Digital media has a profound impact on people in their sense of community and such. The reading brought up that in moving so often, people come to be native to an idea or thought, rather than any physical place. I would venture to say that many people in today's world are simply natives to Cyberspace. Many of this generation could not describe their surroundings very well, but they can fondly remember their early days on YouTube, etc. As I understand it, digital media has come to more than just shape our sense of place and space- it has become its own place.
That one annoying song really is right- it IS a small world after all. Or, at least, it is becoming one. Digital media gives us a sense that we can be anywhere, anytime. In one moment, I can be on the web buying books from Hong Kong, while simultaneously talking on Skype with my girlfriend across the country. Digital media has meant a consolidation of the ideas of place and space. Even in watching a movie, we are drawn into that particular location and gain a sense of belonging within the artificial community. We have come to understand place and space as simply ideas that are linked to physical locations. Because of this, we as media consumers live vicariously through the experiences of others in order to find our sense of belonging.
I know that I am just as guilty as anyone in this vicarious living. Every once in a while I'll hear about something and begin to think, 'Oh, I've done that..' Then I come to realize that I've only seen it on the Discovery Channel. We all have an innate desire to push our limits and discover the world for ourselves, but I believe that excessive media consumption has pushed our race into a complacent, domestic lifestyle. Just to be clear, I see nothing wrong with media consumption itself. It is only the excessive intake that I see so many fall prey to that really makes me nervous.
Outside of digital media, our understanding of place and space is comprised from many different sources. Culture and historical background contribute to this sense. When we take the time to learn about what a people does in a physical setting in order to live their life, the physical space takes on a new meaning in our mental construct. Knowledge is a powerful tool in understanding the world around us, and the people that inhabit this world.
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Regrettably, I was ill on Thursday and did not get the chance to see everyone's New Media & Identity project. I am sure everyone had great presentations, and that each of you brought out an element unique to yourself that I would have enjoyed seeing. I am sorry for missing that opportunity.
I think that you are absolutely correct when you say that internet and other forms of media have taken over as a major space in people's lives. The internet is a place that almost everyone can relate to and have a history with. People are involved in more ways with the internet and other new media forms to an extent that they are homes in some way for some people. People have extensive possibilities when on the internet. They can find things that they choose to shape and develop themselves with instead of being shaped by an external factor such as a country home where one was raised. Place and space is unlimited on the internet and with other forms of new media. The whole definition of space and place has been forever altered and has evolved to really include anything. The opportunity of space in the world we live in now gives everyone room to grow to be who they choose to be.
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