As someone who primarily grew up in the age of technology, I have not put much thought into the ways technology has changed the world. While reflecting on the developments of technology during my own life, I realize just how revolutionary they have been. These developments connect people regardless of where they are located, merging so many groups of people who otherwise would never connect. As the idea of connecting through technology has existed almost my whole life, each development has felt to me like a natural next step, rather than a drastic change to the ways things have been done in the past.

Beginning with the article titled Teens, Social Media, and Technology, I noticed that the technology used most frequently today is a pretty good reflection of my own technology use. As the time frame for this article falls within the majority of my teenage years, I see the shift from things like facebook to instagram, or twitter to things like snapchat to be similar to my own experience. As these platforms grew, I feel as though I grew with them. I also find it interesting the way Facebook has dropped significantly in usage over the years for teens, but my parents and many of their friends and family members in the same age group continue to use it the same amount, if not more. That goes to show the way technology shifts with each generation, yet the previous generation might stick with what they have grown up with or used previously. I can see a new platform like Instagram and Facebook catching the next generation of teens and young adults, just how it has for me and the generation before.  I would be curious to see how the original teens that the data was collected from in this article have changed in their answers throughout time, and if further data collection will support my predictions for the future.

I also found the lecture by Micheal Wesch very interesting. I am currently taking an Anthropology class so this lecture really connected with my new learnings in that class. In my course we have been looking at the idea of culture and how different groups of people connect based on a common shared perspective and set of values. However, I had never thought before watching this lecture about the impact that technology has on culture and the ways a variety of different cultures can become connected through it. Wesch describes media as a way to “mediate human relations”, making me think about how the use of technology can merge cultures that would have never connected without this relationship built with technology. It gives two cultures a piece of common knowledge and understanding. For example, the lecture touches on the “Numa Numa” video and how it became a worldwide sensation. Videos like this build a connection that creates the basis for a unique perspective of the world, potentially different from the one already held. To me, technology takes culture to a whole new level, and could potentially be a step towards a global culture, different than anything we have ever seen before.