Taking the Pill

Social-Policital Worries

In my WikiLeaks text assignment, I talked about the effects WikiLeaks was having on the international community and the United States government. WikiLeaks has been wreaking havoc on the complex relationships that exist between these international communities, throwing the globe into unrest.

I worry about the effects Digital Media will have on our society. Will it make us grow, or throw us into the arms of our rulers?

In the Middle East, these questions are being answered as we speak. Millions of protestors are using digital media to enhance their message and get it to the rest of the world. Likewise, their oppressive government are using digital media to spew propaganda and block their citizens from the rest of the world.

In terms of WikiLeaks, I believe that the social-political aspects of digital media will only help us grow as a global society. Bring the secrets of governments and people out in the open will only make them more accountable for their actions.


Social-Interpersonal Worries

With my generation especially, I feel like online communication is becoming more and more acceptable. With young people nowadays talking more online than they are in real life, it is important to embrace new communication technology.

At the moment, I have online friends in 4 different countries (not including the United States): Canada, England, China, and Scotland...including many different states within the United States. I cherish my relationship with each and every one of them--and know a lot of them more than I do some of my "real life" friends. Just because a relationship is based online, doesn't degrade the quality of the relationship.

Psychological-Emotional Worries

In a world that is becoming increasingly connected, the appeal to stay online is great. With online worlds being built that take us away from the worries of the real world, internet addiction is becoming more and more popular.

I often worry about my own constant tie to the connected world. When I leave my room and forget my phone, I feel completely disconnected and even naked. It's scary how much these things affect all of us.

Psychological-Cognitive Worries

As we continue to delve deeper and deeper into the connected age, it is a worry of some that our cognitive abilities will begin to decrease.

There are two sides to this, I think. On one hand, we have people that use the internet to think for them. They use services like Google to find information and sites like WikiPedia to copy information from.

On the other hand, we have people that use the internet to increase their thinking and intelligence. They use services like Google to find information and sites like WikiPedia to gather resources from.

I don't buy all of the talk about the internet eating our minds out. To me, this debate is just a mirror from the one years ago about the television.

Behavioral-Practical Worries

I guess this category goes closely along with the previous.

It is quite easy to get wrapped up in our digital environments, as Len Masterman points out. We must conserve our time on the internet--if we don't we face becoming addicted or completely absorbed in it.

We also face the dangers of becoming physically hurt by the time we stay connected. If we do not use the right postures and equipment, our body can become permanently harmed by the time we spend connected.

Personal Experience

I try to strike a nice balance between real life and connected life.

As a film student, that has been increasingly hard as of late. Most of our assignments are online, since the school has gone completely paperless.

However, even with all of the obstacles trying to keep me constantly connected, I cherish the time I get to disconnect. Spending time with my friends and family will always come before being online. I plan to keep things that way.