Web Of Wonder

2012-01-24T07:12:00.001-08:00

Book or computer ? I hope that’s not a serious question…

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy reading as much as the nextnineteen year old, but as I gaze at the screens illuminating light I realizethat this question is being launched into a seventeen year old boys mind.Vishal, a student at Woodside High School was the perfect subject for thearticle “Growing up Digital, Wired for Distraction” by Micheal Zimmer. Thearticle focuses on our youth generation, depicting how we spend our time -online. The world seems to be extremely hypocritical when it comes to media.Media is our world, it is advertisement, entertainment, communication,knowledge, and it’s always evolving. To me the article wanted to suggest thatas children and teens we are using media too heavily in our every day lives. Yetat the same time insisting that bringing media into the classroom is a new, andefficient way to get the students attention. A little contradictory, right? Well I get the feeling that even though,media (internet) is our societies norm there will always be people who aregoing to challenge this revolutionary tool.

I’m curious to investigate the reasoning behind the currentstudents mind set and brain activity. We are the generation, of multitasking.Homework, facebook, television, all open at the same time and still gettingthings accomplished, or are we? It’s onething to have a desktop computer, but as Web 2.0 discusses, it is a fact thatsmartphones have given us full wireless connectivity. Does this make us asocially incompetent society? With no real use for personal, one-on-oneconversations, and social outings that involve your partner constantly checkingtheir phone, updating statuses and “liking” wall posts…but wait then why is itcalled social networking if the true socialization of personal interaction isbeing shut out and undesired? With the enormous amount of apps already inexistence, and many more to be announced, are we too busy trying to keep upwith technology that we are leaving our old social interactional roots to dryup and eventually perish completely?

The conclusion I have made in my own mind is that, ourhierarchy has changed, once again. We are now involved more deeply in peoplespersonal lives and our social status is based on the amount of followers, orfriends we acquire. This works both for and against us. The good thing is, thatwe no longer need to be fascinating people in order to be social butterflies,it is easier to find friends, and make new friends online when we are nottrying so hard to impress these people with upbeat conversations. At the sametime this media tool is a distraction from work, school, and meaningful humanrelationships.

I hope that this class can help me answer some of thesequestions, and perhaps confirm whether this generation, hyped on media isspeeding on a course for self-destruction, or revolutionary impact.

2012-01-17T18:59:00.000-08:00

" our devices extend us, and we extend them " - Web 2.0 .... Interesting thought, it's very true that the internet would be impossible without us (humans) but I never really considered the relationship. It is very dependent of one another, I know I feel distant without my cellphone, but what would be that cellphones purpose without me?

2012-01-14T11:45:00.001-08:00

Heyeveryone! I'm so excited to be sitting here creating this blog, it's somethingI have never done and I admit I'm a bit nervous. After the first class I thinkit's a feeling I should get used to. I'm looking forward to being put intouncomfortable and challenging situations because I really have no idea what toexpect from this course.

Abit about myself: I like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, long walkson the beach...just kidding...

I'ma first year media student, I wanted to pursue media and eventually follow thePR stream but after the first semester I realized I'm completely undecided. Ilive in res, and came from a tiny town three hours north-east of Toronto. Thecity is definitely a huge change, but I love everything about it.

Moviesare huge part of my life, especially superhero movies (I cannot wait for Batmanto come out in the summer!) I played rugby in high school, but was far tooterrified to tryout this year, I like to think of myself as environmentally consciousperson, I worked at Tim Hortons for three years, when I come to an obstacle inlife, I usually find myself asking what my sister would do in the samesituation, as much as I love Canada I also hope to have the opportunity to doquite a bit of traveling.

It'sgoing to be a fun, but intense semester, I can't wait to read everyone’s blogsand get to know you all better :)

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