For this blog, I decided to combine "I'm So Totally, Digitally Close to You" and "You're Leaving a Digital Trail." For the first article, I most want to respond to a comment Boyd said, after talking about how strangers Tweet her like they actually know her. She said “They can observe you, but it’s not the same as knowing you” (pg. 5) This is so true and is my issue with social networking. I have a personal Facebook and I do have friends there that I don't talk to. Some of them I simply don't want to talk to at all, but it's easier to accept their request and just ignore their posts than to keep declining their requests. I don't use Twitter because I simply don't care what my friends are doing every moment of the day. While I can understand why some people like this, I don't and I also don't want all of my friends to know what I'm doing. I update my status typically once a month, and it's usually something about homework or a show I'm watching. I don't want a lot of people who I don't really care about knowing that my grandfather died before I am ready to even tell my actual friends. And yet, my sisters don't have the same mindset, so then I have to deal with it and I'm sorry, but it irritates me.
"You're Leaving a Digital Trail" just made my skin crawl. No, I'm obviously not doing anything illegal (at least as far as I know), but I don't want people knowing what I do on the computer, what I write in e-mails or in messages to friends on Facebook. I don't want random people know what music I'm listening to. I like my privacy and I want it to stay that way: private. I know tracking people can really help protect everyone (i.e., watching potential terrorists or the SARS scare the article talked about) and that is really good that they can prevent stuff like that. And yet, maybe it's because I've read so many stories and seen so many movies, the idea of trusting so much to machines and people we don't know freaks me out. We saw this in Little Brother; an attack happened and the government over-responded. This is just me, of course. Some people may have absolutely no problem with being watched. Harrison Brown obviously doesn't, but it bugs me.
While reading these articles, Brad Paisley's song "Online" kept playing in my head, so I decided to put in the music video. It's about a guy who goes online and becomes someone else. Seems fitting. It's not that great of a video but I love the song. If you watch it, try to let it load all the way first because it's really slow.
How to use these in the classroom though? Personally, I don't think society will ever truly become comfortable for school children to be online for classes, at least not for a long time still. There are just too many issues still, such as privacy, content, and of course computer access. Would I love to do online literature circles? Yes, because I think there is a freedom there for students to voice their opinions that may not occur during face-to-face discussions. It is doable, but there is so much to watch out for and there can be such a big backlash that, at least until I get established, I feel like I might be too leery about doing it. I can't really think of any situations where I would want to use Twitter, but I could see using Facebook to do online literature circles like we're doing in class. But, if there was an online discussion board available (like Vista) that is powered through the school website, I would prefer to use that instead of Facebook.
Thanks for posting Terri! I completely agree with you about wanting your privacy. I got rid of my Facebook for this reason. The fact that a marketing firm can track my likes and dislikes to see how they can interest me more with their ads is a good business ploy, but it also creeps me out. Also, the music video was great - gotta love George Costanza =)
ReplyDeleteI was really interested in "I'm so Totally Digitally Close to You" because I think it really allowed us to examine our own social networking behaviors. It made me wonder how many people know insignificant details about my life from my facebook. It also scares me to think how much personal information is available on the internet.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you to a certain extent. I do believe that so many people have polluted social networking sites, so it takes away from those that want to use it in positive ways. It is an easy way for me to stay connected with my family, who have now relocated all over the United States. I believe the point of "I'm So Totally, Digitally Close to You" was to point out the positive aspects of social networking. Social Networking is far more than just telling your every move. It has become a means for teachers to interact with other teachers. Offering advice and information that may have never been able to be shared through other settings. Like everything else in life, there are downfalls, but we cannot ignore its benefits.
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