Reflection on Technology and Social Media

After weeks of class and many interactions with media and technology, I now feel like I am in a position where I can  really assess how technology is affecting (good and bad) my life.

Just from this class alone, my tech and computer  literacy has sped up faster than I expected. Not only can I type super fast, navigate the world of touch screen, and balance multiple social/interactive websites, I can also think in very short, twitter-like sentences (I am not so sure that is a good thing). However, I am struggling in the sense that I do not know how to (or can't at all) balance between my "worlds," as lugones would say, in school, personal, and social/online life. In some ways it is uncomfortable to have the three merged because there is no sense of identity. Part of having an identity is knowing that there are distinct "sections" of myself and I feel like they have all become one, muddled pile. Is it at all possible to make clear distinctions between identities once tech and social media is involved? Do we have control over these distinctions now that sites, like Facebook, can be left to the viewer's interpretation?

Another frustration is not necessarily the tweeting and the blogging but the fact that in order to be thoroughly engaged (partly because it is classwork) one must have the necessary devices to make interaction easier. Not too long ago, I had very minimal interaction with technology for a long period of time---I had no cellphone, still had dial-up (yes, I was that old school) and didn't own any smart devices. Fast forward to now, I am in possession of an android tablet, an iPad, I have a Facebook, a blog, a twitter and a phone. With that said, I don't like that I now carry around this pressure of having to prove that I am not what is assumed with these objects. I know that when I see others with these things I think, "Wow, that person must be wealthy and a social magnet O.O!" Well, I am not wealthy, I do not care about being known by many and I am tired of having to defend myself, particularly to people of my same economic background. I find myself opening or ending each convo with "The tablet was awarded to me in high school, I don't get to keep the iPad, it is for a project, no...it's not a freebie, no, this twitter doesn't mean I will be on FB more, it is part of a project...stop playin' they ain't givin' me a smart phone...-.-"

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the exposure and I think it is important to be knowledgeable of all tech advancements, I am just realizing that I know that I can live without it and, in fact, I want  to live without it. I don't feel like I am being innovative or that tech is a vital part of my life, and most others, like it is for many "third-world" countries. Therefore, after this 360, I intend on taking a much needed, and hopefully, permanent break from this relatively new "world." Only then will I actually have the time and, most importantly, the attention to reflect on my questions and experiences with media, tech, and it's literacy.