Contemplating Selfe-Defense...

Before class on Wednesday a few of us were talking about the Selfe reading and agreed that much of what she has to say is valid, that paying attention to technology is of utter importance, but also agreed that the book seems a bit outdated. Of course, in Selfe’s defense, she published the book in 1999, and paraphrasing a classmate, she was definitely thinking ahead of her day, saying things few others were even considering at the time. But in doing further research on my technology-driven thesis topic, I’ve come to realize that it makes sense that this type of writing becomes obsolete along with the technologies in mention. We upgrade our computers, phones, i-pods, you name it. We buy the latest thing, knowing well that a better version is just around the corner, waiting to make us yesterday’s news. Still, this realization brings me back to 1999—lending to exactly why Selfe insists that we need to pay attention. The rate at which technology is moving seems almost immeasurable. The exponential growth of technology means that the “critical technological literacy” that Selfe calls for must try to keep pace. We must continue to pay attention, keep track, and update (or “upgrade”) our writing as well.

Lighting candles around my computer, ready for another night of worship.

(Found a comment addressed to me lost in cyber-blog-world). =]
Is computer technology now taken for granted as an inborn knowledge and need in our society? Is it so accepted that we no longer question the validity of technology as it affects our lives?

I would say that “taken for granted” is an understatement. We seem to be so set on technology as messiah that we stare blankly up at the pedestal we’ve put it on and wait for the next wonderful thing it’s going to do for us. I must admit that I am as guilty as can be. I too, am rather smitten by all the (technological) things I can do now, compared to the childhood I remember growing up in—playing hide-n-seek with neighborhood kids, jumping off roofs, playing hopscotch with rocks, etc. Today, I can create Sim-worlds, go to virtual pool parties, and submit homework without ever leaving the comfort of my desk chair. Absolutely amazing. However, I do think technology is so “inborn” for some of us that we overlook all those we’re leaving behind. It’s easy for us to get lost in our cyber existence, not noticing those apart from it. After all, they’re not there for us to notice in the first place. It has come to the point where we indulge in the good things so much we neglect the negative ways it’s affecting our lives. According to Selfe, our tendency to believe in something and accept it a certain way has “powerful masking effects.” We see technology as we want to see it, and today, a concerning majority of the world seems to see its universal acceptance as a wonderful thing.