Final Thoughts

I signed up for this class because I am fascinated by media. I guess one could call me a bit of an odd duck when it comes to how I use it. Despite my youth, I've always been a bit reluctant to adapt to the new technologies that are changing the way we make and receive news. I still try to read the newspaper in print form, subscribe to print magazines, buy books, etc. I prefer hand written notes, cards sent through the postal system, editing with a pen and paper instead of through Microsoft Word. At the same time, I have a list of blogs I love (including online only newspapers), I have been on Facebook for years, I mostly use e-mail to communicate, I text message instead of call, I have a smart phone, and I find out most of my 'breaking news' via the Internet. Often what I prefer isn't what I do, for sake of time and convenience. (That says something: the most meaningful mediums are often not the easiest.) But I guess you could consider me a hybrid of sorts: holding onto the vestiges of the past while at the same time embracing the trends of the future.

I would say that this class has both enlightened and confused the hell out of me. I've learned that its a big world out there filled with a ton of information. (According to this report, Americans consume 100,000 words a day. Wow!) My cautious, static side - the one that likes to stay in my bedroom in my town of 15,000 where nothing seems to change - is scared of this and prefers sticking to limited, hot mediums, the ones that have borders, ends, lights at the end of the tunnel. Everyone else but me can do the dirty work. My adventurous, consuming side - the one that likes to take spontaneous trips to New York City at 2:30 am - sees things differently. This side likes being an active participant in the global conversation, finding things that branch off of other things, having a part in the action.

So I guess the lesson is I still don't know where I stand on what, or even if I need a stand. I know what I like and why. I'd say I'm more knowledgeable on the content in the class and where things are headed, etc. I just don't know yet the effect this transition will have on society. That question still looms over me, and I feel partly guilty for not having an answer.