Technology; help or hindrance?

For this report, I have chosen to focus on the Internet in regards to technology. The invention and widespread use of the Internet has brought with it multiple issues, many unforeseen. The Internet has also become a whole new outlet for crime, it is blamed for antisocial behaviour and as a society, it is causing us to become lazy. Despite the obvious conveniences the Internet provides, there is the question of whether its harms are greater than its benefits.

Interview 1- Brent, 53 years old

Brent is my father, a 53 year old hypocrite. He is a man who once said "The Internet will never take off, it's just like the CB radio of the 90's".How wrong he was.My father is constantly lecturing me, "get off msn, stop talking to your friends" to which I remind him that is impossible as he has already blocked msn, Meebo, Facebook, Myspace and any other site that connects me with people off of my laptop. Why has he taken such a drastic measure? Paranoia I assume. Every time my laptop is open, 87 percent of the time for homework, the accusations fly "you're on Facebook, you're talking to your friends, you must be failing school". I admit, its a hard life, but I get by. Dad on the other hand is always on the Internet. He has, in fact, started his own Facebook, and has already mastered the art of adding friends. So far he has 10, he would have had 14 if my mother, myself, my sister and brother had not declined his request. He loves buying and reselling things online. He could be labelled as being a bit of an Internet addict, but apparently I'm the one with the problem. I have chosen to interview my father, because he has an aversion to me using the Internet for anything but homework, and, despite having Facebook, seems to resent the fact that I have an online social network. Here is what I discovered about why this is so.

Socially, what affect has the Internet had on society, and in particular, on younger generations?

"Young people are becoming antisocial, because they prefer a social network online.They are losing communication skills, and are losing touch with the art of face to face communication. Also, these younger generations are becoming reliant on those kinds of technologies and communications. They are becoming socially inept and awkward. They simply just can't pick up the phone anymore, or call over at their friends house when they need to have a conversation, they would much rather speak via the Internet or texting. I don't understand, why can't they make a 30 second phone call instead of texting back and forward to find out what they want? Kids these days hesitate in walking up to a stranger and asking a question. They are much too reliant on the Internet. They would rather just use google or their mobiles, or use Wikipedia rather than just approaching someone face to face."

How did you socialise when you were a teen compared to how teenager's socialise today?

"Teenager's would rather sit on the computer all day, and look at other people's lives, believing that they have a life. They think they have so many friends, in the real world these people online wouldn't give them the time of day. They think they are friends, but they are not really at all. When I was young, we actually went to peoples houses, all the time, and they came to ours. We'd call each other up and arrange to do things, all the time. You'd even ring a girl up on the phone and ask her out, instead of getting on Facebook and saying 'Oh I love you LOL'. Nowadays, people even text each other to break up! What will it be next? 'Hey, I want a divorce', 'No worries, LMAO'. They've lost their ability to speak face to face, its easier to hide behind an electronic wall."

Do you think that the Internet has allowed people to feel more free when expressing their personal thoughts and feelings towards others?

"I think they feel brave behind their keyboard, they are inside an electronic cocoon, safe at home. After half an hour, they probably regret saying the things they said. People say all kinds of things to each other and about each other which they'd never say in real life. They threaten each other, and have all that bravado, but in the real world if they said those things, they'd get a smack in the face!. It's like 'Omagawd I'll set my fully sick computer hackers onto you'."

Is the Internet having an affect on language and grammar?

"Yes, of course it does!I go on there now (Facebook) and I look at how they write, and I can't even understand what they are talking about! they use numbers instead of letters sometimes, for god's sakes! With the abbreviations, you'll need a dictionary to understand them all.My 11 year old son wrote me a note the other day, where he substituted the word you for the letter u. What is this doing to our kids?"

Is the Internet making us, as a society, lazy?

