Computers; The Transition Into An Online World

I have been using computers for almost as long as I can remember. From the day I stepped foot in elementary school, I can recall the integration of computers into my education. My earliest recollection of what was called “computer class” that I can remember was in 2^nd grade, which made me about seven or eight years old. I explicitly remember walking to “computer class” every other day or so. In this class we would engage with all aspects of a computer, but one in particular that was probably the most common practice was using the application called Microsoft Word. This is when I really started to become familiar with the computer keyboard. In preparation for our weekly spelling tests, we would have to type out each of the 20 words that we were being tested on three times.  Then, when I hit about 5^th grade, which made me around the age of 11, my classmates and I were introduced to an actual “typing class.” In this class, we were taught how to properly use a keyboard. Instead of “pecking and hunting” for each letter, we were taught the proper way of typing. One of the most common tools we used in class was an orange rubber cover that our teacher referred to as “keyboard skins.”  These skins served the purpose of covering up all of the buttons on the keyboard so that we would be forced to memorize the letter placement on the keyboard.

An exact replica of a “keyboard skin” that my classmates and I used in 5^th grade

Elementary school was the first place I was exposed to computers, but I would say that I really became attracted to them when my parents bought my brother and I our very own computers as a Christmas present. I was probably around the age of nine years old during this time. I remember being glued to the computer playing games with my brother for hours on end. Playing video games such as The Sims and Need for Speed were two of my all time favorites. Computer games were the modern day video games such as X-Box and Play Station, and we all know how much young adolescents love video games these days.

Although this video is a more modern example, it is similar to the version I played as a young boy.

As I matriculated into middle school though, I began to use the computer and its online resources as a social outlet or escape. AOL instant messenger, otherwise known as AIM, was a big hitter in my middle school days. Since middle school is typically a time when adolescents become interested in the opposite sex, AIM was used as a tool to help young people connect with each other in a different way. Often times during the early adolescent stages, young males and females are shy to express some of their true feelings. But with the invention and usage of AIM one could hide behind a computer screen and take the possible rejection process a little bit easier than in person or over the telephone. Thus, everyone had a screen name and my classmates and I would chat on the computer almost every evening after school. It was a way to keep up with gossip too, as it would often be the topics at the lunch tables the next day – “Did you hear that ‘blank’ really has a crush on ‘blank?’” I did not have texting during my middle school years, but I would venture to compare AIM to modern-day texting for young people. However, the only difference between the two is that when using AIM each person had to be “online,” otherwise the message would not go through.

AIM was definitely my first online social resource, but it was sure not my last. I eventually got a MySpace when I was in 7^th grade, and then a Facebook during my sophomore year in high school. Although one could argue that there are many differences between these two social networks, they are really alike in many ways, and were used for many of the same reasons.  I eventually fully moved over to Facebook and deleted my MySpace as there was no need for it anymore. Facebook dominated social networking during my high school years, and I have definitely used it for many of the same reasons that other people used it for.

Today though, I am pretty absent from Facebook compared to most people. I still have an account because it can be used as a good tool to keep up with people (such as old friends) and things that are happening around us in the world. However, I refrain from posting pretty much anything on it.  Typically the only updates my Facebook profile receives is if someone tags me in a picture. I use Facebook as a hobby to keep up with the world around me, kind of like reading the newspaper, but I am by no means obsessed with it like many other people.  In addition to Facebook, I have downloaded Twitter during my college years, but deleted it within that same year. I generally refrain from using any other social media networks simply because I find it very exposing of my privacy. I like to have my privacy and I want to keep it that way. Downloading every new social media app definitely does not help me achieve these wishes.

This video elaborates on some of the reasons behind my concerns regarding privacy in the digital world.

One last thing that I think is worth mentioning is that during this entire computer/internet endeavor, I think I have taken for granted that I did not have a language barrier at any point in this process.  After reading some of the digital autobiographies from the students in Denmark, many of them cannot say the same, and for that I am very grateful, as my experience with the digital world could have been much harder.

Works Cited:

“Facebook Privacy Concerns.” Youtube. Youtube, 27 September 2011. Web. 14 Sept. 2014.

