Wang Blog Post #1

Being born in the 21^st century, it is sometimes hard to miss what I’ve never had.  To be honest, I take many of today’s brilliant innovations and inventions for granted because I have yet to live in a time where they didn’t exist.  However, soon after creating my first Facebook account, I realized the unbelievable benefits of our digital age.  Friends in different states and even countries were only a webpage away.  Not only could I talk to them but I could view their updates, pictures, and status’ of weekend events.  The first time I really utilized this site was when I took a trip to the Bahamas.  My friends, who could’ve been out of touch for the whole trip, were sending me pictures and emails almost every day.  Honestly, it was like I hadn’t even left Virginia.  My mind was blown into oblivion even further when Facebook adopted video conversation technology.  Now, almost literally, I could talk face to face with my friends hundreds of miles away.  And at the same time, scan my profile page for any comments I may have received in the last couple minutes.  Sure the technology of conversation had already been revolutionized through cell phones, but this was the first I had ever been able to see my best friends through a simple camera on my computer.  The only thing I do regret now is that I have no excuse to get out of family chats every weekend.  HAHA

There is a common theme of the convenience and brilliance of online conversations in the CAVT readings and Clive Thompson’s article.  Similarly stated by Andrea Lunsford in Thompson’s article on New Literacy, our generation is being revolutionized by innovations that par any civilization before.  This cycle of innovation seems to continue to evolve at a rapid pace as our generation writes and depends on relationships more than any other before.

A digitally literate individual utilizes technology and innovations to help study, evaluate, organize or understand.  To be digitally literate, one must have a rounded background on technology performance and also an open mind to new ideas.  A digital native is someone who is born during or after the generation of revolutionized technology.  They also will be comfortable in everyday technological uses.

My evidence to support such claims is all around us.  Take the time to evaluate everyday lives of the human race.  We utilize technology every day to improve relationships, to study concepts, and even to locate answers.  In Thompson’s article, he focuses his attention on young adults and their dependency on innovation for day-to-day activities.  Evidence can be taken from universities, such as Stanford, in which 38 percent of student writing was completed outside the classroom.