Technology has become a part of everyday life all across the globe. It has affected the world around us and created a whole other type of literacy. The type of literacy technology has created is called digital literacy. Digital literacy is a comprehension of how to use common computer skills that are needed in everyday use. Being in this tech savvy world has almost demanded that everyone be digitally literate no matter what his or her age and background.
There are technologies that I am good at and others that I need to work on. As I was growing up I was introduced to the computer at a very young age by playing games and learning how to type. For example, from an in class reading of Devoss case study, I related most to the study of Brittany Moraski. She also grew up with the upcoming technology and had an educated upbringing as well. At a young age she already learned how to play games on the computer and developed digital literacy very well. Her family was strong on getting an education as well as reading and I feel that her technological experience is similar to min (Devoss p.191).
There are many technologies I am good at, but there are also some that I need to develop skills in. Phones, Internet, email, texting, and computers are ones that I have the greatest knowledge of. These electronics have helped make life easier and have shaped many people’s lives, including mine. Without them I think that my world would be very different because I never really grew up without it all. The computer has formed the way that I live my life everyday. It is in the way that I socialize, talk, research, and even manage business.
One of the only problems I have with being from a generation of always having computer technology is that I feel that it has been a bad influence on communication. There is almost no personal relation or communication that is happening anymore. People can be one way on the computer and then be totally different in person. A lot of the time it is taking the place of human interaction and I realize that large amounts of young people are becoming addicted to this entire new media.
As technology is developing everyday at a rapid pace I sometimes wonder how it will affect human interaction. Of course there will always be the natural human interaction but even now in this day, people talk verbally the same way that they write. I feel it is affecting proper grammar and the common knowledge of how to read and write. I do not feel that this is a bad thing at all I just want everyone to understand and realize the impact all of this has had on our culture.
Since today’s culture is so attached the digital world, many cannot even imagine what it would be like to go a day without it. As a student, a lot of schoolwork and responsibilities lie in technology. Being digitally literate for education and work is a top skill that employers look for this day in age. In light of this, many have either taught themselves or taken courses on how to work computers and even other technologies that are needed for their career.
School is where being digitally literate has helped me even before coming to college. However, college is where it has had the biggest impact so far. It is almost like you have to be dependent on technology to stay informed about your surroundings. A lot of teachers and administrators use online web courses, WebPages, and emails to stay in contact with students. This also is a way for professors to inform about homework and events that are coming up in future class meetings.
I would definitely have to say that I depend on technology a little too much for personal use. It has almost become a source of entertainment and something that I put all of my focus and interest in. My mother always tells me that I could be accomplishing a lot more important tasks that need to be done in my life instead of just always being on the computer or texting.
These are all aspects of my life that have made me dependent on technology because it is the way that I stay connected with the people in my life. I do wish sometimes that technology was not as prevalent. As stated earlier I just really do believe that it has killed a part of human interaction that we will never regain. Communication and speech has been forever molded into everything basing itself on technological advances.
There are a good amount of technological trends that I think are great and others that can be dangerous used in the wrong situation. For example of a wrong situation, texting and talking on the phone while driving has been proven to cause fatal accidents. When I see friends texting while driving I often tell them to put their phone down because it is dangerous and I do not want them to be responsible for killing someone or even themselves.
The trend of emailing and texting from cell phones is a constant occurrence that happens every second of the day and it worries me that people cannot simply wait until they are out of the car. That text or email can wait, it really is a matter of life and death when you are in a car driving.
In general, digital trends are nothing to be worried about. I find many of them very interesting and intelligent. Some trends that excite me would be all of the music production technologies and videos that are available on the computer and on the web. It is easy to put up videos or learn how to do certain things just by typing in a how to and watching the clip. Computers sometimes even come with software that makes music easy and accessible to have and create. I love this because as a big music lover it makes listening, creating, and playing music so much more enjoyable.
For the most part technology has been one of the greatest discoveries our culture has seen and will ever see. It is one of those progressions is society that only gets better with time. Now more than ever is the time for people to be digitally literate. If you are not, it is never too late to learn but you will have a lot of catching up to do. For those of you who are digitally literate, all you can do is stay current and advance along with technology so that you will not get left behind. Technology will always be a way to communicate, work, research, and socialize. Starting today, we can use whatever digital literacy skills we have to help and keep the world aware and up to date with what is happening around the globe. In doing so, we are bettering mankind by helping others in the best ways that we know how.
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