A Blog to Remember (M8.1)

Social media has become a large part of my life since I grew up in the generation where computers and more specifically the Internet age is a blooming fad. As more and more apps and web sites are designed to keep you posted and connected to the world more people feel inclined to contribute to that content. Those contributing to the content on the Internet are not always considered “produsers”, although we are composing tweets and sharing information, we don’t own the rights to that content, it becomes Twitter’s, Instagram’s or Facebook’s.

Throughout the majority of this course I was introduced to new ways of sharing information on the Internet or by a click of your cell phone. I’ve never been the type of girl who cared much about social media as I mentioned in previous posts. Twitter just recently became a frequent used app for me and I would say it’s my second most used social media outlet now after taking this course. I don’t believe I’m a “produser” at the moment, “unless we regard every twitter and facebook update as an act of creativity” (Bird 512), which we don’t.

I’m in the English and Writing program in hopes to get into the advertisement business later in my career. Next year I will be attending Humber College for a postgraduates program in Copy Write Advertisement so after taking this course I noticed how useful social media and the Internet can be (if used proactively that is). “Produsing” content via the Internet and smart phones creates a quick and instant connection to what the user needs. By having to keep up with a monthly blog contribution and actually taking interest in posting blogs my self, I have realized that I would like to engage in the “produser” age. Also, since I feel inclined to be apart of the advertising sphere in my future career, I feel like I would eventually contribute to being “produser”, creating advertisements, or social media outlets for companies to acquire ways to get their business out there.

Although there are many benefits that come with being apart of the information age and having the opportunity of “produsing” there are some aspects of deprival. In the article “Are We All Produsers Now?” Bird states, “we must not forget that online produsage is not the only way to engage actively with media; action spurred by media takes many forms other than the creation of more media” (Bird 512). Although we have easier access to information and content we must realized there are other outlets that may be more trustworthy or helpful. We must not forget about offline information that can also be accessed. Even though it’s easier to turn on your computer and type into a search engine what you are looking for, going outside the sources of social media and online outlets can benefit your self as well. We must not be totally consumed by the products of the Internet and we must focus on other aspects. Another issue that may arise is the notion of whom you can and cannot trust on the Internet. “Critical consumption, or what Ernest Hemingway called “crap detection,” is the literacy of trying to figure out what and who is trustworthy—and what and who is not trustworthy—online” (Rheingold). Sites like Wikipedia offer information that can be changed frequently, so you must make sure to double-check your sources when using specific sites like that. Overall, for me the benefits outweigh the disadvantages, but it is all solely on how you choose to use your information productively, which is always a challenge now-a-days

Works Cited

Bird, S. E. (2011). Are We All Produsers Now? Cultural Studies. 25 (4-5), pp. 502-516. http://bit.ly/1a8JmGh

Rheingold, H. (2010). Attention, and Other 21st-Century Social Media Literacies. EDUCAUSE Review. 45:5. pp. 14-24. http://bit.ly/S0yO1z

Linked In and Connected Around the World (M7.1)

Social media provides many opportunities, but whether those opportunities are proactive or digressive is up to the user. Now that the Internet has created a way for people to connect and contribute to newsworthy events citizen journalism has become a popular hobby taken up by many individuals. Through Twitter and Facebook citizens are able to connect and contribute to current news and events taking place in society. By interacting with others through social media sites it allows the opportunity for commentary and discussion which “compiles information and can therefore be seen as a form of news curation: of tracking a story and highlighting its origins and implications” (Burns 6).

The article “Blogs, Twitter and Breaking News” talks about how the community is able to engage and learn newsworthy events by posting their own thoughts and contributions through social media sites like Twitter (Burns). By sites like Twitter, the ability to connect with others on specific topics is easier because of trends and hashtags. Hashtags keep the discussions and topics connected and easy to find by being linked through a common trend everyone is aware of.

