i c erika's post saying that the purpose of our blogs is not to summarise lectures/notes/readings, but rather engage with the content of the paper on a more personal level. so here goes.
i find the subj. matter of last week's readings pretty interesting; and i think it would be a safe bet to say that the majority, if not all of, the class would consider the topic relevant to their own lives.
i think i was about 13 when we got our first PC. my computer skills at the time were basically restricted to using microsoft works (i could whip up some pretty sweet party invitations) and playing sim city. however, as time passed, my utilisation of the computer (particularly my internet usage) continued to develop.
the first social network i joined online was myspace; and while i've stopped using that i now also have both a bebo (for friends) and a facebook (which all my cousins, who are older than me and are mostly all overseas doing their OEs, have... i use it solely to keep in touch with them). before enrolling in this paper, i had kind of presumed - incorrectly - that these were the only "virtual communities" i engaged in.
but then i thought about it, and realised that my participation in virtual communities extended beyond the obvious. now, being a POLS student for the first year, i have decided to become a bit more vocal about my opinions. thru clubs & socs i joined a political party (the youth branch). this year, a VC was formed using yahoo groups in order for everybody in the club to keep in touch with one another. it's also used to let everybody know the topic of conversation for the following meeting, amongst other things.
also, on an even more personal level, this year my younger sister and i are having to go thru some family-orientated stuff. while i have an awesome group of friends, who would have no problem being there to talk to, i have found that a group i came across online is really helping my cope with it all. being able to discuss things online (things that that would potentially make me uncomfortable in face-to-face situations) is not only really helpful simply because i'm getting it out, but i'm also talking about it with people who are in similar situations - there are dozens of people, engaging with one another, geographically separate but not isolated from one another.
i think all of these virtual community platforms differ to a degree chosen by the user themself. it's up to you how much info you share in each community, and if you're like me then it will be different across all platforms.
well, hopefully that was kind of what we were meant to write about... hope everybody had a good long weekend.
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3 comments:
I think most of us belong to more virtual communities than we think. Just like you I'm using Facebook to keep in touch with my friends overseas, but I am also on an OUSA group, as I am part of of a sports club.
I liked what you said about getting over personal issues by talking about them on the internet. When I was 14, one of my friend went through some really hard times, and as she was really high tech for the time and had a great computer and internet connection, she used the internet to talk to people about her issues more or less anonymously. In her case, internet was a good thing and quite cathartic. However, sometimes it does not turn that well. Because anyone can use the internet, some people cans say they are your friends when they are not, or lie about their identity. Moreover, you might not always get the right advices as people may not be qualified to deal with the things you are talking about. But if you had a computer since you were 13 I'm pretty sure you know exactly how to cope with these kind of things.
Great post! I like your examples, especially side by side, because it shows how we can use the same channels for very different things, and to satisfy very different needs.
What will be interesting will be to see what happens when networked communication technologies become more and more mobile - when all those things you (and Priscille in her comment) say you do online get funneled into your mobile or a handheld device?
oh i like it how you have joined some kind of support group on the internet and are able to talk about stuff that would make u uncomfortable in face to face. Its such a good plus, one that I really had not thought of!! THanks for that I really enjoyed your reading! ;)
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