dimanche, octobre 14

I'm a digital immigrant but not only

#SMCSFBlogOff  

I don't remember when I learned this expression but I've been talking about it a lot lately.
I spend my day - and sometimes part of the night - online. I work online. And from time to time I take a peek to my personal cell phone to check what's going on (mostly emails, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram).

I first started using computers when I got in France ages ago, last century, on the mid 90's. I din't have a personal computer but I loved to search for anything on the library's catalog because thé catalog was online. I felt then like a techie because I was an expert of book search at the BPI (Bibliothèque Publique d'Information at Centre Georges Pompidou). I'd explain to other people how to search for a book from once in a while.

Than came the time of the Internet. I met the Internet at an intership in 96 where I was at the organization committee of a multimedia festival for art and heritage. On the first edition we organized a show of museums websites. We built our catalog and during the professional conferences days there was a free access computer where people could go surf the websites.

After that I got my first private and personal email address in 97. I Knesset I was lost for thecnology when I met the meme of the epoc: you know you're an Internet addict when you get home and you check first your emails than you answering machine.

I worked at an office in 99 where having a professional email from the office was something special and meant power. I only had my direct line there and  I got Internet access like after 6 months I was working there but no professional email address.
People felt powerful, those who had the email address at work. but they didn't have at home and some where pissed of to know that I the little thingy that worked there had my own private email address.
Yup.

Now on Twitter we are talking about à new kind of people. It's not linked to à generation but to one's multiple lifes. You can read on people's profiles: I'm a worker / skateboarder / oncle / Tv show lover / cat feeder / grandmom's walker etc.

I'm going to go straight away update my Twitter profile: no more comma. Vivat the slashes!

Today, it's easier to "talk" to me by email than by phone. Well, it is also because I worked for a few years on the phone, first on a hotline for an Internet provider, than for an insurance/assistance company.
I have 2 blogs (I closed the 3rd one), a Facebook page, 3 twitter accounts (for different purposes, and they may go with a specific blog), I'm Pinterest, Instagram, Fancy, Foodreporter, Foursquare, just got to Path, LinkedIn, Viadeo, Xing, I have a G+ profile but I haven't managed yet to stick to it, I'm leaving my orkut page die, lost my Multiply page and some others that' I don't remember.

In other words I'm always online.

Then I think of my godson, who is 4 years old. He should be a digital native but his not. Or not yet.
His parents don't want to see him too early with a tablet. They don't have a smartphone they have a simple cell phone, you know, those phones of 5-6 years ago, with which you could only... call people and send SMS. They have a computer, one for both gown-ups.
I understand the parents. But I still think it is awkward. We should live with our time. He should live with his time.
Or not?

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