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Me!
What caught my eye
The first sentence of Asako Shinagawa's report caught
my attention. Being very limited in my working abilities with the computer,
I was able to relate to her lack of computer experience. She stated that
she didn't even have an e-mail address. Basically she gave me hope that
I may one day acquire the necessary skills to successfully navigate through
cyberspace without fear.
I was also impressed with some of the ideas that
she puts forth in her report. Although I have thought of some of these
concepts before and I know of people who fit the description of true Netizens,
it made me really think of what a cyber-society is and the components that
make up this alternate reality.
How I got here
I first clicked on the instructions for all reports
located on the 409a homepage. I then scrolled down and clicked on the index
to all generations on the g10 report page. Then I clicked on generation
5 on the generatons page that gives a list of links to all generations.
I browsed through a few reports before finally I clicking on Asako Shinagawa?s
first report which was on Cyberspace and the mind: Netizen and citizen
relationships.
In trying to find just the right report to pick as one of my top four, I had to look at a lot of the homepages and see which ones caught my eye. In doing so, I got lost a lot. I realized that in cyberspace, it is really quite easy to go off on a tangent and forget the original search. Thus, I had to focus a lot and backtrack quite often. The "back" button really came in handy.
The amount of time I spent looking at each report
depended on the attractiveness of the pages as well as the content. If
the homepages and the report looked good, then I?d spend more time admiring
the layout. And even if the page weren?t award winning, if the content
was interesting, then I?d read on. This was the case with Asako?s report.
Although her page is rather plain and unpretentious, the ideas that she
puts forth made me stop and consider them. Otherwise, I think I would have
just passed her page by without a second glance.
Synopsis
The main theme of the report is the concept of dualism.
That is, existence in cyberspace versus reality. She begins by relating
what Dr. James? beliefs are on the subject of cyberpsychology. Most people
regard the computer and the Internet as technical beings. Personally, when
I thought of a computer, I thought of something cold, hard and factual;
there was no personality or subjectivity behind it. However, Dr. James
puts forth the idea that there is a spiritual aspect to cyberspace. As
Asako states, "my physical body exist as a citizen in this physical world,
yet when I am sitting in front of a computer and browsing through other
people?s web pages, or even searching a word through search engines, there
is another me existing as a œNetizen.?"
In the second section of Asako?s report, "What Generation 4 Says: How To Make A Virtual Presence," she gives a general description of three students? reports: Junko Hashizume, Ryan Mitsui and Kathy Morifuji.
Junko touches upon the subject of the brain?s relation to cyberspace and external as well as internal presence on the net. Ryan Mitsui discusses virtual presence, meaning that one?s existence in cyberspace is dependent upon the number of links and the amount of interaction that one has with others on the Internet. It doesn?t matter how good your web page is, if know one uses it, there is no communication and, basically, you don?t really exist in cyberspace. Kathy Morifuji talks about identity shifting, in which as individual alters his or her personality when in a chat room.
Asako concludes this section with a contrast and comparison of everyone?s ideas to Dr. James? beliefs. One central theme that seems to run through everyone?s reports is the concept of dualism.
In the section entitled "What I Am Saying: The Line Between Netizen and Citizen," Asako says that her working hypothesis is that those "who are active in the cyberspace are living dual lives." She also predicts that in the future, the two personalities will some degree merge into one and the line between what is physical and what is virtual/spiritual will be vague. Also in this section is her boyfriend?s reaction, which basically talks about the progression from now until the day a sort of cyber "utopia" without discrimination and suffering is created.
In the next section, "What Others Are Saying: Is Cyberspace Like A Dream?" Asako talks about the type of search engine she used and the process in doing a net search; the results of her search; and something like an annotated biography to each suggested link.
In the final section, Asako summarizes her hypothesis
and evidence to support it.
Reaction and Involvement
I could understand some of the ideas that Asako
put forth, such as the Netizen community and the dualism because I know
people who totally live in cyberspace and take on new personalities. It?s
like a community of schizophrenics out there. I also liked the way she
explained dualism; she simplified the topic into a comprehensible format.
