Hello classmates,
friends, strangers. Whoever you are and for whatever reason brought you to this
page, I'd like to say, "Welcome to my thoughts in my words- Kind to have
you here!" For the purpose of my blog, I decided to create a pen name.
Usually, writers do this discreetly- to be mysterious or whatever, but I will
lie openly. I am Suzanne D. Coldfeather. If you think Coldfeather sounds tacky
or native american-like, you’re not alone. I "exaggerated the truth" about
creating it too. The name was derived from a pen name generator. One of the
many advantages of the Internet is that there are several random yet helpful
websites that provide useful services like pen name generators. The Internet
has done more than provide pen name generators though; it has influenced a
cornucopia of technologies. For the purpose of this blog, my premier entry will
focus on the digital culture, that is, the age in which the cornucopia of
technologies have become embraced and intertwined into our everyday culture.
Soooooooo...... let's
do this...... (insert enthusiasm here)
First, I will begin
with an explanation about our world -now- as it applies to digital culture. We
live in an information age, where information is easier to access, freer to
gain, and quicker to transfer. Just about everybody wants to be a part of it
too. As I sit at a coffee shop eating a polyploid banana, I look to my
left. There is a girl typing away on her computer. A man to my right is texting
on his I phone, two children across from me are playing on mommy's IPad. I look
down and jump into my current role in the information age to write this blog.
Where once coffee customers were flipping through pages of books, they are now scrolling
through their Kindles. Welcome to the digital culture.
In my life, the
digital culture is limited to a few hours of social networking, researching
news and watching entertaining videos on Youtube. Yes, I am a laggard when it
comes to smart phones and Ipads, Ipods and MP3s. Maybe if I had more cash and
the new version of yesterday’s model didn’t come out in a couple of days, I
would keep up with it better.
Social networking has
taken a life of its own in the past decade. I'm addicted. He's addicted. She's addicted. It seems like everyone around the world can't get enough. So what, right? Well, a lot of good has come out of addicting social networks i.e. Facebook. Revolutions in the Middle East may
not have ever happened (if people weren't so addicted!!) no, if it wasn't so easy to
share thoughts, arrange revolts, and come together to overthrow unfair
dictatorships. But citizens aren't the only ones aware of this "social
networking power." Leaders, like the UK Prime Minister or the Algerian
government, have tried shutting down networking sites all together. I am found
lingering with the cliché 'knowledge is power' in my mind. It ignites when free
information flows, and hundreds of thousands of people get to access it easily.
Suddenly, the power shifts from a corrupt authoritative government to its once
oppressed citizens.
Sure revolutions sound
exciting, but that’s not the only reason people get involved in digital
technology. Music and entertainment have become inexpensive, reasonably priced,
and many times, free! With all of this fun at everyone's fingertips, it’s hard
to resist. Everyone is finding their own ways to contribute, i.e. blogging,
vlogging, social networking... etc. We are realizing now more than ever that we
are all more alike than we are different. We laugh at the same viral videos. We
create groups to fight for causes we believe in. We give each other advice in
forums. We insult and compliment each other in comments on Youtube. We
communicate with each other a lot more, and we are finally beginning to
understand one another in ways we never have before. So really, in many ways-
despite what critics may say- the digital age is bringing us together.
In the digital culture, we
share ideas and information to inform or entertain or both! Some of it’s
garbage, yes. Some of it’s funny, yes. Some of it’s clever, sure. It’s garbage,
it’s treasure, it’s funny, it’s clever, it’s convenient, it’s stupid, it’s fun,
it’s strange, it's everything and THAT is why it’s awesome! Digital
technologies are free to be anything and free to be used in any way. Facebook
helps us keep in touch with those we love, stalk the ones we like, and accept
those we do not know in a ultimate search to maybe make human connections, to
feel less lonely, to be a part of something big, to understand each other, to
learn from one another. Maybe it’s just a way we relate our lives to gain new
perspectives. So if it's our need to be informed, entertained, or our need to
be part of something greater than ourselves, whatever its appeal, it is
addicting and thrilling and here to stay. Thanks for reading!
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