I am still puzzled by the idea that people are still siding with Dreyfus in the debate about the Internet and technology. I mean no offense to anyone who is sided with him, but I find flaws in any and all arguments that he makes. The entire first chapter covers the idea of Hyperlinks and their poor functionality on the Internet. Dreyfus argues that Hyperlinks are a threat to the way we live and the way that we get our information. He brings up the point that libraries are well organized and pieced together in groups according to what they are about, and that Hyperlinks are randomly assembled and have no real interconnection. However, Dreyfus states that the organization of Hyperlinks on the Internet is a threat to the way that we ind information,but he never states exactly how. Dreyfus merely expresses his frustrations with the way that the Internet works. Furthermore, the use of any noteworthy search engine eliminates the need for any sort of organization.
An argument that has been brought up in class and also in other posts that I have read is that over use of the Internet causes isolation and an increasing lack of need or want for human interaction. I agreed that this was possible to a certain extent for a while and could see it in examples of kids playing games online and doing nothing else. Clark makes a very strong argument against this in chapter 6 when he states “According to a University of Warwick (UK) study, heavy Internet surfers are more likely not less to belong to some real-world community group, and less likely to spend time passively watching TV. Talking to others on the Internet encourages, it seems, the appreciation that we can get together with like-minded folk and actually make a difference in the world. This goes directly along with the idea of the Internet as a shoe and not a crutch.
4.30.07
Jeremy Mcguire | 19-Apr-07 at 8:47 pm | Permalink
I agree also that the internet is a valuable tool in many ways and allows for the spread of ideas to circulate faster. I do not agree that since you surf the web you will be come depressed and anti social. But I do worry about those kids and some adults who replace physical activities with computer games and the internet. The problem with all these studies about how bad is media for you, is that know one has lived an entire life time playing video games or searching the net, so no one really knows the full extent of how theses interactions impact our lives.
Brandon Wilkins | 19-Apr-07 at 9:04 pm | Permalink
Although I agree with both the post and Jeremy’s comment, but I feel that there are a few concepts that need to be addressed. One idea is regarding facebook. I know it is easy to join a group on facebook or create one, but this does not mean it will be a function activity group. I do feel that people are more likely to be active in the community lets say if they join a facebook group dealing with community service. This is a mild example but hopefully it will suffice.
Next, I do feel that people can become disconnected from reality by too much use of the internet or video games. I do not want to acknowledge the connection between video games and violence, because I think that has to be a product of many factors. Although, I do think that if the use of the internet can lead to actual involvement in real life, such as shooting guns, can actually benefit the community by improving awareness.
Erin Murphy | 19-Apr-07 at 9:59 pm | Permalink
Dreyfus is so frustrated with search engines, but you know, I remember in grade school trying to use the library’s card catalog to find some book relating to a paper I had to write. The only books that would show up would be completely irrelevant to the topic. Search engines are much, much better, in my opinion.
I completely disagree with the idea that the internet cuts us off. Yes, unfortunately some people do isolate themselves by spending all of their time playing games and such, but if they didn’t have the computer as an option, don’t you think they’d just isolate themselves in another way?
The internet is just like everything else: you must use it in moderation. We shouldn’t blame technology for the character shortcomings of certain humans.
Annie Werly | 25-Apr-07 at 11:53 am | Permalink
I think that the internet is a great tool, however I still do not agree with Clark. Yet I don’t agree with Dreyfus much either- I do believe the internet can separate some people from having to deal with social interactions because they become so obsessed, for lack of a better term, with their computer and the internet. However, there are also people who use the internet occassionally and in a healthy fashion and it benefits them and our society. If these kids who are so linked to their computers did not have the internet, don’t you suppose they would just watch mass amounts of TV or play hours of video games? The internet is more personable than either of those two options. Also, for all we know, some of these people could be obsessively reading up on the news or doing some sort of intellectually based work. Either way- the internet is a great tool for our society to use and benefit from.
Ashley Graham | 25-Apr-07 at 1:43 pm | Permalink
I agree that the internet is a shoe, not a crutch. You compared TV to the internet; i found this very interesting. I live by myself, and if I am not out socializing, then I am either reading a book, watching TV, or surfing the internet. Reading the book is probably the most productive thing to do, but this productivity depends on the quality of the book. Surfing the internet is probably much better than watching TV. At least when I use the internet, I accomplish things, like paying my bills, booking vacations, shopping online, and doing research for class. TV on the other hand, is pretty much a complete waste of time. I do not learn anything from watching reality TV trash. All it does is waste time. So as far as that goes, the internet is good for me. It is an alternative to wasting time being a couch potato!
Krystal Kniep | 25-Apr-07 at 9:34 pm | Permalink
I agree with you about Dreyfus and his view on hyperlinks. He makes a strong opinion and does not back it up with anything. Without the use of hyperlinks and search engines, the internet would be completely unorganized and would not have the appeal it does now. It would take hours to filter through junk pages and would make it ten times harder to find the actual credited sources you need. I believe search engines are what makes the internet such a vital source to use.
Brian Horn | 25-Apr-07 at 9:56 pm | Permalink
I think that hyperlinks are necessary on the internet. Without these links, it would be much more difficult to navigate to what you want on the interntet. As far as people that are constantly on the internet, ’surfing,’ I just do not see how they are more likely to be involved in real world social groups. If they are constantly on the internet playing games and surfing around, where is it that they have this time to join real world groups? I thnk the people that we are talking about who are on the internet all the time are less likely to be out and about with people in real life, but then again, I don’t have any statisics to back me up on that.
Tariq Mohammed | 26-Apr-07 at 8:48 pm | Permalink
In regards to search engines, this is what keeps the billions of websites organized. The search engines of Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and others are critical information portals that must be readily available for people to use and search for whatever they are looking for.
Also, it depends on how you use the search engines to find what you are looking for. Using quotations helps refine your search as compared to just typing it in the search query.
John Rooney | 26-Apr-07 at 8:51 pm | Permalink
Annie Werly
I think that people can very happy while still spending most of their time on the internet. This is not the case for me and clearly not the case for you, but I don’t think that we can tell people what it is that makes them happy just because it isn’t what we would want. Someone may even be completely disembodied, but this doesn’t mean that they aren’t enjoying themselves.
Amanda Jakstas | 26-Apr-07 at 9:12 pm | Permalink
I agree with Jeremy in that the internet is a very useful and beneficial tool in our lives. We have access to information all over the world and we can acquire that information within seconds. I use the internet daily, whether it is to check email, chat with friends back home, book vacations, shop online, etc. Also, I think that if the internet is making people anti-social and depressed, they clearly have a deeper mental issue. I don’t think it’s because the internet. People who are that attached to the internet games or video games have some issues.
Jaren Gaddi | 26-Apr-07 at 11:00 pm | Permalink
I agree with Amanda. The internet is great for taking care of all sorts of tasks and information. But because its so easy to get lost in all of its potential, people can become anti-social and depressed. I never felt that the internet was a cause of this depression at all; rather, its more of a facilitator - it provides the said person for an excuse to not go out and interact with others on a face-to-face basis.