For the first eighteen years of my life I lived in a four-bedroom, two-car garage, beautiful home, with a huge pool and patio out back. My elementary school was located down the road from us and my neighborhood was full of children that I grew up with, some of who are still good friends. This house was the best place for any kid to live- not just because of the safe, friendly neighborhood or the spacious backyard, but for the small space in the back of the house where most of my childhood memories were created- the playroom. Most families would call this extra room the “office” or guest room but in my house it was named more appropriately for it’s cause- the playroom. Respectively, any toy or gadget that my parents purchased went in the playroom where my sister and I would spend hours after school. Nintendo was the big thrill and most innovative technological device to visit our home until the day that changed my life, when my parents invested in their first personal computer. I vividly remember the day a group of men delivered the big, white, box that said “Compaq” in red letters across the front. It took a team of professionals to assemble the screen and monitor while connecting it to a plethora of wires and cables. At the time I was hardly interested and preferred to play with my pet hamster over sitting in front of the big white box, but little did I know that things would surely change.
“Magic Theatre” was the first program I ever used on a computer, which allowed users to create digital videos and stories with pictures, sound, and graphics. My first encounter on the computer was a creative experience to say the least. My breakthrough video was entitled “Snowball the hamster from outerspace” which featured a picture of my favorite childhood pet dressed as an astronaut, dancing to a catchy song while he roamed the moon. I still crack myself up thinking about what this video must have looked like. I would do anything to recapture that footage! This activity was the perfect introduction to the world of computers and my hamster story was a short summarization of what the world of technology has to offer: endless possibilities. The magic theatre was one of my earliest artistic endeavors in which I was encouraged to think out of the ordinary. I credit another computer program for my infatuation with the world of fashion, clothes, and accessories. This game allowed me to pick out and design outfits for one lucky electronic girl that appeared on the screen. She stood next to a closet of tops and bottoms that I would click and drag onto her perfectly computerized body. She looked like a Barbie doll with long, blonde hair, a skinny little body and a great tan. Not to mention, she owned some of the best clothing in the world. Other than sparking an interest in fashion and styling, the computerized doll was another figure I admired to be like. At such a young age I became envious of the girl on the computer program and her perfect everything. This incident probably contributed to a life of battling self-image issues and low confidence after striving to be Barbie doll perfect didn’t work. Looking back on childhood activities, most of my hobbies did not challenge me to be intellectual and innovative. I was not as entertained by the playground as other children and I would beg my parents to let me have extra time on the computer instead of going outside to play with friends. I was fascinated with the fun programs for the next few years before something else caught my attention. America Online.
My true digital literacy began to develop when I made my own AOL account. Learning how to type, click, send, receive, and communicate via internet was an educational task that came naturally with the use of AOL. However, the most challenging aspect of this procedure was to pick a screen name, which is essentially a person’s electronic identity. A screename is a title you give yourself that represents who you are, what you are about, and how you want others to view you. I dabbled under many aliases that seemed appropriate to me at the time, but now I would be embarrassed to say the least to call myself SpiceGirlFan, UnicornRachel, or HampsterGirl. Ironically, when it came time to pick an official screename I chose one that has stuck with me for more than two decades and is still to this day a pretty good description of me. Girlee220@aol.com. And that is still my primary email account to this day. As I ponder this incident I find the name “girlee” metaphoric to my personal identity and the role gender has played in my life. Before I knew anything about the internet or technology I wanted to be seen as cute and feminine and all things pretty, and there was no amount of technology or computer classes that could stop me from being who I am. To this day I think the word “girlee” best represents me; I am a professional makeup artist that has a passion and talent for all things beauty. I love fabrics with floral print and pink accents and cute little stuffed animals. Being “girlee” also has its drawbacks for me, as being technologically savvy did not come easily, if it even came at all. Technology and computers never interested me but I used them to feed my personal interests. My digital literacy has been strongly impacted by my gender.
My favorite thing to do on AOL was go into chat rooms where I would communicate with people from all over the world and make friends with similar interests. I recall there being a vast amount of chat room categories that covered all areas of interests. I usually attended the Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen fan club chat room to talk about the twins with other young enthusiasts. The twins were my favorite childhood celebrities and I watched every movie and read every book they came out with. The chat rooms kept me updated with their personal lives and their newest products. Sometimes I would chat online with people who claimed to be friends with the Olsen sisters and I would ask them questions like “What is Mary-Kates favorite color?” I felt like I was closer to my idols than ever and I often bragged to my friends about knowing a friend of the Olsens. Interestingly, my Olsen obsession foreshadowed my future of interest in the entertainment industry and more specifically celebrity gossip. The internet has fueled my fascination with the media by providing unlimited access to personal stories of celebrities. Although the online world has expanded to provide so much more than chartrooms, I still utilize the internet as a primary source of entertainment news. PerezHIlton.com is the most popular and controversial celebrity gossip website, and I was a follower before anyone even knew who he was. I check Perez daily to see if anything exciting is happening in Hollywood or if any stars have publicly embarrassed themselves.
Using the internet as a media and entertainment resource has also made an impact on my self-esteem. The female prototype displayed on most websites is the typical tall, slender, model physique that I was just not born with. I spent many years searching for a magic diet or trick that would make me as skinny as the girls on my computer, and the internet was full of information on crash diets. I would say that my digital literacy developed through constantly researching about healthy eating because I learned to navigate the web and maximize my searches. In retrospect, I could not imagine life without computers. Becoming aware of the significance of digital literacy is important for younger generations and I appreciate the benefits it has made on my life.
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