Meng Lai - Comm 385

The End

2008-08-12T11:43:00.001-07:00

This class was quite a positive experience for me. I’ve never taken a class like this before and I really liked how it was structured as well as the things I learned. I will probably remember things from this course for years to come. The fact that I am a technology lover attracted me to this course. But after reading the first few chapters in our text, I was blown away by how deep the material is. This course brought up important issues that I didn’t know existed. I learned that there is a whole new level of philosophy regarding technology and its impact on society.
There are many things I liked about this course, but here are a few that stand out in my mind.

First, I also liked reading the blogs. The sheer analytic ability of my peers was amazing. Some blogs were very thoughtfully written and caused me to forget I’m doing homework for a college course. Many blog postings caused me to look at issues from a different standpoint. This really helped me think twice about my beliefs and where I stand on the same issue. I also liked reading about people’s experiences. They brought up examples that applied to our reading in ways I never would have thought of.

Second, I enjoyed reading through the text books. Well, I suppose you can say this is something I loved and hated all at once because some chapters had a lot to take in and required me to read over again. The authors were good at creating thought provoking questions. These questions still resonate within my mind from time to time when I’m web surfing. I honestly can’t say that about any other text book I’ve been forced to read for a college course. Oh, and I also liked how these text books were not crazy expensive like others I’ve purchased in the past. 

Third, I think the course material that our course instructor provided was a valuable tool in understanding more of the complex concepts in our reading. Things were broken down and better examples were given. It really helped relating my blogs to the reading.

I honestly didn’t find anything I didn’t like about this course. Sometimes I did struggle to meet that 500 or 100 word quota but I understand that instructors have to employ these requirements. Otherwise, students may create tiny posts which barely scratch the surface of the subject matter. It’s a necessary evil but it caused me to keep writing and think more about the issue at hand.

I don’t have much else to say regarding this course other than I loved it. I think virtual communities are something many people have not been exposed to and this course provided a good opportunity to get their feet wet. Thanks to this course, I will probably continue my own personal blog for fun. I will also recommend this course to friends and tell them it offers more than they may think. It’s a new experience that all students should take on.

Wild Card

2008-08-07T18:52:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine is in private college out of state. She’s a very talented person and is very deserving to be in the position that she’s in. We’ve known one another for almost a decade now and are very close. Even though she’s out of state and I am busy with school work, we still find time to communicate with one another over the internet. This is instant messaging, video chat, and e-mailing.

One night we had gotten into a discussion about an issue we both feel strongly about. This became a heated debate and eventually escalated into an argument. We argued for hours on end. As I look back on this, I wonder why things got as bad as it did. In real life neither of us would have gone the distance. In person, it may have ended as a friendly debate that took up an hour or two at most. But being on-line, some responses were slow, and sometimes we took breaks to do other needed things. It makes me wonder if it’s the anonymity that the internet provides which allow users to be their real selves. While the argument took place, I couldn’t help but question if this was the friend I’ve known since my younger years. Is she just being more open and honest or has my responses provoked her into becoming a person that she is not.

It was not my intention to bring out the worst in her. Everything I said was to prove my point. But with our conversation being on the internet and all, there are less subtle cues that proclaim my light heartedness. It’s no wonder she thought I was a different person as well. I came off as an angry and aggressive person.

She e-mailed me later that night when our feud ended. There were things she wanted to tell me but wasn’t able to during our conversation. I was asleep when the e-mail was sent. Later that night she realized she didn’t mean the things she wrote and went into my inbox and deleted it (she knows my password because we’re such close buddies).

We’ve had debates in person before. This was our first on-line. It differed greatly. I think much of what we said was misinterpreted and that created a hostile conversation. Also, being in the comfort of our homes allowed us to take our time and think about things we wanted to say. So in the end, much more was said and more time was taken up. Finally, unlike in real life, she was able to take back something she said. She was able to send me an e-mail and later take it back.

The reason we debate is because we honestly cannot understand why we take certain views on certain issues. That night, I found her views to be especially difficult to understand. If I can’t understand her views in person, I’m sure as hell not going to understand her views on-line. I asked myself, why did she say this? Why does she think that? Even knowing the hopelessness of the question, I still try to find answers that really can’t be answered by science or technology. I use to view science as the “unimpeachable source of moral authority, a suprahuman basis for answers to questions.” (Postman, 162). But slowly I realize that you can’t read a psychology text book and be able to fully predict human behavior, or read a physics book and know if aliens exist. The point in all of this is that we should not replace our thought processes, intelligence, and intuition with anything. It’s very possible that there are some things science cannot explain and technology cannot measure.

