Growing up in the age of the Internet has brought many new forms of communication with intricate meanings and relations, in which numerous communities imagine this technology to be the furthering cause of our worlds subjective anxieties and youth exploitations. Nancy K. Bayum describes in Personal Connections in the Digital Age, the connections between technology and society; the Internet works as an agent, or medium method that users entrust both their personal security and business. Often this form reflects the minds, products, and actions of the users. There are many fears that Bayum mentioned when discussing technological determinism, including but not limited to a loss of place, moral decline, relational vulnerability, and anonymity. Although many of these fears can be true and many cause a sort of anxieties in society, these should be looked at on a more on a yin and yang like scale. Cyberspace can become a sphere of togetherness where the dividing boundaries lessen and potential horizons broaden, such as in the case of race, age, and gender. There are many cases of modernity, in which humans fear change, but we are creatures of evolution and adaption, we must not fear progress, we must counterbalance it with education and information. We are given almost unlimited access to the world around us, but the true pressure revolves around how it will be used individually.
A few weeks back Elite Daily’s Melanie Lee, posted a blog about the effects of this now instant world. There is a push for only the absolute best that then created an attitude where enough is never enough. When the promoted media is accessible to the all, even those who daily walk on eggshells and maybe lack self-stability, the agent could be looked at as a loaded gun just waiting for someone to hit the trigger. Lee describes it as a longing for immediate gratification, in which come would go to great lengths just to receive a form of positive feedback. This technological development has undeniably changed both our society and culture. It is now just a matter of educating the youth and others, to respond and interact with this powerful medium in a healthy way.
Well put about immediate gratification.
The best reward comes over time and with effort, there is almost no true pleasure (long term happiness) that comes from immediate gratification. However, the gratification from various fun apps is still seductive and I think some people mistake that for true reward. I.e. Assigning worth to a posted life event, based on ‘likes’ or feedback from friends. While I strive to distance myself from this mode of thinking, sometimes I fall victim to it, but most of the time I see others enamored with the chase for validation.
I like your suggestion of looking at this digital age through a yin and yang perspective. I do recognize the prominence of the negatives and dangers that revolve around the Internet of today. Yet, I do agree with you in the idea that cyberspace can also be beneficial in bringing the world together and diminishing boundaries between those that would never have been in contact in the first place. These technological advances of digital media today have created much more opportunity in methods of communication between people. Even if the communication is not face-to-face or super personal, some kind of connection is better than nothing.
I also agree that, because there is such danger and fear, we must counter it all in a more productive way through things like education. I feel like that’s one of the best way to prevent such negatives and/or make change.
Lee’s blog post definitely speaks to this whole discussion. Immediate gratification plays a big role in all of this digital communication, but it’s interesting to note that there is a debate on whether that gratification is worth it or even real. Thus, we do have to educate and spread knowledge on how to use and interpret digital media, which can affect the personal connections in question.