Digital Literacy - Destruction or Evolution of the English Language?

I've chosen to write my academic essay on digital literacy, specifically text messaging, in relation to its impact on the English language. Is this impact simply part of the natural process of evolution or is it slowly eroding the English language?

Text messaging has become a phenomena over the last few years probably due to its ability to transcend many age or literacy barriers. However, in an age where time itself is a huge commodity people are cutting corners when text messaging, leaving out letters and punctuation marks that aren't deemed necessary to get their ideas across. Herein lies the problem. Text messaging has become so much a part of our everyday lives that many believe it is changing, and even destroying, the English language. If a person doesn't know how to spell a word it really doesn't matter when sending a text message. Capital letters? Irrelevant. Apostrophes? No chance. Also worth mentioning is the fact that text messaging is especially popular with our youngest citizens. The future of the English language is in their hands and many don't seem to have a clue how to use it properly. Or do they?

Courier Mail journalist, Melanie Christiansen, tells us of a new English syllabus being introduced in Queensland schools. The new syllabus will include digital literacy in addition to the three R's. Leading the charge for digital literacy is Professor McWilliam who says "When a young person writes 'c u l8r', you can either look at it as bad spelling or as an impressive short messaging capacity. In the digital world being able to communicate quickly is essential; sometimes spelling can get in the way."

Many disagree, mainly parents, with the decision to include digital literacy in the school syllabus. They believe the existence of digital literacy in the syllabus detracts from the traditional curriculum where the emphasis is on reading and writing using proper sentence structure and correct spelling.

Journalist, John Richards, became so frustrated with the obvious decline in the use of the apostrophe that he decided to start a club called the Apostrophe Protection Society. Their website is designed to educate those who don't know how or when to use the punctuation mark. Mr Richard states "The little apostrophe deserves our protection. It is indeed a threatened species!" http://www.apostrophe.fsnet.co.uk/chairman.htm

Tutorial Task - Scavenger Hunt

1. What is the weight of the world's biggest pumpkin?
Ron Wallace's pumpkin weighed in at1502 pound at the Frerichs Farm GPC on Oct 7, 2006.
http://www.bigpumpkins.com/

2. What is the best way (quickest, most reliable) to contact Grant Hackett?

Access his blog: http://granthackett.bigblog.com.au/index.do

3. What is the length of a giraffe's tongue?

They have long tongues that measure 18-21 inches long. The inner part of the tongue is pink in color, and then changes to a purplish-black color for the last 6 inches that are commonly visible.

http://www.cmzoo.org/giraffeinfo.html

4. How would you define the word 'ontology'? In your own words, what does it really mean ?

The world ontology has many applications. In the communications sense its basically a system of categorising all the concepts, properties and/or objects in a certain field. Possibly a system of breaking down an idea or concept by labelling and classifying individual bits, parts or ideas to determine what makes it whole or how it works.
http://www.answers.com/topic/ontology-computer-science?method=6

5. What was David Cronenberg's first feature film?
The director's first feature film slithered onscreen in 1975. "Shivers" (aka "The Parasite Murders" and "They Came From Within") is the story of a parasite, designed to help ailing human organs, that goes out of control with sickening results.
http://www.salon.com/people/bc/1999/11/30/cronenberg/

6. When was the original 'Hacker's Manifesto' written?
small essay written January 8th 1986 by Lloyd Blankenship, a hacker who went by the pseudonym of The Mentor.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacker_Manifesto

7. Why do all phone numbers in Hollywood films start with '555'?
At one time, phone companies actually offered a service that helped the movie and TV industries come up with realistic-sounding dead phone numbers, but they reportedly ran out of them. Now, most of the time, the entertainment industry still falls back on 555, which was officially set aside for it in 1973. There is no real phone number beginning with 555.
http://www.eonline.com/print/index.jsp?uuid=15c80ea6-9c1f-4c67-8f5f-6af2efaf7145&contentType=answerBitch

8. What is the cheapest form of travel from Crete to Rhodes?
I'm gonna go ahead and guess boat rather than plane. The Bottom Line on Greek Ferries - Have lots of time and energy but not much money? Greek ferries are great, off-season or high-season. http://gogreece.about.com/od/hydrofoilsferries/a/greeceferries.htm

9. What song was top of the Australian Pop Charts this week in 1965?
I'll Never Find Another You by The Seekers
http://www.onmc.iinet.net.au/topspot/1965.htm

10. Which Brisbane band includes Stephen Stockwell on keyboards and vocals?
Stephen played keyboard for Brisbane punk band, the Black Assassins
http://www.griffith.edu.au/search/search.cgi?collection=griffith&query=Stephen+Stockwell++band

Alphaville - John Wayne meets the Matrix?

