Digital Autobiography

Growing up in the 70's and 80's was much different than growing up today. There were no cell phones, personal computers, and our versions of video games were played at the local arcade ( space invaders and pac-man). As a child we would get up on Saturday mornings watch some "HR Puff and Stuff", "Land of The Lost", and maybe some "Pink Panther." All the kids would gather and we would leave on our bikes, it was understood that we were expected home by dark. Our days consisted of building tree forts, playing in the park, or just riding around the neighborhood. We were not afraid of strangers; our parents didn't worry about us and we knew almost all of our neighbors, often stopping in and asking for a cold drink. Of course much has changed since then. Technology has totally changed the way we live our lives from running a business to simply spending idle time. People have adapted new skills constantly learning to keep up with the new and upcoming gadgets that are being introduced into our society at an alarming rate.

As far as my experiences and interaction in the digital world, I've had to learn basically through trial and error and am somewhat still in the infant stage just crawling along. In the mid 90's we purchased our first personal computer so that our kids could have access to the Internet for homework and a new concept called IM and email. I wasn't the least bit interested in this new eyesore that had taken up residence in my new home. However, one day my girlfriend phoned to inform me that her 10 year old son let it slip that he and my son had seen porn on my computer. I was livid! My sons' defense was that they were typing in a website for video games but misspelled the word and this porn site popped up. I had him show me the site ( I can't recall the name) and sure enough he had one letter wrong, the computer screen was covered in X-rated photos of men and women. I was sick to my stomach. I realized that it was my fault for not setting the proper controls on my computer and not placing it in a location where I could monitor their activities. Even though I was horrified this happened, it made me aware of the vulnerabilities of the person sitting in front of the computer. What upset me the most was that the porn images were viewable without any type of barrier to overcome( no credit card number and certain body parts we not covered) considering when porn is purchased at a book store it is encased in plastic wrapping. Another similar situation happened to a friend of mine. Her son had misplaced his IPod ( the new one with Wi -Fi) she came across it when she was cleaning and proceeded to look up his history seeing that he had visited a porn website. Kids are curious and often times looking at ways to step outside of their boundaries. It is important the we educate the parents as well as the children when it comes to the digital world. After our porn situation happened, it dawned on me that the opportunity would most likely again present. This opened up a conversation about the negative effects of viewing images that they knew were inappropriate. I explained that when these images were instilled in their heads you can never have them removed. Stressing that it could lead to a potential set of problems. Basically I was trying to maintain and delay their loss of innocence.

A few years ago a friend of mine was over and asked to use my computer she proceeded to introduce me to this new social network called Facebook. I started finding friends that I hadn't seen since grade school. This new found network enabled me to rekindle some friendships from long ago. This type of social networking can be used both positively and negatively, depending on the person that is on the keyboard and the type of image they want to portray. I've witnessed relationships split up as well as friends landing the perfect job. These networks give people many opportunities opening up a line of communication that was once obsolete.

A little more than a year ago, I went to the local college and took a non credit computer course hoping to improve my skills. I was mainly interested in simple things such as; importing photos, becoming familiar with some programs etc..The class consisted of a variety of people from a retired vet (who had never used a computer) to a woman just released from prison. Unfortunately I ended up knowing more than most of them, ( scary huh!). Needless to say, I didn't learn much but the class gave me the confidence needed to return to school and pursue the degree that I put on hold when my babies were born. I am now taking my 6th online course and am continuing to navigate my way around learning more everyday. I embrace this class and the challenges that I am facing such as this blog!