Topic 1: Reflection

I found the whole concept of digital residents and visitors so intriguing. It is a topic that defines all of us in regards to our online usage, yet it is not a spectrum that I had ever really considered. In my first post, I stated that I originally saw myself as a mixture between being a visitor and resident. However, on reflection to Nicole’s comment in particular, I’m starting to think that maybe I do fall closer to the ‘resident’ side of the scale –I always turn to Google when I need to find the answer to something, so perhaps this is the start to a more visible online presence… Additionally, the image I embedded by Vojvodic seemed to spur a lot of discussion on my previous comments. Andy and Nicole liked it; Olivia found it as emotive as I did. Either way, everyone believed that it was a telling representation of the up and coming generation of inherent digital residents. Whilst on the subject of visuals, I think that Hayley, Leigh and Tamara’s used infographics and videos well to neatly unravel the ambiguity of the topic at hand. Overall, when reflecting on the whole conceptualisation of digital residents and visitors, and after having visited many of the blogs of the UOSM2008 cohort, I still do believe that these notions are far too exclusive and binary to filter each and every individual affectively. The e-world is home to so many different people, of all ages, backgrounds and abilities. Despite White and Le Cornu acknowledging the advent of digital fluency in both residents and visitors, I firmly believe that the variables need to be revised to be more inclusive of today’s total online population.

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