I began thinking about this heavily over the weekend because I have a friend that met someone over the internet and how not more than a decade ago, this would have been impossible. Add Avatar to the equation and one truly can become anything imaginable. Add mental illness and your life may be in danger if you trust the wrong people. Throw children into the mix and hope that you can block, as well as protect them from as much harm as possible. I asked my colleague what he thought about technologies impact on socialization and here is what he had to say:
“Through the smoke and bustle of a crowded bar, a pair of eyes lock. And so begins a chain of behaviors that has evolved over thousands of years. There are an infinite number of potential outcomes to the chain. Some chains are short, some chains light. Some chains inflict pain, and other lead nowhere. Nevertheless, sometimes, the chain ends in a lock.
Or that’s how it was.
Now, the process might begin, proceed and end, not like a chain, but like a spider’s web. Sometimes, the spider weaves a veil worn to live out a secrets or fantasies. Sometimes the web hides a deeper danger than even a poisonous spider. And, while it is not as strong as a chain, sometimes the web binds two blossoming flowers. The spider has entered new territory and sees no boundaries.
Web based social networking, in all of its forms, has both positive and negative potential. Like all things, when done in moderation, it is can be useful. But, whether it is viewed as a positive or negative, it must be seen as a real change from the traditional way things are done.
It has taken what was once the most physical of experiences and removed the physical boundaries (or at least delayed them). For instance, your social network is no longer bound by space and time. You may chat with a teenage girl from some province in Mongolia or by way of simulations programs; you could just as easily chat with her great ancestor Genghis Khan. Reality/Veracity need not play a factor in the relationships you build. While this may not be different from the physical world, it is much easier in the ether of the internet.
I would be glad to write more on the subject but someone is messaging me.”
And so here is yet another example of how technology has effected our social behaviors...Down time at work + class assignments + internet access = fun, wasted man hours, possible unemployment, and many other unknowns...
1 comment:
I, too, have begun thinking about the technology in our world a little more since this class began. As you said there are “infinite opportunities for social outlets, connections, dangers, and living in fantasy worlds... not more than a decade ago, this would have been impossible.”
Within the last week, I questioned my coworkers about Second Life and none of them had ever heard of it. I was glad I was not the only one who was unaware of such a game. My coworkers, then, questioned their kids and most of them were unfamiliar with it too. However, my one coworker’s son is into computers and he subscribes to some Mac magazine. One of the featured articles in this months issue was on Second Life. It explained certain key strokes that enabled you to play as if you were using an IBM computer. It is amazing how you never hear of something, Second Life, and then it appears all over the place. A decade ago children were using their imagination to pretend to be elsewhere not a computer.
Today, police have begun to turn to YouTube for help catching suspects in crimes. They simply place the video online and hope someone viewing the clip will recognize the people in the video. It is too early to know if it works, but many places are trying it. YouTube is probably not a bad strategy for law enforcement officials because so many people from around the world frequent the site. A decade ago, police departments depended on newspapers, televisions and word of mouth; now they may have discovered a new outlet for getting messages to people regarding crimes that have been committed. However, could this lead to more accusations, more wrong directions and more trouble for police departments?
While reading about Second Life and the new uses for YouTube this week I also stumbled across an article in the USA Today that caught my attention, “Wikipedia falsely reports comedian Sinbad’s death.”
http://usatoday.com/tech/news/2007-03-16-wiki-sinbad_N.htm?POE=click-refer
I have heard of people reading the obituaries daily to make sure no one they know passed away, but I guess they should check Wikipedia too, or shouldn’t they? I, like many other people, use Wikipedia to answer some of my random questions, but it is clear the information is not always accurate. How can we be sure technology is informing us correctly?
It is obvious that the internet has infinite possibilities, including fantasy worlds, communication devices and a plethora of information; however, people must be wary of what they find. Some things are too good to be true.
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