Internet Community. "Viva el Fut"

I don’t know if many of you are familiar with soccer or as it is called in every other country “futbol,” but the biggest sporting event in the world just took place this past month, The World Cup. It is the most highly anticipated event because one team from every country in the world has the ability to quality for this tournament. Unlike other tournament finals such as the NBA or NFL, the winner of this final is the Champion of the World and it means even more because they get to hold that title for four years. Thus, it takes the tournament to an entirely different level than any other sporting event and the title of champion is even more prestigious. Every four years it is held in a different country and it is so awesome because the tournament invites people from all over the world to attend. You will see presidents of different countries attend, artists of all nationalities, Kings, Queens, princesses, politicians, actors, and many more.
For my internet community I decided to join a world cup 2010 fan club. Anyone who wants too can join and it is a place where you can post about your predictions, talk about rosters, which teams are playing well, who you think will win what games, the players, scores, talk crap about the refs, argue plays, and get wrapped up in the spirit of the tournament. Everyone in the group has one thing in common, soccer. Whether they love it or are only members of the group to say how stupid it is, “futbol” is the topic at hand. I played futbol all the way up through college and played here at OSU. Playing in the Pac-10 had always been a goal of mine and so I have a strong passion for the sport. It wasn’t hard for me to find myself at home with the group. I knew all the teams in the tournament well so I was able to post a few things and respond to others with little hesitation. I felt comfortable talking to others in the group because I know what I am talking about and when you know a lot about a topic it makes it easier to talk to others about it as well. I felt like a member of the group when people started to respond to my comments and posts. I felt that when someone responded to my comments that my post was indeed valuable. Most of the times people would agree with me, for example on a play were the player was clearly off sides but the referees didn’t see it. On one occasion someone totally called me out and said I was wrong and must have been drunk when watching the game. I thought this was funny but I posted back with valuable evidence supporting my point of view and from there we had a brief but adult dialogue on a goal that was made, but should have been called back.
Agreements or disagreements, I felt a connection to this group and that I was accepted. In chapter 6 of Wood/Smith it talks about how communities in its original sense are being redefined. That instead of having to be in the same geographic area and talk face to face, it can also mean creating relationships and connections with people who share common topics. I would consider my online soccer group an online community despite the fact that I might be millions of miles away from anyone else in the group. Distance doesn’t matter. That is not what unites us; it’s what we have in common and that is something that computer technology has also redefined. Chapter 7 of Postman goes into detail on this aspect. Computers have replaced many aspects of our lives and redefined many others. The idea of community is just another one of the limitless examples that will continue to come with time.

letters

The person I chose to write a letter to via snail mail was my best friend’s mom, who has always been a supportive and caring person in my life. My best friend and I played on the same soccer team which was a competitive traveling team. It was expensive and many times my twin sister and I couldn’t afford to go to California, Texas, or Arizona for the prestigious tournaments. I don’t know how exactly but Sue, my friend’s mom, always managed to get enough money donated from businesses to go. On top of that she made sure that we always had enough money to eat and if we didn’t then she would give us some just in case. I see writing a formal letter and actually sending it through the mail as a big deal and so I chose someone who was important enough to meet the description. I feel that everything is done electronically now so its extra special when someone actually takes the time to write something by hand, put a stamp on it, address it, and put it in the mailbox. I wanted her to feel that emotion when she received my letter. I made sure that I proofread everything and that my writing was clear and legible. I even picked out nice paper from Kinkos.

Like I said earlier I see snail mail as being more formal so in my letter I wasn’t just writing to say hi or catch up, I was writing saying that I really appreciated all her support when I was younger and that if it weren’t for people like her then I wouldn’t be where I am today. In addition I wrote on some memories from the past, and of things yet to come. I put a lot of thought into the letter and didn’t mail it out until it was perfect. It took me three drafts until I was ready to send it out. I was a little nervous and anxious if I was going to get a reply.

The letter I wrote via email was to my sister who is currently is living in Arizona and attending UofA. She is an inspiration in my life because she pushes me to study hard and accomplish my goals. Education has always been a priority in her life and I admire that trait about her. I am currently trying harder in school to make her proud. I know it means a lot to her for me to graduate. My letter to her was much different than my letter to Sue. It was less structured and had humor. I didn’t worry about my spelling as much, just as long as it made sense. The language I used was more laid back and age specific instead of formal. I used acronyms at times and used an inappropriate word once or twice. Even though my content was serious my tone was much more laid back. I wasn’t as tense when I wrote the letter to her as I was when I wrote it to sue. Obviously my intended audience had a lot to do with that, but also the fact that email is so easily accessible and easy to use makes sending letters through it less formal. If it wasn’t so quick and easy then I would put more effort into it. I think a lot of people would.

