee California, about 50 miles north of where I was living before. I like it here a lot. The weather is always perfect, it’s not too hot or too cold.
I just wanted to send you this letter with a few pictures to thank you for being there for me….
I continue on with a few more paragraphs and then close the letter by saying “I hope to hear from you soon, Love Katie”
I then typed an email to my Mom. It started out with:
Hi,
It’s been a while since I talked to you last. I’ve been busy with work and school and I also just moved. Sierra and I like our new place a lot.
I was just thinking about you and wanted to thank you for everything you help me with. It really means a lot to me, and I appreciate everything you have done.
I just did the death ride this past weekend with a friend from work….deathride.com. You should look at the website.
Katie
In comparison to the letter, the e-mail was a lot less personal, and a lot more brief. There were a lot less emotions in it, and reading it again now, it was very short.
Email has changed our society a lot. Instead of writing letters it seems like we all send emails. We can send digital pictures and even video as attachments in our e-mails. As much as I love technology and the ability to type an email and know that the recipient has it less than fifteen seconds later, there is something nice about a handwritten letter. It shows that more time and effort was taken. The sender had to write the letter, find and address an envelope, buy a stamp, and take the letter to the post office.
Much like the way Postman talks about the fact that technology does not necessarily mean better medicine, technology does not mean better communication. Although technology has made communication easier and faster, it has removed the personal aspects from it. There is no longer an envelope to open and a handwritten letter to read. All we are left looking at is a computer screen.
I think that it was convenient to send my Mom and e-mail because it was very quick, but also it was a lot less personal. I imagined her sitting at her computer desk reading it along with all of the other junk mail in her inbox. I think the letter was a lot less valued than the physical one I sent to my grandmother. I can imagine her sitting around her kitchen table reading it, and then talking about it with all of her friends for the next few days.
I start the letter with:
Dear Nanny,
I hope things are going well for you. I recently moved to Truckee California, about 50 miles north of where I was living before. I like it here a lot. The weather is always perfect, it’s not too hot or too cold.
I just wanted to send you this letter with a few pictures to thank you for being there for me….
I continue on with a few more paragraphs and then close the letter by saying “I hope to hear from you soon, Love Katie”
I then typed an email to my Mom. It started out with:
Hi,
It’s been a while since I talked to you last. I’ve been busy with work and school and I also just moved. Sierra and I like our new place a lot.
I was just thinking about you and wanted to thank you for everything you help me with. It really means a lot to me, and I appreciate everything you have done.
I just did the death ride this past weekend with a friend from work….deathride.com. You should look at the website.
Katie
In comparison to the letter, the e-mail was a lot less personal, and a lot more brief. There were a lot less emotions in it, and reading it again now, it was very short.
Email has changed our society a lot. Instead of writing letters it seems like we all send emails. We can send digital pictures and even video as attachments in our e-mails. As much as I love technology and the ability to type an email and know that the recipient has it less than fifteen seconds later, there is something nice about a handwritten letter. It shows that more time and effort was taken. The sender had to write the letter, find and address an envelope, buy a stamp, and take the letter to the post office.
Much like the way Postman talks about the fact that technology does not necessarily mean better medicine, technology does not mean better communication. Although technology has made communication easier and faster, it has removed the personal aspects from it. There is no longer an envelope to open and a handwritten letter to read. All we are left looking at is a computer screen.
I think that it was convenient to send my Mom and e-mail because it was very quick, but also it was a lot less personal. I imagined her sitting at her computer desk reading it along with all of the other junk mail in her inbox. I think the letter was a lot less valued than the physical one I sent to my grandmother. I can imagine her sitting around her kitchen table reading it, and then talking about it with all of her friends for the next few days.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Facebook page
Prior to this class I already had a facebook page. The main reason I created the page was so that I would be able to keep in touch with friends from college, high school, and from the various places I have traveled. In today’s society, it is a lot easier to send and email than to make a phone call. My facebook page allows me to keep in contact with those I meet, without having to use a phone or to keep track of changing phone numbers.
The Info tab on my facebook account is rather bare, and actually incorrect. It is broken down into several subsections; Basic information, Personal information, Contact information, Education and work, and Groups. Although I have been a member of this website for over three years, the information on my website has not changed since. None of my contact information is correct, and all the basic information reveals about myself is that I was born on August 8th, am female, and that I am an alumni of University of Micigan and UC Davis. For me, I do not want a lot of my personal information on a website, especially as more and more employers are starting to check personal websites prior to hiring people.
The only use for the site that I have is to keep in touch with friends I have across the country, and make plans with people whom I do not see frequently. An example of this is that I recently went home to Pennsylvania for my brothers wedding. Before I left, I used facebook to send messages to some of the people I went to high school with to make plans to get together with them while I was in town.
