Evolution of Digital Communication

One “ah-ha” moment I got from these readings was in the Roger Fidler’s chapter of Mediamorphosis where he talks about the invention of the television. I first believed that the television wasn’t invented until the early 1900’s, but it turns out that cartoons and illustrations were published as early as 1879!  I found this bit of info very mind-blowing because technology as advanced as the television was already created in the late 19th century!

Another “ah-ha” moment was the second article about the history of the internet in which before the internet was introduced to society, it had a predecessor called ARPANET. Who would have known that the main reason of starting ARPANET was to regain the superiority of the United States. By being the foundation of what is known today as the Internet, the Advanced Research Projects Agency should be thanked for their hard, dedicated work.

Vannevar Bush’s 1945 description of “Memex” is similar to that of today’s desktop computer. He describes the Memex as a device that can store all sorts of documents, pretty much a mechanized private file and library. When I think of his description of a Memex, I think of a desktop PC with dual monitors, a scanner to scan all documents, and an external harddrive where you can store all your information and take it with you on the go. So, to reflect on Bush’s proposed device, there is such a thing in today’s world and it’s right at your convenience.

My envision of the Internet in 2045 will be something that is breathtaking and unbelievable. I honestly believe that in 34 years, we would be able to connect to the Internet through the mind if we wore like a headband that can communicate with our brain and transmit its waves so it would connect to the web. It sounds scary, but technology advances fairly quickly and in a little over three decades, we will have Internet, which sounds impossible now, that will be shocking to our generation.

 

First In-Class Assignment

How does this change the appearance of the administration page? How does it change the appearance of the blog post?

 

The comment is now unapproved and shows up on my administration page as a new notification.

As for the blogspot, the comment is now hidden since it is unapproved.

Everyday Digital Media

Digital Media plays a big role in my life everyday. I’m always on the computer reading tech blogs, news, and social interacting with my family and friends. The internet is full of information where almost anything can searched and read about. It’s fascinating how in today’s age, everyone’s actions are influenced by digital media by its convenience or its content. Compared to reading a newspaper, we can save money by going to the online form of it and browsing whatever kind of news we are interested in instead of fussing about with going through the pages of an actual newspaper.

Also, there is the television where, even though, you don’t have the power to pick what news you want to view, the content of video is in your face. Sometimes, you can actually see the news taking place live. In the past, people use to write mail and send it off to their loved ones or peers that are living far away. Today, e-mailing is the faster way of communicating. By typing a message and clicking the send button, the receiver will get that e-mail within a few seconds compared to a few days with a regular letter in the mail.

Even more interacting occurs through social media pages such as Facebook where users browse through others’ profile pages and can send instant messages where the receiver, if online at the same time as the sender, gets the message instantly and can chat with the other person. Digital media has changed the lives of everyone. It is convenient, visually appealing, and full of information. Technology has come up so far from the technology 30 years ago.