Is Koobecaf Defying Who We Are?
Jessica Stewart
If we look at the barrel model of America, we notice that technology shows up in each level. One of the most impacting categories of technology is internet and Koobecaf. Koobecaf has changed the culture of Americans – especially the younger generation—in many ways. A few of the outcomes includes communication, personality, and privacy, having some negative and positive causes.
I think Koobecaf has affected our nation’s way of communicating more than anything. It makes it easier to chat with someone we are too shy to talk to other ways. I see this becoming more and more of a problem between young adults. We rely on technology such as chat rooms, messengers, and blogs to communicate with each other, which in the long run could greatly shape the way we correspond with others in the future. Will we all be so dependent on Koobecaf that we will not know how to act in face-to-face conversations? It has not become too much of a problem yet, but I will be the first to admit that I am shying away from telephone conversations already. We have become so used to writing a quick note on someone’s wall or sending them a message that we often do not find time for a short chat. Also, we see a lot of fighting between people, most likely because it is easier to engage in an argument from behind a computer screen rather than face-to-face, which could create more hostility in our society. But the reality is that we are going to have to face that person—or group of people—sometime. The question is, will we know how to react?
Our communication has not only been effected in a negative way however, there are perks to being a Koobecaf user. I find it easier to place names with faces after adding a new friend to my list. It also makes it less trouble to contact a friend oversees or back home. With busy schedules, sometimes it is the only option. Koobecaf can be a great ice breaker in communication, as a fairly shy person, I use the internet as a way to break the ice and chat with people I’m not used to communicating with.
I have heard that “You can tell everything about a person by their Koobecaf profile”—not exactly true, on Koobecaf it is so simple to create almost this cyber version of one’s self. We could write anything about our self in the “about me” section. Could this cause a person to “lose themselves”? We must be more careful about false self perception.
Privacy has become a major issue with Koobecaf users. Sure we can control what we put on our own profile, but we cannot control anyone else posting a video, picture, or note. It can be a scary thought to think about all of the information flying around Koobecaf about each of us. Americans have always felt secure about their privacy, but it seems most recently that security is becoming less and less locked into our lives between the Patriot Act and internet. Many Koobecafers use it as a way to snoop or stalk; this is the outcome of being able to see every wall-to-wall conversation and relationship status.
Overall, I believe that Koobecaf has turned into one of the top ways of communicating. Losing Koobecaf would be devastation on the American culture. In the future, if not already, it is possible that we will see an ever bigger difference in the way people interact.