A Blog About Blogs: Chapter 2 and 3

   In our world today, blogging seems to be as natural a form of communication as showing printed pictures to a friend from vacation or confessing your point of view at an open debate. But the questions remain, how did we get to the Internet driven point we are at now? And if blogging really differs so much from the common form of print, how so?

   After taking a mass communications class, I have learned quite a bit about the progression from orality to literacy, literacy to print, and now print to digital media. I feel Chapter Two, From Bards to Blogs, did a great job of highlighting all the major points in the history that got us to where we are now. It is comforting to know that while print is something that seems so natural to us now, at the time the switch was made from spoken language to writing things down, many people questioned it much as people today question the goodness of online forms of writing such as blogging. This idea speaks to the ever-changing nature of technology and the way we communicate. As Chapter 3 later discusses, years into the future, blogging and social networking will be the form that seems natural to us while we are questioning some new and futuristic form. 

   One of my favorite topics covered in Chapter Two was the notion that digital media is on the rise in amount used daily in people's lives while use of printed sources have shown a decline. In the mass communications class I mentioned earlier, we were required to log our daily use of different forms of media throughout a week and write a paper on our findings. I was a little surprised to find that the number of hours I use digital media outlets, specifically my laptop, was so high. I think this shock came from the fact that to my generation, using computers in our daily lives seems just as innate as reading a book does to past generations. As the chapter mentioned, I also saw a great number of hours where I was using multiple media outlets at one time, such as checking my Facebook, watching TV, and looking at my Twitter on my phone. I believe it is this sense of constant connectivity and natural feel that make blogging such a prominent form of communication today. When you read and follow blogs, do you feel more connected to the world by following others thoughts? If so, are blogs as conversational and interactive as you would like them to be? 

   I also found Chapter Three on blog communities to be very interesting and eye-opening. While I partake in both blogging and social networking, I had never taken time to think of these sources as online connected communities. While there can be both positives and negatives to being so interconnected, I ultimately think blogging and sites such as Facebook and Twitter open so many doors for people that never could have been seen without the Internet world we live in today. These sites make it so easy to stay connected with old friends, meet other people who are searching for similar jobs, and find out news and info from people all over the world, all with the click of a mouse. On the other hand, I thought the chapter did a great job of explaining and giving advice on the dangers of putting information on the web for all to see. Unlike print, many things on the internet can't just be forgotten or destroyed, something we need to be quite careful of when sharing our thoughts. On that note, do you have any stories of people posting things on the internet that came back to bite them later? How can we be more active in making sure what we post on the internet reflects us in a positive light? 

   

Getting Started: First Class Readings

   Being a Communication Studies major, it is almost impossible to find a subject in the department, as well as many areas of life, unaffected by the societal obsession and reliance on the internet and all things digital. After reading Is Google Making Us Stupid? and the article on Electracy, it only strengthened my knowledge of the importance of technology in every aspect of life, including social media, news, education, etc.
   While reading the first article, I couldn't help but feel as if I myself were in the author's shoes, experiencing the shift from from an eager digester of knowledge to a skimmer of an onslaught of information, annoyed by anything not meeting my quick and easy standards. Much as the author feels the hunger and thoughtfulness once attached to learning and consuming is endangered, I feel I rely too much on the internet for instant tidbits of information, such as the recently researched liter conversion chart, that while delivered at a gratifying pace, will filter through my mind before I can switch to my Facebook page. Another point of the article I found to be especially accurate was the argument that digital media not only changes the way we act, but also the way we think. I often find myself surfing the web on my laptop, watching a show on TV, and perusing Twitter on my iPhone all at the same time. Like the article suggests, I believe society has been taught to think that consuming, and focusing on, only one form of media at a time isn't enough. If we don't keep up with the waterfall of ideas and info, we might miss something, right? While I am certain I am not the only person who consumes and media simultaneously and rapidly, I can't help but wonder if others are conscience of this trend, and if they are, if it an easy change to go back to simple times or is this bound to define the future indefinitely?
   While I feel knowledgable about the above mentioned topic, Electracy is a new word to me, something that required a little outside research. The second article was slightly harder for me to understand, but ultimately it further provided evidence that there is a cultural importance to being digitally literate, such as it is important to be literate in a world dominated by print. To be successful in the growing and developing world that parallels a digital lifestyle, it is crucial to be able to navigate and evolve with the technological sphere. After reading this article, I think it is important to discuss the ways in which Electracy, of lack there of, can help or hinder future plans. In society today, what all goes into Electracy and how can knowledge of the digital world further success in future careers?