Blog Post #4: Collective Action, Collective Life

Americans have been forming communities for centuries. From the time the first community of pilgrims in the colonial America to the political rallies held last year to show support for a certain presidential candidate, Americans and other nationalities from around the world form communities by a common shared interest. These communities that were once formed by regular in-person meetings can now be formed and organized using the various available web technologies and mobile phones. While Americans thrive in communities, they also pride themselves as striving on individualism at the same time. They fend for themselves in the workplace environment and idolize people who are portrayed as independent. The controversy we face is the question how can a person thrive in communities while they also strive to become more independent? With the creation of the web and the various technologies found on the internet, the definition and organization of communities has taken a turn, while it is becoming easier to connect to a large range of people.

There are many arguments that can be made that the internet is destroying the community life. One aspect that needs to be apparent in all communities is social capital. Social capital is how willing your friends or other members of your communities are to do something for you. According to Robert Putnam in his book, Bowling Alone, "Individuals in groups with more social capital are better off on a large number of metrics, from health to happiness to earning potential, than those in groups with less social capital" (Shirky, 2008). Putnam also observed that "participation in group activities, [which is] the vehicle for creating and sustaining social capital, was on the decline in the United States. . . . One cause of the decline in social capital was the simple increase in the difficulties of people getting together" (Shirky, 2008). What Putnam is trying to say here is that when communities are formed online, there is a less degree of social capital, which is a necessary factor in organizing and maintaining successful communities.

On the other hand, some even claim that network technologies, such as social networks, along with websites, blogs, and texting, are creating more opportunities for community and collective action in our lives. For example, take the former way of sharing important information before social technologies. "... Even the seemingly minor difficulties of clipping and mailing a newspaper article were significant enough to greatly limit the frequency of that kind of forwarding. The cumulative effects of those difficulties were even stronger - to clip an article and share it with a group, you would have to copy it first, adding a step and thus reducing the attractiveness of sending it in the first place. . . .The recipient of a mailed clipping can't both forward it and keep it without reincurring all the difficulties of the original sender" (Shirky, 148). Now, you can read about an event on the internet and forward the links to your entire address book, and they in return can forward that to all their contacts and so on. Sharing information can now be done with the click of a button, which would make sharing information and forming communities easier. Sharing information and communicating with other individuals has become a lot easier because of the advancements of web technology and communication methods.

I believe that technology is helping us become more connected to others around the world, but placing a burden on community life at the same time. Sure, the web allows us to reach more individuals from around the globe who share common interests with us, but how is that forming a community? Call me old-fashioned, but I still think of communities as people with a common interest who regularly meet in person to develop more of a relationship and discuss certain topics - similar to the concept of 'ice cream socials.' Web technologies can be of assistance when communicating instantaneously, but when people are part of 'online communities,' how can you develop more of a relationship when you have not encountered the individual on the other side of the conversation? When you are involved in a common interest group online, how do you know who the person on the other side is? The other person may be trying to somehow trap you or pretend they are someone they are not. I have found from my personal experiences with relationships that web technology and modern forms of communication have made communicating with friends easier. I still maintain relationships online that otherwise not be able to succeed. On the other hand, the relationships I currently have with friends, family, and other members of my 'communities,' does not have as much social capital as my relationships did before the advancment of communicating online. Overall, I think web technologies help us to become more connected to a wide range of individuals, but it inhibits our opportunities to create social capital within the communities in which we belong to.

Bibliography

Shirky, C. (2008). Here Comes Everybody. London: The Penguin Press.

Paper #2

It has been the fate of every person on earth to become part of a group. Becoming associated with a variety of groups is an inevitable part of life that we cannot escape. While some people choose to become involved in formal groups such as service groups or high school extracurricular activities, we are all unconsciously part of some sort of informal groups, such as family, circle of friends, or even the individual's nationality. As technology and society change, so do our groups - such as how they were formed, the way they are formed, and the way the groups meet. It is interesting to see how the groups I am involved in have changed over time. Not only have the types of groups I am involved in have changed, but so have the way they are structured and ran. These changes are correlated with my age and the technology that is available to the other members of my group and me.

Growing up, I was immediately placed into a certain set of groups - mainly groups my parents were involved in. Some of these groups included our family, church, social group of friends, and even a group who enjoyed boating together. As I entered Junior High, I was able to join groups that I got to choose, but I had to rely on my parents to drive me back and forth between group meetings. Some of the groups I was involved with in Junior High included my dance group, multiple athletic teams, 4-H, band, and choir. None of these groups used the internet or technology whatsoever - which may be due to the fact that the internet was a new idea and was just starting to become a popular luxury during that time. On the other hand, one of my groups was becoming more focused on technology - this group was my circle of friends and classmates. Because the internet and the technology involved with it was becoming newly introduced to us, we were doing all we could to chat online every night. Most of my friends and I would be on the AOL instant messenger EVERY night to talk about boys, gossip, and clothes. To be honest, our conversations were pretty immature and repetitive. Even though our conversations got somewhat boring, the new technology we were using was new and thrilling to us. We could talk to miles away from each other and with our fingers! Little did my friends and I know that this new technology we were newly exposed to would change the way people, societies and groups communicated with one another.

