Conclusions

I found this course enjoyable and informative. It provided a foundation of internet communication which emphasized principles rather than technicalities, and provided differing perspectives on how technology is affecting communication.

The process of writing a blog was a new one for me, although I have posted many times on various message boards. However, the blog topics I felt did not resemble a traditional blog in the sense that there is a narrative and consistency from post to post. We seemed to jump from activity to activity with little references to narrative. Additionally, such a decentralized system of information meant that discourse involving many students was made more difficult. The restriction on posting multiple times on the same person’s blog also hindered this process. The highest comment total on any blog I saw was around 3, and the way the blogs are set up it’s not possible to see updates unless I specifically visit all the blogs and check the individual posts. However, we did learn quite a bit about what is involved in blogging, and how to go about doing it.

The readings were also interesting, for different ways. Personally, I felt the Postman piece was biased, and at times I disagreed with his conclusions (although I did not dismiss them). Wood and Smith gave a more balanced approached similar to what a college text book might contain, giving balanced space to each side of the arguments.

The only thing I would change is the discussion board format. Firstly, the alternating posting and replying made it difficult to maintain a narrative from week to week. Secondly, there was no unifying discussion topic or point that posters could focus on and maintain consistency. I believe this would have helped the discourse. Instead, the posts were not only split down the middle in two different texts, but also the posts often covered vastly different subjects. This resulted in a peppering of many different topics and subjects which happened to interest the students as it related to the readings.

I thoroughly enjoyed the course, and wish everyone well with their academics!

Warm Regards,

Aaron

Wild Card - Introduction to Skype

A new piece of software that has recently impacted my online communication is skype. While I have used skype for years for use in business and socializing, it was only recently that I convinced my parents to actually install it. Since then, I have observed how they have gone from completely ignorant of how skype works to gradually adopt the behaviors of CMC and become comfortable communicating online.

My parents, although highly educated and smart, are resistant to learning to use new technologies. My dad's historical excuse has been "oh ill get it, I just want to wait until it drops in price". He has used this line for every new technology that has come out that I can remember. To solve this problem, I simply started buying my parents new gadgets as soon as they are available, thus placing them in the somewhat uncomfortable (for them) position of being in possession of a brand new technology. To date, the strategy hasn’t been all that successful. Most of the time the gadgets I purchase for them remain either unused or unopened. The ipod I bought my parents still has zero songs on it. As I live across the globe from my parents, it’s difficult for me to ease the transition for them by showing them how to use the new gadgets (although every time I do see them I catch them up as best I can).

After purchasing my parents a new laptop complete with web cam, they could no longer ignore my urgings and finally agreed to setup a skype date. The experience for them was revolutionary. They had never experienced video chat, and the ability to see who they were talking to was novel to them. I remember my mom said something like "I feel like I am in your home". This sentiment is exactly what Woods and Smith reference when they speak of the internet promoting interconnectedness, and how we construct our realities through technology.

At first, they were very clumsy in how they skyped. A typical user would schedule a meeting in advance, or failing that, send a quick chat message to ask if it was convenient to skype. My parents on the other hand, treated skype like a telephone. They just pressed "call". I remember being in the other room eating dinner and hearing the skype call come in. I had to explain to them that it was normal to send a chat message, and that skype was a program that was not always online. They seemed frustrated they could not skype when my computer was off (as if the telephone lines were down).

Eventually, they got the hang of the etiquette and use, and now I even witness my dad using the hotkeys for skype to maximize the screen (he was very proud of this). They now prefer to skype instead of a traditional phone call, and even if we find ourselves speaking on the phone, he will inevitably ask if we can skype instead. My parents now use skype beyond communicating with me, and now do it with many family members and friends.

The case of my parents mirrors the general trend occurring in society. Every year more people go online and become connected. The digital divide that currently exists and is covered in W&S ch. 8 will slowly recede as the cost to bring developing countries these technologies continues to drop. This week's chapter of Woods and Smith discusses how technologies become familiar, and borrowing from Plotnikoff "unremarkable". While I feel the novelty of this particular technology still remains, it certainly seems today that my parents could not imagine not using skype to communicate.

Interviews

Mother in law age 61

My mother in law is what I would call a traditional person. She has a particular way of thinking, and a set of ways to which she is devoted. A working mother of three her entire life, she had no time or money for things such as advanced education, travel, or hobbies. As a result, she has not come to accept technology as easily as others her age. She in fact does not use the internet, or a computer, at all. I would characterize her as a borderline technophobe. Her resistance to technology includes the modern banking system. I asked her how she does her banking (expecting her to say she never does online banking), and to my surprise she indicated that she won’t even use the ATM! Instead, she gets into line every day to make deposits and withdrawals. When I asked why she doesn’t use an ATM, she said she didn’t know how to, and didn’t trust the technology.

In her own words, the internet, and (computer use) is something necessary to function and be productive in society, much like the typewriter was for her. As a retired elderly person, she is not required to learn or adapt to these technologies as her communication needs are being met without them.

Art dealer age 41

The second interview I conducted was with an old family friend who is an art dealer and happened to be in town this week. When I met her, it was immediately apparent that technology played an integral part in her life re business. She was tapping away at her blackberry constantly, keeping updated with the latest emails and correspondence with her clients. Before her flight landed, I received emails notifying me of her progress sent from her phone. She was clearly comfortable with technology and understood its uses and benefits to communication. However, interestingly enough there were some communication activities that she did not utilize technology to the fullest. She said she missed her kids (age 4 and 7) and wanted to see them, so I asked why she didn’t simply set a skype date with her laptop? Her eyes glazed and she simply said “yeah…I should do that”. It seemed that for social interaction, she still used traditional methods of communication, phone, face to face, but for business it was all email and internet. The idea of using technology to that degree (and having her kids use it as well), seemed a foreign idea.

Brother in law age 22

The third interview was with my brother in law, who is an art major, free spirit, bohemian type. His room is a collage of paints, sketches, canvas, brushes, an enormous desk, and an equally enormous yet pristine apple PC, placed prominently in a corner with the best view out his window. My brother in law is entirely comfortable with technology for both work and play, for business and social communication. Aside from the computer, there was an ipod dock setup as well as setup for him to pipe downloaded movies to his TV. Clearly, the internet and computer use has permeated nearly every aspect of his life. When I questioned him regarding how the internet has changed his life, he reacted with anxiety to the thought of what would happen if he lost the internet. I would place him diametrically opposite in characterization when compared to my mother in law.

Wood and Smith describe in Chapter 1 how many people can feel anxiety when using computers. My mother in law certainly qualifies as one of these. Opposite her is my brother in law, who expressed anxiety for precisely the opposite: losing access to the internet. Somewhere in the middle is the art dealer, who has adapted her life and business to the newer technologies, yet not fully embraced them on all levels.

Together, I feel these three interviews describe well three typical slices of society and how they most commonly interact with internet and computer use. It shows a gradual trend towards inclusion and permeation of technology that will eventually lead to more people like my brother in law. Like most technologies, the convenience of them once integrated into society is hard to let go, and may lead to anxiety if the loss of it becomes apparent. What if we all had to give up automobiles and go back to using horse drawn carts? I am sure most of us would express anxiety.