we are living in a technological world and I am a technological girl

I've been thinking a lot about the crossover - and in many ways, takeover - of the communication world lately.

For example, I use and/or consume books, magazines, tv, newspapers, smartphones, facebook, twitter, blogs, etc - and most of them all in one day! I am clearly a social media guru.

(Brian lovingly suggested that social media whore might be more precise, but that's neither here nor there).

But in this time of too much information becoming the only acceptable amount of information, where is the line? When do you cross it? Does it even exist?

Fellow (former) BU journalist and one of Brian's favorite sports guys, Bill Simmons, recently wrote a great article about a potential side effect of all this communication crossover for professional journalists.*

I think we live in a cool time. Cool, but scary. Things are changing and fast. I remember a time when people didn't have cell phones. I remember when we got our first family computer and when the Internet entered (and changed) our lives. I remember when facebook was founded (and only for college students), and every permutation it has undergone since.

The scary part, besides the whole "big brother is watching" element (a post for another day), is that kids five years and especially ten years younger than me don't have any idea what life is like without their own personal phone attached to their hand and their own personal computer attached to their lap (see two posts ago). They don't know what life is like without the immediate gratification of the Internet or the constant social feedback of facebook, twitter, etc.

When I was little, if I wanted to interact with my best friend, I called her house phone from my house phone and make plans to meet up for the afternoon or a sleepover. Then I'd go to her house, or she'd come to mine, and we'd play. In person. I hardly ever call my friends on the phone anymore. It's all texting and email and gchat and heytell and the occasional skype. Do kids today play the same way I did? I can't imagine they do.

In Communication 101 lecture today we conducted an experiment to see how many televisions people have. Out of 425 + freshman students, almost all of them had at least four tvs at home. Three students had 9, 10 and 11 tvs in their homes - all for families of four people or less. I find this terrifying.

I also read an article today in the New York Times about toddlers essentially becoming addicted to their parents' iPhones, which are used as entertainment, teaching tools and an easy way to pacify a fussy baby. I find this terrifying too.

Now, I am guilty of all the sins of technology - taking it for granted, being a little too attached to my computer and smart phone, checking my twitter compulsively even in company (it's so rude, I know, but I can't stop!), and of course the aforementioned social media overload.

And I think its awesome that I can blog and tweet and put my pictures on facebook. I enjoy sharing my thoughts with my friends. That I can keep up with people in Mississippi, New York, Oregon and more (even across the sea in Ireland) through technology. My career will more likely than not depend on me using multiple media in this way.

But I can't help but think there is a trade off somewhere along the line. Can't help but think these changing times are cool... but scary.

* So should I tweet about this post? A tweet about a blog post inspired by a different blog post about a tweet. How meta. 

Tales of a Jank Computer

So my computer, bless its little electronic heart, is almost five years old now. It has been a loyal and hardworking device - it even went all the way to Ireland and back with me - but it is, in technology time, now ancient. And jank.

It has been in and out of the shop pretty steadily for three years now, is on its third battery and second charger... But now it needs a another one. So while my laptop is down for the count until I can get a new charger, some of the blog posts I had in mind (particularly with pictures) are on the back burner. (I am typing this on my smart phone, yay technological oversaturation!)

However, this jankiness brings me to one of my students, who seriously needs to develop a filter. I was laughingly explaining my computer's issues to my class (no battery life and unreliable internet access has an adverse affect on trying to present computer-based activities to discuss), and one student asked me, straight-faced, with no self-awareness at all, "Do you just not have enough money to get a new computer?"

I know college freshmen these days prize laptops over their own mothers, and with BU being an extremely expensive undergrad program, most non-scholarship students have probably never had to worry about money, but really?!? REALLY.

After staring at him in shock and kind of sputtering for a minute, I finally responded with, "Are you trying to ask me if I'm too poor for a computer?" (which possibly wasn't the most professional answer). I then explained to this clueless homo sapien that being in my fifth year of college and paying rent for a Boston apartment means that until mine bites the dust entirely, a new computer isn't exactly at the top of my list.

Of course, if he wants to donate a shiny new Mac to his pitiful, clearly impoverished TA, I wouldn't stop him. I mean he could always write it off his taxes...