Technology Thoughts

I thought that the quote that Ashely picked out for group discussion was very thought provoking: "Never before have we had so many forms of communication at our disposal, and yet rarely has our sense of loneliness and alienation been so profound." --Jonathan Martin, Prototype. It sparked such a passionate and wide-ranging conversation. People brought in so many pertinent examples from their lives about how technology is something that connects or something that isolates.

I feel like I can see how it can be both but that I do tend to lean towards the idea that technology isolates. It does allow people to connect in so many ways across great distances and I think it's amazing to see how many supportive online communities have cropped up to serve people in many different situations. I think I remember reading an article about how caretakers of sick relatives often spend time online connecting with people in the same situation. Likewise, people with different diseases often find support online as well. And I know that those types of online relationships often become in-person relationships as well.

One question that Meredith brought up in describing discussions she's had with her middle school students was, "Do you have friends who are different online versus in person?" And I found that intriguing, especially as I skimmed over part of an article in the Research in the Teaching of English journal later on during inquiry time. The article was entitled, "Examining Digital Literacy Practices on Social Network Sites" by Amber Buck (Volume 1: Number 1, August 2012) and it described a college freshman who was a member of different sites like Twitter, Facebook, Blogger, Myspace, Tumblr, Flickr, YouTube, Linked In, LibraryThing, etc. The description of his digital self was more positive; he saw himself as a creator and "publisher" and was very savvy in navigating between the different sites and what they represented. He described Twitter as being more 'stream of consciousness" and his Facebook was more focused on his college activities. It reminded me of the phrase "conventions of genre" that Lil brought up earlier. [I also loved the idea that Wendy suggested of how we can have students play with putting on character personas, like blogging from Hester Prynne's point of view."

It makes me think that technology can shape our thinking and maybe also our view of ourselves as writers. That technology can allow us to expand who we influence with our words and thoughts and that it can make us more compelled to write. It's exciting to have people tune in and listen to what we say and even more exciting when they can respond right away. That continual digital conversation promotes writing and writers. I liked what Erika said this morning about how technology allows people to address presidents and people in power. How it democratizes (?)societies more. Why else do oppressive governments try to control digital output or in general, any type of communication?

But when does it become debilitating? I know that I often seek out digital spaces that reinforce my own beliefs, my own thoughts. I don't often search out websites or forums that disagree with my own opinion. When does it move from support and connection to groupthink?

In terms of how digital spaces influence language, I think it's exciting but also sometimes strange to come across unfamiliar slang or abbreviations that quickly become commonly used. It's also disconcerting to hear these things being spoken out loud or written down on paper. I've had students write down "tbh" and "lol" and hashtags on written reflections. I've even had a friend say "shaking my head" out loud during an in-person conversation with me instead of actually shaking his head!