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Koan 1: It’s All Just Bits really caused me to think very hard about the role of digital technology and information, and their importance in our everyday lives. The authors point out early in Chapter 1 that “Computers contain a lot of stuff that isn’t useful today but somebody thinks might someday come in handy.” (B2B, 2). This statement is true on a worldwide level, but can also be easily related to on a personal level. For instance, I still have pretty much every document that I’ve ever drafted in my college career saved on my hard drive just in case I would ever need to refer to them in the future. Realistically, I will probably never come back to them for information, but it’s basically a virtual security blanket for me to hold on to until my college career is completed.
The most striking thing about Koan 1, in my opinion, was the authors’ blunt explanation of the harsh reality our digital information collections – it’s literally all just bits. In the case of Naral and Verizon, the concept of digital information being simplified into “just bits” could have been very useful in helping to determine what is or is not allowed by generalizing the information being shared. As the author says, “[i]n the bits world, there is no difference between a text message and a wireless phone call.” (B2B, 6). However, when explored in terms of personal application, the concept of “just bits” is very different in terms of the feelings elicited by the claim. For example, I’m an avid user of Instagram and Facebook; rather than posting statuses with just words, however, I prefer to share my life with others through photos and short captions that sum up the situation. Instagram has become a huge platform for those who are drawn to the visual mode of communication, and each user carefully curates his or her account to reflect their personalities. Platforms like this allow users to create their own small universe of which they are the center. To then consider that, at the heart of it, all of the images that one holds dear – the photographs and songs that are so important to our own little universe – are merely “being reduced to zeroes and ones” is a stark reminder that we are not, in fact, the center of the universe. (B2B, 2). Or more specifically, we are only the center of our own universe; we’re no different from every other user out there because their data, too, is all just bits. It’s a heavy realization to come to terms with in this sense!
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The Introduction section of NetSmart really caught my attention – specifically the discussion about living mindfully in cyberculture. “Mindfulness” is such a popular buzzword right now; it seems every time I log on, there is a Facebook post or subscriber email touting the benefits of living mindfully. However, despite immense popularity of the word, it seems that so few people are really applying the concept to their lives, especially when it comes to their online interactions. We all have that friend on social media who constantly elicits an eye-roll because of, say, their sarcastic, politically charged yet woefully under-researched article sharing – the detection of which the author refers to as “Calibrating Your Crap Detector,” much to my delight. I thought he was spot-on in his insistence that “[t]he first thing we need to know about information online is how to detect crap” (Rheingold, 16). Similarly, the Introduction section regarding privacy and network smarts was very informative and relevant for many of the same reasons.
The author’s discussion of attention training and setting an intention definitely caught my eye as well. Outside of class, I’m an avid student of yoga, and one of the tenets of the practice of yoga is focusing your attention; this is achieved by setting an intention at the beginning of a session and returning to it again and again as a way of regaining focus. It was interesting to read about concepts that I apply to an important area of my life on a daily basis discussed in regards to online presence, which is also an important part of my everyday life.
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Mary, I am concerned about this as well. The weekly schedule indicates that we must post our first response to the Week 2 Discussion forum by 5 pm today (1/20) but so far I don’t see the Week 2 thread under the Weekly Discussion forum. I was planning to finish up my response on my lunch break today!
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Hello there! On the “Website links” topic, the link for “(see instructions here)” is broken.
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Hello everyone! My name is Tiffany Testa, and I’m a Senior in the Multidisciplinary Studies program. My areas of study are Professional Writing & Editing, Communication Studies, and History. All three of my minors relate in helpful ways to my current career as a legal assistant, which I’ve been for nearly eight years and truly enjoy. I currently live and work Charleston, WV after spending some time in Baltimore, MD after initially graduating from college the first time around. After graduating this year, I plan to enroll in the Paralegal Studies online Masters program at Duke University to continue my education and increase my marketability. In addition to my current position, I’d also like to teach evening classes at the junior/community college level – there is a great need for instructors with real world experience in my field, and I’m excited about the possibility of providing that for aspiring paralegals. In my spare time, I enjoy yoga, reading, cooking, coaching basketball with my husband, antiquing, music, and traveling the world. Best of luck to everyone this semester!
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@jablosser I’m definitely one of those people who is guilty of habitually checking my online connections. However, I attribute this to the need to give myself a little mental break between tasks, as you discussed. I work at a law firm and it can get pretty cumbersome going through pages and pages of legal documents, so checking Facebook and Pinterest is a welcome break once in a while.
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Hi Chasity! Your intro post caught my eye because my dad worked for DOT for many, many years before retiring in 2012. He was the county administrator in Morgan County where I grew up. Small world! Good luck this semester.
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Hi Julie! It’s always nice to see a familiar name in the class list. We were just retained on three separate cases in Monongalia County, so it’s possible you and I will be in the same courtroom at some point in the future! Good luck this semester.