In some ways this New Journalism is beneficial to allowing the community and others to engage in what is happening around the world, but it also leaves room for problems. Sometimes people may take things to great lengths such as Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 crash that recently took place. I recently heard on the radio (102.1 the edge) that people are searching Google maps and finding pictures of planes that have crashed and claiming that it is the Flight 370, then posting it on Twitter. When in fact those picture could have been taken many years prior. Thus, allowing the online community to spread false information leading to the notion of conspiracy theories and other improbable events.

Yet in a more productive sense, Twitter is allowing others to connect through the hashtags #MH370 and #MASalert. Here people are able to follow the news and keep track of any leads and updates that may occur. Also, people are able to contribute with commentary and communicate with others on the tragedy of the event. This allows others to be involved in what is taking place around the world and informing themselves and others through the information they may have more access to then others. In the following picture there are multiple tweets that show how the community is engaging in citizen journalism.

“Traditional and New Media Coverage” notes how “Twitter describes itself as ‘a real-time information network that connects you to the latest information about what you find interesting’’” (Hermida 660). Twitter is a space to connect with others that share similar interests all over the world and allows others to be active in participating in journalistic qualities such a reporting and informing.

Overall, citizen journalism is seen mostly through social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. I would say that I probably don’t contribute as much to citizen journalism as I liked too seeing as I want to get my self more involved with what events are happening around the world. I was never a big fan of Facebook so inevitably I never got involved with understanding how it worked and how it connected with others through news worthy events. Through Twitter I would say I have actively involved myself with citizen journalism, as I tend to look through popular trends with events that are taking place around the world through news room social media sites. I feel that I am more likely to contribute to social activism through Twitter and Facebook as it is a place where it can reach millions of people so important things like Tsunami reliefs and Mental Heath awareness can be raised. In recent years a girl committed suicide at my high school and as a school people created a page on Facebook to raise awareness and commemorate the girl and her family. This is just a small contribution in how social media can affect opportunities for citizen journalism and social activism.

Works Cited:

Bruns, A. & T. Highfield. (2012). Blogs, Twitter, and breaking news: The produsage of citizen journalism.

Hermida, A. (2012). TWEETS AND TRUTH: Journalism as a discipline of collaborative verification. Journalism Practice. 6:5-6, p659-668

Music to my Mood (M6.2)

I have always been a fan of listening to music and when I find an artist that I truly appreciate I tend to get a little obsessed with having to listen to every one of their songs. Over the years I have downloaded hundreds of discographies through Torrent sites, but now that I have been introduced to sites that are used to share music I have fallen off that horse. One website I was introduced to by a friend was Groovshark. At first I wasn’t a fan, back when I was in the stage of constantly downloading. As I got more accustom to it I began to appreciate how easy is was to listen to any song a band has through simply going to their Groovshark page. Another aspect that fascinated me was the song recommendations they gave you based on songs you have previously listened too. I have always been a fan of finding new music, but never knew where to look, yet it was right underneath my nose.

Music helps me cope, it helps me focus and also helps distract me. When I need it, it is always seems to put me in the place I need to be at that moment. Jazz helps me focus on readings, rap gets me pumped when I exercise, punk/ rock (more specifically Blink182) lifts my spirits and I’m instantly in a better mood. I don’t know what it is about music, but it can completely change the mood I am in. A great app I have been a little over indulgent with recently is Songza, which is a great site in creating a playlist that caters to the mood your in. Songza gives you a selection of playlists based on the time of day (which can easily be changed, manually, through you). There are multiple playlists, with multiple genres, specifically designed for what you are doing and what your wanting to listen to at that moment.

Streaming and sharing music has grown more and more popular over the years and although some believe it can cause a decline in the recording companies, it also shows a spike in artist publicity. My favorite thing that comes from Groovshark and Songza is the ability to find new artists and songs that I would like and be able to share with friends. In the article “How Social Media and Streaming Have Influenced the Music Industry” it states, “Streaming vastly improves the listening experience, making listeners much more likely to engage for longer periods of time and to share their experiences”. Social media and streaming sites also give the ability for artist exposure creating a new way to “discover and enjoy music”. I believe that artists can thrive in reaching out to their fans, which is a very important platform since fans want to feel a connection with their favourite band.

