We've been seeing over the past few readings how IM-ing can be regarded as both public and private. It was funny to see the research that has been conducted around the use of IM's and what they are used for and how they are saved. i remember when I used to IM a lot on AIM that I would use it to talk about crushes, to talk to crushes (since it was easier not being face-to-face) and printing out conversations in order to keep the memories and come back to them later. Even if a friend wasn't online at the same time as I was, so I couldn't copy/paste them a chat, I could print it out and let them read it later. It's weird to think how a conversation that is so private online between two people can be made public in a variety of ways, whether it be through sharing online, reposting somewhere or just letting someone else read a printed out version. It makes me wonder... how many people have seen what I've discussed "privately" in an IM conversation with someone? hmmm....
Alternatively, the discussion surrounding the use of social media as the "twenty-first century's most obvious version of the diary" was interesting to me as well. The chapter was spot on when Stern discussed how girls more freely blog about feelings and personal accounts on their blogs or online journals. I remember in high school having a LiveJournal, blogging every day about what had happened, what I did, who I saw, what was funny, what made me sad, etc. Everything was there, for everyone to see and I didn't seem to mind. I'm a bit more cautious now about what I post in a "journal type" format online, especially because of organizations that I represent, prospective medical school admissions officers seeing what I've written, potential employers not liking something that I’ve written, etc. It's funny that now I'm more cautious about what I post yet I still speak so openly and freely here on our WST blog. Weird. Me being cautious is also humorous because I kind of feel like the Girl Scouts of Northern California. When I was reading their pdf about how members of the Girl Scouts should go about posting thins on social networking sites or online in general I was thinking to myself "so many restrictions". But then upon thinking about how I monitor what I post and say online in order to represent myself and organizations I'm in in a good light, it makes sense to me now that the Girl Scouts have the rules that they do. I wasn't consciously aware of how I censored myself online until I just started writing this blog and making connections between our readings. Thanks for helping me realize that I, just like the girls we are reading about, form an identity online that I wish for others to see and know me by. haha. Oh Virtual Girls...
I was not at all surprised with the results of the research on IM-ing. I totally agree that it is much easier to talk to someone via computer rather than face-to-face. Then that made me question how healthy it is for growing as a person as well. What I mean by that is you dont get to use your communication skills because you are continuousy texting, IM-ing, etc. I learned through the readings that these "private" conversations can easily become public and that's very scary. Its just as bad with text messaging and teens sending photos of themselves and them ending up getting passed around. Do you think that IM-ing is unhealthy?
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