Digital Nation !

Ugh so this Sunday was my first without TV. That meant no Keeping Up With the Kardashians :( Honestly, this week being deprived of television wasn't that bad. At first, I really did not know how I would get through it without cheating. I normally watch TV all the time, I even fall asleep to it. Since I couldn't constantly have it on, however, I realized that I actually got a ton of school work done early for once. I didn't stay up late writing my papers after my shows were over. Procrastination is my middle name, but I was actually so much more relieved after getting everything out of the way. I'll definitely be cutting back on my TV hours Monday-Thursday at least. On another note, in media class we watched this super long video titled 'Digital Nation'. All I can say is WOW. The video shows how people are affected by technology, especially video games! One part showed a young boy who was actually sent, by his mother, to a camp-like place in order to treat his video game obsession. He played for hours everyday, and when asked if the break from games had helped, he replied that it just made him miss it. Another part of the video focused on multi player virtual games such as World of Warcraft. Surprisingly, most of the World of Warcraft players were adults! They were just as obsessed with the game as any teenager would be. It was sad actually, to see that full grown people would indulge in a fantasy world so intensely. Some players actually found significant others through the game, which was kind of cute, but also kind of sad. Instead of meeting with people in person, these players interact through the game, using their avatars as representations of themselves. I'm not going to lie, I can't live without my blackberry; it's always on and I even sleep with it right under my pillow so I can easily answer texts at all hours. Even though I love my blackberry, I could never ever see myself being extremely addicted to a video game. A cyber world just does not compare to the real thing.