Twitter, where have you been all my life? - Twitter Response Questions

So I started the Twitter experiment when I got home from school on Thursday and immediately I took to it. I really enjoyed it more than I can even put into words. I could say whatever I wanted, whatever I was doing, whatever I was feeling, and more. It was oddly liberating and extremely cathartic. I have been searching for an outlet to vent and rant and express my feelings and along with this blog and now my new Twitter, I feel like I've finally found that so thank you, Twitter. I think of the Twitter world as a kind of spiderweb where individual strings are strung and spun together. Twitter is one more way that we can be globally connected to the world around us and the people who live in it. I learned that Twitter was not just ranting about how you are feeling or seeing what your favorite celebrity had for lunch but also as a news source. There was a lot of freedom that came along with Twitter and I really enjoyed that. I also liked that you could customize it to make it more like you and you could also keep it private so that people you didn't know and people that you didn't want to see it couldn't. I definitely agree with David Carr's idea that Twitter will endure. I especially agreed with the statement, "The act of publishing on Twitter is so friction-free -- a few keystrokes and hit send -- that you can forget that others are listening." When I was updating my Twitter, I wasn't saying something that I hoped someone would read or was exceptionally witty or intelligent...I was just speaking from the heart and expressing what I was feeling at that exact moment. That's why I feel that Twitter will endure. People are about to just express their feelings and talk about whatever they want to. For me, updating my Twitter was like having a sound board that I could bounce ideas off of and in the end, it would make me feel better because I would really take the time to think about it. Twitter fits in with Winston's thoughts on new technologies because everyone thought that Twitter just appeared out of no where but actually it took a while to come into fruition. Twitter is convenient, because most people can just update it from their phone, and simple to understand. And one of the main reasons that Twitter came about was supervening social necessities, which is a concept that Winston discussed. Obviously there was some situation or reason that Twitter came about...there was a perceived need. Honestly, I think I'm going to keep up with my Twitter even after this experiment is over.

Tweet me,
Marisa.

Reaction to the Articles

1. "Cellphones, Text and Lovers" by David Brooks.
I totally agree with some of the information in this article. I believe that technology has definitely opened up a whole new way to meet new people and stay in touch. Back in the olden days, people used to meet through school, neighborhoods, and other social institutions such as those. But now people meet online through Facebook or dating websites. I also agree with Brooks when he says that the social scripts from the previous generation do not exist anymore. "But technology has made this extremely difficult. Etiquette is all about obstacles and restraint. But technology, especially cellphone and texting technology, dissolves obstacles. Suitors now contact each other in an instantaneous, frictionless sphere separated from larger social institutions and commitments." I really enjoyed this part of the article because I see it in my everyday life. There is no longer a sense of privacy and intrusion.

2. "The Benefits of Distraction and Over-stimulation" by Sam Anderson.
Like I said in my previous blog, I do not see a problem with multitasking. When I get distracted and overstimulated, it keeps me more alert and I can get stuff done. If I only focused on one thing at a time, I would have absolutely no time to get anything done. There is a serious lack of an attention span these days because now that we have information and that sort of thing at our finger tips and with one click of a button, we feel entitled to have everything come to us like that. We expect that if we can figure Lindsay Lohan's mother's middle name than we should obviously be able to get things handed to us quickly and efficiently. Along with this comes more and more impatience and intolerance for waiting or not getting our way.

3. "The Way We Live Now: A Facebook Christmas Love Story" by Walter Kirn.
I enjoyed this article a lot. I have seen it in my own life that Facebook brings people together. I have countless stories about reconnecting and finding friends that I had lost touch with along the way. I got in touch with my best friend from 5th grade, my old Ballet teacher, and even a relative that I did not know existed in Italy. It was a wonderful article to read about. It makes me miss the holidays, especially Christmas. Christmastime is always so joyous and positive and my whole family gets together, which makes me happy.