Throughout high school, I was involved in the same types of formal groups - band, choir, various athletic teams, drama, 4-H, and church. These groups did not use any form of technology to communicate - the schedules and letters were sent to my home via snail mail. The only group that used technology was on an instant messenger with my group of friends. We still communicated leisurely online rather than on our home telephone, but not to the extent as we did in middle school. Another form of technology that was introduced to my groups was the mobile phone. My friends and I used our cell phones to call and text each other, but not to the extent as I did at Luther.

As I graduated college, the use of technology and its features have steadily been integrating into my life and groups. I never regularly used my e-mail account until I came to Luther, nor did I come to feel a sense of dependence on technology. Throughout my years at Luther, I have been involved in the following formal groups: APO, Habitat for Humanity, Nottingham Program, Rugby, Silicon Valley J-term trip, and the Running Club. These groups all meet in person, but we all communicate via e-mail. The communication between my group of friends and I have evolved around technology. We communicate mainly via text messaging on our mobiles or e-mails. My relationships with others have also changed due to the popular social networking internet site, Facebook. Facebook allows me to see what is happening with my friends without even asking them directly; however it also does not require me to contact the person directly to see what is going on in their lives, which has weakened my relationships with my high school friends and people I do not see on a regular basis. Even though I am somewhat connected to a larger group of people, I feel more distant from them.

Technology has significantly changed throughout my life. It has drastically changed all forms of communications in society, my groups, and my life. It is hard to imagine surviving today without the use of the internet, facebook, and especially mobile phones. Technology provides an easier medium to communicate, but the groups I have been involved with could still be possible without technology - group members would just have a more difficult time connecting with each other. It is interesting to see how technology and my group involvements have changed throughout my life, but it will be even more interesting to see how our lives will become more dependent upon technology in the years to come.

My history with the internet

The internet has gone from a luxury only a few privileged people could access to a basic commodity found in the homes of most of the American population. Nowadays, most Americans not only have access to the internet on their home desktop, but also their personal laptops, their work spaces, and even their mobile phones or iPod touches. With the thought of available access to the internet at every turn we make, it is hard to imagine my life before the internet.

My first experience with the internet was in 1997 when I was in fifth grade. I was spending the night at my friend's house and she was talking about chatting with other people on the internet. I had no idea what she was talking about because the only experience I had with computers was playing Oregon Trail on my grandma's ancient Apple computer that only showed pictures in black and some neon-green color. Nevertheless, my friend introduced me to the 'net,' and I became instantly addicted. We could log on to our own interactive fantasy land and become someone you totally were not. We pretended to be a 20-some year old woman and talked to some guy who claimed to be at least 25. We were pretending to be someone we were not and talk to someone millions, thousands, or maybe even hundreds of miles away in the comfort of my friend's home. Little did I know that this new form of technology would change my life forever.

After a couple months of sneaking away to my friend's house to log onto some fantasy land, my grandmother (who lives right up the road from my house), purchased not only a brand new 1998 Gateway computer, but a dial-up internet connection as well. I could now walk up the road and log onto my fantasy land more often than if I went to my friend's house. I used my grandma's AOL screen name to get on AOL and talk to my other two friends who were also on AOL. This was not as fun because my grandma would watch the entire time (less gossip time for me and my friends), and my friends were not always on the same time I was.

After about a year, my parents gave in to my persistent begging and bought a brand new 2000 Gateway computer, and dial-up service. I immediately created an AOL account for myself and could now sign onto my fantasy world whenever I pleased. I was in heaven. With my new account, I could e-mail my friends, instant message with them, and even join a couple chat rooms. I have no idea why I liked chat rooms so much as a young teenager - maybe it was because I could be anyone else but myself. Every night before bed, I would log onto my account with my junior high account - I think it was KtNiKe2 or something like that (why did our screen names have to be so ridiculous?). I would mainly use this account to talk to my friends from school and meet their friends. We would talk about the latest gossip, or just talk because we had nothing better to do.

Looking back at my history with the internet, it is interesting to see how it has evolved in going from a luxury to a basic commodity over time. For example, the extent of my research for classroom/homework purposes has gone from finding resources in the library to 'Googling' most of my resources. The internet connects me to millions of resources - anything from Wikipedia to research information to sources about how to write a paper. With the modern day internet, the whole world is basically located at my fingertips.

The technology that I use today greatly differs from the way I first used it in Junior High. During Junior High and High School, I solely used the internet to instant message my friends. Since I graduated High School, the internet meets different needs for me now. As soon as I started classes at Luther College, I was immediately introduced to High-Speed internet and the new social networking site - "Facebook" (it's weird thinking of my life before Facebook now). I have been using Facebook for 3 1/2 years to keep in touch with friends, find out information about friends I no longer talk to, and keep updated with what events are going on at Luther and at home. Since I have come to Luther, I have also become more dependent on my e-mail account as a means of communications. I use my e-mail to keep up with family, professors, potential employers. I am also on a couple of listservs that keep me informed with what is going on at the Luther College campus.

For me, the internet has changed a lot from the time I was first introduced to the present day. I can instantly access the internet on my laptop, my classroom, my iPod touch, and even my mobile phone. The internet is literally everywhere. The internet has affected the lives of millions of people around the world. It will be interesting to see how it will change in the future.