The Ecology of Media

I’m sure when Apple invented the iPod, its intended purpose was to provide an easily transportable device that would effectively store and play music.

However, the unintended consequences of this newly mobile music make it possible for people to listen to music virtually anywhere and at anytime. Thus, instead of my peers listening to the sounds of nature which permeate our lovely campus–singing birds and wind rustling through the trees-they listen to Fergie telling them how lovely her “lady lumps” are.

Don’t get me wrong, I love music as much as any young person, yet I can’t help but think it strangely ironic that a device meant to bring sound to one’s ears has systematically deafened a large number of my peers. I use the term “deafened” both literally and figuratively, of course. For let’s not forget that these iPods come with another unintended consequence – increased use of headphones. These headphones not only make it possible for my peers to both listen to and block out sound, but have also been linked to hearing loss.

We all love music and while the iPod may have the ability to bring us all the music we ever wanted, it can also take our ability to hear it away.

One Web Day

So, apparently the Internet has its own day-“One Web Day”- where people talk about it, lavish in it, spit on it, and obsess over it. I guess anything that has its own day must be pretty important right? RIGHTThe sad truth is, the Internet has become a friend to me. It’s there pretty much whenever I need it. Heck, you might say it's the most reliable friend I've got. The Internet allows me to access the whole world with the click of a button. I can check the weather, listen to music, look at pictures, and read the news, among other things. I mean, it's pretty much made the newspaper obsolete in my eyes - no more cumbersome page turning or blackened finger tips. Yes!

Although, when something this reliable creeps into your life, it sure is easy to become reliant on it. If I go without the Internet for an entire day, it feels as if I’ve been cut off from the world, like I am somehow missing something incredible important. *Sigh* I didn’t want to say it, but I guess the Internet really is an addiction – an addiction with thorns. For now, I (and millions of others around the world) spend a great deal of their time sitting and relying on the Internet to get them through the day.

What would happen if the Internet disappeared? – global withdrawal?

What would happen if it were never invented? – a happier, healthier more independent society?


"One Web Day." 22 Sep 2008. <http://onewebday.org/?page_id=290>.

Public Journalism

I just became a journalist in three easy steps. That sounds like an infomercial doesn’t it? “With just three easy clicks you can unleash the inner workings of your mind onto an unsuspecting public. Call now!”

This thing called "Participatory Journalism" is a strange new phenomenon. The invention of the web log or “blog” has made it possible for just about anyone to become and/or label themselves as a journalist.

There was time when becoming a journalist required training, technique, and knowledge – now all it requires is the internet and a brain. Think all the journalists out there in newspaper and magazine land feel a little bit devalued? After all, we’re stomping all over their turf!

But then, maybe this is the public’s way of regaining some sort of power, as if to collectively scream: “There! Now we can write about what we want to write about!” Thankfully, as with everything in this modern world, the process of creating a blog has been made incredibly easy. When I said “three easy steps”, I wasn’t kidding. In fact, it took me so little time to set up a blog, I was thinking of treating it like a game, creating a dozen more to see if I can beat my old record.