Listen to your elders

2008-07-31T12:04:00.001-07:00

This week’s assignment involves interviewing three different people of three different generations/age groups. There’s a lot that can assumed about a person of a certain age the effect that technology has had on them. I felt interviewing my older, my uncle, and my grandmother would be a good idea because they each have their own level of dependency on technology. What is a golden tool for one but be utterly indispensable for another. Here are their stories.

For the first age group of 18-35, I interviewed my older sister. She is a dental school student and works with a computer on a daily basis. She uses it mostly for e-mail, accessing school lectures, and the infamous facebook. This seems pretty typical for a college student being that the internet is now an integral part of college studies. Using a computer is not a problem for her. Navigating on-line and using many different computer functions is commonality. She tells me that the internet is a convenience that she’s grown so accustomed to, that doing things any other way would almost seem burdensome. This involves researching for a paper, paying bills, and managing her music library. The internet has changed her life for the better. “Being in dental school takes up the majority of my time. I’ll gladly exploit my internet access if it means saving time.” She is very comfortable communicating with others over the internet being that she only speaks with those she’s met before. I told her about different ideologies Postman, Wood, and Smith talk about in our text books. Technology has really measured and quantified things to the point where we have lost much of the original meaning. She responds by saying the internet is an invaluable tool, not a way of life. “We can rank this and quantify that, but in the end we all live life the best we can and that should be good enough. You can do all the anonymous chatting you want but you’ll still have to talk to someone face to face eventually. ”

My second interview was with my uncle who sits in the age group of 36-60. My uncle manufactures car parts for General Motors. He is very familiar with the ins and outs of computers because it’s a hobby of his. At work, he uses computers for data entry and mechanical design. At home, he uses the internet for e-mail, reading news, and chatting. The only people who communicates with is family overseas so he’s very comfortable using the internet in this respect. His internet is but a mere couple hours a week. “I have the internet. The internet doesn’t have me,” he says. “The internet is nice to have but I can live without it. In all honestly, having the internet is just something fun to mess around with on a rainy day.” Back in his home country of Cambodia, computers were not very common and the internet was even less common. This addresses the topic of the information gap. Those who haven’t grown up in front of a computer do not depend on one while those who have probably do. I tell him that some people think internet access should be a human right. He feels that information should be a human right and there are other ways to get information. “You just have to get off your butt first.”

Lastly, there is my grandmother who is in the 61 and up age range. My grandmother is retired and lives with at home with my mother, father, and I. Her primary uses of the internet involve e-mailing and looking up the winning numbers of the powerball lottery. My grandmother feels very comfortable communicating with family over the internet but she says it would be awkward if it was not somebody she knew personally. She ends by saying that the internet has probably made things worse for her because now all her grand children spend all their time on the computer and not enough time studying.

It seems I’ve covered both sides of the “internet-use” spectrum. There is the power user, the moderate and indifferent, and the non-user. Not surprisingly, they each had their own thoughts regarding technology and the internet. What I found interesting though was that although they all had varying opinions about the internet, they all believe the internet serves a good purpose but isn’t something people should wrap their lives around. My grandmother especially would advocate for Wood and Smith’s “discipline and diffusion”. People need to practice control when using the internet. May it be for school, work, or recreation, being able to say when is important for maintaining discipline. This is a reoccurring theme in life. We humans, despite our knowledge, don’t always do what’s best for us. Perhaps this is where diffusion comes in. Even our most complex problems can be explained in the most rudimentary way. I told my grandmother about certain trends technology is setting and how life as we know is constantly changing. She feels the solution is simple. “Slow down, use your hands, use your brain, and use your time.” In a lot of ways this is true. Even without computers or the internet, we could read books and watch the news. This causes me to think that a digital divide wouldn’t be so bad. I found that my uncle and grandma are a lot wiser than your average joe. I suspect it is because they spend much of their time not using a computer.

That’s good, but this is the digital age. Those who have access to the internet have a leg up in business and school. It’s a trick of the trade. We have everything to gain but nothing to lose if we all practice some discipline. I learned that certain age groups are affected differently. Each benefit from the internet (or lack of) in their own way and these benefits are not something exclusive for the age group but more so on how much they rely on the web.

