Fall of the Library

            When was the last time you walked into a library to borrow a book?  Probably hasn’t been too recent.  It seems as if more and more things that are originally hardcopy and physical, are turning into digital and electronic.  The things that are going the fastest are books, newspapers, journals, and magazines.   Most to all of these can now be accessed online, and for free!

            First, let’s focus on books for school.  Textbooks haven’t quite made the complete switch to digital yet.  However, it is definitely getting there.  Textbooks have always been a hassle.  From being too heavy and damaging students back, to being way too expensive and being outdated way too fast.  Imagine only a few years from, books that are basically weightless, with costs half as what they used to be due to the lessened materials used to produce them, and a way to have them electronically updates whenever a new version comes out.  For students and teachers, this would be wonderful, and I believe it is definitely in reach. 

            Then, you can think about books you read for fun.  For those of you who like to read, it must be a hassle carrying around that book all the time, and worrying about it getting damaged.  Furthermore, if you want to read more than one at a certain sitting, there’s just going to be more to carry.  Recently, the Kindle revolution has started.  Now, you can purchase your books online and they are instantly transferred to you Kindle device.  There you can read one to many books, and take it everywhere with you; completely portable and convenient.  Now, this kind of application can be downloaded for any type of device from phones to iPods and iPads.

            Continuing on that idea, applications have been built for multiple print sources such as magazines and newspapers.  Just like the books, reading them through your electronic device is so much easier, convenient and portable.  With these new technologies emerging, who will ever want to go back to having these products in print; bulky, and eventually turning into waste?  In a way, technology could be saving our environment.

            And lastly, journals, not something you need on an everyday basis, but for students, very important when doing research papers.  These have been electronic for a while, and what a relief that they are.  There are so many types of different journals and so many editions and volumes of them as well.  The main advantage to having them online is because you can easily sort through them and search for exactly what you need.  What a hassle it would be if you have to go through hundreds of journal articles just to find some simple answer.

            My point is, most print sources are turning electronic.  With this happening, what is going to happen to our libraries?  Will they have to change their function?  In that case, wouldn’t it just be considered some sort of Internet café?  It’s hard to believe that something that we all grew up knowing may encounter a huge change.  Libraries will no longer be known as that building with all the books and resources, but instead that site where I can search for books and resources.


UPDATE(3/15): I was reading some of the news today and came across this article
http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/nyt/20110315_Publishers_and_libraries_struggle_over_terms_of_e-books.html

Technology, Social Interaction, and Relationships

Recently, social interaction has been highly influenced by technology in a way that technology has been starting to replace the old ways of interaction.  On the whole, I personally believe that this spread of technology has a negative effect on face-to-face interaction.  In the olden days, the only way to communicate with someone is to physically go and talk to him or her.  Then, along the way came letters and telephones.  However, in those days, physical communication was always the highest priority.  Now, almost all three of those means of communication have disappeared.  Letters can be an exception because typing is almost like writing.  Anyways, currently, we live by text messages, instant messages, and social networks.  Because of this, there is hardly even time for face-to-face interaction.  I feel that due to this circumstance, as a society, we are going to become more and more less sociable and more socially awkward in the sense that when put in a situation consisting of little to no technology, we wouldn’t know what to do.  What interests me the most is what the future holds.  Nowadays, kids in elementary school have already discovered texting. In a few years, how developed will their social skills be if in their developmental stage, they were glued to their cellular phones?
Online relationships are a completely different story.  I feel that to some, it can actually be beneficial.  Obviously, if someone is searching for a companion online, there must be something holding them back from doing in the real world whether is be a physical or mental disability.  By engaging in these types of activities online, it takes away the initial nervousness.  Online profiles of the person can show exactly what they want people to see instead of just what sticks out.  Of course, people with disabilities will list them and people with physical insecurities will post a picture, but it won’t go out to the world, but instead only to those who will accept it.  In this kind of scenario I feel that online relationships can be very beneficial.  However, for those who are more than capable to find a companion in the real world, but instead run to the Internet, I don’t think that it is that beneficial to them.  It takes away a lot of the characteristics that make a relationship special.  Also, it just takes for granted the relationships that have already been made by relying on websites to find someone “compatible.”
As a society, we need to make sure our world doesn’t evolve into a virtual world.  We need the real world for we are real people and we need real relationships with those around us.  Although technology can be very useful, it should only be side dish in our relationships instead of being the full meal.

Long Distance Relationships and the Internet

Technology has definitely come a long way since letter-writing days.  When I think of an olden day long distance relationship, I immediately picture the man in the army and the woman at home writing letters and patiently waiting for a reply.  I’m almost certain that this type of relationship has gone extinct.  Since then, there has been the phenomenon called the Internet and through that, a wide range of ways to keep in contact with the one you love.

Long distance relationships in general are more common these days due to various job opportunities and college in general.  Even though they may not exactly last very long, they do still exist.  Currently, I’m in a long distance relationship and I can admit that it would not be happening if it weren’t for the modern day technologies such as email, smart phones, and iChat.

Going down the list, let’s start with email.  Email is like child of the letter, much more advanced and way faster.  Email is something that is used by almost everyone.  Like the letter it can be accessed anywhere.  Unlike the letter, it is basically free.  My boyfriend lives in Japan, and most of the time, the time difference does not work out in our favor.  In this case we use email to contact one another knowing that sooner or later the other will read it and respond.  Something like this reminds me highly of one of the benefits of online social support groups.  The benefit of the OSSGs was that by writing you are able to work on your own time, carefully examine what you have to say before you send it, and also use the writing for therapy uses.  In one sense this is a great way to monitor yourself in the meaning that you don’t have to worry about slipping something you weren’t supposed to mention.  This is also really good when we get into an argument.  By using email, I am able to reevaluate the issue and myself and how I am handling it.  On the whole, email works out for the advantage, except that it still is something you have to wait for, and may not be as personal as a letter might have been 50 years ago.

Next topic--smart phones.  My blackberry literally saves me.  I am connected to the Internet 24/7 which means I can access my emails at any time, and also am on Google chat all the time.  I feel that smart phones in general are a big help to everyday activities.  This is probably why most people have them, and that normal phones are no longer in existence.  

And lastly, there is iChat.  Besides the Internet as a whole, I feel that iChat keeps my relationship together.  Living so far away from each other and knowing visits are scarce, it is nice to be able to have a “face to face” conversation once in a while.  I feel that through iChat you kind of hold onto the relationship of being able to talk face to face and makes it less awkward when you actually are together.  Without iChat, long distance relationships would rely on strictly text.  With only text, you lose a lot of emotion.  At least when you can see the other person, you are able to pick up how they are feeling and can see reactions, where letters exclude both of these.  Even now, iChat is kinda on the old side due to the new face time.  I personally do not have this feature, but I'm sure, for those who want to keep in touch, it is something very useful to have.

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, and my boyfriend halfway around the world, let’s just say I’m not unhappy.  Today isn’t 20 years ago and the Internet has once again succeeded in my books.