Comic Strip

Position Paper: Moble Technology

            As our society gets more and more technologically savvy, text messaging has become one of the most used means of communication. For most, this concept has been embraced and enjoyed. Others believe that it is a distraction and overused. I believe that text messaging is a successful way to communicate privately, stay in touch with old friends, and find out information fast but it can come as a distraction at times and it also has decreased face to face interaction.

            Texting, for me, is essential to have conversations if you are not with the person you want to talk to. If I’m sitting on the couch watching TV with my parents and I need to tell my friends something important, I will text them. I would not call at that very moment and distract myself by watching TV and talking at the same time. Also, if the topic is personal, I wouldn’t want my parents listening to my full conversation.  Texting is beneficial for having private conversations without being in a secluded space.

            I have a lot of friends that don’t go to the same school as me or live around me so text messaging is an easy way to keep in touch with them. It takes a minute or less to text “Hey how are you?” to my friend in Washington D.C. It helps us keep in contact on a weekly basis to stay involved in each other’s lives. It is more convenient than calling her because I am busy with school and she is busy with her job so texting just seems like the simpler way to communicate.

            Getting texts from Mr. John Kelly or Dr. Beach are extremely useful for remembering important dates for meetings and upcoming events for student council and National Honor Society. I also appreciate getting text reminders from people at my church for meetings. “Practice at 5” is a nice simply reminder because I tend to be a forgetful person. Text messaging has provided me with a new way to keep up on my busy lifestyle and manage all my activities.

            To some though, texting can come as a distraction. This is evident in the classroom environments and while driving. Either of these situations can be easily avoided. When you’re in school and listening to a lecture or taking notes, texting is a distraction and it’s rude to the teacher. But during work time or movies, teenagers can multi task. It’s a skill that has been acquired by our age group. Texting and watching TV, texting and eating, texting and cleaning, texting and doing homework are all  possible! It can be a distraction for certain situations but overall it is not a nuisance.

            Texting has given society an excuse to avoid face to face interaction. It is limiting social skills because you simply don’t need to be with someone to talk to them. If you want to talk to someone, you can just text them instead of waiting to see them in person. People skills are declining because teens haven’t had enough practice on it. When we get into the “real world”, this generation of teens is going to have trouble in business meetings and advertising things by word of mouth because we haven’t developed proper people skills.

            Overall, texting is a good tool available to today’s society. It gives privacy while communicating, provides a way to stay in touch with old friends, and offers ways to organize a busy schedule, but is a distraction and limits social skills.

Blog Free Writing

I think blogging is a good way to express your opinion openly for others to see. The movie depicted blogging in a good way to evaluate your life through writing, but there were benefits to Julie's blog. Others could read it and keep her accountable for the challenge she presented herself with. Through blogging, her followers gave her a motivation to complete the task. She went through ups and downs in the 365 days and she blogged about all of them so her readers really got to know her and her love for cooking. In general, i think blogging is good if it serves a purpose. If someone has something important to write about then go for it. Otherwise if its just a collection of daily recollections, a dairy would be more suitable. Freedom of speech is big in society today and it is continuously getting tested with new social media opportunities such as facebook, twitter, and blogging. This should not be cause to be let go of a job unless there is a creditable threat. If not, those means of self expression is protected under freedom of speech.

Social Media Free Writing

The social media video was very interesting because it made me realize how much today's society is affected by technology and social networking. I didn't realize how large the statistics were until they were all put in front of me. I myself have a facebook and check it at least once a day but I'm never on it for more than a half an hour. I think its true that the news comes to us whatever is important in the world can easily be found on the Internet. "In the future products will find us" i think that is a little exaggerated for life today. People have their own opinions that can change and these can not constantly be interpreted by a computer. The rate at which technology is increasing is incredible. Radio made 38 years ago, TV 13 years ago, and then Internet four years ago. But the Internet has come so far in only four years. Facebook has come along so fast and so much that its weird to think of one of my friends not having a facebook. Its a great way to stay in touch with people that you don't see everyday day. But since the Internet is relatively new, my parents and other adults don't grasp the importance of social media or the amount it effects our daily lives. My mom says I'm always on the computer too much doing unnecessary things, but in reality its easy to multi task on the Internet because you can have different tabs open for each thing you are working on.