To illustrate the connection artists and bands have to their fans through social media I will create a slideshare on Blink182 and their use of social media like Twitter and Instagram, which you can find here: (http://www.slideshare.net/see_bomb) 🙂

Cheers.

Freedom to Listen (M6.1)

To be honest, I didn’t get an IPod until I was in grade 11. I was that girl who brought her Walkman to school and listened to my CDs on the bus. Walking into HMV when I was younger was probably one of my favourite things to do, I would save up my weekly allowance and that would be the first place I headed. I think at one point I owned more then 50 CDs. When I eventually got my IPod I started taking my CDs and ripping them to my computer so I could transfer my songs, I even went to the library and rented CDs –yea that was a thing, how many of you knew that? I was never one to purchase music off ITunes I went straight to the source, the CD shop. I think growing up I had a fear of downloading music, that and the fact that I didn’t know how to do it until my boyfriend at the time showed me Utorrent and Torrent sites to acquire music for free—that wasn’t until grade 12.

“Unlike underwear or swimsuits, music falls into that category of things you are normally obligated to share with your dorm mates, family, and friends” (Condry 7). Whether we purchase that CD at HMV or illegally download it from a Torrent site sharing it with others is inevitable. We blare our CDs in our cars with others we use it as background music at a party. It is almost impossible to not allow others to share music when in the first place it is there to create a social bond.

Music is to be experienced with others, and one of the first things I like to do when I find a song or an artist that I enjoy is share that music with someone I also think would enjoy it. Peer-to-peer development has progressed using sites like grooveshark, and many other social media music sites, allowing for that sharing to happen. Purchasing CDs has lessened over the years since other methods of acquiring music have been created. The last time I purchased a CD was probably when I was 19, and it was a Beatles CD. I had this obsession when I was a kid to own every one of their CDs (which has almost been accomplished). I think for me to rationalize buying a CD is if it is a timely classic, a band that will never be a phase, and one that I will enjoy for the rest of my life. I still don’t use ITunes to buy music and for a long time I was a culprit (and from time-to-time still am) to illegally downloading music—although I think the last time I downloaded a song was probably over 6 months ago. Another process for me rationalizing purchasing music is if the artist is new or they are not a sell out to multi-million dollar cooperation’s. I don’t think music should be created to make millions of dollars I think music should be created to be shared and enjoyed freely.

Since I have dabbled in the on-going affair of illegal downloads I would say that I have conflicted the practice of proper copyright regimes. Since one of the major reasons for pirates, noted in the article “A Study on On-line Pirates”, is the inability to afford content people are more obliged to acquire music for free whether that is through sharing through online sites and apps or through illegally downloading from torrent sites (Steinmetz 56). “If music is just a commodity, consumers will get it as cheaply as they can. If music is the art and lifeblood of a group they care about, fans will support that group” (Condry 26). There was a 7.2% raise in CD prices between 1999-2001 creating an incline in downloading and a decline in purchasing, especially if someone only wanted to obtain a couple songs off that CD (Condry 10).

Music creates a bond and a connection between peers or artist and fans. The ability to have access to music where ever we go is a great phenomenon that should be shared. Music is a voice to be heard and acquired freely. 

Works Cited

Condry, Ian. (2004). Cultures of Music Piracy: An Ethnographic Comparison of the US and Japan. International Journal of Cultural Studies. 7 (3), pg. 343-363. 

Steinmetz, K., K. Tunnell (2013). Under the Pixelated Jolly Roger: A Study of On-Line Pirates. Deviant Behavior. 34 (1), pg. 53-67.

