It’s incredible how easy it is to do things you didn’t even know that existed before, with the company of Internet. I didn’t go to class last week and never heard of feeds nor feed aggregators, yet in about fifteen minutes I clearly knew what it was all about; and I did it.
I guess it’s not that fascinating because we often don’t know how to do things before we try to do them, but in this case I feel like the technological world really takes over. Read the task, watch the video, do it. It’s as simple as that.
I’m not quite sure how do I feel about it. I guess I feel all right☺. In fact, it is amazing, but it is just a little bit scary.
I know; I’m bragging here about the same think I was already last week. And it’s great that we have all these tools to help us to do our work quicker, easier and more efficient. Where will it end though?
I’m talking about the overruling of technology in our everyday lives. I have noticed, recently, that people are starting to hide behind their computers, which, in my opinion, is exactly what this is caused by. We present ourselves on our personal pages, we meet people through matching websites, we shop online, we travel online…we can do anything online, behind our little shining screen.
So will we need others in the future or are we just going to end up like little machines plugged to our laptops, not able to do anything without its great protection?
I suppose I got way too far from the assigned topic, and I don’t want it to sound that I’m against all of these great new tools. Of course I appreciate them, as we all do, and I’ll be happy to use them. I’m just little skeptical about this great excitement of how wonderful and helpful the new technological world is. What happened to the simple living?
About the use of feeds and playlists: apart from what I’ve just said, it works great. Only one thing I haven’t been able to figure out. Can we also read the comments through the bloglines or do we have to go to the individual blogs to get them?
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6 comments:
Dear Nina,
I really appreciate your skepticism. I often ask myself the same questions. I also know that I sometimes feel lucky to live here, in a culture where meeting up in person is still considered of the greatest importance whereas Americans are more than happy to sit behind their computers all day (these are generalizations of course!). I hope your questions will stimulate other people's opinions and some discussion.
As for the comments, no, feed aggregators don't do that. To see the comments (or write a comment), you've got to actually go to the blog.
Sarah
Dear Nina!
I found your post really really stimulating and thought-provoking! Even if you did more than you were asked to, I think that your reflections opened up new perspectives that our initial enthusiasm did not consider…
Undoubtedly, ICT is becoming part of our everyday life and for this reason I’ve heard of critics who are not only sceptical about technologies, but who also suffer from a real web-phobia. Your fear is actually a reality…I mean, the new generations (I refer for example to my sister who’s just 4 years younger than me) can’t even live without their PC, their chats, their mail box…and that’s amazing but also scaring. Moreover, I was thinking about e-learning: overcoming time and spaces limits is simply awesome but where’s the magic of physical gathering, of body gestures, of face expressions…? We could say that they’re lost in cyberspace (that’s sooooooo poetic…, innit?).
So, thank you Nina for your reflections: they should be taken into consideration in order to avoid being overwhelmed by this huge, endless world. On the one hand, new technologies make our life much more easier but on the other hand we should not overlook the human mind which is behind them (and which has also designed them).
That’s all for the moment!
See you in class!
Love
Alessia
Hi Nina!
I must say your post is very original and I think that is something great! In our messages we all said almost the same things: we were all scared about the idea of using feed aggregators, then we watched the video and everything became clearer, and we all consider feeds very interesting tools. That is basically what you put in the first part of your post, too…But then I think you really gave us some wonderful cues for a discussion related to Internet technologies. You know, it is not easy to express an opinion about this matter. On the one hand, we do need these tools which make our life easier…We got used to them and now I guess we could not live without them. On the other hand, it is true that there is a risk related to the massive use of the Web; we are almost unable to do anything without our computers, and most of the time children prefer spending the afternoons surfing the Net rather that playing outsides with their mates. Very often simple living is just considered boring or old-fashioned. I think we should use these technologies with moderation in order not to become completely addicted to them.
Anyway, this is quite an interesting issue, we could discuss it in class before the end of the semester…;-) Maybe we can find an answer to your question “Where will it end though?”…
One last thing: you can read only the new messages users posted through “Bloglines”…Unfortunately, it is not possible either to write or to read a comment. You can simply do that by clicking on the blog’s title which will lead you to the page :-)
See you in class!
Eleonora
Hi Nina,
let me just say how glad I am to know there's another skeptic in the group ;) !!!