"In some ways it is. We are very dependant on the Internet now, people also feel that because they are on the Internet they can be lazy. For example, when I send an email I take care to make sure that everything is spelt properly.It's a sense of pride, and it's respectful to the recipient to show that you have taken the effort.People won't even go to the library and borrow a book anymore, all they want to do is to google it and have the answer appear before them. They are lacking proper research skills. The laziness however, is mostly on social networking."

Do you think technologies on the Internet such as Internet banking and shopping convenience users, or do they do more harm than good?

"Yes, they are a great convenience, I find them very clever, but people can become addicted to online shopping, because they are never physically handing over their cash, so it doesn't feel like they are using 'real' money. They put everything on cards.It's impulse buying. There is also the problem of less face to face communication. You can't talk to the shopkeeper, and you don't even need to set foot in the bank."

Does the Internet affect jobs?

"Yes and no. In terms of small business, and some customer services and things, maybe,but where jobs are lost, the Internet has opened up so many jobs in IT, advertising, marketing, that sort of thing".

Do you think the Internet and its technology is more of a hindrance than they are a help?

"Personally, no. I love the Internet, it is so convenient, but I hate the way social networking sites rule the way teens socialise. I can't get past the fact they would rather sit in front of a computer instead of actually chatting with their friends. And the Internet speak? I'm still trying to work that one out, LMFAO."

So there you have it. Brent seems to be not so worried about the technology of the Internet itself, but more the fact that networking sites are ruining social skills, grammar and ethics.What would a person, who is heavily involved in social networking sites, and (safe to say) addicted to them, have to comment about the Internet and its technologies? How many of the views would be the same as Brent's, and what would differ?

Interview 2- Lana, 16 years old

Lana is your average 16 year old girl. She goes to school, has a Facebook and is surgically attached to her mobile phone.I am under the impression she would not be able to live without Internet technology and social networking.In terms of social networking, Lana is a product of all the things that generation Y is notorious for.She is completely reliant on all things Internet, and is constantly checking her mobile, Facebook, twitter and anything else she can get her hands on. Here, I ask Lana about Internet technology in relation to her life.

How much time would you spend on social networking sites each week?

"I'm not sure, it varies. Usually I just check my Facebook and things on my iPhone, but at night I go on for a few hours, and chat to my friends on chat and msn. If it isn't a school night, I stay up quite late talking. I'd say I spend at least 2 or 3 hours a day"

Does the internet technology and social networking sites affect your life in anyway?

" It affects my school work. I spend a lot of time on Facebook, and it's distracting.So is the Internet, I can't really focus when it's there, and I always get sidetracked from my studies by Youtube, Facebook or my friends talking to me online. Apart from that, it doesn't affect my life, it makes it better!"

What do you use the internet for, and how would your life be different if you didn't have the Internet?

"I use the Internet for a lot of things. I check my shifts at work, my soccer timetable, my bank account, train and bus timetables, and I use social networking sites when I need to contact my friends, and keep in touch with people. If I didn't have the Internet, a lot of things would be very hard. I would have to visit work and the bank to check my shifts and money, and I would rely on not losing timetables for soccer, the bus and the train. Keeping in contact would be hard. A lot of my friends online I can't just call on the phone or anything, and it's nice to see what Everyone's doing."

Do you think that social networking is portrayed negatively?

" Yes, I think so. You hear bad things about our generation being lazy and things like that from the media.They talk about how 'bad' and 'dangerous' social networking is. I know it sounds stupid, but I think they are too old to understand how useful these sites are to us! They are right when they say sites like Facebook distract us, but I think they focus on the negative too much. It needs to be realised that sites like Facebook can be very useful. You can meet people who are friends of friends, organise to do things with people, and there is always someone there if you need to ask a question. They help us keep in touch, and a lot of our life is organised on there. I mean, most party invitations are done over Facebook now!"

When you use the Internet, do you use proper language and grammar?

