Response to Michael Wesch: An Anthropological Introduction to Youtube

You know....for years people have been asking me....what the heck is M.I.T. anyway? I can come up with a flowery presentation of words acknowledging the programs goals of....well why don't you just read about it here

Even with a synopsis like that, it is still hard to describe what it IS that we are trying to develop, or gain from being M.I.T'ers. I think that question depends on the individual and their goals within the program, those looking for a more technically oriented approach may venture into programming or graphic design, while those with a knack for writing could become journalists. The results are endless, but if there's one thing for sure, M.I.T. is an ever-evolving study of the implications of mass communication and how our world is continually shaped by technologies everyday. Michael Wesch's video on youtube presents just that

The video made me nostalgic, for years I've wondered "where does my education fit in", what the heck am I going to be able to do with an MIT degree? While there is no definitive answer, paradoxically it has encouraged me to think and question. Implications are integral to understanding the nature of communicative technologies, and it is these implications which encourage us to think critically about the world around us.

It is on coincidence that the program's abbreviation is the same as the renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and it is evident to me that this drive to become a pioneer and revolutionary in its field is being pieced together day by day by the students and individual contributors who continue to find greater meaning behind those three letters.

Web 2.0 is a fascinating example of how our lives are interwoven with the technologies that surround us, and in effect not only change, but shape our perspectives on our lives and the lives of others. Professor Wesch oriented us with Youtube crazes that spawned Lonelygirl15, and explores the allure of everyday life. We are plugged in, spectators to the world stage, and at times forget the joy derived from the most trivial and simple things in life.

Youtube brings that simplicity to life, sharing life's little moments for the world to view. Whether it's watching a guy falling down stairs

Or watching the music video for a song and asking yourself "WTF??"

We realize that we really have become a technoculture, and I dunno about any of you....but i'm certainly not complaining....