I had no idea what I was in for when I came to this class. No, that isn’t true — I THOUGHT it was going to be focused on new media (web-series, hypertext, and my beloved video games) in comparison to other traditional media, to theoretically locate the new technology in relation to the old. I would have loved a class like that, especially since I’m into philosophy, genre, and media in general.

[Fight! Fight! Fight!]

What I got wasn’t what I expected, of course — a team-based, socially aware course focusing on the issues surrounding race, gender and New Media. It wasn’t what I expected, but it was a wonderful experience all the same. In fact, I’d say it was all the better because it WASN’T what I expected. All we’ve touched on — the definition of new media, television and postmodern media theory, and the scary role that Google has in our lives — have challenged my original views and sense of security in my knowledge and beliefs. It has expanded my knowledge base and range of perspectives, something essential for my academic career going forward (and, in many cases, just good for me as a human being.)

(Like this, except perhaps less dramatic)

Our project on Google and the Academy has been particularly eye-opening. The thing that got me most was the idea of search tracking and filter bubbles. It’s not that I’m worried about the government getting my information or detest ads, really — the biggest thing is that Google thinks it knows what I want to hear, and shows me that. I know what I want to hear, but I don’t know what I DON’T want to hear — the search items that will challenge me and force me to expand my viewpoint. I think, because of this, I am going to try to switch to DuckDuckGo for a while as my primary search engine.

(The duck’s name is Dax, by the way. It’s great to have a Mascot!)

Since it doesn’t track, I’ll get very different results. Now, that may end up to be no different than Google, better than Google, or perhaps even worse. Whatever comes of it, however, I want to give it a try. The last thing I want is to remain too comfortable in my beliefs, to get fat and lazy upon my indulgent pieces of knowledge. I want to remain curious, discover all there is to see in this realm of new media, and always remain on the edge of my comfort zone. I know I have to be vigilant about this, too, because it’s all too easy to lean on the familiarity of a search bar.

(Ironically, that’s exactly how I found this stock photo.)