Net 12: Assignment 1. As posted on Discussion Board

The internet is intricately intertwined into my everyday life, even at this still relatively early stage of it's development. 

A typical day in the my life: wake up, my iMac plays me streaming internet radio.  I check the news online, check the weather, browse Facebook & Seabreeze (a forum).  Then I start my studies online through Blackboard & spend a couple of hours doing this.  I go to work, where I work using a web-based program that allows me to manage contacts, clients and to-do lists.  I am constantly searching for information on the internet that complements my work; company information, locations, job descriptions, ideas for ad-writing.  Later in the day I'll check Facebook and my email. I'll google for something to have for dinner or to see what is on TV that night.  During the day I might have been updating my Facebook & Twitter from my iPhone.  I'll also be checking the weather to see whether it's gong to be a nice afternoon after work to go kite-surfing. Very specific weather conditions are necessary, including wind speed and direction, and I keep an eye on all of these and the surf-cams as well. In the evenings I might upload my latest photos to Facebook, chat to friends, pay bills or check out something I want to buy online,  do some more university study, update my Blog, watch a downloaded episode of TV that  I have missed during the week.

Wow! Even I didn't realise how MUCH I use the internet. It will be interesting to learn about others' usage as well.

STAGE 2

There is much common ground in the way my fellow students use the internet it seems, and how it features in their 'everyday lives'. Some seem to think their usage of the internet may be considered by some as excessive or obsessive (Paul Nichols, 2009). Sue Taylor (2009) states that (the internet is) 'completely interwoven into my everyday life'. There is however the overriding theme that perception of the internet is changing from the 'geek’s playground' (Nielsen 2003) to an integral and essential part of a typical person's everyday life. Many see the internet as a complement to their offline lives, such as Luke Franklin, who states 'I do not see the Internet as a substitute for the various activities in my life. Instead it is supplementing them.' (Luke Franklin, 2009)

Some observations after reading the collected posts on this forum are:

1. Many people commented that they had heard of the internet in the 90's, and some had already begun using MUDs (Multi-User Domains) and newsgroups.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Social networking sites seem universally popular. Many students mention Facebook and IM (Instant Messenger) as their primary means of online communication.
   
   
3. University study and research, including the use of www.Wikipedia.org (Penny Wood, 2009 & Susan Maxwell, 2009) is a common stated usage across most students (unsurprisingly).
   
   
4. Keeping up to date with news, entertainment options and gossip about celebrities is very popular.
   
   
5. Alleviating boredom (Sally Dunstan, 2009) is a common reason quoted for spending time on the internet. Tools such as internet banking, bill paying and researching purchases are common reasons mentioned for saving time.
   
   
6. Online maps are used by many.
   
   
7. 'Being connected' is a common theme. Cameron Gerdes states 'staying in connect with friends and family' is a primary use of the internet in his life. Communication via applications such as Skype (Murray Watts, 2009) and instant messaging is a convenience many, such as utilise. It facilitates cheap communication where in the past it may have been cripplingly slow, very expensive, or near impossible such as to remote parts of Africa.
   

8. For those who use the internet in their working lives, collaborating with colleagues, 'professional development' (Paul Nichols, 2009) and the ability to share documents remotely is of great importance and goes a long way to improving productivity.
   

There are some differences and less common or unique ways that some students use the internet. These include:

1. Online gaming. Some users are heavily into various forms, including Second Life, and World of Warcraft (WOW) (Joshua Atlee, 2009), whilst others don't mention it.
   
   
2. Dating. Glen Mardon, 2009 (for example) mentions that he uses the internet for this purpose.
   
   
3. Some students mention forays into server-side software programming and maintaining their own websites.
   

So I conclude that whilst there are differences there are far more commonalities in the way that the internet has become a part of our everyday lives.