ResponseThe report produced by frontline was about the opportunities the internet offers to young people nowadays. It furthermore displayed the risks and dangers of the online world. Besides aspects as addiction, the internet is a platform for sex crimes and other illegal issues. The main problem that was mentioned by many parents was that no one is truly in charge.
However, especially the young people argue that the internet makes communication easier and effective. The report stated that the internet is not only a short phase of time that will disappear some time soon in the future. The power and impact on our daily life will even further increase. 90 percent of todays' students (in certain American areas) are said to be online. For them, the online world is perfect outlet for selfexpression. It offers the rare opportunity to be someone else and act without directly having to face the consequences. Nevertheless, because of the fact that many parents aren't familiar (or can't keep up) anymore with the fast technical progress, the tolerance between generations has gotten less and communication has become even more difficult. The report pointed out that the internet had caused the greatest generational gtab since the time of Rock and Roll.
The report moreover depicted a highschool teacher who incoorporated many new technologies in his lessons. He argued that "walking into a class room without these technologies is like walking into a desert."
However, I disagree partly with his point of view. Since I will be a teacher as well, I think that he exaggerated by comparing the situation to a desert. Without going into further detail, I have learnt there are always ways to get the students' attention , even without the use of these new technologies.
Before the internet has become such a powerful used source for communication, social networks did work too! There were ways to get in touch with each other. Besides the traditional ways like sending a letter or just using the phone, peoples' horizon was smaller; but by progressing technology, peoples' expectations and conveniences increased.
Everytime I have to explain to someone what facebook or myspace actually is, is use the words "online chat forum". It gives two people, who are are online at the same time, the opportunity to write messags to each other and reply to them instantly; as if they were sitting next to each other at a table. I know that this is a very simplified version of what is actually is, but this explaination worked for my grandfather, so I gues it works for anyone else too :-).
I also think that users of facebook or similiar webpages choose their (profilpictures or just pictures they post online) pictures consciously. Since these profiles mostly reveal only a small part of someone's real identity, user try to make the bst impression possible by chossing the right picture. In my eyes, most people (users) are judged by their profil picture for instance.
I furthermore think that a profil picture tells a lot about a person, because it has alsways been picked on pupose by the user.
With ragrd to Marshall McLuhan's statement "the medium is the message", I have to say that his point of view is intersting and in my eyes mostly true. He states that the society's values, norms and ways of doing things change because of the new and progressing technology. Thus, these new technologies and their fast but quiet progress make uns miss the structural changes in our daily affairs. He describes these changes as the "unanticipated consequences" that work silently to influence the way in which we interact with one another. Furthermore he said that a medium affects the society in which it plays a role not only by the content delivered over the medium, but by the characteristics of the medium itself.
By applying these aspects to a facebook page, I realize that I do the same thing. In order to write someone a message, I don't use the traditional way of emailing, but rather prefer facebook or strudivz which is the German version of it. If asked why, I acn't really give an answer that would make sense. Both ways would take the same time. However, I'd say that by using facebook, I automatically feel as a part of a larger community. Another reason for avoiding the telephone or to write an email might be the fact that a friend's facebook page offers so many different options at the same time. One can see who else wrote something on his wall, or who else is online at the moment. It makes us feel that we are up to date.
However, I agree with Marshall McLuhan that the medium itself affects our perception of communication. For instance, people tend to write short "insider jokes" on each others wall. I do that too! The question is if we would do the same thing if we would have to write it in an email?! Probabaly not, because the idea of an email is, at least for me, different to an idea of a facebook message. I am convinced that most of the messages that are written daily on facebook don't actually have a real and importnat content. The are just written, because the "digital environment" on facebook literally invited us to.
Courage or stupidity
