Society & New Media

Communications 253 was a welcoming change as a class. The content of the class personally seemed daunting at first, with a focus on technology. For someone like me who is a bit phobic of areas of study like math, or science, it seemed like it may prove to be a difficult challenge.

I found, however, that I learned much more about new media and it's roots in technological development. One thing I appreciated it gaining a better understanding of how the internet functions. Something that can be bothersome with all the technology we use today is being clueless about how something like a television or a cell phone actually works. Learning about the development of something so integral in my life such as the computer and the tools of the internet like the web was satisfying and informative. While nothing close to an engineer, I feel a better understanding towards some of the everyday technologies that I hadn't previously given thought.

Focusing on a particular new media technology, hand-held PDAs, more specifically the BlacBerry provided insight on how new media is transforming not only the way we work, but the way we live. It also made me understand new ways in which a tool like the BlackBerry can help me develop better organizationally, and I hope I bring away a new beginning in the BlackBerry as new media becoming a more positive motivation in my life.

One aspect of the course I found rewarding was the video project. Working on such a project has helped me define a direction of study and career personally. I found working with video to be a great experience, and am looking forward to delving more into studying film and video in depth.

Overall, I found the course content to be interesting, and while my work life interfered over the past few months, I enjoyed the time spent on studying new media, and it's place in our lives today.