Reading Response: "Program or be Programmed" Ch 6-10 by Rushkoff

While I agree with Rushkoff that we should be ourselves, I think this can be done while maintaining some anonymity. The internet used to be a big place, but it has become small with search engines like Google. Anything ever posted is essentially public record, and I like to maintain interests and hobbies using a screen name sometimes. This doesn't mean I feel free to cast politeness aside. I simply like to participate in a community without any baggage AND without taking that participation outside that community. I can build a reputation inside that community with my contributions, yet I usually have no desire to participate in that community in other (ie: physical) arenas, so my real identity isn't important or necessary. I think it's possible to communicate rationally and politely and own one's words while still using a screen name. Perhaps, as Rushkoff says, I have become cynical (p. 94). I prefer to maintain some anonymity as long as I can (although I realize that corporations like Google know a lot about me).

I agree that a lot can be lost in online forums; Rushkoff points out that only 7% of communication is verbal/written (p. 92). However, participating in online discussions can improve your writing skill, and writing IS a communication form that has been around for millennia. Perhaps digital natives don't gain this skill (not having written any or many letters AND not adapting it to early newgroups).

I appreciate Rushkoff's point about learning to program, but I also see the point in becoming proficient in program use, or more specifically using those programs to create content. I spent years as a system admin, and I felt like I was the custodian of a toolbox that I never got to use. My focus now is on being creative, rather than just maintaining the tools. I'm also focusing on hacking the box -- making it do what I want it to rather than just working within its constraints, so I am taking Rushkoff's advice here. At the same time, it's a struggle to keep up with the versions of constantly updated software (PhotoShop is one example), when I don't feel even half proficient with the version that is just now no longer current. I feel that developers keep us constantly off-balance at proficiency. While there are almost always some cool, new ways of doing things, new versions are largely unnecessary IMO. I certainly see the profit motive behind these releases (in both software and hardware), but it still disappoints me. Now the subscription model is another way of keep users off balance. That's why I've chosen to stay on older (non-CC) versions of Adobe's software AND started using more open source software like GIMP and Inkscape.