GettingGlued… to your TV (M5.2)

(http://getglue.com/see_bomb)
GetGlue is a new form of social media I have encountered through the use of this course. Overall, I enjoyed the experience of the site since I was able to connect with people of similar interests and able to read and learn more about the shows I enjoy. Throughout January I checked into GetGlue 10 times, not always remembering to check in when I watched a show or a movie since I was a little confused about the concept at first. Once I began exploring the site and getting use to how it works, I thought that it was an interesting and unique way to connect with others. Also, I enjoyed the fact that it shows you other movies or shows you may be interested in based on others who liked the same shows as you. It is a great way in finding new shows, but a big distraction since that’s what I invested my time in rather then homework—oops 🙂

A checkin service like GetGlue allows individuals to explore movies, shows or sports they enjoy and permits connection with others who have similar interests. The service allows people to comment and critique things they have watched giving the user a voice by broadcasting their opinion (now a days everyone wants to be heard). GetGlue builds an online community giving users information by everyday people simply expressing how they feel about a certain show they watched. This site, in a way, is similar to sites like Rotten Tomato, but anyone can give an opinion—making the decision of whether or not to watch that new sappy romance you heard about a definitive no after reading the poor reviews viewers had.

GetGlue definitely promotes the usage of watching more television, yet it also distracts the user from the show they are watch, getting lost in the world of others opinions, thoughts and similarities. The idea of unlocking stickers made me more interested in the social media site since I was curious in how to acquire those stickers and inevitably leading me to liking more and checking in more of my shows and movies. Also, the idea of being able to comment and like posts creates more of an engagement with the content and the community allowing people to stay connected.

Further, the reward system of stickers gets the consumer more active in the site since they become more engaged with what is being offered. Instead of simply watching TV shows or movies, the audience can now connect with others and comment about what they just watched creating a more active audience since they are able to produce, instead of just consume. By collecting more stickers the user becomes more engaged in the environment and connecting with others. It can also situate users as “couch potatoes” (as one of the stickers I acquired suggests) since you are able to see what people have watched or like to watch. With the aspect of stickers users are able to connect with those with similar stickers, illustrating their similar interests in the culture of consuming movies, shows and sports.

GetGlue is able to connect users and boost ratings of TV shows by creating a connection with its users and allowing them to have a voice and opinion of what they are watching. Since society has become more involved in wanting to express their feelings GetGlue allows that opportunity, yet it causes people to become more involved in the social world rather than the movie or show itself. The video How the Second Screen is Shaping the Future of Television notes how Tablets and phones are becoming a more prominent feature when people are in front of a television screen. Are people becoming more involved in the smaller screen, compared to the bigger screen? Focus moves from the Television to the Tablet creating a whole new experience in how one watches a show. Furthermore, with the availability of checking in we are creating an identity for ourselves through what we like to watch as noted in The Art of Checkin: From Location to Content to Brand. We stay connected allowing us to contribute to the online community and giving us more topics to talk about with others. Ever have a moment where you are staring at someone wondering what to say next. Sites like GetGlue give us the opportunity to contribute to conversations and create an identity you want your online community to know you as. You have the ability to like or not to like a show you are watching, (embarrassed by that girly TV show you watch—then don’t check in and no one will know your secret indulgence) showing your followers the type of person you are through your movies and television shows you watch.

You create YOU online, allowing an identity to falter and change, even through the basic shows you watch.

Produced and Over Consumed (M5.1)

Consumption… production, consumption, consumption, consumption…production.

We are all consumers of the online world, struggling to find an online voice with our Twitter accounts or Blogs. Within the last year I dabbled with the idea of blogs, creating then deleting and then creating again. My struggle is finding an online voice, with a central theme. I mean anyone can talk about themselves on a blog and I will admit I am a culprit of this act, but finding a central theme to your blog that has the acceptance of the general public is tough. That’s why I became skeptical in furthering my productions of creating, which further illustrates my consumption, rather then production.

