For my narrative, as of right now I hope to focus on my personal challenges with digital literacy. Contrary to what my grandparents may believe when I turn their router back on, I am really bad with technology. I am not only scared of it due to privacy concerns, I also don’t know how to use it properly.
I am surrounded by people who are, as my best friend refers to it, terminally online. My closest friends spend their whole lives on the Internet, whether they are gaming or watching gamers stream on Twitch, or simply just conducting constant research. Even my own grandfather has his own website for the poems that he writes.
On the other hand, my digital expertise start and stop at social media. I have very limited skill when it comes to technology, and unfortunately I do not even find the will in myself to want to improve.
If I enter the work force, especially as a marketing major, I’m going to have to know how to use excel and make all sorts of websites and pages for companies, and that genuinely terrifies me.
But I know what I like best and it is social media. I believe in the positive power of social media platforms, although the negatives are creeping in from all sides.
When I was going through an especially hard time in life, I stumbled upon a random TikTok video that inspired me, and I messaged the creator. Next thing I knew I was sending voice memos back and forth five times a day to a girl I had never met, who lives all the way in London! It was beautiful and heart warming and I think our virtual conversations were the highlight of my days back then.
I also believe in the creative expression that social media encourages. Specifically TikTok, it feels as though users can truly express their passions, and even find a likeminded group of individuals for support.
In my digital literacy narrative, I hope to shed light on my irrational-Boomer type fear of the Internet, but also my fascination with the way people including myself behave and interact on social media. I want to highlight the power of the collective when it comes to trends in language, style, etc.
February 23, 2022 at 1:59 pm
I think your story is really cool and that you’re able to communicate with someone from across the world. But I think the most important part is the fact that you’re able to even talk to someone that far. The power of social media to unite people no matter where they are is incredible.
February 23, 2022 at 2:00 pm
I agree with you in that there are many platforms that we have little knowledge of as of right now which can be seen as scary since we don’t have knowledge of what each item in that platform does. But once we get used to using them in our daily lives it will become second nature and we will develop that discord convention.
February 23, 2022 at 2:01 pm
This sounds like a really interesting narrative. You recognize that you feel like you do not know technology as much as certain people around you, but regardless of this, social media is something that has impacted you a lot and has really shown you the great things that come with using technology. It sounds like a very personal experience and definitely sounds like an interesting topic to flesh out.