Discussion through a machine, not with one

2008-07-24T17:01:00.000-07:00

I joined a mixed martial arts forum. It has long been an interest of mine but I never felt the need to join an on-line discussion forum, until recently that is. First, to begin my assimilation into the community, I began with a basic introduction. I made a thread telling other users how my interest in the sport began, who my favorite athletes are, and where I reside. They welcomed me and that was that. I began invading major thread topics and posting comments. Different user names appeared often in specific threads so I became acquainted with these people. As I began posting more, people also became familiar with me. Often times people would reference what I said in a previous thread as I would with them. I didn’t feel like I was the “new guy” for very long. I knew much about the sport and had a lot to contribute so I feel I was able to integrate quickly the veterans of the forums.

Often times people would post questions. Sometimes these questions were on subjects I am well versed in so I gladly posted responses. It became a game of taking and contributing. People would often times take their time and write out thoughtful posts or post media which I enjoyed. At the same time, I tried my best to contribute by answering questions and being thoughtful in group discussions. Every once in a while someone would reply to my posts saying, “Good point!” or “I would have to disagree.” It was then I felt like I was a full fledged member of this community.

Now, you may be thinking, “Uh, someone disagrees with you, so you feel accepted? How does that work?” Everybody has their own opinion on things so those who disagreed simply said so. I just feel that different opinions will bring more to the table than a forum with all users simply agreeing with one another. People were acknowledging the things I said and had something to say in response. These arguments were good since lots of information was brought to the table and everybody could easily take something away from it. Disagreements were never resolved. They were simply something people accepted and moved on with. Consensus was given by a thumbs up, smiley face, or a favorable response. Disagreements usually involved intelligent counter examples or “flaming” which involved the questioning of a person’s sexual orientation, social life, and weight. We can’t expect all discussions to be like those in our COMM385 discussion board. But those “netizens” were there to keep order by reminding users of board rules.

Woodman and Smith were spot on when they listed the four qualities of a virtual community. The forum offered a variety of communicators from all over the world. Due to the popularity of the site, more and more users joined everyday. I never felt the need to post often, rather just whenever I wanted. And at any given time, there was always a lot of discussion going on. I feel these discussion boards are important. Not just for the interaction, but for information. One can’t find everything in a search engine. A machine will simply output information. A discussion board may have educated users who are able to explain things a search engine cannot. We are complex beings that are able to output more varying kinds of information. Postman talks about the mechanization of life and how many will rely on a machine rather their own intuition and intellect. With a discussion board, one will be speaking with other people, not a machine. A “hard answer” can be discussed for its validity and users can create their own belief from their interpretation. One can’t have a discussion with a machine (at least not yet).

Letters to you

2008-07-15T21:24:00.000-07:00

For this week’s blog assignment I chose to write a letter to my girlfriend and my old roommate. I decided to write a letter to my girlfriend because she really appreciates these little things. It also gave me the opportunity to draw doodles all around the border of the letter. It was my girlfriend who taught me about the value of hard work and having faith. So I tried my best to recall the events which had an impact on me. As I was writing, I noticed how easily I went from one page to the next. One typed page would probably be two pages hand written. The letter ended up being four pages long. This letter also took me a lot longer to write because I had to sit and think about what I wanted to say. Letters do not look very attractive with a bunch of words crossed out where I made errors. I tried to make my language sincere and sometimes romantic. It was difficult though. Nothing flowed as nicely as I would have wanted. I would kill for a Backspace key. But in the end, I noticed that I didn't make any typos. I usually make many when typing. And I was also very satisfied with the things I had written. Having put so much thought into it, I felt accomplished.

I wrote an e-mail to my old roommate because he’s a hopeless computer nerd like myself. He checks the snail mail about once a week so I thought it would be a safe bet to contact him through the very piece of technology he spends most his time on. I would know because we were roommates 2 years ago. I was a naïve child (sophomore) that was living on my own for the first time. I no longer had the luxury of a dormitory with heaters, air conditioning, and food court. He taught me financial responsibility and important pieces of etiquette that a roommate should have. His experience in the US Army also really gave me insight into politics and global issues. I used a friendly, non-personal tone when writing the e-mail. I told him how appreciative I was of the things he had taught. Writing the e-mail was very easy compared to the letter. Words flowed more easily since I had the comfort of a backspace key. The length was shorter in comparison to the letter. This may be because I spent a lot more time thinking of things I wanted to say when writing the letter, giving me more things to write about. Overall, the e-mail didn’t seem special in anyway.