My letter to my sister was sent instantly and she wrote back to me the next day. I have written her back twice since then and it usually only takes her a day or two to respond. On the other hand the letter I wrote to Sue I didn’t get a response to until a few days ago and I sent it about a week and a half ago. Hers was equally as formal as mine except her handwriting was a little nicer. She said that she really liked the gesture and that she valued the effort that I put into sending her a letter.

In Chapter 5 of Wood and Smith it talks about how CMC plays a role in one’s well being. I think that being able to write letters via email and communicate with others in real time can have positive and negative effects on people. It could be used to bring people closer together but it also could be used as a tool to write letters to strangers, create viruses, have an online affair, and take away from other positive aspects of your life. You have to make sure that the reason in which you are choosing to communicate online are healthy and sound. Its so important to be aware that at any time you could be sucked into the online realm. People sometimes forget the old ways of doing things. Writing a letter via snail mail might actually be better because overall it takes away less of your life writing letters and gives you more time to do other things you like. For example instead of checking your emails daily and responding to others which could take hours you wait a few days until you get a response via snail mail and respond whenever you have the time.

The Truth About Facebook

I’ve had my facebook account for almost six years. I got it my freshman year of college and it wasn’t something that I even created for myself. My friend did it for me as a surprise because he had been badgering me for months to start one and he knew I would never do it myself. My excuses were simple “what’s the point? Is it hard to set up? Will it take me forever, and why would I want a facebook anyways?” The idea seemed completely foreign to me. I just wondered what the big deal was with facebook anyway. Mostly I was afraid that I wasn’t going to be able to find out how to maneuver the site. Things like that frustrate and annoy me. When it isn’t simple then I don’t like it. Back then I barely got by doing my online banking. Since that time I have drastically advanced in that area. I can’t be sure but I think it’s because my actual face time with my computer increased. I mean the amount of time I spend in front of my computer went from like 45 min six years ago to about 2-3 hours a day. There are many reasons to explain this. One, as I became independent and had to pay for my own bills and manage my own accounts doing everything paperless and online saved me time and money. Second, since I started college my laptop and internet access are crucial for every aspect of being a student (ex: this class). Lastly, people just don’t communicate like they used to. It’s all done through cell phones and computers.
From what I’ve been able to observe from facebook about how people tend to want to be perceived and the things they want to reveal is that pretty much they want to make it seem like life is good and everything ‘s ok. I hardly ever see someone write “I hate my marriage and want a divorce.” This is a reality that exists for many people but it is something that our society does not want to hear about. Thus it is something that you would never post on your facebook. Why? Because in general, people want to be perceived as being happy, gay, blissful, and enjoying life. People don’t want other people to know the bad things. I wouldn’t want everyone to know that my life is a wreck and I am a big failure. That stuff stays private and hidden and the good stuff gets exposed. There is good and bad in my life but I want to be perceived as a person who is making it in life. I want people to know that school is going good, that I have a great social life, that I have a good relationship with my family, that I bought a car, that I’m going swimming today etc.. When in reality I’m about to have a panic attack because I don’t have enough money for rent, that I don’t spend time with my family because I work to much in order to have enough money to pay rent, and that I lost my pool key so on these hot summer days I can’t even go to the pool. Life is hard and we all go through tough times. I don’t want to reveal my struggles to the world because I want to seem strong and confident, powerful and in control. In Our textbook wood and smith talk about messages fashioned through media are reflections of self. Well if this is the case then my explanation above makes perfect sense. People don’t just leave out the bad stuff because they want to; they do it for a reason. If I am telling myself that I’m going to be fine, I’m going to make it, things are going to be ok, then those are the messages that I am going to radiate out through the media. In order for those thoughts to be true I have to think them to be true. I don’t know if any of you have read the book The Secret but it has essentially that same principle; send out messages into the universe and they will come back as being true. I reveal things that I want to be my reality and I think that for the most part that is ok. As long as I am not hurting others and if I feel it helps me and my identity in a positive way. I want the reflection of myself to be positive and that’s why I radiate positive and happy things on my facebook. If I say so, then it will be so.
I think if our society was different and talking about all things was accepted then I think I would be more revealing on facebook and show more than one side of my life, not just the good stuff but also the struggles. I think a lot of people would, not just me.

