The Spookiest Topic of All: Socializing

             I have frequently said that the best thing about the internet is that I never have to talk to anyone unless I want to or I'm being paid to do it. I can order food, do my taxes, find any source of entertainment I can imagine or remember, all with a couple of clicks and some minimal typing. It's great. It's a little bit sad, but it's also a relief that I get to decide exactly how dependent I am on other people. The two images above at first glance can seem diametrically opposed to each other, but I think the extreme polarization of wanting for everyone to just go away and desperately craving deep affection and connection comes from the same place. Personally I may be able to act like socializing doesn't take a lot out of me, because I like talking and enjoy getting out and doing things when there's not too much pressure for everything to be perfect and have a good time, but it absolutely does. I don't easily let my guard down and trust people, but when I do those people have my undying allegiance. I need that assembly of loved ones and supporters to manage through the stress of those everyday interactions where I don't feel at all sure of myself and I'd rather crawl into a ditch and die than have to talk to a stranger on the phone.

         It doesn't particularly surprise me that I would feel this way. I have many relatives that have some type of tendency toward anxiety and depression. However, I think the way that I relate to other people is more nurture than genetics. This explains in part why I am a lurker. I would prefer to take the useful information from the internet, but I don't feel compelled to involve myself so much in digital spaces despite the productivity and creative outlet that these spaces provide. What I found very inspiring in the podcast was that Danah Boyd managed to find strangers she could connect with. When she described asking the trans woman she met online all of those questions she had about life, I was a little stunned. Something that could easily be perceived as being creepy and weird for her was actually the road to self-discovery, and that's great. Danah's comments on kids being over-scheduled also resonated with me because I think for a lot of students their social networks are the best way of being able to interact with their friends that they may see in school every day, but they just don't have the time to hang out in person because of other commitments.

      Using authentic assessments like writing Yelp or Amazon reviews is a refreshing take and I'm certain that students will be able to use the skills they've acquired as well as the feedback in their future when they feel the need to comment on or critique things. As was said in Digital Literacy Can't Wait, teachers have already done so much to advance the field to where it is currently. Teachers have an still continue to face the issues of censorship, diversifying the literature used in schools, and valuing more than traditional notions of literacy. It's difficult to keep up with the waves of new technology that keep coming, but it's our responsibility to, "advocate for digital literacy, not just technology, that re-conceptualizes our discipline," (Hicks, 61). We can't forget that our lessons aren't meant to have technology slapped on the back like a bumper sticker. There has to be an intrinsic value to adding it or else there might as well not be a digital component at all. Adding digital elements to education for the sake of coolness isn't the direction that educators need to go it. We have to use the data that is mined using all these phone polls for practical purposes. To adapt and broaden student learning instead of very plainly saying, "I'm going to take the time to learn more about your needs and then I'll ignore them and do what I planned all along."

   There is often a great worry that technology is going to encroach upon our lives to the point where everyone will hide away in their homes and never see the light of day again, but I think we still need that personal touch. It's going to change, but I don't think that will ever really go away. The ways in which we can communicate are expanding by the minute, but if we look back to the past, we can understand our possible future. "First there was the telephone, which was supposed to reduce demand for communication in person. The same was said of faxes and then email. In the late 1990s, when dot-com fever was at its peak, many technology enthusiasts predicted that cities would soon become obsolete since we no longer needed to share sidewalks and cafes." If that were really the case, Starbucks would have gone out of business a long time ago. The key is needing to do things a certain way. Now we get to choose how we interact with the world.