" I try to, but sometimes you just get lazy! If everyone is speaking in 'Internet speak' you kind of just go with it. Also, abbreviations are easy.Some people are really terrible though, using numbers instead of letters and saying 'chu' instead of you, and other wannabe gangster things like that. It really is quite lame."

Have you found "Cyber bullying" or "harassment" a problem on social networking sites?

" Not really a major problem to me, but I've seen big Facebook bust-ups happen which the school even gets involved in. When it comes to Facebook and msn, you have to be really careful with what you say. Once something is on Facebook, everyone can see it and it's inescapable.That's why you have to be wary with what you say, one wrong move and it can haunt you back in reality. Fights online can be transferred into real life too, which isn't good. I always be careful, so harassment isn't a problem for me. Also, I know that if anyone is harassing me, I have block and report buttons there to use. The media always denounces social networking because of bullying, but the networking sites set up proper facilities to deal with those issues. It's the users responsibility to block and report someone, because the option is there for them."

Would you consider yourself reliant on the Internet, and has it made you lazy?

" Probably. I feel a bit lost if I don't have it. It's good, it helps me stay in touch with the world, I always know what's going on, whether in the news or in my social network.I guess it's made me a bit lazy, I don't have to visit the bank! And it's the only way to research these days."

Considering the negatives and the positives, would you consider the internet more of a help than a hindrance?

" Definately. It has made everything so easy! Sure we may be a bit lazy, but it saves us a lot of time, and I guess grammar is suffering, but only online. It is definately more helpful, but I think I should lay off on the social networking a bit if I want to pass school!"

So there you have it, both Brent, the middle aged social networking doubter, and Lana, the 16 year old Facebook addict both believe that the internets benefits far outweigh it's negative aspects.The internet as a piece of technology is an incredible thing, and I too agree that the way it will continue to help, convenience and amuse us could never allow it to be declared a hindrance.

Bree Wilkinson

Post 3- Three roles in Print Media

Role 1: Fashion Editor

With fashion editoring, the focus is less on writing, and more on fashion, but writing skills and a whole lot of creativity is still required.A fashion editor's job is to determine what is in style, and portray it within the magazine/newspaper (for print media) section to convince readers that this is the latest fashion.Television shows can also have fashion editors.A fashion editor is responsible for guiding the direction of publication in terms of shoes, clothing and accessories, as well as bringing new faces into the spotlight.Highly respected and successful fashion editors tend to have a lot of influence and power within the industry.They have been responsible for dictating beauty standards across much of the industrialised world.Fashion editors obviously have a love for fashion, they usually have good personal style and love other creative outlets such as photography.They are usually university educated, with a degree in fashion, arts or even journalism, although this isn't a requirement.Many work through the ranks to obtain positions, using contacts and gaining internships.To be successful in this field, ultimately you have to have integrity, originality and a good eye for style.

Role 2: Columnist

A columnist is somebody who writes for a publication in series, meaning that they write each week in a section repetitively. In print media, a columnist writes in a magazine or newspaper. They regularly prepare brief essays and commentaries for publication.A column does not neccessarily contain news, sometimes they can be small articles of opinion on recent topics or issues. The term "columnist" comes from the fact that columns were originally written in the columns of newspapers and magazines, and were usedto fill up the page.Nowadays, columns can take up an entire page of a magazine. To become a columnist, the individual obviously needs to have skills in writing. A univerity degree would not be necessary, but would be advised.

Role 3: Newspaper Journalist

The most generic kind of Journalist in print media, the newspaper journalist is responsible for writing news articles.The job of a newspaper journalist is to research for and compose articles on issues important to the jurisdiction, whether local, regional or national.In terms of print media, the newspaper is the most popular medium. The job includes covering a wide range of topics including Sport, Science, Arts, general issues and recent events. They must report to the public information about topics which are significant to that public.They need to collect information for their articles through research such as interviews, and compress the information into an informative and easy to read article.They often write under pressure, struggling to meet the deadline of the next days newspaper.