Journal #4

(Fun fact: I typed “$4” instead of “#4” accidentally before I fixed it…yes, that will be $4 to view this post, please.)

Goldsmith’s idea that we’re not really wasting time when we’re wasting time is actually rather appealing to me. Honestly, I’ve never been to sure whether I should really be putting much stock into those “Warning: Danger!” signs that people always seem to be advertising about the dangers of the internet (that, ironically, are posted on the internet). In my opinion, most people my age know what to avoid clicking on (I’m not interested in single Russian females in my area, thank you very much) and what is appropriate to share publicly (most people my age don’t post videos of themselves randomly insulting someone’s mom (I made that up, but it’s true that no one really does that because that’s really insulting)). However, I’d also say that Goldsmith is really, really, really, open-minded about it in ways that I’m not, and I’ve more or less grown up under the influence of social media and the internet, even if I wasn’t really part of it until high school. His idea that we’re never wasting time when we’re exploring the net is kind of absurd, if you ask me. I waste my time on it all the time when I’m trying to get things done — In the last hour alone, I’ve paused writing this journal entry to stop and check up on my farm game that everyone guilty-plays or check my email. The internet has absolutely changed our mindset about how we focus; in the past, it was relatively easy to be focused because our friends weren’t just a touch away — we had to either leave the house or call them over the landline, both things that give you time to pause and really evaluate if that’s truly what you should be doing right then and there. Even though I agree with Goldsmith that the internet isn’t necessarily a bad thing (the medium is changing of how we communicate, not necessarily the message itself), I think Goldsmith is a little too open about his ideas concerning what is and isn’t a concern.