#1 In what ways would you need to change your routine in order to disconnect yourself from all media (i.e. no TV, no Internet, etc.) What problems would you encounter if you unplugged for one day? One week? One month?
I think it is almost impossible to live disconnected from all media, but if I tried, I would have to stop going on Facebook, search for information in my textbooks and other books and eat dinner silently without TV. I would also have to restrict my conversations with friends to my cellular phone and hear about the latest news about celebrities and global issues from my friends a day later. There are probably a dozen more things I have to change in order to live without media. If I were unplugged from the Internet for a day, it wouldn’t be such a big deal because once in a while, I can’t be bothered to go online, but if I didn’t watch TV for a day, I would be a little anxious for missing out on the TV shows I watch on a daily basis. If I were disconnected from both TV and Internet for a week, I would have major problems in keeping in touch with my friends and become outdated. MSN messenger has become a significant way in which I establish and maintain my relationship with friends and upper/underclassmen. Often times, I feel obliged to go on MSN messenger to get closer to someone overseas that if I had to go without Internet for a month, I would become frustrated and literally crazy.
#2 How many hours per week do you estimate you spend on Facebook or similar personal networking sites? What are the benefits and disadvantages of using these sites?
It depends on how much homework assignments I have, but I spend at least an hour on Facebook and another two hours on MSN messenger. The benefits are befriending new people, for example, people who you will be attending college with for the next four years. Through Columbia facebook groups, I added around twenty new “friends,” including Class of ’13ers and current Columbia freshmen. It’s a good experience to learn about people outside my immediate circle because all along, I was insecure about meeting new people, especially in a whole new environment next fall. Another benefit is learning about what happens around the school. I am not the most well-rounded person and it might sound stalker-ish, but I get to know about new facts about people and their relationships. There are obvious disadvantages that make me question whether I should still be an avid fan of Facebook and MSN messenger. For one thing, I spend too much time (today, 4 hours) on both that they take away hours from my sleeping time. For another, reality and virtual friendships are totally different things because of the fact that I can’t see my friend’s facial expression when I talk, a crucial way of checking out their reaction. Online, for the surplus of emoticons, ’lols’ and punctuation marks, I can’t tell whether they are really laughing or just hitting “hahaha” because they have nothing else to say.
#3 To what extent are you aware of viral marketing, the use of “advertorials” (presenting advertisements as editorial content), or direct marketing on Facebook and other social networking sites?
I see a lot of both on Facebook and social networking sites such as www.naver.com and www.daum.net , which have many editorials displayed on the front page. I am not always aware when I read editorials, but I think almost all articles have been written to promote a new Korean boy band, a new cafe at Apgujeong or just about anything. These days, quite a few articles reveal new celebrity couples, which contrasts with the Korean celebrity tradition of hiding their relationships for the fear of losing fans. However, I read somewhere that entertainment companies release these news articles on purpose to make their celebrities more famous and strongly engraved in people’s minds. More direct form of marketing is found on Facebook. On the right hand side, there is a humble logo with a few sentences that advertises “shop at Ralph Lauren,” “become a fan of Park Tae Hwan” or “10 in April.” I don’t see the consistency in what these advertisements try to sell (a product or an idea?), but this subtle but always-there marketing is pretty powerful because I am always on Facebook.
#4 Personal response based on your individual viewing of “Growing Up Online”.
My parents have scolded me about being on the computer for longer than I need to, but they have never put my computer in the family room or put a lock on the computer like the parents of kids on “Growing Up Online.” It was quite a culture shock because none of my friends’ conservative parents would go to such measures. Thus, Korean kids my brother’s age tend to waste time playing Starcraft, Bnb or other online games, but that’s only for a while, and it’s only a phase. Kids would quit when they realize they have better things to do, such as doing their homework assignment. I think kids should learn how to control themselves and their use of the Internet because they will find deceptive ways to get around their parents’ eyes if their parents allow only so much, and this makes them more curious. On the flip side, I have tried to control myself by turning off the monitor when I am doing homework or turning off the computer when I have many things due the next day.
