Internet Changes

One idea that has come up over and over again this semester is making space for technology. Making physical space in our libraries for the invisible, imperceivable internet, and the changes that the internet has made in our language and behavior. One fairly obvious way that the internet is made physical is of course through the desktop computers and computer labs, available for patron use, that have become so entrenched in the day-to-day flow of the library. The availability of wifi and computers has become a huge part of libraries everywhere. Another way is through the proliferation of outlets and surge protectors that have been installed everywhere for patrons who prefer to bring their own laptop, tablet, or phone, and who need a place to plug it in and charge it. Libraries are changing their design, and their electrical needs, based on patron demand.

Another way that we make space for the internet is in our heads. One post on the OxWords blog (found here) discusses how the internet is changing our language. New technology requires new words, or sometimes old words repurposed. Words like “selfie,” and “unfriend,” “hashtag,” or even the ubiquitous “mouse” change how we speak and interact with each other. The blog post brings up numerous examples (which one is your favorite?) but the point stands that the internet is changing our language, our behavior, and our society, for better or worse. But as the blog decides, technology “provides a rich playground for experimenting with, developing, and subverting language.” I would extrapolate that to our behaviors as well, because what we say, we do. It’s hard to talk about selfies without having seen or taken one, after all.