How the Digiral Age and Technology Has Impacetd My Life

Communications 110: Media and Society

13 June 2005

Project 1: How the Digital Age and Technology Has Impacted My Life

All the different types of digital devices have impacted my life. From books to the Internet my life is influenced by these mass communication devices. I read textbooks and different novels for school to gain information and knowledge. When I was living with my parents in New Orleans, I would read The Times Picayune on a daily basis. Now when I visit my parents, I still pick up the newspaper and read the current events happening back home which can also be very entertaining. Magazines have a large impact on my life here in Lafayette. I will read The Times and The Independent on a weekly basis. These magazines keep me connected to the political world and to the ongoing and upcoming events happening in and around Lafayette. Television plays a very major role in my life. When I want to relax, I will watch many different and entertaining shows. The television also provides an outlet for news, weather and political events happening all over the world. My most favorite form of digital media is going to the movies. This is a sporadic event that happens only when I see a preview, usually on television, which sparks my interest and imagination. I go to the movies mainly for entertainment or escapism. Renting movies is also a way in which I relax and entertain my friends and myself. The radio is also an important form of communication that I use in my daily life. I listen to the radio for news, weather, traffic bulletins, and mainly for music. I love music and listen to it whenever I am driving in my car or just doing things around the house. The Internet has had a huge impact on my life. I do not go online every day, but when I do it helps me to keep in contact with distant friends and relatives. It provides an outlet to exchange pictures and experiences instantly with anyone I choose. I also use the Internet for news updates, weather and for entertainment such as jokes or horoscopes.

I believe that some of these mass communication features have helped to make my life more efficient. The Internet, television, and radio help to keep me connected with the world on and instantaneous basis. Information is sent out as soon as it is available and I receive it on the spot. Some forms of communication take time to be delivered so I think that books, newspapers and magazines are not very efficient forms of communication. Many people say that a newspaper is yesterday's news and I find this to be very true. By the time a newspaper is printed and delivered, there have been many new events in the world that will not be in that edition of the newspaper. At work, the computer plays a very important role in the delivery of information. I work in a restaurant and when someone orders food or drink, I enter the information in the computer and it is instantly sent to the person in charge of preparing the item. The bar gets the drink orders and the kitchen gets an immediate printout of that person's order without me having to directly inform them. The Internet, television and radio are the most efficient forms of communication at home or for entertainment because of their connivance and availability. Books, magazines, and newspapers are not that efficient because they must be personally delivered or picked up from the distributors.

Everyone has a strict budget to follow in his or her everyday lives. Textbooks are expensive but necessary to gain an education. Thankfully there are outlets in the world to assist anyone in getting and education. The magazines that I read are free, the only cost lies in the gas needed to get myself to the distributor. The only newspaper I read is delivered to my parent's house in New Orleans; therefore they pick up the cost. My apartment complex provides twenty-five channels for free and I do not subscribe to any extra channels. I find all the news and entertainment I need within these channels. Movies are expensive to see in a theater; therefore I do not go to the movie theater often. Only when I am greatly interested will I spend the money to experience a movie in a theater. I mostly rent movies to view at home which saves money and is more convenient because I can get the movie when I want, watch it when I want, and return it at my convenience. The Internet is the only form on communication that I personally pay for out of my pocket. I have