The Digital World: a Look Behind the Scenes
Introduction:
We are currently living in a digital world where technology is improving rapidly, and with greater improvements, further parts of our lives are being digitalised. This is especially evident when it comes to the pandemic and the ongoing lockdowns. Currently, our realities are taking place on an online platform. People are now working, studying, communicating and basically living their whole lives online. Families are spending time together over video calls, movie nights are taking place on shared streaming services, birthday, engagement and wedding parties are celebrated online, and just like this quote states: “our internet connection has become an umbilical to the outside world.”
Just imagine if the lockdown happened a few years back, how hard and lonely would that be? A lot of people have speculated at the start of the internet and digital world that it is, in fact, isolating people more, and while part of that might still be true, since the lockdown, many people suggested that we are connected due to the internet and digital society. The internet has helped us bridge a lot of gaps; we can communicate with anyone from anywhere in the world, spend time with our loved ones, attend events in different parts of the world and know what’s happening all around the world with just a click.
Not just Users but Engagers:
We are not just users of the internet; we are engaging with it. Technology is no longer a part of life, but instead “our lives are all based around a digital world now.” Have you ever noticed that when you shop for something online and then you open up any of you social media you find ads related to your shopping or your searches? This is in no way random, instead, it is due to our use of websites that collect and track our data. Likewise, a lot of shopping websites offer you recommended items based on your past purchases or based on the items you recently viewed (like Amazon and Asos). Websites also offer you the option to reorder your past order, save your address, credit cards and more. Day by day these options are increasing, making online shopping and browsing more convenient at the price of collecting and saving more data.
This is not necessarily good or bad. This option makes life so much easier. An example -that I find so convenient- is Boohoo.com. Boohoo is an online clothing store that offers an option called FIT FINDER. This option allows you to insert your info, measurement and preferences (like height, weight and age) and then offers you your “best fit” considering people like you who have bought this product. This option — in my opinion — makes online shopping so much easier and reduces the percentage of returns. However, is it worth giving away all our information for this convenience?
Is Our Privacy at Risk?
The problem lies in the fact that to provide us with such services, websites and online services are collecting more of our personal data. How is this data used? And what about our privacy?
Have you ever wondered how we can use all these different online services for free? (navigation systems, social media sites, video calling services and more.) It is a common belief that nothing in life is ever free, and some theories suggest that we are actually paying these services our data and privacy.
Every one of us is creating new data daily, and a lot of our data is being collected. Take for example our browsing histories, or the concerns we voice aloud to google, many of us might not be comfortable knowing that these private details are being recorded. This data is collected to generate targeted ads and for feedback purposes (example: to know how many times a website is visited by the same person, which products are being clicked on more).
The fact still remains that collecting some of this data might be harmless and actually beneficial for our developed world. We still have the choice in whether we want our cards, addresses and more sensitive data to be collected. It is true that we have lost some of our privacy, but we still maintain some semblance of it and in return we are provided with time saving and convenient services.
The Internet is Not Just Unicorns and Rainbows:
It is important to note that the internet is not a magical place, instead, like everything else, it is filled with its own problems. With the rise of the internet and the increase in the usage and dependency on technology and digital devices, many concerns arose. For instance, many users deal with “cyberbullying” which takes place over digital devices and can cause people to be embarrassed, humiliated, depressed and feel anxious.
A 2018 Pew Research study found that a majority of teens (59%) experienced some form of cyberbullying.
However, it is important to note that cyberbullying victims are not alone. Various support systems are available, example include, It Gets Better Project and StopBullying.gov.
Moreover, the internet provides teens and children with many opportunities. Social media and gaming websites provide teens with socialising opportunities and the ability to make online friends, meet people from over the world, discover new cultures and express themselves. Additionally, the internet offers websites that are monitored and moderated -such as Club Penguin- to ensure that a safe environment is created for teens and children.
Our Responsibility as Digital Society Citizens:
The internet has opened many new doors for us, and as it keeps advancing it will soon not just be a part of life, it will be the life. Still, without proper rules or ethics, we are in danger of making the internet -and our lives- a dark isolated place. As citizens of the digital society, we have a certain responsibility to our society. We must ensure that we respect each other, consider the consequences of our actions, protect our privacy and other people’s privacy by being conscious of what we share on. For us to make the most of our digital society and the advancements of the internet we should create a friendly and motivating environment that focuses on lifting each other up instead of crushing each other down.
Conclusion:
The internet and the digital society are far from perfect; however, I believe the pros of the digital world outweigh the cons, and it has benefitted us greatly and made life convenient and much more enjoyable, however, that can only be true if we all act accordingly and avoid sabotaging each other.
Reflection:
Majoring in accounting and finance meant that most of my classes were filled with numbers and career related topics. Digital society is a topic that I feel comes up all the time since we are always surrounding by technological advances, and it is a topic that has fascinated me for a long time. Taking this course provided me with the opportunity to take a breather from my career related courses and learn about something that is extremely interesting to me and a topic that plays a huge role in our current lives. I believe that we are currently living in a world where technology advances so quickly therefore, studying this course was so much fun and a huge opportunity to learn more about the technology that is becoming not just a part of our lives but our whole lives.
I mostly enjoyed how realistic this topic is and how it relates to our lives. Topics like “Smart Cities” gave me a better understanding on the future we are moving towards, and it completely captivated me. I was enthralled by all the ways technology has changed our lives and how it is integrated in everything. Reading about “The Internet of Things” made me realise that technology is in everything surrounding us. Moreover, the other topics gave me a deeper insight on our responsibility as digital citizens and how social media -which we use on a daily basis- plays a huge role in the digital society.
The fact that the module was completely online was something that worried me a bit at the start, but thankfully it was not as problematic as I expected it to be. I liked all the different activities placed throughout the modules to help us -students- engage and review each other’s responses. Additionally, this module helped me depend on myself to learn my modules, do my work and meet deadlines. This year has required a lot of independent work from students due to COVID-19 and it was something that I had to adjust with, but I can confidently say that I learned how to schedule my time and balance between life and work.
Another challenge that faced me was the fact that we had to write blog posts for the assessments. This was my first time ever writing a blog post and I must admit it is utterly different from writing the usual academic essay required in university courses. It was something completely new to me and it was truly challenging. My first blog post was not the best, but it provided me with an opportunity to learn from my mistakes and write a better blog post. Throughout the assessments I learned how to make my posts less formal, more engaging, how to properly reference pictures, and I discovered the joy of writing blog posts. I am thankful for the various skills I learned from this module and I am glad to have had the opportunity to get into blog writing as it turned out to be something I truly enjoyed.