Even I could understand what was going on.
I think the web page could have improved by enhancing
the layout so that it catches the eye more. In addition, there were many
typographical errors in her document that could have been corrected with
spellchecker or careful proofreading.
Comparisons
Asako?s web page wasn?t as eye catching as some
of the others in her generation, but the simple format and style of her
writing made her report on Cyberspace and Mind easy to read and understand.
Her use of a light background color and bold letters made the page easy
on the eyes. Asako also broke her report into short paragraphs, which made
it easier to read. Some of her fellow G5er?s used dark background colors,
small lettering, and lengthy paragraphs that made their reports very difficult
to read and comprehend.
What Caught My Eye
There was nothing extremely spectacular about Christin
Lee?s report that should?ve made me choose hers other than the content.
That is, her web page didn?t exactly stand out from everyone else?s, but
when I read her report, I found myself becoming interested and even being
a bit enraged by the newsgroup discussion. Also, the subject of the report
piqued my interest. This is what made me stick around.
How I Got Here
Just as I did with Asako?s report, I used the Index
to All Generations link and then browsed through web pages in generation
9. After going through the reports for about 45 minutes, I decided upon
Christin?s one.
Synopsis
In Christin?s report, she starts off with a description
of Cara Lucey?s report, which focuses on the effects of norms and stereotypes
on an individual?s driving. Christin then reports on e-mail postings by
some members of generation 7. I found this to be really interesting because
it shows the different perspectives that people have on the subject of
gender differences in driving. Following this posting, Christin comments
on the exchange in ideas and analyzes it. The rest of her report focuses
on her Internet searches, including: her Usenet search, a search through
ERIC and Uncover, and a search using the CSS engine and site indexes.
Reaction and Involvement
What really interested me about this report was
the e-mail discussion. I liked reading what others had to say about gender
differences in driving, especially since it was put into a sort of conversational
format. I did feel enraged by the comment made by one person, who said,
"I hate to say this but it is usually the people of ethnic backgrounds,
women, and older people that can not drive." I found Mr. Shintani?s reaction
to that comment amusing, and I agreed with it.
In regards to the format of the report, I think Christin
could have broken up the paragraphs so that it would?ve been easier to
read.
Comparisons
Compared to her fellow G9er?s, I believe that Christin?s
report on the Gender Differences in Driving was well researched. The content
of her report kept me interested, but it was her long paragraphs and use
of small lettering that could have been altered in order to make her report
easy on the brain. Some of her classmates? reports were a little hard to
read because of an improper use of background colors. Christin used a basic
white background that made the lettering very easy to read.
What Caught My Eye
Basically, the reason I chose this report is because
while reading Christin Lee?s report, I decided to go to the source, which
was Cara Lucey. As a result of Christin?s report, I wanted to read for
myself exactly what Cara had to say about norms and stereotypes and their
effects on driving.
How I Got Here
From Christin?s report, I used the hyperlink to
jump over to Cara?s report. This was easier than backtracking, going through
the Index to All Generations, searching the generations for her name, linking
to her homepage and then going into her report. I must say that hyperlinks
really come in handy.
Synopsis
In Cara?s report, she provides definitions for norms
and stereotypes, as well as expectations as a result of these norms and
stereotypes. She gives the example of a classmate?s boyfriend?s reaction
to an aggressive female driver. With such examples, in addition to statistics,
Cara clearly makes her points and thoroughly backs them up.
Also, Cara includes in her report the results of a test she had passed out among 16 individuals. In regards to this survey, she tells of her findings and issues of reliability and validity.
She ends her report with her conclusions about traffic
psychology, based on the survey, and recommendations for future generations.
Reaction and Involvement
I feel that there is little room for improvement
because Cara?s report is thorough and complete. She writes her report well,
making it easy to understand and providing links to other web pages so
that interested parties may verify or check out her sources themselves.
I believe I could?ve done the same thing that Cara
did in regards to passing out the surveys to individuals and analyzing
the results. However, I would?ve used a larger sample because 16 people
are not enough to provide adequate coverage of a population.
