Assignment #1

Media Memoir
As a child growing up in the USA, I had access to more media that most children around the world. I had a television, books, and internet access in my home, and my parents got the newspaper on most days. For the most part, though, my family didn’t encourage me to expand my worldview with the media. Television and the internet were just an easy way to keep my brother and I entertained when the weather was bad, or we were sick. Whenever I complained about being bored, my Mom would rave about how lucky we were to have a computer and TV, because “when she was a kid, they played outside”.
I find it a bit depressing that our culture has become so obsessed with our gadgets. It bothers me to see children glued to the TV, as if the rest of the world doesn’t exist when Blue’s Clue’s is playing. Even TV has become primitive with the advancement of the internet. YouTube.com and other websites allow people to watch television and movies on the computer, thereby further entrancing the masses. As an ecologically mindful individual, I have to question whether technology is a help or a hindrance to the environmental movement.
In many ways, however, the media has changed my life. When I was thirteen years old, I was researching animal rights on the internet for an opinion paper. At that point, I was exposed to a wealth of information on factory farming that I wouldn’t have known about had it not been for organizations like PETA, who posted information and videos online. Too often the evils of society are hidden by mass media like the news and popular magazines. My parents certainly weren’t about to educate me about where meat comes from, because they didn’t really know themselves.
After my enlightenment into the world of factory farms and slaughterhouses, I stopped consuming meat. I have been a vegetarian and advocate for the cause for over six years. Researching vegetarianism led me to educate myself on many other animal rights, as well as environmental issues. To do this, I used the internet, films, books, and journal articles. One of the best parts about modern technology is that a person can use it to spread awareness by sending links to others via text, email, or WebPages like Facebook.
To conclude, my family did not use the media as a way to educate ourselves. However, it was available to me for research. Now that I am older, I have become much more proficient. Often I find myself assisting my parents to understand new technologies, especially their cell phones. At school, if I have something I want to share with them, like a picture, essay I’ve written, or helpful website, I can simply email it to them.

January 25, 2010 11:23 PM

Meg said...

Children of Cyberspace:
What stood out most about this article was the example of a three year old that had a pet robot hamster, and considered it a real pet. This gadget is not an advancement, but rather a step back in time to when it was acceptable to think of animals as machines, or vice versa in this case. I find it very dangerous to teach a child that a robot is a pet, because it needs no love or caring like a real pet would need in order to thrive. When I was a child, I had real hamsters whom I loved very much, and whom taught me to be gentle and responsible with another being’s life.
As far as the discussion of technology speeding up generation gaps, I can see evidence of such in my own life. For example, my younger cousins are far better at operating any and every piece of technology I can think of. One of my cousins, just ten years old, tried teaching me how to play Sudoku on my own cell phone, but I couldn’t figure it out!
My vision of society is quite skeptical of technological advancements because it seems that the values, skills, interests, and capabilities of each generation are changing faster than is functional. When people talk about Twitter, blackberries, and iThis and iThat, I have basically no idea how to respond. Just to get by, we have to continuously educate ourselves about new technologies. For example, I had never posted a blog until tonight for this assignment, and it took me several minutes to figure it out. I am concerned that generation gaps associated with technology will inhibit collaboration toward common goals.

January 26, 2010 12:23 AM

Meg said...

The Machine is Us/ing Us Video
What stood out most was when “Teaching the Machine” came up on the screen. I was struck that the word “Machine” was capitalized, as if personified. Turns out, that was the intent because it went on to say that we, the people, are the machine because we create it.
In my own life, I have an exponentially expanding relationship with this machine because I am a member of several websites, whether or not I really would like to be. For example, I have a UVM email and Blackboard account, a Google account for this class’s website, an electronic bank account, and various social networks like Facebook and AIM.
My education in particular depends upon me having access to the internet constantly to check assignments, do research, and communicate via email. I am uncomfortable in the fact that I don’t have a choice. To be very honest, the video was very confusing, a bit scary, and made me a little dizzy.

January 26, 2010 12:40 AM