Digital Media Blog Entry # 4

Topic: Simulation

In simulation, we see technology being in control of what the regular human being can do.
In our digital media class, we watched a video of a computer competing against other people in jeopardy. Basically, the computer was being engineered by other people controlling it.
So we wonder, do we have control of technology, or does technology have control of us? Right now, we don't have that kind of technology that is capable of controlling society or the way us humans think. Although, i fear that in the future, technology will be so advanced that everything we do involves technology, which takes us humans away from our own minds. Imagining that computers do all the work for us, there is no further point of our own intelligence If it ever came to the point where a computer or some type of enchanment of technology controls the world, we as humans need to look upon different ways of doing things in life. Unfortunatley, it may be the harder way of finding answers, but we as humans become to dependent on this technology to help us achieve something important.

Google has been our main source of finding answers sufficiently and quickly. Jensen mentions in an article that Google Earth. "It enchances a spatial and social experience," which demonstrates that the Internet is not a space, and it is distinct from the "real world". It creates physical, imaginary, and meditated experiences for social space users.

Digital Media Blog Entry #3

Topic: Virutality/Gaming

I find that through the addiction of living in a virtual world tends to take people from all different age groups away from the reality that we as humans are afraid of living in.

For example: When people create virtual images of themselves online, they create another identity for themselves and gives them the control to choose the physical features and formal characteristics of themselves that they don't have in reality.

Gaming:

With gaming, Henry Jenkins talked about the violence that can be seen in video games in general. Games such as Call of Duty requires you to kill people in a first-person perspective, which may influence children or teenagers to imitate what they see on screen to bring it to life. Violence in video games is probably not the only thing that is distracting the children, as the media is the source that decides the fate of video games status in society. For example, they can write reviews on video games with positive or negative comments that could reflect the opinion of people who buy and play the games they talk about. Another common idea towards gaming is that it creates another outlet of distraction, which makes it worse for society since we have digital media that already distracts the public already such as Facebook, Smart phones, etc.
 
Some positive looks on gaming is that it teaches you valuable learning habits such as working as a team and being able to figure out ways out of difficult situations. Games such as, World of Warcraft which is used by millions creates many social connections online that may allow people to meet others that share a common bond or goal through this game.

Blog #2

Based on our discussion, discuss your relationship to "Digital Wisdom". Are you developing the skills for digital wisdom or digital distraction? Are you controlling the interface, or is the interface controlling you?

Be sure to provide specific examples drawn from your own experiences with digital media/new information technology to develop your argument.

 

My relationship with "Digital Wisdom" is actual quite strong for the fact being I am always surrounded by digital artifcats such as my macbook and my iphone. Those tools of technology alone are both bringing me closer to the use of digital wisdom. I would have to say i am developing skills for both digital wisdom and distraction because it helps me to complete certain objectives in school and outside of my education. At the same time, it distracts me and takes me away from actually doing my school work because it is so addictive at times. I believe I am controlling the interface to the point where I am not using the internet or my phone 24/7. But, at the same time the interface could be controlling me, but I probably don't know it yet. It feels as if when i'm using outlets, such as Facebook, Youtube, etc. It keeps me aware of what is going on in my social world. Then again it takes away from any personal time you have for yourself for the more important things in life such as education. 

 

For instance, digitial distraction is capable of taking over a student at a university because in lectures you're really focused on whats in front of you on a screen, rather than the bigger slides of the powerpoint shown in class. We rather focus on a small screen, then a big screen because as digital natives we adapt to new ways of processing information. It might not be the old fashioned way, but as digital natives we are always looking for new ways to approach learning or for any use of technology. In a general sense, students in school tend to use their "Digital Wisdom" for social reasons because it is more "entertaining" and takes us away from the element of actually using this wisdom for good. Therefore; we get distracted no matter what, it just depends on what is distracting us, and what we are distracted from. For example, the prof posts information on Blackboard at this university, which gives us the ability to procrastinate and get distracted because Blackboard is on the internet, where Youtube and Facebook is. Basically, it is inevitable for us to get distracted when it comes to doing educational tasks on a digital resource. Rather than if assignments and information was only given in books, the students would be forced to read them, and be less distracted because a book is not connected to any digital resources.