In response, my girlfriend sent me a letter of her own. It absolutely put mine to shame. Hand writing was beautiful, doodles were lovely and artistic. They complemented the things she wrote in the letter very well. She wrote about how she’s flattered I feel this way and she likes that I took the time to tell her these things. I thought about what it would have been like had she wrote these same exact words in an e-mail. I honestly don’t think it would have the same impact as a letter, where I could see and feel the time and effort she put into it. She also thanked me for taking the time to write instead of e-mailing. Which made sense, because I receive e-mails from her often, and none of them made me feel the same way as the letter did.

My old roommate responded with an e-mail of his own, telling me that I’m weird and I should start a diary instead of writing him "weird crap". I knew he was saying “you are welcome” in his own way.

I’m lucky that my relationship with these two important people in my life is still good. Sometimes I feel I am an internet addict which makes me worried about my relationships in real life. Woodman and Smith mention an overdependence on the internet and how it effects face to face communication. I must agree with them. Sometimes when I speak with a person on-line, I don’t feel the need to speak to them in person as often. My group of friends from high school has shrunk down to a little list of screen names on my instant messenger. An e-mail may just contribute to the problem. It could say “hey, you’re only worth 15 minutes of my time.” Perhaps this is what this week's assignment was suppose to teach us.

Facebook and Myspace

2008-07-09T14:07:00.000-07:00

I’ve had a myspace and facebook for a couple of years now. What I like about these sites is that you are able to choose to make your profile public or not. So whatever information you choose to disclose if usually available to friends. Much of what I wrote on my facebook and myspace are not intimate in anyway. At most, I’ll disclose my full name, the school I attend, and what city I live in. Everything else is just interests of mine. I provided a list of movies I like, music I enjoy, and hobbies of mine. These types of non-personal information helps other people get to know me a little better and isn’t dangerous in anyway.

I don’t try to distort any of the information I post because I feel it wouldn’t be honest. I only use these on-line sites to keep in touch with friends so I really have no reason to mask myself in anyway. Sometimes I’ll blog about things that are occurring in my life so friends will be able to read at their leisure and stay updated. They usually do the same. Most of my buddies are working college students so they live busy lives. Myspace and facebook are good ways to stay connected. I won’t however go into intimate details. Like in reality, I don’t share intimate details unless they were a close friend.

This is how I feel. I don’t feel the need to distort my image to impress anybody. These on-line profiles serve as representations of us, so it’s better to be ourselves when surrounded by friends.

However, Woodman and Smith bring up good points about identity being a complex personal and social construct involving who we think ourselves to be and how we wish others to perceive us. On-line, it may be easier to create a more desirable persona. We can simply post only the more attractive photo of ourselves, our expensive cars, brag about all the clubs we are apart of, the school we attend, and so on. And since it’s on-line, people are unable make all the snap judgments they do when meeting in person. In person, they may take into account what we are wearing, our physical appearance, mannerisms, et cetera (Lecture week 3, chapter 3 Woodman and Smith, Goodnow). This can all be done before a word is even spoken. So it’s natural for a person to want to show his better side when creating an on-line identity. I certainly don’t feel the need to distort my image in anyway, but I certainly see why others do it. We do it in reality anyway.

I feel these on-line identities are not much different from reality. Don’t we all feel the need to dress up and make ourselves look pretty when going out to a party where there are other people who else dressed up all the same? During a conversation, don’t we all disclose non-personal information that allows people to learn about us? Everybody has their own personal sense of anonymity.

You've got blog

2008-07-04T00:10:00.000-07:00

You Got Mail, a film starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks, was the film I watched today. It was an entertaining film. It made me want to stop shopping at Borders, but a good film none the less. I can see why our course instructor had us watch this for it had communication through technology written all over it.

Joe (Tom Hanks) is a successful business man who uses humor and an indifferent demeanor when interacting with people face to face. On-line, he seemed pretty much the same but a little more honest and sincere. I don’t think he was masking himself in anyway, more he was just showing a different part of himself. Kathleen (Meg Ryan) I felt was the same way. The kind and friendly person she was is portrayed in the e-mails she wrote.

They seemed to have a very good relationship on-line. The e-mails they wrote were honest and insightful. I remember them telling one another about significant events that occurred during their days and how these made them feel. It was something close friends would probably talk about.