Digital Nation

In class on Thursday, we watched a video called "Digital Nation" which discussed how technology is affecting the youth of America and education. They began with a look at students attending MIT who are amongst the smartest and most technologically wired people in the nation. In an interview, a professor from MIT determined that students need stimulation in new ways because of the changing times and the influence of technology. I could not agree more! I find that I have such a short attention span that my focus zips from one thing to another. I find it difficult in class not to get bored or tired in some cases because of the lack of technological usage in each class. I would be much more likely to pay attention with more exciting us of technology such as computers and smartboards. Teachers now have the burden of testing students on how well they are paying attention and how well they are absorbing the information. It is not that students are necessarily stupider or not hard workers but rather they are distracted.

I agree with many of the students when they discussed multitasking. As of right now, I am instant messaging a friend, checking Facebook, writing my blog, and looking up information for my Sociology journal. Everything is getting done. I find that I multitask because I get so bored after a while when looking and focusing on just one thing. The constant shift between subjects and going from education to recreation on the computer helps me stay alert. However, I can see the opposite side of the argument as well. When you are bouncing back from one thing to another, you are not devoting your sole focus on any one thing, which can lead to not doing your best job because you are so easily taken away from it. In the video, we saw that they have done tests determining that multitasking is not as effective as we think. They did brain imaging and other tests to show this.

Another part of the video dealt with a children in Asia who has become completely obsessed with technology and most specifically video and computer games. I am not an avid user of either of these but I can definitely see how that can get addicting. I have a few friends who I know are victim of this. In addition, there was an episode of True Life on MTV about addiction to computer and video games. Furthermore, I thought it was extremely interesting that they were sending some of the kids to Korean rescue camps, which treated their Internet addiction as if it was a psychiatric disorder. I honestly did not know that it was this serious of a problem. I know that I go on the computer and on my iPhone frequently but I would hardly say that I am all that addicted to it...at least not to the extent that these children are. But maybe I'm in denial...and don't they say that the first step is admitting that you have a problem? Haha.

Hasta luego,

Marisa

Day 4 of 4...home free

Today is the final day of my Perez Hilton-free four day weekend. I must say that it was a brilliant experiment to experience. I didn't really realize how much time I was wasting when I visit Perez Hilton's celebrity blog. The past couple of days I have definitely felt like I had more time to do other more important things. It was difficult not to visit the website but I got through it. Now I realize that I can obviously do without the blog. However, I also realize that soon I'm probably going to visit the blog and catch up on the 50 something amount of pages that I've missed reading while on my hiatus from Perez Hilton's blog.

Today was a very relaxing day being that we were off from school. I felt very calm, rested, and a peace. However, I have been feeling a little under the weather as well. Did you ever have that feeling that you're just about to get sick? Well, that's what I've had the past couple of days now. My throat is really sore and scratchy, which led to me devouring almost an entire pack of HALLS honey lemon cough drops. Maybe it's been my sleep pattern that's made me feel like this. I pray it's the latter reason because I hate being sick! But who does like it?!

It's snowing right now as I sit with my parents watching the Canadian pair figure skating duo at the Olympics. I love watching skating. It's so beautiful and graceful. Not to mention they have the prettiest costumes and the most daring stunts. The farthest thing from my mind is Perez Hilton and the not-so-kind words he has to say about a myriad of celebrities. I'm so glad that I did this experiment and put my all into it--I swear that I didn't cheat once! :)

Talk to you later,
Marisa

Day 3 of 4...almost there

The worst thing about this Perez Hilton-free four day weekend is that I have been going to be late and waking up excruciatingly early. I'm not sure if it's related or not but it's something that's been bothering me lately so I figured that I'd share. I woke up this morning at 8:30...8:30?! I had no where to be, nothing to do, no one to see--even though it's Valentine's Day. I woke up, stared at my stark white ceilings, and berated myself for being up so early. I tried to roll over and force myself to go back to sleep but that didn't work. I tried to take a nap later on in the day but that didn't work. And now, it's 9:41 and I'm tired...there's something wrong with that. Another issue that's plaguing me is that I have a Perez Hilton application on my iPhone...that little pink box is taunting me and daring me to break my streak.