On a normal day after waking up I do have the habit of checking social media cites. It was more prominent when I first created my Twitter and Instagram accounts last year. Now, I usually find my self on social media sites when I’m bored or in awkward situations. I’m getting tired of talking about my self or hearing others talk about themselves, which is a product of both Twitter and Instagram. Blogs have become personal journal entries about “Finding One Self” or “My Struggles”. After thinking about this assignment I realized, I like producing fictional stories that stem from actual experiences. As Thomas S. Hunter states, “Fiction is based on reality unless you’re a fairytale artist”. I am encouraged to produce material because I enjoy writing and being creative, but I inhibit myself because I’m afraid of creating something that might not be accepted by my audience. The urge to be heard is a common theme today since most of the youth culture like to promote themselves through their online personas.

“If you’re not liked online, how can you be liked in reality?” “I have to have more followers than people I follow.” —The general consensus of our generation. I hope these trends don’t continue because we will soon further ourselves into a virtual reality rather then actual reality.

In the past year I have consumed YouTube videos, music, gossip, personal thoughts and expression, recipes, poetry etc. through social media and more generally the Internet. My production lacks, which I want to change this year in hopes of finding an online voice, that isn’t just rants about myself.

None of my online contributions as a “producer- consumer” are copyrighted, allowing the online audience to take any material they feel like. Not to mention none of my accounts are private, allowing anyone to access my material, whether its pictures, tweets or poems (not that my material is noted enough to have material “stolen” from me—but that’s besides the point). As Hilderbrand mentions in his article YouTube: Where Cultural Memory and Copyright Converge, “Copyright law was developed to stimulate publication of new works for the edification of culture”. New material is hard to come by now a days, since “remix culture” has become an acceptable norm. Online communities all posses copyright laws, yet the Internet is available just about anywhere you go, so access to information is everywhere. Society just needs trust that they are able to put material online.

To produce something online isn’t that hard, but to produce something that is worthwhile and original is hard (although now a days anyone can become “Instagram Famous” with the right amount of tags). Consume, but don’t over consume and produce, don’t copy.

Cell-Phones a New Place to Hide (M4.2)

Communication takes many forms and many varieties, whether it’s a telephone conversation, text messages, face-to-face interactions or virtually over the computer. The use of technology allows access to these interactions, which can take place quickly and effectively. Imagine a time where we had to send letters to communicate with someone 1000 kilometers away, a generation where a simple conversation takes weeks or even months to get through. Now when we want to talk with someone we throw our friend a quick text, eliminating the process of mail or even personal quality.

Now, think back to a moment when you wanted to tell someone something that was difficult to do, a break-up for instance, was it hard to do face-to-face? Did you think about doing it over the phone, through a text message or email? With technology the aspect of personal face-to-face interactions have become limited since people utilize virtual space to communicate. This expansion to technology is making communication less personalized and more virtual, creating social interactions as awkward or difficult to do. For instance, do you prefer going up to your professor for help, face-to-face, or would you rather fire off a quick e-mail to get him to help you with your essay?

To be honest, I’ve never been the type of person who communicates very well. I’ve always been the girl you’d have to pick and pry to get a piece of information out of, especially when it comes to feelings and personal issues. Maybe it’s because of how I was raised or maybe it’s because of growing up in an era where technology has become a basis to our everyday lives. Either way, technology will never disappear it will only expand and by constantly having it in our lives we need to adapt and use it productively. Gerard Goggin notes in the article “Ubiquitous Apps” that the “use of mobile broadband, mobile Internet, mobile media and wireless technology devices continues to grow” (Goggin 149).

The obsessions with apps and personalization to phones to create an online identity have become a big part of our lives in recent years. We become obsessed with Tweeting our feelings rather then communicating our feelings personally. Blogging is even a profession now where people can sit at home and virtually communicate with their followers while making money. We have become a generation who is consumed with creating a virtual identity to reflect who we believe we are; yet we are constantly monitoring and changing to the things we say on the internet to how we want people to conceive us in our online world. Creating our identity has become a large part in our lives, illustrated in the article “Adapting the Mobile Phone” where Goggin notes how our generation “care intensely about the mobile as a signifier of fashion and identity” (Goggin 237).