Comparisons
Cara?s report on the Gender Differences in Driving
Norms was well researched and her web design excellent compared to her
fellow G6er?s. Some of the other members in her class used fonts and background
colors that made their reports very hard to read. The paragraphs were broken
up very nicely and her use of a light background color was very fitting.
Instead of just having a paragraph here and there, she presented her statistics
in a fashion that made her report look very attractive.
What Caught My Eye
I chose Ryan Shintani?s report after reading Christin
Lee?s e-mail postings and looking at the various other reports in his generation.
Ryan?s humor is the main determinant in my decision. Also, his narrative
was captivating. His report read like a story, rather than as boring facts
just being spit out.
How I Got Here
Using the Index to All Generations, I searched through
generation 5?s web pages to look for Ryan?s report. I also looked through
the other reports to see how they compared. I found Ryan?s to be the most
interesting, so I stuck with it.
Synopsis
In his report, Ryan tells of his experiences while
searching for information on driving buddies and driving makeovers. He
supplies us with the results of his search, which includes links to other
sites.
He then conducts a driving makeover on his friend and reports on what happens. What follows is an entertaining narrative of the events that take place while driving for two hours around Oahu with his friend on two separate days. On the first day, as his friend, Syn, is driving, he critiques her and criticizes her bad driving habits, such as yelling at other drivers, changing lanes without signaling, and speeding. The second day, Syn is instructed by Ryan to drive according to his definition of "good driving." She must comply without argument, but she will have time to comment after the makeover.
During the debriefing part of the report, Ryan hypothesizes
as to why Syn drives the way she does, relating it to her only link to
her absent father. He goes into more detail about the driving experience,
her reactions and his counter-reactions. He then concludes with what he
has learned from this experiment and some recommendations for future generations.
Reactions and Involvement
I liked this report. It was entertaining and amusing.
I enjoyed reading about the experiment, and it even prompted me into considering
conducting the same experiment.
I think I could do the same experiment. But, like Ryan, I?d have to choose someone I?m comfortable with and have known for a long time because this could lead to a break-up of a friendship. No one likes to be criticized, especially about their driving.
I also believe that Syn has some deep-rooted issues that need to be resolved before she gets into trouble on the road..
After reading this report, I had to think about the
significance of the psyche and background of a person in relation to their
driving habits. I never really considered one?s psychology as a reason
for driving habits. The significance of this is one I?d like to further
explore later.
Comparisons
Compared to his classmate?s reports, Ryan?s study
on Being a Driving Buddy was very amusing. The content of Ryan?s report
was written in a fashion that kept me interested the whole time while reading.
I would have to say that compared to my classmates,
my web page is quite mediocre. A lot of their reports were very well written
and the appearances of their web pages were outstanding. You can really
tell they invested a lot of time and energy into taking their web page
design and content to an elevated level.
Suggestions for future generations
Two words: DON?T PROCRASTINATE!!! I caused myself so much unnecessary stress and grief because of my failure to keep up with the assignments. As a result, I lost enough hair to seriously consider joining the hairclub for men. I have spent many sleepless nights wondering if I?m going to pass this class in order to graduate. Even at this very moment that question remains to be answered. In addition, as a result of my constant complaining and whining from stress, my relationships with those I hold dear have suffered.
This class requires that a lot of time and energy be put into the assignments. If you don?t have the time, the energy or the resources, don?t even consider adding it to your course load. A rudimentary knowledge of the computer and the Internet would be very helpful. I, myself, was completely computer illiterate, and had to muddle through computer jargon and procedures that were entirely foreign to me.
In spite of all the hardship, I did learn a lot as
I completed my assignments. I would suggest starting early, taking the
time to read through other people?s reports, look at their web pages and
search through the internet in order to see the different perspectives
that exist out there. At times the work will be extremely frustrating,
especially for those that have a limited amount of knowledge with the computer
(like myself), but it can be accomplished if enough time and energy is
spent in creating your web pages. Just hang in there!
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