You know, sometimes I kind of think I'm too pessimistic and cynical because I'm always looking at the bad side of everything. I end up fearing people may somehow lose interest in the things I say just because I don't say anything 'cute & nice'... The thing is, most things worth saying are, well, sort of problematic and difficult and force you to worry about them a bit. And, well, irony and humor don't always do the trick, so...
But anyways, I like your post a lot. The issue you brought to our attention is certainly crucial and totally worth discussing.
I personally enjoy the web a lot, because it gives me tools I can use to make some aspects of my life easier: info, dictionaries, email, chats, ebay...
I have to admit the web changed my life somehow: for one thing, I almost don't buy books anywhere but online now. The only time I still go to a bookstore is when I have to buy a birthday present the day before the person's birthday!... But in general, I don't find it worth the effort to go to Feltrinelli's anymore. Online I find many more books (which I usually had to order and wait for anyway...), I get them directly at home and they're cheaper too! Yeah, I know it's sad but, in the end, some things are easier to do in a virtual world...! :)
On the other hand, I realize I'm using the net with a sort of moderation which makes the whole thing 'healthy' in the end. I don't spend hours chatting and I don't use my pc as a screen to hide behind.
After all, I grew upon without the internet, writing my papers on, well, paper (weird to say today, uh?) using a pen and everything! So, while it's great to have a big help from technology, I'm pretty confident I could still do things the good-old-way if necessary. Not that I want to, mind you. Given the opportunity to choose, I think it's only sensible to pick the faster+easier way...!
I see teenager these days do rely on the net a lot, though. I was shocked to realize just how many kids of 13 or 14 have a myspace page: what do they need that for? I was a shy and introverted teenager myself, but I don't think it's entirely good to encourage your own fears and use the pc as a way not to face them. In the end one may regret that, I guess.
Well, this a very wide and complex issue... Maybe it'd be nice to discuss it in a monday class some day.
See you
Hi Nina,
I totally agree with our peers in appreciating your post, as it trows a very interesting and worthy-to-discuss topic.
I've actually thought about it in these days, as I've just got the Internet connection in my house here in Padua. Now there are at least two laptops constantly connected to the Net at home (I share the flat with other three girls). Yesterday evening three of us were sitting in the living room, not chatting or watching tv, but rather doing different stuff on the Internet with their own laptops! At a certain point we realized we were all chatting through Skype with the same person in Paris! Isn't it unbelievable?
I love interacting with people, and I find priceless observing expressions and movements of my interlocutors while talking. Since I definitively prefer to interact with people face to face then, I try to use technological tools only if I cannot do the same thing without; and to use the Internet only if I have nothing else better to do. I don't want to end 'wasting' too much time surfing and chatting on the Internet, as I feel I'm loosing contact with reality.
That's why I hope we'll have time to discuss this in class, as I don't think posts are enough to express our thoughts regarding such a wide and delicate topic.
Anna
Hi Nina!
Congratulations! You're the only one who wrote something different this week. Eleonora is right, your post very original and don't you worry, you absolutely did not go 'way too far' as our topic was RSS-feed.
Infact, what you wrote about is much more interesting.
In my opinion, The Internet makes life easier in many ways. I mentioned that already commenting on Anna's post; It's great to have the opportunity to write e-mails that just arrive within 2 minutes instead of letters. I love to buy my flight ticket to go home in the Internet because I don't have to go to the travel agency. And now, I could go on for a while telling you why I appreciate the Internet.
But I think that many people exaggerate with their use of the Internet. Apart from people who use the Internet for criminal purpose etc, there are those who sit in front of their computers for hours and hours forgetting about the outside world.
When I was 18 I thought it was a lot of fun to chat with people I didn't know. But I remember I did that for about 3 months and then it just felt so boring and super-stupid to me. I mean, blogging is different because you're looking for some kind of information you need to know. But chatting is stupid, I think. You just talk about nothing. Or did anyone make a different experience??
So maybe it is difficult to set limits for what is useful and what is absurd.
For example, I don't agree with Enrico that it's not necessary anymore to go to a bookshop. But maybe that just because I love to go to bookshops because I love the atmosphere in there.
I look for books in the Internet, too, and then I go to the bookshop and make them order the book for myself.
But I think we all share one point of view, people who sit behind their computers all day long are really disgusting!! That's why I stop writing now ;-).
See you soon. Caroline
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