Dr. Michael Wesch, of Kansas State University, is at it again! I first saw his video, A Vision of Students Today, on YouTube a couple of months ago. It was very interesting. Today, I watched another of his videos, The Machine is (Changing) Us: You Tube and the Politics of Authenticity, and this one makes you THINK! Dr. Wesch discussed various ways that our culture, over the years and today, influences who we are and how we perceive ourselves. Something that jumped out at me is how media influences who we are and how we connect to others - in contrast, it brings us closer together while also allowing us to distance ourselves from each other.
So, what makes me scratch my head and think about this so hard? It presents some tricky questions for me - Is media in its myriad of forms good or bad for us? Is it okay to put yourself out there to try to connect with others even though they may not be seeing the "real" you? Is it possible to show your true self while not actually, personally interacting with others? I have no easy answers, being so new to the world of online media. I am torn, however, as a college student and prospective teacher, but I think that media will triumph over personal interaction. The trend of "putting yourself out there" is massive and moving at a high rate of speed. It does so many things, from creating an outlet for self-expression to allowing us to educate and be educated. While there are most certainly pros and cons to any venture, I think that the whirlwind of media in our society has its pros and I am just a little scared that the cons will be trampled into insignificance. How soon before we don't care what the cons are as long as we are being seen and heard by the nameless horde?
Excellent review and thoughts Cinnamon. I'm along the point of, for me, putting myself out there only for educational purposes. I try to stick to "business" when dealing with the internet. Keep up the good work.
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