technoculture314-09

Today, I got a facebook request from this girl that I use to go to Middle School with. I haven’t spoken to here since because her family moved to a different site. That was almost ten years ago. The change in the way we are communicating amazes me. Like many people, I go on Facebook on a daily basis to escape school work and see what my friends are up to in all different corners of the world. This class has made me think of the reliance we have with technology and our identity in ‘cyber world’. This notion of identification and how we perceive ourselves is an interesting concept. As Luke discussed in the lecture that individuals might not actively run, but like the ‘idea’ of running. I read some of the details on my friend’s profile and it was interesting what they did share and what they didn’t choose to share. This process of editing is never fixed, and identity is something that is forever changing and evolving. This leaves the question, what is authentic?

I find that the news feed opens doors for news or ‘gossip’ to spread quickly, thus if we wait to wait the evening news. Like earlier this evening, when my sister sent me a txt regarding a status that I had just put moments up before about Serena William’s dis-qualification in the U.S. Open. In addition, several of my friends left comments about something that had happened in a matter of minutes. Before, these kind of news is something you would wait to share the next day when you see your friends. Now with social networking, everything is so instant that I feel makes my life busier and more complex. This bring back the point about technological volunteerism and the power which is in the hand of the users. I remember when I first signed up to Facebook about three years ago, and the lay out was so different. Now with applications such as the Facebook chat, is becoming more time consuming. It really makes me think how much time I spend on the Internet. Because Facebook also has your real name and not some username, I feel that you can’t pretend to be somebody you are not. That’s what I like about Facebook. All the ‘friends’ on my page is a friend, or somebody I know. I think Facebook is a beneficial way to communicate and a means of networking with people that couldn’t have been possible otherwise.