Week 2: Wall-E and Cybercommunication

The plot of the movie is that seven hundred years from now humans will leave planet earth because it will be too contaminated to live on. Wall-E is a robot whose purpose is to clean the planet. He roams the earth making cubes of trash and piling them high in the forms of actual buildings. Wall-E is able to learn and communicate through electronic things. If he wishes to describe a feeling or emotion he plays music. If he wants to learn how to do something he will watch the television and copy what he sees. One example of this is when he learns how to dance. He watches a dance routine from an old movie and copies what he sees the characters doing. When out collecting trash during the day he keeps his eyes open to see what is useful to him and what is not.
It’s funny how Wall-E has been able to create a personality for himself despite the fact that he is alone and that he is a robot. He is able to do this through the interacting he has with technology. We can also see this in our own society today. Through the television, computer, cell phone and radio, we are able to create and change our own personalities based on what we see and hear through these mediums. I think that the cell phones play a bigger role in this than any other electronic device because of its easy access and universal use. Anybody can have a cell phone. It doesn’t matter if you have the best one or the cheapest one, a phone is a phone. The other day when I was working I was shocked to a 2 year old with an iphone in her hand. I watched her for a few minutes and it was amazing to me how she knew which application to press on the iphone to get to youtube and watch Sesame Street. Anyways, I feel that I would rather text someone then call them because for some reason I get nervous when I talk on the phone, even if it’s with my friends. I think my personality is a lot funnier when I text and that I am a lot more relaxed and calm. I will even see that someone is calling me and not answer and then text them back saying “sorry I missed your call, what’s up?” I know that this is weird, but I also know that I am not the only one who does this. I think that the computer allows people to change their personalities even more. Facebook, myspace, eharmany, and whatever else there is out there let’s you create an image for yourself that you wish you had. Not all people do this, but it happens often enough. I am guilty of doing this on a certain level. I have put pictures up of having a great time at a party, but in reality I was super tired at that party, I am grumpy from overworking and sad because I miss my sister who has moved to Arizona. However, people don’t see that in my pictures. All they see is me dancing and smiling and thus they think that I’m having a great time and life is good. Cybercommunication can be misleading and I think it’s important to not take things to heart right away. Being aware can really change the way you interpret things.
Just to briefly touch on the humans in the space ship. I thought that they were incredible funny and I hope that we are not actually like that in 700 years. Everyone was overweight, obviously because no one ever got out of their chair and spent their entire time in front of the screen. They communicated with each other through their screens, even when they were right next to each other. It is possible that in the future we will lose the potential for face to face interaction because of cybercommunication. New technologies will take away from that type of communication. We see it today but on a much lesser level. I will give an example of this further on. In addition to becoming an obese society we will also lose much of our abilities to cope with life. The ways in which we deal with stress, love, heartache, sadness, will change. I am reminded of a movie that I recently watched called Surrogates with Bruce Willis, were their real human bodies don’t actually do anything but their surrogates live their life for them. The humans stay in their rooms the entire time connected to their surrogates through a machine. A character in the movie would not leave her room because she had lost a son and could not handle the stress of having to deal with his loss and the separation it had caused between her husband. I imagine that cybercommunication has the potential of taking the role of avoidance. We can use technology to avoid certain things in our lives. Things that hurt us, things that we want to ignore, and things that we would like to see changed. I think that cybercommunication allows us to change our realities in any way we like and to appear different then we truly are. If used the wrong way it can hurt instead of help mankind.
I fear that like Postman says in our textbook there is not a decade that goes by when new inventions aren’t made. We are making great strides in the areas of technology and communication and it is always evolving and changing. I don’t know if any of you are familiar with the new iphone4 that just came out. It has the ability to video call someone, so much like Wall-E, how people can talk with each other and see each other on the screen at the same time. The new iphone4 has this same ability. I see this as a slight glimpse as what is to come in the future. Bacon said that science and invention are to improve the human condition. But after reading this blog you can see how this is not exactly so.