Furthermore, the use of telephones, specifically, is “extensions” to the human body, seeing as we carry it everywhere we go (Campbell 372). The cell-phone creates a personalized way of communication and individualizes mobile device where a new personality is created through how we choose to use it. Micro-coordination and hyper-coordination are two distinct ways we personalize our communication while using a cell-phone (Campbell 375). I find that my generation, generation-y, possess the hyper-coordination of utilizing a cell-phone where we use it all the time to communicate and keep in touch with our friends. We create an identity through our phones becoming the conversational mode of connection (Campbell 176). I know most of my generation has had long chats through text messages, when a simple phone call could have made the process of that conversation a lot faster. Just like the letter, the telephone call is slowly become less and less frequent as we constantly refer to texting before calling. Why do we feel the need to send a virtual letter instead of simply picking up the phone to make plans with our friends? We have become so dependant on texting that I feel like our generation and the next feel scared to pick up the phone and call someone. We have become to use to relying on the easy click of buttons to express our feelings and personality that our connections become virtual.

Although we feel like we are more socially connected I feel like we are further from connecting and communicating. Try setting your phone down and leaving the house without it, go for a walk, talk to a friend over coffee, leave the worry of not having your mobile device and focus on the person or environment you are in. Remember there are benefits of face-to-face conversations; communication is the leading skill to success.

To Text or Not to Text? That is the Question (M4.1)

Ahh, the cell-phone, a construction that has developed and been immersed in our society for the last decade. We use it everyday, for virtually anything. We stay connected through phone calls, but more popularly through text messaging. To be completely honest, I don’t even know anyone’s phone number off by heart anymore, unless I remember it from my pre cell-phone days. We use it to check events through our calendars, see what our friends and family are up to from our social media apps, play games when we are patiently waiting at a doctors office or to keep track of our diet and exercise with our diet tracker. Everything in the palm of our hands. Access to almost anything—well, depending on your phone plan and your access to apps.

Cell-phones are great tools and I couldn’t imagine a day where we didn’t have them, even though I never received one until grade 10. We’re able to access things more quickly, such as banking, rather than having to go to the bank to transfer money. We can call anyone if in need of an emergency, such as when you get a flat tire in the middle of nowhere and need to call a tow truck. Our day-to-day routines don’t have to be interrupted by the little things, letting us focus on our important tasks of the day. Not to mention a day planner by your side 24/7, seeing as most of us can’t go a day without our phones. Organization can become easier once accessing the apps that can help you stay focused and on task, which can also remind you about things, such as birthdays that can be easily forgotten.

Although the cell-phone has many benefits, we must use those benefits productively. Now-a-days face-to-face conversations become almost impossible. Having a conversation with a friend is sometimes interrupted by a loud and occasionally annoying “BEEEEP”, alerting them they have a text message. Communication becomes distant as their face-to-face partner is distracted by what seems to be a more important conversation through virtual space. Also, although apps may have many helpful productive uses, some are over used distracting the user from other necessary tasks for the day. I know come exam time I utilize Twitter and Instagram WAY to often checking something I checked ten minutes ago. Distraction at its finest.

Now I remember a day back in the summer where I lost my phone because of some traumatic instances. Since it was the, let me think, THIRD phone I lost, I told myself I wasn’t going to get a phone for a while as punishment. I went two months without a phone, and this was in the summer, where people plan events left, right and center. I figured if they wanted to get in contact with me they would find a way, which is very difficult since I’m living in a student house without a landline. Facebook became my means of communication and I loved it. The people I actually cared about and actually cared about me would reach me, all the others were filtered out. I began having more face-to-face conversations, engaging with my friends and family more since the small mobile device in my hands didn’t distract me. The only reason why I ended up caving was because my parents wanted to contact me easier since Facebook chat was my only means of communication as they live in Hamilton.

We can become consumed with our technology and not even realize the consequences it can cause. Although there is multiple benefits form the use of our cell-phones we must consider the people around us and engage not only virtually, but also physically.

