Let's Rethink It...Just a Tad Maybe

Image by Whiskeygonebad via Flickr

In one of our sessions in class, we were having a discussion about media and several people, including myself, expressed our feelings toward some of the simpler, more people oriented, "quality time with family" aspects that are separate from the media we see today. While I still believe that some things like board games, family discussions, story time, and activities (without the sound of a television, computer, or video game system in the background) are important and necessary in the cultivation of a tightly knit family, I think there may just be a way to incorporate these new forms of media in a way that really does promote closeness.

Sunday evening my fiance and our parents and I had dinner over their house and we really had a great time talking. I don't know how/why youtube got on exactly but once it started playing, it didn't stop. One person had a hilarious video to show and then someone else remembered their favorite and so it went. Starting with about 4 versions of the National Anthem that were hilarious disasters and continued as we watched

• beauty pageants and models fall
• a Police officer shoot himself in front of a classroom of kids and then pretend he didn't
  
• a girl fall off of a table
• a remix to music of a girl fall off of a table
• a funny kid trying hard to sing

We all gathered around the computer and talked and laughed and joked and had a genuinely great time.

To add to this point I recently spoke to someone who said they had started playing Wii with their children which served as time together.

The more I think on this matter I can surely see some benefits both now and in the future. Maybe there can be an online community where parents and children can submit their favorite bedtime story creations, or possibly submit their own digital works of art into contests (they can do that now I'm sure!).

I can definitely see the internet, if utilized properly, as an enriching way to bring families closer, and develop adolescent skills.

Okay okay I admit, its not all bad ; )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uDc5tQxmJY

Smiles:&:Winks

This is totally irrelevant but Saturday was a very special day! I was attending a marriage conference last weekend which was great, I recommend it http://www.familylife.com/site/c.dnJHKLNnFoG/b.3204559/k.F5BB/Attend_a_conference.htm
But anywho, on Saturday my boyfriend proposed and it was amazing!! Ok : ) , back to New Media Frontiers!

Me Too??...

Image via Wikipedia

Our class is reading WIKINOMICs which discusses a lot about collaboration. We have also read a bit of Convergence Culture. I would have thought that these were new things to me and i haven't participated in collaborating or communities but as i think about it, I have. When I heard another Animal crossing was coming out, I added my ideas for the new game to the board and someone was going to send out ideas to Nintendo. The website also has an area where you can meet people and schedule a time to meet in the game and trade items or just to play and talk and explore. I visited several towns and had someone over to mine.
Another way a community has aided me is through Yahoo Answers. I have asked numerous Wedding questions and DIY tips which people were happy to answer sometimes in rather rude ways but nevertheless I definitely got a mixture of answers. I have even used the Yahoo answers community to help me with calculus questions that I had. There are seriously all types of people on Yahoo who sit and wait for an engaging question to arise and then enjoy answering and racking up points for being a Top contributor.
The Knot has a similar set up that serves al types of Brides-to-Be. There are message boards for general topics and even boards separated by states so that Brides can find vendors in their area and get reviews. The site also includes Real Wedding through which people can share their own wedding themes and ideas through pictures.
There is so much that I have been involved in on-line that I guess I never noticed what I was becoming a part of and that things were changing and developing in the way that they have.

A more enjoyable life?

Image by kandyjaxx via Flickr

I have recently come down with something similar to the flu which has kept me in bed for pretty much the entire day. It is pretty amazing when you think about it that with technology having evolved and expanding in the way that it has, that one could pretty much survive without ever leaving the house. as far as a job is concerned you could work from home and attend a meeting with the camera built into your MAC. Would communication with friends be a problem? Well, not really. Between Facebook, Video chat, IMing, text messaging and telephone you could communicate whenever, and wherever. If you were in a playful mood you could meet up with a friend in Nintendo DS's Animal Crossing and have a "day out" fishing.

After the long day "out" you will probably start to wonder about dinner but of course that poses no problem because you have your groceries delivered by ordering them online.

Any clothes, prescriptions etc could all be ordered online. Movies and music can be ordered online and now Blockbuster has taken after NetFlix and has an online ordering system for movies. With the creation of Wii fit, exercising could be accomplished with the console.

Never leaving home could become difficult for certain services however, but many simple functions have become available to us right in our homes. Whether it improves our overall quality of life can be debated but one thing is for certain: It is very intriguing.