How I've Come to Understand Digital Culture

I do not think I will ever be a Digital Culture aficionado. That being said, I learned a lot this semester and have implemented more class material into my habits than I would have thought possible, for me, at least. Several areas of technology are still beyond my scope of understanding or interest...video games...sorry Greg, Paul and Heidi. Nonetheless, all my classmate's contributed unique and valuable ideas to the digital culture community.

Primarily, I will incorporate socially optimized research into my academic future. I really enjoyed all the resources we received regarding how to reach out to friends, professionals and strangers. For myself, I used several social media sites this semester to gather opinions from my peers (instagram, Google+, Twitter and Facebook). When writing my final paper, I found email addresses for a journalist at the Guardian and a Professor of Parenting, both of which responded to my queries! I liked being surprised with new tools the internet has to offer, such as the curating add-on's available which are so much easier to use than emailing links to myself. As for social proof, I think it makes papers more credible when there is a variety of sources and you have a personal knowledge, investment, and experience with the topic. 

I personally struggle with going beyond my comfort zone and I still have that "I don't want to rely on technology too much" attitude. The course "forced" me to explore different websites, use media to explain things, read online books and share my intellectual ideas with others on a public forum. My final research paper on digital natives was more a three month journey than a one-sitting, regurgitation of a paper (which it typically is). I was able to incorporate experiences from my peers into an academic paper that I have a genuine interest in and a subject I believe is relevant and forthcoming in society. Cheri's topic of tablets with autistic children appealed to me because I wrote about technology in school and in parenting and her research literally proved the benefit of electronic devices in families and educational settings. 

Overall, I feel more at ease with the digital world and what it can do for me, especially in the writing field. It is merely about traveling the long tail, on various legs of a journey.