the internet breaks down the barriers of time and space, and creates a sense of constant connection. people are using the internet as their primary means of communication, and in turn, creating a new online society. the way people view themselves within this society is a part of the concept of collective consciousness. this online society has an entire database of internal knowledge, knowledge that everyone adds to and takes ideas from. for me, the concept of collective consciousness justifies my thought that what you think is an original idea is usually not. if you can think of something and research it online, it is most likely that someone else has already gathered information and posted it online. even when you think you have an original thought, chances are if you searched online you would find that someone else has not only thought the same idea, but has done the research and published it online.
this online collection of thoughts and ideas is a great research tool. as a college student that spends half my time writing papers and preparing projects, i can testify that the internet, given its problems, is a lifesaver. at 21 it is hard to remember what its like to do serious research with no help from an online database. even when i do research in the university library, i use the library's website to find a book that fits my topic, which pages will be the most helpful, and where i can find it. this is far from the days of using the dewey decimal system in my elementary school library.
while the great improvements to our society that accompanied the technological advancements of the internet are apparent, there are also downfalls to the world wide web. people can become so wrapped up in their "virtual life" that they become completey out of touch with reality. there are many people who have admitted to preferring their online life to that of the real world. when i hear about these people i wonder, how did it get this bad? when did it stop being something to do, and become the only thing you want to do? and, can your life ever be the same?
resources
You definitely portrayed human reliance on the internet and all the benefits and glories of the web. At 22 it IS hard to remember what it's like to do research without the help of an online data base and the internet!
ReplyDeleteYour writing style is interesting and made me eager to continue reading your post. Cool background and page. I enjoyed reading your thoughts on Collective consciousness!
Seriously. People are obsessed with the internet and using it constantly. I see people in the coffee shop all the time, two people sitting across from each other and both are either A) on their laptops doing whatever, or B) on their phones texting people. These people aren't even talking to each other!
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I also agree with what Jay said. I really can not remember how to do research the "Old fashioned" way. The internet has really helped me out with homework and papers more than I could ever explain!
I agree about the internet being like it's own little society and how if you think you have an original idea most of the time you are wrong. I have actually experienced something like that. For one of my classes in high school we had to make our own alphabet and I was checking to see if any of "my symbols" were being used anywhere and they were. Some of the characters I chose were actually runes that had been used by the Druids. Basically I have experienced it first hand and at the time I thought it was very odd because I had never heard of this collective consciousness concept at all.
ReplyDeleteI have heard some people say that as well - “there are many people who have admitted to preferring their online life to that of the real world”. It is kind of sad to think that some people only seem to receive hope and happiness from their online activities but it could make sense if the person hates their job, has no friends, or family. Just think of Sims, in the Sims world the player can create their own town, community, town’s people, and even form relationships with the people. If the real person’s life doesn’t seem worth living, this may give them hope to live a happier life, on-line or off.
ReplyDeleteinstructor, what was life like before the internet? how did you possibly get through school i wonder? I can't imagine a world without it. I've often heard friends parents say the same thing and they did grow up without internet usage! Is it becoming an aid, or a crutch??
ReplyDeleteI like when you said, "are we uncomfortable with communication if we dont have the protection of a computer screen?" I think that's so true. People these days spend countless hours behind a computer screen. Personally, I know that with my assignments at school, I'm at a computer days on end. So a lot of time the computer is my only way to socialize with people. We just don't communicate the way we used to. I used to remember my friends phone numbers and call them everyday. Now, I couldn't tell you anyones number without looking it up. To top that off we tend to use lazy ways of communicating like: texing, AIM chatting, and emails. Not much face to face communication anymore. All this technology has made us less personable.
ReplyDelete