Week 9/10 - Blog tasks

Without giving references to articles or websites, write five blog entries which creatively describe the digital technologically imbricated world (or not) of:
a) The oldest digital native you know.
The oldest digital native i know is my mother. She has been able to learn how to use the internet by using it to research holidays and buying things online a well as using email. Email is important to her for work, so it was compulsary she learnt how to use it. However surfing the web she learnt rather quickly and she still seems to be well adapt to most things available online, but it is obvious she does not know the boundaries on the internet and she can often get confused, or lost. Therefore, although this make make her more of an immigrant, i beleive she is comfortable on the internet and can do most things available to her.

b) The youngest digital immigrant you know.
The youngest digital immigrant i know would be my sister. She only really uses the internet for facebook, and she doesn't even understand most of the applications on that. Her web surfing abilities are very limited, as she cannot shop online, or know what websites are the best for what she's looking for. Nvertheless i do not think she is totally inept to use the internet, she does get by, and although she may be confused, she does manage to find what she is looking for most of the time.

c) A person known to you (could be you, but you don't need to admit it!) who most threatens the notion of native/immigrant in digital culture.
My Uncle, who, thinking about it, should have been the oldest digital native i know, as he is very accomplished when using the internet and most modern technological equipment available in the current climate of the digital age. He has really enjoyed following the growth of the digital era, and his skills have developed and changed with it. He has been responsible for teaching my how family how to use a computer and the internet, showing his extended and polished skills when it comes to anything 'new'. He gets all the gadgets as soon as they are available and just teaches himslef how to use them, proving how he loves the progression of technology.

d) Describe the daily frustrations of a fictional neo-luddite at university now in the UK.
A neo-luddite is a sort of political movement, who are against the progression of technology and the digital age that is occuring today. Their main points against the changes to our world include: dehumanisation, increase in government control, health problems, cruelty to animals and nuclear war. Some of these risks are quite 'out there' but health risks and government control are important to be aware of, as no one is doing as much exercise as they use to (couch potato culture) and the government is able to influence the internet, thus influencing public opinion.

A neo-luddite at university would really struggle, because the internet is constantly used to: communicate, share files, post information and complete work. It shows how important the internet is when at university, most of us would struggle to cope without it. Therefore it is evident that a neo luddite would probably end up pulling their hair out if they attended a university in the UK.

e) Describe the experience of a fictional technophile student in 2020.
A technophile is the opposite of a neo-luddite, and has many similar characteristics to my uncle i mentioned earlier. A technophile is someone who is very excited and supportive of the new age developing digital age, managing to adapt to change and learn all the new applications quickly and succinctly, enjoying it at the same time.

In 2020, with the expected web 3.0 plan, i imagine a technophile would be in their element, taking advantage of all the possible features available to them when working at university.

www.wikipedia.co.uk

Week 9/10 - Q2

What difference to all this might the 'digital divide' make? a) To socioeconomically related access issues within a society? b) To global access issues across countries and regions?

The digital divide is the gap between people who benefit from the development of the media and technology, compared to those being left in the dark and lost in this digital age. Digital divide researchers have stated that it is the fact that middle - upper class have access to digital technology, whereas the poor are ignored because they cannot afford the luxuries, like broadband, or an ipod. Even if the poor do get access, it is normally very low in standards, compared to what others have, therefore they do not get the full experience and the maximum amount of knowledge needed. This just shows that socioeconomically, society suffers, because the divide just increases, less priviledged families get left behind, without the knowledge and experiences that digital technology provides. We are in the digital age, so if people cannot cope or afford to change and develop with the progressing technological world then society will just spread further apart and the economy slowly colloapse.

On a global scale it has been suggested that the digital divide has caused terrorism. This is due to the fact that religions have felt left out, because they did not take part in the digital progression, so they felt undermined and alienated. Nevertheless continents like Asia, have actually caught up with Britain and the USA over the last ten years because of the dotcom bust in the late 1900's. This means that Asia have become one of the leading continents in the digital age, having created many wireless networks throughout, growing as a digital continent quickly and cheaply.

http://www.digitaldivide.org/dd/digitaldivide.html