I spend an immense time in virtual spaces. On a daily basis I use my iPhone, laptop, and desktop to explore these virtual environments. Within these devices I surf the internet, read the news, play video games, and do homework. I'd like to think that the time I spend virtually is mostly productive, but I know that I do spend a generous amount of time in video games and mindlessly surfing the internet. Dr. Shannon posed a question last class and I'd like to consider it in this post, "What would happen if it all went away?"
First and foremost, I believe that my organization of work and school would suffer immensely. As a nanny and part-time babysitter I lack a concrete work schedule. I use the calendar in my iPhone to organize where I need to be and when; it also allows me to set reminders. Virtual spaces also enable efficient and immediate communication between me and my friends/classmates/etc. With such busy schedules, sometimes it is difficult to find times to suit everyone to meet for a group project. This is where the internet is immensely helpful in providing us with tools like Prezi. In that particular application, you can edit your presentation simultaneously and in real-time without being physically together. I also use virtual spaces to keep in touch with my best friend who lives and attends school in Seattle, Washington. While we send each other weekly letters or postcards through the USPS we also enjoy talking on the phone and interacting through virtual mediums such as Facebook, Tumblr, Skype and our personal blogs.
Beyond all of that, virtual worlds give me a break from the real world....something I need rather frequently. After spending a whole day on campus attending classes and doing work I need something to just distract me from real life for a bit; an escape if you will. Sometimes I'll knit and watch a movie or read a book for pleasure, but on many occasions I just want to get online and thwart GLaDOS in Portal or try and tackle Ifrit and my lag in FFXIV. I enjoy the social community that comes along with MMORPGs like WoW and FFXIV. They give me the opportunity to game collaboratively with other RL people without leaving the comfort of my spinny chair. Furthermore, virtual applications such as Mumble and Ventrilo enable real-time verbal communication between players. If all of this went away I supposed there would be an overabundance of knit hats and scarves in the world. :)
Due to some cajoling and teasing, I've decided to turn off everything that would enable my connection to virtual worlds for twelve hours starting the moment I wake up. I'll be doing it this coming Friday, so if you need to be in contact with me for any reason...be sure to have your carrier pigeons ready ^_^ If you're feeling particularly adventurous you are welcome to join me in this endeavor and maybe we can compare our experiences :)
Beyond all of that, virtual worlds give me a break from the real world....something I need rather frequently. After spending a whole day on campus attending classes and doing work I need something to just distract me from real life for a bit; an escape if you will. Sometimes I'll knit and watch a movie or read a book for pleasure, but on many occasions I just want to get online and thwart GLaDOS in Portal or try and tackle Ifrit and my lag in FFXIV. I enjoy the social community that comes along with MMORPGs like WoW and FFXIV. They give me the opportunity to game collaboratively with other RL people without leaving the comfort of my spinny chair. Furthermore, virtual applications such as Mumble and Ventrilo enable real-time verbal communication between players. If all of this went away I supposed there would be an overabundance of knit hats and scarves in the world. :)Due to some cajoling and teasing, I've decided to turn off everything that would enable my connection to virtual worlds for twelve hours starting the moment I wake up. I'll be doing it this coming Friday, so if you need to be in contact with me for any reason...be sure to have your carrier pigeons ready ^_^ If you're feeling particularly adventurous you are welcome to join me in this endeavor and maybe we can compare our experiences :)
Nicole, It's sad how much time we rely on technology and virtual spaces in our daily lives; however, it is also quite neccessary to today. I know that without technology the things that we do daily would probably seize to exist. Just think about the campus as a community for starters. Without technology we wouldn't have clocks or ways to tell time; thus, how do we get to class? We couldn't schedule efficiently, we couldn't take online classes, we'd have start our papers way sooner to prevenet handcramps :). The system as we know it would fail and we would have to start over. Do you think we could? I definitely don't. People would argue, "of course you can, back in the day we didn't have such things." Which is true! However, you can't miss what you never had. Now our minds are programmed to use these tools to assist our learning and to help us progress. Therefore, we could never go back. Things we take for granted like a calculator is essential for my life just this semester in Stats. Without it, the class would be impossible because we have been relying on it for such a long time that we forget how to do the simplest of maths.
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