Expressions of who we are via....CMC

Unlike television or the computer, language appears to be not an extension of our powers but simply a natural expression of who and what we are. Postman

My father is a classic story teller. He grew up on a ranch when life was simple yet so very hard. He has seen things in his life I can only imagine. It is through his stories that I can share his rare, undocumented moments of his past. When my Dad had the opportunity to move away from the only life he knew and go to school he jumped at the chance of new experiences. As his life changed dramatically he has never forgotten where he came from and his stories are without a doubt a natural expression of who and what he is.

I had a great time talking to my Dad about the Internet. He is tickled at the idea that you can at the touch of a button find out the lineage of his Angus bulls, or track the stats of his favorite sports team. He uses the email…..a lot (which surprised me) and recently bought a blackberry so he can check his email when he is on the road (also surprised me). To my father the Internet is a novelty. He uses it to communicate with his employees when he is out of the office and loves to pass jokes to everyone he knows but he absolutely refuses to EVER purchase anything as he thinks that giving personal information online is “NUTS”. For my father the internet has provided a way that he can maintain a relationship with his sister who he only sees very occasionally in person yet they have maintained a close relationship. He can send pictures of his Grandson’s to all of his friends and family and search for “this and that here and there”. Over all he does not feel like it has changed the way he lives his life. As far as he is concerned he is still the same simple guy he always was and as far as he is concerned while entertaining and convienient it is something he could live without (if he had too, but he “is pretty fond of his blackberry”).

Like most teens my nephew Tyler loves his truck. He is restoring an old ranch truck that once belonged to my Dad, but Ty is NOT your typical teenager in many respects. Ty considers himself a cowboy through and through. He spends any of his free time on his horse chasing steers, gathering cows, fixing fences and working on his old truck. If he had his way he would not use the Internet at all, because for him the internet has been his source of school work. Ty will be graduating high school and his entire education has been through a program on the Internet. He has always been a good student and unfortunately the high school options in our area are not the most desirable. Ty was given the option by his parents in the 9th grade to go to high school or do a home school program online that was fully accredited. This program allows him to graduate with a diploma and be eligible for college scholarships. He chose the home school route because he was uninterested in the traditional high school experience. Like his Grandpa he likes the simple things in life, if he had his way he would move to the ranch my father grew up on and he would work cows. Ty is very grateful for the Internet however, as it has enabled him to finish high school in a fraction of the time it would normally take to complete traditional school and he is anxious to get to college because he wants to go to Vet School. I was impressed to see how responsible he was with the Internet. He is very comfortable using it and considers it a valuable tool. Though he would never consider purchasing anything online he does have an email account where he chats with his friends and he will occasionally “surf the net” for research, most of his Internet use is for school. As I conducted this interview with him I caught him finishing a test online. He was sitting at the desk in his boots and spurs ready to get outside…….did I mention he is a straight A student.

My final interview I conducted was with my Mother-in law Beth. While in the latter part of the age group required for this assignment she was (of everyone I interviewed) by far the most active Internet user of the three. Beth is an incredibly social person; she is very politically and socially active. She has lived all over the U.S. and has friends everywhere. The Internet has given her the opportunity to keep her community of friends together and not have to travel so much. Two years ago she bought a beautiful MAC and a new digital camera and has hired a “computer guy” to come to her house for 1 hour a week to teach her how to use it. Last week he was teaching her how to put her pictures on Facebook as she is now actively using Facebook to keep up with her friends. She has absolutely no problem using the computer to shop and orders products at least twice a month. She downloads books using her Kindle and uses iTunes often to “stay abreast of the grandkids music”. With as much as she uses the net, she was surprisingly the least confident of the three. However, she was the only one I interviewed that truly wanted to understand it and use it to its fullest potential…thus the weekly tutelage. When I asked her if the technology changed the way she lived her life she was stunned when she gave some thought to the question. The answer was a resounding “yes” and she had not really thought about how much….before now. She loves the Internet and the technology because as she has grown older and is not as comfortable traveling like she once did, it allows her the opportunity to still experience life and keep up with her friends all over the globe.

I realized through these interviews and comparing each generation that the Internet for each of them is a convenient tool that either provides entertainment, connectivity to their friends and community or necessary information for them to get their jobs done. Not one of them feel a slave to it, even Ty who must use it for his school work is grateful as it gives him the freedom he would not have otherwise. I have learned that the Internet can open doors for people. My father can stay connected with his sister even though she lives 1000 miles away and keep up with his employees when he is out of the office. My nephew can accomplish his goals and focus his dreams without unwanted distractions and my Mother-in –law, while perhaps considered “old” in numbers can maintain her youthful spirit, her connections with friends and her community involvement nearly all at the same time. Postman is right about language as each of these people I interviewed without a doubt use it as an expression of who they are…..and they are unafraid to use the computer to transmit it.