For the past two decades we've heard the terms Digital Native or Digital Immigrant used to refer to one's age when the internet era first came about. Originally the only qualification for either group was being of a certain age when the internet started taking root in our society. At first, there was only 'us' or 'them.' It didn't take too long for splinter groups to form though. I was born in 1978; a year that falls into what many have started to label a "microgeneration;" not a digital native, nor a digital immigrant. We came of age alongside the technology. We lived an essentially analog childhood, but entered the digital world as young adults. I had a rotary phone in my kitchen as a child, but haven't had a landline since I got my first cell phone at 22. I used a card catalog and index cards to write 99% of my senior thesis in high school, and also had to cite one source from the internet. There was a sign up sheet, and every student had two days on the 'internet computer' in the corner to find their fact. Two days to find and cite one fact! And I remember being terrified; I had no idea what to do. And while I played Oregon Trail in elementary school, and learned keyboarding instead of typing in middle school, and once accessed the web in high school, I didn't get an email address until freshman year of college, and we didn't really use it until junior year when we had the option of sending an email with an attachment to our TA instead of handing in a hard copy. So while I used both digital and analog media growing up, one big difference between me and people just a few years younger was the the idea of online sharing and the invention of social media. The very earliest platforms started just after I graduated from college and joined the workforce. They weren't really a part of my official 'youth'. I give you this background because I think it explains a little about why I am so interested in learning and using technology, but am still so reticent to engage in it socially. I see myself pretty firmly placed in the Visitor camp-technology is a tool I use to learn and grow from others, but I rarely find myself interacting as a Resident online. I was just old enough that the social aspect didn't happen 'naturally,' yet just young enough to witness some of my peers make disastrous mistakes dabbling in early era social media without realizing it's widespread consequences until it was too late. Plus I'm a naturally private (and slightly cynically) person. I try hard to limit my personal digital footprint.
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| map made by L. Gibbons |
My Life as an Internet Visitor
As you can see on my Digital Map above, most of my online activities are either in the Visitor quadrants or on the narrow edges of a Resident section. And they are quite purposely that way. Even in online communities where I have accounts, I am reticent to post or engage in social media. I have a username for--Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Goodreads. However, I rarely log into them. I post zero status updates to Facebook, and very few pictures. In fact, I have taken the app off my phone so I will intentionally check it less often. I rely on it for a few specific groups that I haven't figured out how to replace, otherwise I would deactivate it. My Twitter account, Linkedin profile, and Goodreads account have sat untouched for months or even years. I have never left a public comment on the internet in my life, nor do I ever see myself doing so. It's nearly impossible for me to imagine a scenario where a perfect stranger would be interested in my opinion of his/her video, and yet I know that it all occurs.
Moving into the Residential
The only areas that I am freely a Resident of are my Google apps and features. I share pretty freely on Google and extend to them a level of trust that I am hesitant to generally give online. I've been using a chrome book almost exclusively for five years and consider myself an early adopter of Google Drive and many other google tools. I share from both my personal and work files, folders, calendars, and maps easily and often. I'm comfortable with this because I'm always sharing to someone I know, and I always retain control of the originals. I also pretty frequently check who has access to my files and remove permissions that are no longer needed. So even there, I am a little more closed off than many people.
My most Residential areas are the forums we are using for this class. My initial instinct, even here, was to try to limit my exposure through this blog and the other online activities. I've reevaluated this stance and made my posts public here and have enjoyed reading and learning about some of my classmates. I think this class, and the assignments this week in particular will push me to rethink my position on social media engagement with regards to my professional presence. I can see the value of engaging with others online to learn and gain feedback from others with similar professional interests and goals.
