Alone Together

"I am naked without it!" This was the phrase that made me think after I read Chapter 8 of Alone Together by Sherry Turkle. A cyborg in the book says this phrase when it is talking about technology. This made me think of the countless number of people who are constantly on their phones, tablets, and laptops trying to connect themselves more and more into the "world".

Civilization is now spending most of their time on the internet. People love their new technologies. They have become incorporated into family life and we have no regrets with the time we have lost with one another. For some odd reason, we seem closer to someone over the net then we do actually sitting face to face. When I think about this, it is no wonder why so many relationships start online.

 The book also states that "the internet provides new spaces". We look at our unsolved issues and missed opportunities and fill them with the internet. It baffles me that we believe that it is good enough. Our generation is now living in a second life, not the current life that is behind the computer screen. With our technologies, we have created an easier lifestyle for us including a easier life worth living. Everything a person can want is now online. People can have families, relationships, and jobs all at their fingertips. They can connect with all of these via a screen and when they do not need them, all they have to do is close their computer screen.

Technology has become so advanced that being connected is no longer about the distance, but the available technology that is given to us. Technology allows us to never have to be alone. People can turn on their cell phones and with the push of one button, they are connected. We often hear people discussing their personal lives in public while shopping, dining and even while using the bathroom instead of in the privacy of their home or bedroom. Some people now believe that just because they are on their phone they are in private. False!  Everyone in the room can hear the drama going on in their life from one side. They become absent from civilization because they are discussing matters that are happening elsewhere.  Turkle makes a very good point by saying, "It is those on the phone who mark themselves absent". People often make subtle cues to saying that they are in a different place.

We often are interacting in the living world while also interacting in a virtual world. We do this so much we often do not realize it or even are concerned about it. So, it’s no longer “multi-tasking” anymore, but “multi-lifing”. With all the avatars we can claim online, we can have multiple identities. Another world can allow us to be anything we want. I can’t help but ask which one of these lives are real? Are people really projecting their real life over Facebook, blogs or Twitter or are they portraying what they want to be or want others to believe? Probably the ultimate question the book raised for me is, “What is ‘real life’ anyway?”

Cybercultures

For class we were instructed to read Nayar Chapter one.  The chapter starts with discussing a British couple getting a divorce because of an affair the husband was having in Second Life. It amazed me how the cyber world has affected homes and families because of the interaction we share over the web. Cyberspace is defined as a set of relations and actions in electronic space.  Cyberspace shows that cultures can be formed in or associated with online social spaces. This cyberworld has become an extension and augmentation of the everyday one.

People create themselves as avatars online. These Avatars are us and what we would like to be seen as online. People can create and change their identity to be something different then what others see in the flesh. Cyberworld can now affect your identity. People online can see you as one way and others can see you in another. Facebook allows for you to choose what is seen and not seen by others. Friends can add pictures of you and you can untag yourself in order to maintain a certain perspective of yourself. It is now as if people are living two lives. Because people can change their identity over the web it opens the door to problems.

I was watching a show on msnbc about online sexual predators. These predators were seducing disguised under aged women who were really police officers. Men came to the staged house and were caught. Predators use the cyberworld to find women that they can take advantage of and break laws.

I am not saying that the cyberworld is bad, but needs limits. The book states that cyberculture has no boundaries. Parent control can only go so far, where it then just becomes a problem.

Technology has become so advanced, but comes at a cost. Many areas of the world cannot afford to keep up with the cyberworld and it cuts off people who would like to know about their culture. People can blog and tell about visiting the cultures , but we cannot see their avatar or perspective.

Technology has become a way of life for many people, but because many people do not have access to technology they cannot use it. If technology wants to continue to prevail and become important in our lives it needs to become more accessible. This is still hard because technology is like a second language to those who have not used it. Technology is a form of culture and many cultures would rather keep things the way they are. Cultures can be so far back in adaptation that technology is not the next step for them.

We can see technology is important and we now NEED it in our everyday lives. Cyberworld is going to continue to grow and we will continue to adapt. Because the internet has become so important I do not want it to become the next Frankenstein. The creator needs to take a step back and improve the creation before the creation becomes seen as a monster.

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Digital Culture in my life and understanding it

Digital culture plays a major part in my life and others. In this day of time we are in the Information Stage. Some may call it the Digital Age or the Computer Age, whatever u want to call it the world is fixed on technology and new upcoming trends.

Digital culture begins with the different types of technologies we use. We now have computers, tablets, and Smartphone's, all of which we use religiously. On our appliances we use the internet and various applications that help entertain us throughout the day.

 Facebook is one of the major social medias I use. Facebook allows me to keep up with my friends and family. Almost every day I log on to see pictures, and posts my friends and family make. These posts and pictures allow me to stay connected with people in my life. It also allows me to experience their life experiences even though I cannot be there with them.  

Recently I have actually started to use my email. Email has been around for years, but being a senior in college trying to make it in the job world it has become more and more important.  I receive constant emails from my teachers and potential jobs that I may be interested in. Email has always frustrated me with tons of spam mail. Some emails have spam blocker, but I seem to continue to get spam mail constantly.

Digital culture has grown in many ways. People have started to date online. Many people honor their first amendment by creating blogs. Celebrities have even become popular because of various digital cultures. Digital culture has become limitless and will continue to grow.

Since we have entered into this" technology age" we need to have a better understanding of it. Schools are now offering classes and majors  that deal with digital culture. Digital culture has become how people live and we need to keep up with technology. Jobs are now wanting future employers to be trained in social media. Social media helps promote and market organizations. People now learn about new trends and upcoming new technologies because of digital culture. The world is headed to becoming all digital and we must keep up!

Interesting Article