What in the web is up wiv' that!!

Fashionably late as usual…but the best ‘til last?!

What has revived this topic for me?-Well, recently I discovered that although I can deactivate my face book account, I can never actually delete my account. Is this common knowledge? This information as only confirmed my initial suspicions and qualms with web technologies, social networking sites in particular. It always seems that you have to give up so much information just to gain some small privilege, i.e. having to sign up to websites in order to watch movies when you have this feeling that you’re signing your life away. Prior to my engagement with face book my suspicions were most fuelled by experiences of friends. More worryingly were the news reports highlighting cases where disagreements escalated on social networking sites ended in violence. To me it seems these cases stemed from a flippant comment posted can be mulled over and analysed for hours by another. This shows how the media context can change meaning because traditionally writing letters was a private affair and was something the writer took time to think about because unlike these websites it costs money.

Recently, I had first hand experience of “How did that end up on face book?” For this years’ birthday celebration I had a fancy dress party, where I decided that if I had one wish I would turn back time so I dressed up as a baby. On the night I was in good cheer and wanted to make the most of the theme as I had never been invited to a fancy dress party never mind thrown one. I did pose for pictures but I was still horrified to see it had been posted on face book by a good friend of mine. “How can a picture that you posed for; cause such shock and disturbance?” you may ask and I ask myself? Answer? Nobody asked me! Common courtesy, not so common anymore! For me this is the danger that begs the question why is it all the rules change and boundaries “go out the window” when it comes to the web???

"Baby Got Blog!"

Get your blog on!

I’ve been fighting it for awhile now but I have finally been thrust into the world of technology. After the failed attempts of my friends and the encouragement of my former course leaders to bring me into the twenty first century it is the BAPP course at Middlesex that has cracked this nut!

Well, if I haven’t been in the twenty first century which one have I been in? I do have an ipod, a laptop, a dongle and even a face book account. I’m a ‘normal’ young person of today, aren’t I? On the face of it maybe but let’s go a little deeper. What if I told you that it was only late this summer that I bought an ipod and I still am unaware of what it can do, I can’t even upload songs onto it, I get my friends to do it for me, don’t think I haven’t tried though. I’ve had a face book account for a few months, but literally I could count on one hand the amount of times I’ve actually logged into my account and consequently have sent only one message and never posted on anyone’s “wall”, whatever that means, I haven’t seen even a picture of a wall whilst roaming on face book! I mean does anyone else get over whelmed with the amount of messages; friend requests and comments that you get sent! The screen to my laptop is cracked and I don’t have internet service at home because my dongle isn’t working. I tell you all this to say; for me, this is really a challenging course because its very nature is alien to me. This is why it’s taken me this long to start my blog because I was out shopping for the cheese to catch the mouse needed to operate this computer! Seriously though, I’m going to have to educate myself about what is available and even that is going to take me adapting my lifestyle. I still believe that these web technologies shouldn’t run your life and that even though they are cash free they are costly i.e. time consuming and time is life and life is short enough! I have to admit that I am somewhat of a convert because I must say that FOR NOW I do need media technologies. I can’t believe I just said that.

I end my first blog with those two things, firstly a salute to you who have been using media technologies for awhile, long before this course and have used it to enhance and inform your practice whatever that may. I would like to take this opportunity to announce that I am open to all the help you can offer. Lastly, I’d like to encourage those that are still finding their feet and for now see blogging as more of a chore, with these words…soldier on slowly (maybe) but SURELY (definitely).