What Happened to the Good Ol' Days?

I’d like to ask all my fellow students if they remember a time when students were not surfing online during class time. I don’t recall so many people being online in my first and second years (I’m now in fourth year). It could be that I just don’t remember, but I don’t think it was so prevalent. These days it’s likely that if I look at someone’s computer screen in class, they’ve got something else up other than their lecture notes. Gff had a blog post that touched on a similar issue last week, and while I commented on his post, I thought I would expand and add even more of my own opinion on the subject of laptops in the classroom.
I think that perhaps part of the reason there are more people checking email and Facebook during classes is that our wireless connection at school is now much better. The fact that the school has had to improve the wireless connection shows how much more we rely on the Internet, just in the past few years. I have actually heard classmates complain about not being able to access the wireless during class. It still boggles my mind, even though it has been like that for the past two years at least. I understand that sometimes class can be a bit boring, but that’s no reason to distract everyone around you by looking up the latest news on Perez Hilton (and no, I am not providing a hyperlink, he bothers me!) or playing a game of Solitaire. Or talking to a friend on MSN! I know you’re bored, but I should not be able to read about the hot guy you picked up at the bar on the weekend. I think we are getting so used to having the Internet available to us everywhere and at all times that sometimes it’s difficult to resist checking our Facebook when we have the option to. I don’t bring my laptop to class, but I am guilty of talking on MSN and playing games while watching television or movies with my roommates. There is no need for me to be on my computer, the whole point of those nights is to get some quality time with my roommates, but because I can be online, I am. I think it’s the same sort of idea with people in classes. The point of having a laptop in class is to take notes, but because people can be online, they are.
Sometimes I wonder what our parents did when they were in class. They didn’t have laptops and wireless Internet to play with when they got bored (or just didn’t care about their marks). Have we really gotten so used to a world where we can access whatever we want whenever we want that we are incapable of leaving the Internet alone for a few hours? Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s great to have wireless Internet on campus, but mostly for those people who are stuck on campus all day and have work to do that requires online sources. There are even sometimes occasions where it is beneficial in class. I recently sat next to someone who was looking up the YouTube videos and pictures that the professor was using in his lecture as they were brought up. I thought that was a great idea, but then I wondered, how much of the lecture is he actually taking notes on? So maybe even that great idea isn’t that great when you think about why you are actually in class, which is to take notes and learn something from the professor.
Just in case we don’t have enough technology in schools, our university has just unveiled a new program for incoming business students. Starting next year, online notes and tests will be available on BlackBerries – which will be provided to the students with a basic plan from Rogers. I’m still a little confused about that. I understand that wireless technology is important and becoming a greater part of our lives these days, but I don’t think it’s necessary to implement a new technology for educational purposes. I especially think that it should not be a cell phone type technology, which is usually frowned upon in normal class settings. It’s hard to say that this introduction is a bad thing, because it is something that will probably help the business students later on in life. But I return to the title of my last post, how much is too much? Is it really necessary for the students to have BlackBerries for educational purposes? What do you guys think? I don’t have a concrete opinion on the integration of BlackBerries to the classroom, but I do wonder what your thoughts are. Also, do you think that the Internet is becoming too much of an issue in class, as I do? I don’t know what could change, but I do know that something needs to be done if people are going to be able to concentrate in class.

How much is too much?

What happened to the simple task of making a phone call? Or even writing a letter for that matter? Instead of a quick, easy, and efficient method of communication, our society (for the most part) prefers to use about six different types of technology to keep tabs on our friends and family. Drew Barrymore addresses this well in the trailer for the upcoming movie, He’s Just Not That Into You: “I had this guy leave me a voicemail at work, so I called him at home, and then he emailed me to my Blackberry, and so I texted to his cell. And now you just have to go around checking all these portals, just to get rejected by seven different technologies. It’s exhausting.” (Check out the YouTube clip for the full trailer, if you’re interested).
I suppose this is just a way that society is changing, but the question is, why? Why do we suddenly need so many different forms of technology? For me, it seems like things have gotten much more complicated in the four years I’ve been at university. I think it all started when one of my friends, who went to a different university, asked me, “Do you have Facebook?” I think I can pinpoint that seemingly innocent question to when I had too many technologies to look after. When I entered university, I was just getting used to having a cell phone (a graduation present), then along came Facebook. It was both a blessing and a curse. However, the marvel that is Facebook is a topic for another post at a later time. For now, I want to concentrate on how many different technologies we have to look after if we want to even think about having some semblance of a social life. When I am at school, I have to keep track of my home phone, cell phone, hotmail, school email, Facebook, and WebCT (for those of you who don’t know what that is, it is an internal site for our school where we can access some of our classes, and discuss with and message our classmates). Like Drew said, it really is exhausting. Yet I check many of those things several times a day. I have a roommate who doesn’t check any of her many technologies regularly (she has the same number as me) and it is actually frustrating to me, which is beyond ridiculous. There has been the occasional time where I have gone through all her emails and Facebook messages for her and acted as her secretary. Is this really the type of world we are coming to? I think my roommate actually has a firmer grasp on reality. Why should we feel compelled to check so many different types of technology several times daily? It is excessive and fairly absurd. However, this is the world we are now living in.
Technology is now such a big part of our lives (especially as a student) that we have a panic attack when our Internet stops working. We’re breeding a generation where the Internet and various other technologies are the be all, end all to their (our) world. What do you all think of how dependent we are on technology? I’ve got a mixed opinion about it. I am completely reliant on the Internet and my cell phone, but there are times when I wonder why on earth I care so much. This has been a bit of a rambling post, but my main point is that we have so many different types of technology to look after, and I don’t know if it is really necessary. Let me know what you all think! I’m really interested in finding out how many different types of technology you all use and how attached you are to them, whether you want to be or not. On that note, I will be signing off. Kstar is done philosophizing.

Special thanks to the article in the city magazine Will entitled, “do u c what i c & r u ok w it?: The (d)Evolution of Communication,” written by Derek Krismanich, which helped inspire this post.

Let the fun begin!

Welcome to the world of citizen media and the public sphere. I’m going to give you a little background about the creation and purpose of this blog. This blog is for an assignment for my fourth year seminar. Our class is required to create a blog that will discuss citizen media and new media and their social effects. What that exactly means has yet to be determined, and I’m sure that I am not the only one in the class who thinks so! Our class just started a couple of weeks ago and we are still all learning what some of the terms mean. Anyone who is not in the class who happens upon this blog, I have created a blog roll with all my classmates’ blogs. Feel free to check those out and compare what we are all saying about citizen media. It’s a learning experience for all of us and it is done in a way that I am sure no one has ever encountered in the four years at university, even in our program of communication studies. I’m really hoping this will be a great experience and will help me learn more about blogs, as well as getting more in depth about what we learn in class. I hope everyone enjoys my take on citizen media! :)