Baffling Technology

Technology is a continually growing force. Over the younger, newly developed generations, our knowledge towards technology has become greater and more in-depth, due to growing up with the latest technologies; making it not so foreign.
Many people in Generation Y, when it comes to technology have everything: a mobile phone, a laptop, an iPod, the list goes on. What were once luxuries only that some people could afford, are now necessities that everyone has and relies on.
As Lucy Thomas speaks about in her blog post, Our Knowledge- Their Knowledge- New Media, she explains “The Internet, IPods, tablets and mobile phones are all heavily incorporated into our business and personal lifestyle and thus the skills and knowledge of new media is a constant requirement.” Generation Y has never had a problem with this, however older generations seem to be getting left behind if they can’t keep up. New media skills are mandatory in almost any job, therefore are something to be learnt thoroughly and continually developed.

References
Thomas, L. 2011. “Our Knowledge- Their Knowledge- New Media.”http://lucythomas33-socialmediathenewyou.blogspot.com/2011/04/our-knowledge-their-knowledge-new-media.html. Retrieved 26 April 2011.

Gill, R. 2007. Informality is the New Black. In Technobohemians or the new Cybertariat? New Media work in Amsterdam a decade after the web. Amsterdam: Institute of Network Cultures: 24-30 & 38-43. Accessed 26 April 2011.

Who's The Expert Now?

Like many others, the first place I go to when I have a health question, is the internet.

It is fast, quick, easy, and I don’t have to waste any time or money. As Lewis (2009) speaks about our generation being “cyberchondriacs,” this explains how whenever we worry about anything to do with our health, the first place we go to is the internet.
This can bring on issues such as a lack of communication and misinformation between us and others when it comes to our health. Literally, being a life threatening issue. It is not one of those topics you can easily ignore. As Social Networking- The New You blog speaks about this issue too, she highlights our reliance on our iPhones for health information Apps, which is just another new technology towards health information evolving.

Does this mean we can now too be ‘experts’ with information we have so easily found?

Could it be true that, gone are the days of working towards a 7 year degree to be able to speak about health information correctly, now all we need is a few key words typed into a search engine?

Dr. Jenifer Ashton explains that in the end, it is not what you know, but how you apply the information that is where the true art of medicine lies.




References
CBS, 2009. Doctors Online Medical Info. YouTube video, posted November 2.Accessed April 1, 2011. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxNGuodw7Ho

Lewis, T. 2006. Seeking health information on the internet: lifestyle choice or bad attack of cyberchondria? Media, Culture & Society, volume 28, issue 4: 521-539.

Social Networking- The New You, 2011. Is Your Iphone Your New Doctor? http://lucythomas33-socialmediathenewyou.blogspot.com/2011/04/is-your-iphone-your-new-doctor.html.

The Ultimate Blockout

Tuesday, as I waited at the lights to cross the road in the city, my iPod in my ears, phone in my hand, I realised how the other 15 or so people around me were all the same. We were all so disconnected to each other, listening to our own personal music, or busy on our phones, barely paying attention to our surroundings. Although we were all strangers, this made me understand how these days we can easily block out so much with technology. Erin explains in her blog how people are so connected to their mobile phone, which is essentially the same concept. Although mobile phones are more difficult to use when doing everyday aspects like shopping, unlike the iPod which can be left in unconsciously 24/7.
Aspects like the sound of traffic or people around you, was once acknowledged and accepted, now it is blocked out and ignored, isolating ourselves from the world, yet again. Deuze (2011) explains this in his reading how media is disappearing from our consciousness, and merging as a part of our life. In the image (to the right) it shows newborn babies with headphones already on, could this be the future?
Although this has been going on for a very long time already, sometimes it is important to soak up your surroundings and be involved in the world, rather than always disconnecting yourself so easily. We’ve become too heavily reliant on these technologies, which once were just luxuries, yet now have become permanent parts of our lives for many.


References



CubikMusik. 2010. “Cubik Musik in 2010,” 20 posts categorized "CubikMusik Info," January 16. Accessed April 3, 2011. http://cubikmusik.typepad.com/cubikmusik/cubikmusik_info/.

Deuze, M. 2011. Media Life. In Media, Culture & Society, Volume 33, issue 1, pp. 137-148.

Ryan, E. 2011. "Me and My Mobile Phone: Best Friends Forever!" Erin Ryan. Accessed April 4, 2011. http://erin-ryan.blogspot.com/2011/04/me-and-my-mobile-phone-best-friends.html