“SimCity 5 Official Announcement Trailer.” Youtube. Youtube, 6 March 2012. Web. 14 Sept. 2014.

“WordPress Screenshot.” 2014. JPG file.

 

A Digital Lifestyle in the Making

My first recollection of the computer dates back to 1998. I was only six years old at the time and was unsure of how it worked. I did not dare question the computer’s inner workings and instead treated it as a more interactive version of the television. At the time, my family computer was located in the playroom and I split my time on it evenly with my two siblings. I remember sitting on a bright red chair at a desk littered with floppy disks waiting for the iconic Windows 98 screen to appear:

Once logged in, I had the option of playing Minesweeper or Amazon Trail via CD-ROM. Once a week, I also played a game to learn how to type quickly and efficiently without looking down at the keyboard. Over time, I began to amass a larger collection of compact discs. My favorite game quickly became Jumpstart Math: Frankie’s Backyard Adventure, which featured a talking dog who had been shrunk by a Queen Bee as punishment for digging holes. The game consisted of a series of mathematical activities that eventually resulted in the restoration of Frankie’s original size. At school, I spent an equal amount of time on the Reading Rainbow—a multiple choice quiz game that allowed you to accumulate points after reading books. My elementary school kept track of how many points each student accumulated after each month and handed out awards accordingly.

A few years later, I can recall using a NetZero dial-up connection in order to access AOL’s Instant Messenger—a text-based program that allowed users to communicate with one another. My friends and I also used Yahoo’s GeoCities platform, via Internet Explorer 3, to create personal webpages. We would post basic information, such as our birthdays and favorite sports, and share photos of cartoons. Almost everyone I knew at school used both of these services. As I became more familiar with the Internet I began using more advanced programs, like Napster and KaZaA. The peer-to-peer programs allowed users to share music free of cost at a time when music was almost exclusively heard on the radio or CD player. Surprisingly, I cannot remember the search engine I used at the time.

By middle school, my family had upgraded both the computer and Internet connection. I could now enjoy more interactive online games, equipped with chat services. Throughout my early teenage years, for instance, I spent most of my time playing Yahoo online chess against friends and people around the world. Occasionally, I also played offline games like Snood, but by this point, most of my digital life was on the Internet. MySpace provided the final impetus toward an online-driven culture at my school. I remember arriving home less than thirty minutes after class and seeing the majority of my friends online on MySpace. People I had never had a conversation with at school were suddenly my friends online. In an instant, every social interaction or event had the potential to be transmitted and memorialized. Even at this nascent stage in social media, I could already sense the loss of privacy that came with a more public presence online.

Today, accessing the Internet on my phone is a daily occurrence. I check Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, WhatsApp, Feedly, and Gmail almost hourly. I still use my computer, but mainly for academic purposes, such as writing a paper. Although I speak Spanish at home, the only language I use online is English. I believe this contributes to a US-centric bias on the Internet. Despite my almost constant use of the Internet, I am very careful about what kind of information I transmit. I am aware that what I post or say through Facebook or Gmail is not my own property, but that of the company whose service I am utilizing. That is both a troubling and limiting byproduct of the Internet these days, however, I am willing to accept the tradeoff in order to enjoy its benefits. Online companies have greatly facilitated my life. Apart from communicating with people, I am able to access my bank account, pay friends, and watch my favorite shows through Bank of America, Venmo, and Netflix. As a whole, I believe I manage my online information fairly well and am able to greatly simplify my life through the Internet.

Works Cited

“Let’s Play Jumpstart 1st Grade Math: Frankie’s Backyard Adventure Part 1.” YouTube, 12 Aug. 2012. Web. 14 Sept. 2014.

“Napster Screenshot.” 2005. JPG file.

Swigger, Nathaniel. “For Young People, the More Involved in Social Media You Are, the Less Privacy Matters.” London School of Economics, 24 Sept. 2013. Web. 14 Sept. 2014. http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/2013/09/24/social-media-privacy-freedom-of-speech

“Windows 98 Load Screen.” 2014. JPG file.