I have my account set up so that people actually need to know me in order to add me as a friend. I do not want a lot of random people contacting me through the internet because honestly, if I do not know a person, I do not want to meet them online. I also do not use the site as a way of letting people know what I am doing every week. It seems like some people use facebook to provide their friends and others with constant updates on their life, which is fine, but I just choose not to do this. I just logged on to this site for the first time in a month or so, and the first things I see and comments like, “Corinne; Russ’ work phone work me up this morning. Not much sleep” and “Lauren: is pregnant”. To me, this just feels like a mass complaining, bragging, whining, and gossiping site.
In Wood and Smith, they say, “Most of us are aware that costuming is an important aspect of the parts we play and the self we choose to resent at one time or another” (58). This applies with facebook in that people choose to post pictures that make themselves or others look good – you rarely see someone’s profile picture where they are having a bad day or at a time when they are sad. Facebook allows people to pick and choose what they decide to reveal to other people and thus, people usually have a motivation to post the things they do. They are either looking for sympathy, congratulations, or simply attention.
The Info tab on my facebook account is rather bare, and actually incorrect. It is broken down into several subsections; Basic information, Personal information, Contact information, Education and work, and Groups. Although I have been a member of this website for over three years, the information on my website has not changed since. None of my contact information is correct, and all the basic information reveals about myself is that I was born on August 8th, am female, and that I am an alumni of University of Micigan and UC Davis. For me, I do not want a lot of my personal information on a website, especially as more and more employers are starting to check personal websites prior to hiring people.
The only use for the site that I have is to keep in touch with friends I have across the country, and make plans with people whom I do not see frequently. An example of this is that I recently went home to Pennsylvania for my brothers wedding. Before I left, I used facebook to send messages to some of the people I went to high school with to make plans to get together with them while I was in town.
I have my account set up so that people actually need to know me in order to add me as a friend. I do not want a lot of random people contacting me through the internet because honestly, if I do not know a person, I do not want to meet them online. I also do not use the site as a way of letting people know what I am doing every week. It seems like some people use facebook to provide their friends and others with constant updates on their life, which is fine, but I just choose not to do this. I just logged on to this site for the first time in a month or so, and the first things I see and comments like, “Corinne; Russ’ work phone work me up this morning. Not much sleep” and “Lauren: is pregnant”. To me, this just feels like a mass complaining, bragging, whining, and gossiping site.
In Wood and Smith, they say, “Most of us are aware that costuming is an important aspect of the parts we play and the self we choose to resent at one time or another” (58). This applies with facebook in that people choose to post pictures that make themselves or others look good – you rarely see someone’s profile picture where they are having a bad day or at a time when they are sad. Facebook allows people to pick and choose what they decide to reveal to other people and thus, people usually have a motivation to post the things they do. They are either looking for sympathy, congratulations, or simply attention.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
So Much Cooler Online
It seems very evident to us, and as pointed out by Woods and Smith, that communication via the internet is an interactive process. Instead of being a passive viewer, the internet with chat rooms, blogs, and other features, allows us to be interactive with one another. It allows us the opportunity to have communications with others via e-mail, blogs, or chat rooms. In Brad Paisleys video, he is making fun of the fact that many people use the internet as a way of creating an alternate, “cooler” self. By setting up profiles in chat rooms, people are able to create false identities, and become “so much cooler online” than they are in real life.
George Costanza created an identity for himself online in which he was taller, had a nice car, and was able to interact calmly with multiple women. However, in reality, he lived in his parent’s basement, was short, and played with star wars toys. He was also too nervous to interact with the girl who lived across the street from him, whereas online he was able to “chat with three women at one time”. The internet allowed George to become a different person online. Postman talks about the changes in morals that technologies brings, and I believe that applies to the way we use the internet too. With or without realizing it, I think that chat rooms, blogs, and other interactions on the internet are changing our moral values as a society. Is it a lie to reveal parts of ourselves online, but leave other crucial things out, or distort the facts?
This video shows us that people are not the same when they communicate online versus online. Using the internet allows people to have the ability to create identities for themselves. A shy person can be very outgoing online because no one sees their face. A person only has to reveal certain things online and can keep secrets or make up lies with very little chance of being caught. It is good that a person can use the internet to become whoever they want online, but it also teaches us that we need to caution who we meet online. If we are telling lies, or only revealing certain parts of our personalities online, it is likely that the people we are talking to are doing the same thing.
Even while we are taking this course and completing our blog assignments, we only reveal the things about ourselves that we want others to know. We do not ever have to show our true identities, post our real pictures, or write anything that would embarrass us. Also, as a shy person, I think that an online class actually allows me to communicate and interact more with my peers than I would in a normal classroom situation. I am a person who likes to have time to formulate responses, and thus, in a classroom, am rather quiet. This is an advantage to me, but it also shows that I am a different person online than I am in real life.
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