For my paper I’d like to explore the impact of new media on our society (sociological perspective). How is the new media changing people and our relationships? I’d like to look into: social networking; the phenomenon of dependence on constant web access (e.g. GPS); information overload (e.g. before we visit to a doctor we already have a diagnosis in mid because we searched the web).
Does the web foster human relationships by giving access to more and more people.......or does it impede human contact ( due to anonymity, distance, etc)? I want to figure out if dating sites were 'bound to happen'. Our generation lives on a fast track and it is hard to find a mate (especially when one is out of school). Online dating services are there to help to find people in similar situation (singles looking for a mate) and to "prescreen" candidates (in order to limit disappointment and waste of time). But is a step forward or backward? (Think of prearranged marriages and professional matchmakers)
I also want to investigate ‘information overload’. It is really amazing how simple research is easy nowadays...The problem arises when we consider ourselves experts on a topic after one hour web surf. It's probably really annoying to any specialist that we go to see afterwards (my favorite argument "but I found on the internet that.........."). Is it bad that we educate ourselves or seek more then one opinion? Probably not, but I want to look deeper into that phenomenon...
I believe this topic is very interesting and fun to work on.
It's true that our life in this day and age revolves around the internet, which can be recognized as a form of new media. You mentioned information overload, which I believe is something everyone suffers from as a result of new media. It is easy to get information over the internet and before you know it, you would spend hours just researching topics that are interrelated.
ReplyDeleteGreat topic! I have friends that live in my home country that are always asking me to send them a letter or a card. Im so used to sending an email or facebook message which is quick and convienent. As a result most of my relationships with my friends in my home country have suffered
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