As it stands, weeks nine and ten are my
two favorite topics that we have covered. With week nine dealing with
subjects such as racism and accessibility, and week ten covering
online identities, I felt a huge connection to these topics.
I stand by my thoughts that
cybertechnology hasn't reduced racism. I do believe it has brought it
more in to the spotlight. It is easier to see as it is right in front
of us and widely accessible. Something that might have gone unnoticed
is now out in a medium that millions of eyes can see.
When it comes to accessibility of
information technology, I have a few different standpoints on this. I
still think this is a privilege, and not a right. If you have the
means to gain use of technology and the internet, great for you. My
children have access to technology and the internet, but should they?
Sometimes I think that people who do not have access to the
technology have it better because they are shielded from some of the
things my kids have been exposed to. Should we teach our kids? Yes. I
think we should make sure that they know how technology can be used
for not only good, but what they should not be doing with the
technology.
I did start thinking about
cybertechnology and people with disabilities lately. So much is being
done so that people can access technology if they are not as “able
bodied” as the majority of people on the planet. I am still torn as
to who is responsible for getting it to those less fortunate and
making it accessible for them. Designers are taught to design for the
majority. People who are blind can not use something like an iPhone
easily. With something so graphic intense, is it really up to Apple
to make sure that the blind can use their product? Should a 3rd
party company be the ones that are making the advances? I am not
sure.
With week ten, we started going in to
the online persona. This is something I personally have a lot of time
with. I have been online since the early 90's when ODS (Online Data
Systems) and PC-Exec were the big BBS systems in the area. This
predated Skype, chat, AIM, all of it. We had our own online
personalities and people went to huge lengths to make sure that
people never knew who they were. People had screen name handles that
were never the same as their real names. This was a safety net for
them. I've been going by “Falken” for years online. It has sort
of become a nickname for me. I answer to it when it is said in my
presence. I have used it as a stage name, a music project name, and
as most people see here, my online name. Have I mislead some people
as to who I really am with this online personality of mine? I don't
think so. Others might disagree as it only shows a little slice of
who I am and therefore I am misleading people to who it is I really
am.
I'm going to miss doing these blogs. I
think it is something that each class that is discussion heavy should
have students do. After getting a few weeks out on the material, you
forget what it is that you were reading and discussion.
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