Pinterest: A World of Opportunities, or Distractions (M3.2)

(http://www.pinterest.com/seebomb)

Technology, a growing fad in today’s society that is used and seen everywhere in this generation. With my pinterest board the story I am trying to convey is how technology is basically apart of our lives in almost every little aspect. Because technology is apart of our day-to-day routine we must learn how to use it productively, rather than destructively. There are apps that can help productively and apps that promote distractions. Even the apps that help with productivity can become distraction.

As a generation obsessed with being in the know and having the ability to get access to almost anything through the palm of our hand, we must not loose the value of personal interactions. Almost everything can be done online, with a click of a button we can transfer funds, send a mass email, see what our friends and family are up to and make a quick phone call. Technology should be a tool to help progress society in a way where individuals can promote awareness or make a difference. Technology should not be a tool that takes over our lives. We should still have mindfulness of the real world and never forget about face to face interactions because with the slow declined to personal interactions, personal communication will become a harder challenge to face in our day to day live, causing problems for acquiring jobs and relationships.

To be a human in the information age is to have access to so much information quickly and efficiently to help productivity, but we mustn’t let it take over. We must remember it should not be our master; it should be our servant in helping us find information that can be useful for our future. Teacher’s must not use it as the only tool for learning, they should use it effectively to help promote better understanding of how technology can benefit their students. 

Mindfulness and and moderation is the key to surviving the information age.

Technology, is it beneficial or not? (M3.1)

What does it mean to say we live in the “Information Age” or “Post-Industrial Society”, a life where technology is developing and expanding?  The production of technology began post World War II, where factories began to form and people started moving from the country to the city. Society changed quickly and to adapt was to keep up with the times. Technology was built in this era to better military contribution, showing who was the more dominant and superior country through the access of having more knowledge in creation. Now, productivity, still being the main focus, is presented in the information age to adapt and know how to use technology for everyday use, in the most efficient and productive way possible. We are a growing generation, where technology changes every month, we are a generation who wants to be in the know rather than the dark, with new technology we are able to access information and stay connected anywhere we go.

In “Life and Times of the Information Society” it states that, “Societies in the twenty-first century are very fluid and diverse, mediated increasingly by networks underpinned by convergent ICTs”. With the use of ICTs access to information and communication becomes easier allowing our society to stay connected. Or does it in fact keep us more disconnected? ICTs used in the proper way can help benefit our society in so many ways, but we must remember to not hide behind our smart phones or laptops and use these machines with discretion so we don’t become consumed by technology. 

In the reading “Marketizing Higher Education” the quote that really stood out to me was, “According to some educators who design internet-based courses, their use can lower personal contact and thus reduce student motivation: ‘Many students need the personal interaction’, so they readily lose interest.” Now, this is my first online course and in some ways I agree that it is harder to be motivated to do the readings since there isn’t the constant reminder of weekly lectures. BUT, in ways I believe this course is such a useful tool to learn how to stay on track and finish your assignments productively through your own control. ICTs can be a controlling factor in one’s life, but that’s only if you let it take control of you. Technology can be a useful tool and learning it in a productive way, which I feel like I effectively am in this online course, allows constructive development. ICTs can help student learn at their own pace and can even create virtual communities, such as our online hash tag of COMM2F00 where we can all stay connected outside of a classroom environment.

Although, technology can be beneficial there are some cons to its development. “Knowledge becomes a product for individual students to consume, rather than a collaborative process for students and teachers. Individualized learning both promotes and naturalizes life-long re-skilling for a flexibilized, fragmented, insecure labour market” (Marketizing Higher Education). The work force is demanding higher education, creating a completive atmosphere in job-hunting for recent graduates, which also makes it harder to maintain employment. Employers are looking for qualification higher then what is required for specific job positions causing students to work harder for worse jobs in the future. The greater “human capital” is needed to use information productively, which is the focus in the information age, since efficiency is progress and services the economy.

Technology, a beneficial, yet destructive tool in our growing information age.