My Encounter with the Digital World
https://lifeboat.com/blog/2015/07/who-owns-the-digital-map-of-the-world-laura-bliss-citylab
Hello Dear Visitors! Welcome to my first Blog! I’d like to share with you my journey and encounters with the digital world and technologies, and their vital roles and importance in my life!
As a 90’s child, the digital world developed exponentially as I grew older, and I believe that our generation is lucky to see its growth, great impact, and use in all fields. We cannot deny that digital technology has definitely kept us entertained throughout our lives and easily connected us with the rest of the world and people with the blink of an eye! I believe that digital technology plays an important role and has a net positive impact on my life as a person and as a university student.
As I was brainstorming this blog, my mind was all over the place as I couldn’t really pinpoint where I should begin, so let me just start from the absolute beginning: when I got my first very own mobile phone at the age of 8 years old! (Yes, I know, I was quite young!)
For as far as I can remember, my first Samsung flip phone was my first own digital technology. I still remember the day my Mom and Dad bought their first mobile phones. I was amazed to see such a small and mobile technology. I used to play and tinker a lot with their phones as I was extremely curious. Soon enough, I got my own. As I was really young, all I really used and needed were the phone games that came with the mobile, the phone camera to get creative and take pictures, and some music (I even recall my dad somehow installing a Harry Potter Ringtone for me to use!). Soon enough technology developed- I got an iPhone 3Gs, and I was mainly invested in games, music, and photography such as PSP, Wii, PS3, Nintendo, iPod Nano, and Sony Camera.
I have to admit that being exposed to such technology at a young age allowed me to adapt faster to new technology arising nowadays, and also to develop my mental abilities. The more I played games, the more attentive I became, and the faster my response was. However I cannot deny that I was somewhat addicted to playing games for a while, and I would do nothing but play. On the other hand, I also learnt how to take proper pictures with time, practice, and even guidance with the help of my dad. Additionally, getting used to setting up a device or digital platform became a norm nowadays. I’m pretty sure that I came across many obstacles in learning how to utilize the technology as a child, especially since I would only utilize the service and not exactly understand how it works, but this changed with time.
Fast forward to when I was around 13 years old when I got my first laptop as my time became more invested in new digital tools besides just games and music: I was already familiar with Google, Youtube, Facebook, Msn, and E-mail for online social communication and started using Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel more for school projects and research. We were also introduced to many basic software and search engines in school to become familiar with the digital world. I originally started using these digital platforms for leisure, but I later realized their importance in my everyday life, and how easy it is with one click of a button to answer any question that crossed my mind.
As I grew older, I became more experienced with the digital technologies and I believe that these experiences shaped my understanding. The more I utilized and became familiar with the technology, the more I felt that my usage matured. Additionally, my relationship with these technologies changed with time once I found my preferences and purpose. Digital technology is so much more than just for entertainment. I became extremely dependent on the World Wide Web, where I can easily access any information that I require in seconds.
Nowadays, social media has become a huge and vital part of my life. I constantly use Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and WhatsApp. However, I am somewhat stagnant on my Facebook and Twitter accounts. I would prefer to just surf the applications for updates and interesting information, but I do not generally post anything of my own, except instagram from time to time. When I was younger, I shared several of my thoughts and pictures, but nowadays I do not feel the need to. However, for my Digital Humanities course that I am taking at my university, I will become more present in the Twitter world as I am required to post at least 3-4 times per week. I’m excited to become more active and join the online community to engage in interesting topics and debates.
Although I am not personally very active on social media, I’ve learnt a lot of beneficial tips and tricks about the platforms and their use. I am currently managing social media accounts for several societies in my University, and I must constantly post updates, facts, teasers, and more to make the public aware of our work and objectives. Social media is an extremely powerful tool to spread a message or awareness about a new concept or society that deserves recognition. It also allows everyone to stay in touch with the latest news and events all over the world, and brings people together from different cultures and countries for support and praise.
https://www.vecteezy.com/vector-art/142829-neon-social-media-logos
With time, my usage of my laptop and digital devices became mainly focused around my undergraduate education and my main interests: I have been using social media a lot less to communicate with people and more to keep tabs on specific organizations and sometimes people that are of interest to me such as NASA, SpaceX, Tesla…etc., Microsoft Office Applications, and engineering software for my major. During my free time, I would rather read an enlightening article about my passion for engineering, or about the world news, or anything that might interest me that would further enrich me with knowledge. I generally spend around 2-4 hours per day on social media platforms. However, I cannot deny that nowadays I am ALWAYS on my phone, and I cannot go anywhere without it, and same goes with my laptop.
Going back to the idea where I have become extremely dependent on digital platforms, most of my current studies throughout my engineering major would not have been possible without the use of the internet. It was very enlightening to learn how to easily access scholarly published articles on any topic through many search engines such as Google Scholar, and that I can easily access multiple online libraries for any field that interests me through my university’s website. I also learnt how to easily add organized references to any paper that I write through programs like EndNote and many other similar ones. Nowadays, you can find a program or software to do anything, and they are just a search button away! Before I think twice about anything, I can easily search any idea that pops into my head on Google and YouTube, and within 10-15 minutes, I would have learnt something new.
With the blink of an eye, more and more digital platforms are arising, whether for social communication or for educational and research purposes. It’s amazing to see how everything nowadays is becoming digitized for all to see and use. I believe digital technology is an extremely valuable asset when used wisely.
I have always wanted to make my own website, but truth be told I never really bothered to search how to make one. Because of my Digital Humanities course, I now know how simple and easy it is to make my own website, and I’m sure it would come in handy for my future work! I’m really excited to go through this journey, and I hope you’ll enjoy my blogs as much as I’ll enjoy writing for everyone to see how my work would develop. I’m also very interested to learn the true meaning behind Digital Humanities and to become familiar with the tools available to use and how they can create an impact on our lives.
Cheers, and stay posted for more!
Ad Astra with Dalia Bekdache 