In a relationship, real or fake??

Last lecture we've discussed some of the online culture. We've discussed how true would the relationship status be on facebook. I feel so related to this topic, as my first love was started from facebook relationship status. My experience is a good example to illustrate the power and effect of virtual world(internet) upon the real world.

When I was in high school, it used to be popular for students to make fake relationship status just for fun. It's observed that even some of the girls have stated themselves "in a relationship" with the other girls. Obviously these relationship statuses are fake but it somehow becomes a popular online culture of Hong Kong's high school's community.

Last year there's one time a girl initiated a chat with me on facebook (in fact we've been knowing each other for years). She asked me to turn my facebook's relationship status to "in a relationship" with her she said "JUST FOR FUN" and see how people responded, she said "it'd be so funny", then I goes "OK" and became "in a relationship" with her on fb. After a little while we received a whole lot of "likes" on our relationship status. People started to gossip and talk about our "affair"(i admit, we enjoyed all those gossips and rumors at that time). Just little over a week afterwards, finally, I fell in love with her for real. That's how an online-virtual affair evolved to a real deal. So, facebook has given me my first love, or to say the least, facebook is where my first love took place.

The impact of internet should never be underestimated. Though internet is kinda like a virtual world(is like the 2nd space), which was deemed to be unreal, it anyway exists in our real world(the 1st space) and has been an effective channel that transmits information and connects people together. Things happening on internet may end up offering real outcomes in real world(the 1st space).

MultiTasking And Attention Structure+Economy

Do you believe multitasking really is possible? Last lecture we've discussed multitasking behavior as a result of the use of digital technology. If we define multitasking as doing multiple tasks simultaneously, then i personally think it's either impossible, or very hard to carry out multitasking. There's a lot of time I got working on my assignment with the music played by my computer. In this case, my computer is actually multitasking but i'm not. I actually didn't pay any attention to the music as i fully focus on my assignment(or it could be the other way around sometimes). that is even after an hour or so playing just one song over and over, i cant even recall any lyrics of the song.

So I dont believe in "multitasking" but I do believe that digital devices, or social networking sites like facebook, have made us harder to concentrate on one particular task. First off, digital tech. has created a sense in our mind that kinda "reminds" us to check out our facebook, twitter, email, and so on, on a regular basis. It is a concept similar to what we call "continuous partial attention". We habitually check out social networking sites or email inbox becoz we're afraid to miss anything important, like the messages from our employers and love ones. It distracts us a lot and it is proven by the fact that almost every teenager would check out facebook before they start to work on their assignments.

Second, we're used to the hypertext, which is a product of digital media that enables us to get everything at hand easily. With hypertext we can get information we need by simply clicking on some links that direct us to the right pages, we dont have to deal with a massive amount of printed documents or search for information we need throughout some lengthy articles. Our ability to focus is, in fact, gradually amputated by such kinds of channels.

That's why attention is so scarce in nowadays world. In fact, digital media has created new opportunity which is what we call "attention economy", a lot of people posting their articles and videos on web for drawing attention, of couse including doing stupid things, just becoz it's fun? NO, it's a business. Do you think this guy below is really that silly as he seems to be? very doubtful. Whatever, let's check it out it's gonna be epic!