The World is Flat

After watching Thomas L. Friedman's lecture on "The World is Flat" I have come to realize exactly how far the world has come in producing and transforming technology. When I wake up in the morning I head straight to my computer to catch up on e-mails and messages on Facebook. I am able to do this because of the browser, which Friedman states, brought the internet to life. We as web users have the ability to choose what we want to search and publish on the internet because we have an internet browser. I currently opened up the Firefox browser to log onto Blogger.com to write this post. Browsers also give us the option to tag various websites, deeming them "favorites". The internet is all about making it your own. It is about making it what interests you and how the internet will best serve your work and leisure abilities.

Friedman states "global economic playing field is being leveled and you Americans are not ready". WHAT? This quotation has me dumbfounded. Every time I turn on the television I see MAC coming out with the latest invention, whether it be an iPad or an updated version of the computer or the iPod. New updates and inventions are shown to the American public on a daily basis. The only thing I can think of that would make sense in regards to Friedman's statement is that the technologies are constantly changing and Americans are not ready because every time a new technology emerges Americans are just getting used to the "old" technology.

With the Digital Natives, such as myself and the individuals younger than me, we find ourselves adapting every day. We see our favorite browser needs updating and we download the latest version. It will finish downloading and look different, therefore we must adapt to the changes being set in front of us. We learn by example but also by spending a good portion of our time on the internet and the computer for class work. Classes have adapted their learning patterns as well giving the students more work on the internet and computers rather than with a pen, pencil and a piece of paper. Computer work is more interactive, especially with the amount of programs individuals can join and use for collaboration.

So when I log off this site and log off my browser, I know the latest edition will soon enough pop up looking for a download. I'll be ready to click and allow because I am ready to adapt.