Physical vs. Virtual

In the beginning of chapter III in Douglas Rushkoff’s Program of be Programmed, he compares physical things to virtual things on a basic level. Physical things, like CD’s, that we are very used to, can have a whole online presence that most people either do not realize or do not care exists.

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Everything today is virtual. We live our lives online. We have eBooks, eMail, eCommerce, eEverything. Since we live such a large portion of our loves online and with computers, it is actually surprising that more people do not know computer code. I admit to not knowing a lot (if anything important at all) about computer code and programming. It’s like a second language that makes no sense to me at all. I do, however, use a computer daily. Somehow it does not make sense that  I don’t really understand how to truly control an item that I use multiple times a day.

It’s also interesting that Rushkoff makes the comparison of a CD to a physical copy of a text. I never thought of it that way before, but it’s true — we only buy CD’s nowadays for the nostalgia and appeal. Like books on a bookshelf, it’s really more to show off than anything. You can get the same content on a digital platform (iPod, eReader), but there’s just something show-offy about having the physical object in your hand. It’s something I can’t really explain or understand very well.

About ElizabethFinley

I'm 19 and an English student at WVU. I'm from Pt. Pleasant, WV.

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