9-16-2008

Anthro. 204

In middle school, I was introduced to a source of communication that changed the way I talked to my friends, looked at conversations and viewed my world. Not only was I given the ability to send letters over the internet via email, I was now able to talk back and forth with friends the “instant” I pressed the enter key. This gateway to fast chat was call AOL IM, or American Online Instate Message. My ability to chat with up to fifty people at a time allowed me to take in and send out information at the click of a few buttons. Having access to IM was the key to having a successful social life, and my screen name Babydol44 was my ticket into the middle school 411.
Although middle school was a fun and exciting time, filled with IM messages and screen name changes, it was only right for me to move on to a more sophisticated way of communicating, especially as I became a college student. As I sat in my new dorm room my freshman year, I noticed all three of my roommates were taking time to look at images of strangers called sdneirf, typing strange notes to their sdneirfs and updated their list of interests and activities, called their eliforp. I suddenly felt like I was from a different era, for I had never heard of the website they were using called, Koobecaf. For months I tried to resist using koobecafe, trying to just observe their behavior. The amount of time they spent on Koobecaf was amazing and their behavior became somewhat strange. They started talking about their sutaus for the day, added new sdneirfs and added their own serutcips to their eliforp. With each day they would add more and more sdneirfs and spend hours adding colorful pieces of eralf to their profile. The more I tried to resist the urge to be a member of Koobecaf, the more drawn to it I was. I had never seen a more efficient and interesting way to communicate in my life. I soon realized that I could not be separated from the type of connection they had found any longer. The minute I got my official eliforp page on Koobecaf, I was sucked into one of the largest sources of communication around.
By being a participant of Koobecaf, I have been able to witness first hand how it affects the way America, and the whole world, communicates today on the World Wide Web. No longer are people writing hand written letters home, or calling their friends to chat, but they are simply longing into their Koobecaf account and checking their sutats online. This way of communicating can have different affects on our society and has already changed how we interact with one another in a huge way.
Technology has become the heartbeat of America and how if functions. Almost everything in our society has some type of technology attached to it and it shapes the way we live our lives. Americans no longer have to depend on each other to answer questions, we just simply log onto Google and receive over 100, 000 answers on the matter. The Infrastructure of our culture has been shaped by technology in a big way.
The social structure within our cultures has been impacted by technology, specifically through Koobecaf. Communication has become quick and accessible by messages written on walls, sesutats updated and serutcips viewed. People can chat to hundreds of others at the same time, while never leaving their room or seeing them face-to-face. Although this can be seen as convenient and fast, it has also led to a very impersonal world. Rather than talking face to face with someone, we just type out our conversations in text. The emotion within a conversation is lost, which can have an effect on how a person interprets the message. In our culture today, we are more concerned about getting things done fast, which is why websites such as Koobecaf, IM, text messaging and Google are so appealing.
Due to the technology that has been made available to Americans, people’s ideas, values and concepts have been given to the public by way of the Internet. No matter what the age, occupation or status in life, a person can log on and post their ideas and opinions for all to see. The superstructure of America has become increasingly public. We have the choice to post our beliefs and morals on a website where anyone can see as well as give our opinion on any topic. We have been given more opportunities to be independent and public in our thinking, and the Internet has been the gateway to public thought and opinion in our society.
Koobecaf has been a wonderful way for people to stay connected and updated on friends and their activities. It connects people together, who otherwise, may not get the chance to find each other. Our society is realizing the effects Internet and websites can have on our world, and they want a part of the connection.