reaction to chapter 2

This chapter explained the internet as a communication medium as well as the six key qualities of the medium. As the author stated, the internet is specified as a “macromedium.” This is simply due to the fact that the internet does not fit into just one type of category. There are many different forms and categories of communicating. However, we cannot categorize the internet into one specific group because there is such a wide range of ways you can communicate through and on the internet. The six key qualities of the medium which makes the internet a “macromedium” are mutilmediated, hypertextual, interactive, synchronous, packet based, and digital. As stated in this chapter, the internet is not just for personal communication uses. In most cases, the internet is for a large audience, such as thousands and thousands of people we may not personally know. The internet has become so vastly advanced since its beginnings that we can do countless number of things on it. For example, the world’s current events are available at an instant. We can shop for items online that are mailed right to your doorsteps. We can also write personal blogs, such as the blogs we are using for anyone and everyone in the world to read. The music industry is also facing a problem with selling records due to the fact that we can simply download any music we want with just a click of our mouse, as well as downloading movies and tv shows. Even the instant messaging and e-mailing as been updated by allowing us to voice chat and chat through a webcam to actually hear and see the person on the other side of the screen. I think the most recent advancement I have encountered is being able to order food, like pizza, online as well as doing your grocery shopping online from places like Stop & Shop and have it delivered right to your door as if you were shopping for clothes or other items. Though the advancements of the internet have done a great deal to help us, as every story goes, I feel there is negative side to the growing internet. There are many problems with our generation as the internet has become a “necessity.” For starters, people are no longer writing letters via air mail, there is no reason to pick up a newspaper to see what is going on, as well as people being lazy and sitting in front of their computers all day. But I guess those are the obvious matters. This is a silly example, but I think the movie “Wall-E” has a lot to say about people becoming more and more dependent on technology. I feel that technology itself is something that we are all so dependent and reliant on today that we no longer realize how to go out and do things for ourselves on our own without the help of technology.