So as I mentioned on my previous post 1B: Professional Communication Technology Reader: first thoughts... I've started a small survey asking some friends and family their opinion about Web 2.0 technologies.
These are the 3 simple questions I asked:
1. Do you use Internet? If yes, everyday or occasionally? How?
2. Do you think Internet and its tools are a good or a bad thing? Useful or un-useful for your everyday life professionally and personally? ( consider social networks such as facebook, twitter,etc...)
3. Do you think the use of Internet is easy?
AMIRA: friend of mine ~ receptionist of a hotel
1. Addicted, she uses regularly in her everyday routine, she communicates with people close and far away.
2. Good thing if well used with balance and rationality. She thinks Facebook is good to look up at news, it's a cheap way of communication with everyone and everywhere; Useful to use it as a safe place to ask things sometimes embarrassing to ask ( to friends or new people met..), Useful to find rare books...She uses it for her job so is a constant tool in her everyday life.
3.She said it's very easy to use because she uses it and she is not cut-out for technologic stuff.
NICOLO': a friend of mine ~ Junior Researcher at the Istituto Affari Internazionali in Rome, and PhD candidate at the Department of Politics and International Relation, University of Kent.
1. Immoderate use of Internet, everyday, 10 times a day for work...plus few wasted hours on FB.
2. Fundamental for his job AND personal life. But he would prefer to reduce its use in his personal life.
3. Easy to use being raised in the 'Digital Era' and for its frequent use. He said that to him, the use of Internet and Web 2.0, comes NATURAL.
ANGELA: my mum ~ a professional masseuse ~ currently studying Chinese Medicine ~ living in Tenerife, Spain
1. Daily use, checking email, current events, researches for work and health, and to keep in touch with friend and family (skype for instance).
2. She thinks these are beautiful tools and also very dangerous, depending on its use, it can become a drug likewise TV and mobile phone can be...( she asks What did we do before the invention of cell phones?!? )
The good thing is that you are the user and you decide the use you want to do with it ( free will ).
The bad thing is that people with problems and socially outcasted can hide themselves behind the screen and it can become dangerous.
She also said that as a test we should all ask ourselves how long can we stay "off-line"...my answer,as for today, is maybe 1 day..!?!
We should use our own judgment and intelligence not to become too addicted.
For the social networks she has the same point of view...but another good example she used is how the web communication of today has being used with what's happening these days in Tunis, Egypt and Libya where people listening to each other's laments over the internet, found all together the strength to react, not feeling alone and weak anymore.
Internet unites people with same ideals, like GreenPeace and other world-wide associations, knowing what's happening on the other side of the world and having the possibility of participating in the front line. Internet unites countries, you can chat or play card with someone in Russia for instance...
What she things is bad is the loss of privacy, without paying attention with social networks like Facebook and Twitter, we can put informations of our private life accessible to anyone, things that now your employer can see and that you would have never spoken about before. This is a danger especially for young people.
3. She explains that it's definitely easier to use for young generations and that there are different levels of accessibility. Young people can take advantage of the web studying and researching...but she believes that is definitely more complicated, for instance, for elderly people but they could just learn basic tools such as the use of emails, and it could actually be a benefit for them keeping their mind active.
It's hard to move with the pace of technology but it surely helped us to develop different ways of creativity and give us more freedom.
She explains that she personally took a life change decision (moving back to her original country after 30 years) also thank you to the technology tools we have nowadays, thank to Skype we can keep in touch and see each other,something that 10 years ago wouldn't have been possible.
INTERNET as a window to the world always open...
The last things she recommends is not to make it indispensable in our lives as, for instance, there is a possibility that the communication system could eventually be affected and damaged by radiations and suffer of a complete black out.
Read this interesting BBC's article on how web tools can monitories catastrophic disasters and how the solar system can affect our communications.
After reading and considering these people's different opinions about Internet, social networks and web 2.0 tools in general, I can see more clearly what previously emerged in my thought process, I can understand better how technology and social networks are part of everybody's life and affect the daily routine of many.
I found it very interesting to compare how people with different jobs, age and interests use the same tools to get what they need but in different ways...Skype, Facebook purely to stay in touch with people or to get to know more about others, group of interest and what's happening in the world...
What do you think? Would any of you would like to participate at my survey answering the questions?
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