Gottaluvgavroche's Blog

Being literate, in the simplest form, is being able to read and write. Wikipedia states that one point of view on literacy is the “ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate, compute and use printed and written materials associated with varying contexts” etc.

In today’s society, the level of illiteracy has gone down  tremendously, but the majority of young adults are not reading classics. By classics I mean good old Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Victor Hugo, amongst others. Books such as Twilight and Harry Potter aren’t exactly hard to understand. Though I personally dislike Twilight, I adore reading about a certain Mr. Potter and his rebel rouser friends. But let’s face it, these are not complex tales that make you think long and hard. I believe the average teen does not read enough challenging books and prefers to slack.

As for writing, sure there are tons of amazing young authors out there and also loads of other who just plain love to write (myself included), but this doesn’t really get kids all pumped up. In high school, we are all taught how to write structured essays and even some creative ones, but these are assignments; not for pleasure at all. To me, this is really disappointing.

After reading Will Rich’s take on literacy, I’d have to agree that for the most part students are taught to be independent. But just because they are taught does not mean they are going to act upon it. Most teens and young adults are independent and are willing to go out and do stuff on their own. But the intelligence level is slipping. If there was a way for the two to completely  connect and intertwine, I would feel much better about the world.

Now I realize some of the stuff above may not make complete sense, but hey, I tried. Just call me a regular ol’ blue stocking.

As a tool for communication, the internet is seen as a good thing. But with every good thing, there’s a bad side.

The internet has been used as an abundant source of knowledge and wisdom that gets shared with everyone. And when I say everyone, I mean it. From old grannies at home looking up recipes, to college boys checking out porn, to little kids online gaming, it only takes a few clicks for any of these people to get to bad or worse stuff. Internet chat rooms are also a feeding ground for online predators. Myspace, Facebook, and other social sites breed these ungodly criminals.

But on the bright side, the good vastly outweighs the bad. The examples touched in my schoolmates blogs are proof of this.

The internet; a wonderful tool that helps navigate the world. With each click, a new oasis of information is pooled before us. We dive into this enlightened basin and gather whatever we need to complete our task.

Originally the internet was invented to exchange raw data between researches. Now basically everything you can imagine can be accomplished by using the internet. After watching the Internet is for Porn from Avenue Q, I realized despite the many wonderful things that the world wide web can be used for, many inappropriate things as well. Don’t get me wrong, the song is very amusing and quite catchy; I enjoyed it immensely, but it brought to mind negative uses of the internet. Creepers are prowling over chat sites and social networks looking for easy targets to hit. As disturbing as this, it is becoming more common.

On the other hand, the positive outweigh the negative by a landslide. I believe the internet should be used for any use that is not going to hurt another person physically or psychologically. I know I use it the most to go on facebook to catch up with friends, go on YouTube to watch my favorite videos, and gather information whether for school or sport.

However a person uses it is really up to them and I’m not here to judge or to tell them how they should be using it- well, to a certain extent (see 2 paragraphs above). There really is a right or wrong way to use the internet; just use it. Use it, don;t abuse it.

Without technology, I would almost literally die. Ok, so not quite as dramatic, but it does have a huge impact in my life. From facebook, to cell phones, to ipods and beyond, as much as i hate to admit it, technology is always there.

For starters, my cell phone is by my side so much, it’s almost become part of my leg. When I don’t have it on me or in my purse, I feel almost disconnected from my friends. I love having that instant connection 24/7. On the other hand, when the occasion does arise that I do not have my phone, I like that feeling of not always knowing what’s happening. I also love picking up my phone after a bit and seeing all the missed text messages. So overall, I have mixed feelings about this certain aspect of technology.

Computers and the internet play a much larger role than just about anything. The characters they act as are my major sources of information and communication. Without either of these items, I would have to lug around a gigantic encyclopedia if i wanted information quickly. But thanks to wonderful search engines, I can get more information about any one topic at the click of a button than I would leafing through an information bible. On the communication aspect, facebook, skype, and email are all amazing ways I keep in touch with my friends. Anywhere I am, I can talk to Nathan (the New Zealander), Alyssa who lives in France, or my roomie Sarah, who is just a room away. I find it so much easier to keep in touch with friends and also to get to know them better. Once again, I thank you technology.

Now what would life be without music? Boring. Music brings joy to the hearts and minds of almost everyone (except music haters, but who cares about them?). iPods, mp3 player, and even ghetto cd players help intertwine everyday life with music. Some people (mainly Anthony sitting next to me) drone on and on about how life should have background music. Just plug in an ipod and you to can have your very own theme song- but only you would be able to hear it and if you started dancing around people might stare. But then again, go ahead. Amuse us all. But back on topic, I love being able to carry music with me wherever I go. Also sites such a YouTube help everyone share music to its full extent. I love watching music videos online, especially for my favorite song Beast and the Harlot by A7X  Whether it is to the gym, grocery shopping, or simply lounging about, having this joy with me everywhere makes my day.

All in all, technology makes the world go round and without it, life would just suck. Totally.

Media- whether old or new- is fabulous, though the term “old media” is a little vague for me to understand it. How old are we talking? Two years? Twenty? Or two hundred?

For me, I suppose old could be defined as anything not involving instant connection. For example, newspapers are a form of old media. The point gets out eventually, but not right away. Though I am a paper and ink kind of girl, I hate the idea of having to write a letter to talk for my friend Nathan who lives in New Zealand. Then again, more traditional methods from ‘way back when’ are still prevalent today for getting a message across. Music, dance, and theatre are great ways of communicating an idea that I believe will never go out of style.

On the other hand, new media is just as stellar. Without it, I would not be able to write this blog, check facts quickly, or be able to do basically any socializing after hours. The new media has changed the world like no other. From instant messaging, Wikipedia, to facebook, this form of communication revolutionized the way we think.

Our children will most likely live in a world with very little paper where everything is digital. As much as that seems far-fetched, it’ll happen one day. So as much as I love new media, we must not forget the ways of the old- no matter how out dated they may seem.