Because I woke up so early and had nothing to do, I was so tempted to check Perez Hilton and see how some celebrities were celebrating Valentine's Day but I refrained. I went to Border's--my absolutely favorite place--with my mother and ran to the magazine rack to get some semblance of what was going on in the world of celebrities...my home away from home. My mother made me put them away and I got a Cookies and Cream Javakula from Seattle's Best Coffee inside Border's to placate and calm myself. I was so bored today that I even accompanied my mother on a run to BJ's...and I hate food shopping. It's my lease favorite thing, second only to the Boston Red Sox. So that's saying something.

Ta ta,
Marisa

PS: Happy Valentine's Day to everyone ESPECIALLY those of us who find themselves alone or without a valentine for whatever reason.

Day 2 of 4...two down, one to go

Today was slightly easier to deal with not reading Perez Hilton's. I found myself with a lot more energy today. Similarly to yesterday, I feel almost rejuvenated and revitalized. I had a lot more energy today than I usually do. I got up early, had pancakes for breakfast, and then straightened up my room. When I'm organized and my room is clean, I just feel more productive and like there's more hours in the day. I always feel like I never have enough time to get everything done but today was different. I can only imagine that it is probably because I didn't waste my entire day surfing the Internet. Instead, I also went out to lunch and got my nails done with my best friend and helped my dad work on the bathroom downstairs. Part of me finds it very difficult not to type it into the address bar when I open up my web browser purely just because it's like muscle memory. Another part of me feels like I have been wasting my time.

So long for now,
Marisa

Day 1 of 4 without Perez Hilton

One of my favorite websites to visit (multiple times a day) is Perez Hilton's celebrity gossip blog. I can't help but read it numerous times a day. It's often vulgar and usually mean but always amusing and hilarious. It's the way I keep connected with the outside world...the world of celebrities. It seems vapid and stupid for me to constantly check what's going on in the lives of celebrities like Tiger Woods and Lindsay Lohan, but it's an addiction. More than that, it's an escape. Instead of worrying about what's going on with my friends who are away from home for the first time at college--some making terrible decisions--or about my family--who should have a reality TV show made about them because they're so dysfunctional, I choose to concentrate on the lives of celebrities. Sure, most of the time it's watching their demise and observing them in their natural habitat like gorillas in a zoo, but it's a guilty pleasure.

Being that I visit the site so often, I decided that it would be the perfect thing to give up for four days...little did I know. So far, I feel so removed from the world of pop culture and the lives of my favorite and even least favorite celebrities (Miley Cyrus!). I'm going through some serious withdrawal. However, it has forced me to focus on more important things...like homework...and less important things like Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew and True Life: I'm in a Love Triangle to keep myself occupied. And now, as I sit watching the Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Canada, I feel like I actually did something with my day other than sitting in front of the computer screen and reading pages and pages of the gossip and libel that is plastered on Perez Hilton's website. I went out to lunch with my father and had some father-daughter time and I did some homework and I went to the movies and out to dinner with my friend. I focused a little more on my own life and a little less on the latest news about Tiger Woods and his wife trying to work things out. I still miss Perez...as if he's my friend or something that's gone on vacation and that is out of cell service range. But alas, I shall soldier on...

Until next time,
Marisa.

About Me

Testing...testing...1...2...3.

My name is Marisa Anziano. I attend CW Post University. I am currently a second semester freshman in my Cinema 304 class. My birthday is August 1st. I am currently undeclared and have no idea what I want to do with my life. I am currently sitting between Alissa and Jenna. I am a huge Yankees fan. I have been dancing since I was 3 years old -- I currently take Tap and Hip Hop. I enjoy hanging out with friends, listening to music, reading magazines, watching movies, and shopping. I find myself super hilarious and I love making people laugh and being the center of attention. I have a really obnoxious laugh. I have two cats: Cleo and Skeeter. I work as a Teacher's Assistant at the Center for Gifted Youth at CW Post.