In person, for much of the movie, their conversations were always very heated. They argued a lot. I’m certain that Kathleen felt a bit of disgust towards Joe (only a bit because she’s such a nice person) and Joe probably felt the same towards Kathleen. But I’m sure they didn’t mind one another’s company. They bickered but it was not totally hostile. I’m sure they found one another attractive otherwise they may not have given one another the time of day. I feel as if I’ve gone out on a limb by saying all this, but this is the impression I received.

It’s hard to account for their feelings towards one another when they were not e-mailing because there was the issue of the book store take over and conflicting relationships which caused them to fight rather then talk about themselves. But I tried to take notice into the smaller details such as the amount of smiling, laughter, subject of conversations, and how closely they sat to one another. There was no obvious signs but taking in these smaller details really contributed to the argument that there was an attraction. It was obvious at the end of the movie when they looked at one another for long periods of time and then kissed in the middle of a garden (sappy music in the background really got the point across too). Sappy music aside, there are things (perhaps some of the things i listed above) that Kathleen or Joe could not have experienced through e-mail. Although there was a connection when they talked on-line, the relationship grew through communication outside cyberspace.

I don’t feel that scenario would be likely in reality because the internet has developed a reputation for being dangerous. People are more cautious and skeptical with the things they experience on-line. Also, finding a person who is very emotionally compatible, or a soul male, is an unlikely event in of itself. If everybody found a special someone, it would be considered “special.”

We can see from the moment the movie begins that they these two characters look forward to getting on the computer when they wake up and before bed. They were immersed in on-line conversation but they did not lose their identities. If anything, they may have discovered more about themselves. This movie illustrates the upside of technology and how it shapes our communication. People are able to be honest and open without fear of all the social do’s and don’ts we all abide by. I feel this movie demonstrates that technology can be a good thing and we the people don’t have to sacrifice anything for it.

Disconnected for 24 hours

2008-06-27T22:24:00.001-07:00

My 24 hour internet hiatus started at the stroke of midnight.

I’ll admit, I am a computer nerd. I use the internet to pay my bills, communicate with friends, play games, watch movies, and what have you. To me, everything seems far more easy and convenient on a computer with internet access. Take the internet away from me and I’ll undoubtedly suffer from withdrawals.

I recently moved back to Troutdale from Corvallis. My home in Troutdale does not have internet (at least up until recently). So this 24-hour abstinence was bestowed upon me in more ways than one.

After going to bed and waking up the next morning, I fell into my daily routine by firing up the computer and putting some music on while I get dressed. Usually I’ll check the e-mail, read blogs, and see what’s new on youtube while eating my breakfast, but not today. After breakfast, instead of getting on the instant messenger, I called friends and family to see what they were up to today. It was very awkward to say the least. Not only did I risk waking the grouchy nocturnals, but I had many responses stating “just get on-line and I’ll message you later.” They then immediately hung up on me. Instant messaging has become my primary means of communicating with people and if I didn’t have that I would easily lose touch with the greater majority of my friends.

For that day, I did just that. Knowing all too well I’d be spending this day alone, I took it upon myself to make a list of things to do that didn’t involved the internet.

First, would be job searching. I got in the car and drove around some places I had in mind in hopes of gathering some applications. I was happy to discover that many places still give out applications but a very significant amount of businesses have made the transition to on-line applications only. About half of the places I went to told me to apply on-line. It was annoying knowing that my three hour errand could have been completed in an hour or less had I had access to the internet.

Next, would play practicing guitar. This seemed like a perfect activity for one who is avoiding cyberspace but in actuality, it was not. I didn’t realize that much of the music sheets and tabs I use are not saved on my computer. It was easier for me to simply bring up the sheets on-line. My jam session was rather boring.

I spent the rest of the evening taking my time making an elaborate dinner and exercising. These were simply things I did to keep myself occupied and off the net.

What I found really interesting about this assignment was the “inconvenience.” A younger version of myself may have found job searching, chatting with friends, and even playing guitar, activities I could have easily done the old fashion way without complaints. Being spoiled with a broadband connection for so many years has really created a lazier and impatient version of myself. Was it too much to use a telephone to communicate? No, but there were so many benefits to instant messaging that using a telephone seemed almost like an inconvenience.

I felt disconnected from the outside world. I wanted to know what all my buddies were up to, who is going to the Euro Cup semi -finals, etc etc. As expected, my reliance on the internet was clearly exposed that day. However, I was able to experience the joy of making a home cooked meal and benefited from some much needed exercise. But, I’ll gladly take back my internet if given the chance.