Keeping Up With the Digital Culture

Before learning the fundamentals of digital media culture in this course, I was never really aware of how my presence on the internet, or even how the presence of the internet contributed to the digital media culture. Creating and maintaining my own website has allowed me to constantly be aware of my online presence, while also allowing me to be aware of the virtual world.

I never tried to wrap my mind around the codes and all the algorithms that make up the internet, but having a website has initiated me to research more about the computerized world and its functions. I think it is amazing how technology has become so interactive, allowing me to share my work and creative designs to the world, however, the coding behind these actions are so extensive that it kind of scares me. Sometimes, I get overwhelmed by the idea that digital media has become so advanced that it practically has a mind of its own: a mind much more complex and efficient than the average human.

Not only has creating a website had me thinking about the computer science behind digital media culture, but it has prompted me to reevaluate my role in the digital media culture. I always think of my identity and who I am as a person, but also how the things I do make me the person I am. I have started thinking a lot of the person I would be if digital media culture didn't exist, and I have realized that although humans shape culture, the digital media culture has indirectly shaped who we are as a society. This is a culture that has created new forms of entertainment, new employment positions, and new digital devices. Again, I can't help but wonder how I would identity myself as a person if the digitial media culture revolution never happened.