Time flies. I can’t believe it’s already the end of the 1st semester of my 2nd year at uni.
To be honest, I didn’t really know what to expect from Net Communications at the beginning. I only guessed that we’d be working a lot with computers and that kinda freaked me out a bit because I’m pretty bad with technology.
I found the first four weeks the toughest. I think it was because everything was so new to me then. I’d never before heard of ‘software studies’, and terms like ‘automation’, ‘user agency’, ‘produsage’, ‘protocol’ were all so foreign to me. And I found that the more I read, the more it occurred to me that there was so much I didn’t know about the Internet, even though it’s something I use everyday. I even had a minor panic attack when I came to Alexander Galloway’s Physical Media article because as interesting as it was, I found that I could hardly remember anything I’d read. But I remained curious, and from there I think things got better for me.
I think it helped that we explored the many different aspects of new media because it’s made me more aware of how new media affects us culturally, socially and economically and these definitely weren’t questions that I gave much thought to before, even though I experienced them personally. It seems so simple, because most of the case studies we went through during the course were familiar to me (Facebook and privacy, downloading etc.) but there would always be complexities surrounding them and it was good that we covered these areas. I’m definitely more wary of how I use the Internet now (I’ve actually stopped uploading photos on Facebook…).
And at least now I know the difference between the Internet and the Web, after years of thinking they were the same.
I’d be lying if I said that I was excited when I found out we had to blog for the assessment. Because I’m more of an introvert so it can be challenging sometimes for me to put myself out there and share my thoughts and ideas with other people. I did struggle a little with the 6 core posts, but the readings were useful in guiding me with the answers, and often helped me determine my own position when looking at certain issues (Creative Commons, commenting etc.). One problem that I faced though, was trying to say enough using the least words possible, because I understand that lengthy posts can sometimes turn readers off. But I really hope I haven’t… As a new blogger, I think I just got paranoid and wanted to make sure all my posts were adequate.
Anyway I’m happy to say that I rather enjoyed blogging in the end. It definitely helped that I chose to blog about something that I’m really interested in so it didn’t feel like a chore and that encouraged me to blog more regularly. That’s a good thing about having a niche, isn’t it?
I’d never blogged before so I wouldn’t know which blogging platform works the best (but to each his own right?) although I must say, WordPress does a pretty good job in making blogging a simple task. I suppose you’d only complain if you wanted more freedom in customizing your page but as I said in an earlier post, I like simple designs so no complaints from me. Oh and before I forget, it does a great job sorting out spam.
Umm… I’m not sure yet if continuing with this blog is something I’d want to do in the future. Right now, the fate of my blog seems bleak. I mean, it’s definitely growing on me, but I have doubts that I’m committed enough to blog frequently.
Maybe if I’m feeling optimistic, I’ll create a new blog after this, one that’s private, and practice writing there whenever I can until I find a stronger, personal voice. Maybe only then will I give it another shot.