Like La Jetee, its a black and white French movie with subtitles. I have found the movie a little difficult to follow but I suppose that's part of its charm. I had a hard time coming to terms with it and I think its because I'm so used to the Hollywood style of movie where things are generally laid out for you. I recently read an article and I can't remember exactly where it came from but there was a quote I found interesting. "The entertainer gives the audience what it wants. The artist gives the audience what it didn't know it wanted." Guess I haven't seen enough art-house movies. I'm not a huge sci-fi fan but parts of Alphaville reminded me of The Matrix. There's the idea that a computer could have so much control over people's lives. Also, the whole way through the Matrix I expected to discover someone was controlling the computer. Completely missed the point of that one.

Alphaville does have some interesting characters though which, intentionally or not, made the film a bit less intense by adding some humour. The main character, Lemmy Caution, is a dark and brooding and rather aggressive 1960's French detective who reminded me of a John Wayne character. Or maybe John Wayne's character is the cowboy version of this French detective. Not sure which came first. I also liked the two scientists, Eckell and Jekyll, or something along those lines. The barcodes on the back of their necks made me laugh. It reminded me of our student numbers. Maybe they're preparing us for the day they tattoo them on our skin.
Unfortunately we ran out of time so if anyone knows how it ends please let me know.
I've posted ideas about this movie on the discussion board if anyone wants to have a look.

An Unexamined Life is Not Worth Living

Okay so I think I'm ready to share a bit about myself now. I can't seem to come up with any one catchy phrase to title my little autobiography. I guess, like most people, I'm many things to many people depending on how they've come into my life. Wife, mum, student, sister, chef (stretching the imagination), chauffeur, accountant blah, blah, blah.

So here are a few facts:
I am an Australian-American born in Germany and married to a New Zealander for six years now. We have two small boys, Aiden is nearly 4 and Ryan is 2 and a half, who have changed our lives in ways we never could have imagined. We live on a couple of acres in Worongary in a house we built about three years ago. It's still a work in progress and probably will be for quite some time.

My decision to study for a bachelor of journalism has been a long time coming. No snap decisions here. About three years ago I took long service leave, then maternity leave and then resigned from my position as a medical receptionist at a radiology company here on the Gold Coast so that I could stay home with Aiden and Ryan. While the boys are still young they are past the baby stage and becoming a little more independant. With this in mind I made a "now or never" decision. I had always wanted to further my education through university. If I didn't at least attempt to get in I knew I would always regret it. Journalism is also something I've always wanted to do so it was the natural choice.

So does the fact that you're reading this make my life worth living? How ridiculous. What does Socrates know anyway?

Shipbreakers "Prosper" on the back of Capitalist Exploitation?

Casual dinner party conversation last night somehow turned to the shipbreakers in India and the perils that these workers face. During the course of this conversation I made a comment about the workers being exploited to which someone gave the rather disdainful reply "No they're not." Quickly changing his mind he added "We're all being exploited." After this comment the conversation moved on in another direction but I was reminded of the definitions of capitalism and hegemony from our textbook, Communication and New Media. Basically the book states that the price of labour is determined by the power of capital to impose conditions of exploitation on the labouring classes (p41). So yes, according to the text, my friend was right - we are all being exploited in some way. Yes, these shipbreakers are being exploited however allowances have been made because they are making money and in a better position to support their families and therefore the economy. Clearly there are degrees of exploitation, many of which appear to be acceptable. Its seems this rather counter-hegemonic idea is slinking into the "limited controversy" sphere of hegemony making it more acceptable. Some even consider that this is the only way to turn a poor country into a rich country http://www.mrcranky.com/movies/zoolander/24.html.

I can't help but wonder if, in the precarious balance of good vs bad, the argument for economic improvement for this region actually outweighs the death and disease of its people.

Nascent Journo Student Establishes Online Presence

Hello and welcome to my blog. As a part of my studies for a degree in journalism I am studying New Communication Technology. In this class each student establishes and maintains a blog. Since you're here reading this I'll assume you know what a blog is and spare you the definition.

While I use a computer and the internet quite regularly at home I find the idea of a blog a little bit intimidating. I'm a fairly private person and the idea of sharing my thoughts with complete strangers is a little scary. On the flip side however I'm sharing my thoughts with complete strangers. I know what you're thinking - but you're studying journalism! Nevertheless I am a virgin blogger.

So far I'm finding the lectures quite interesting. The convenor, Stephen Stockwell, manages to keep the lectures entertaining and somehow still very informative. Maybe its the Hawaiian shirts.

I enjoyed today's screening of La Jetee (isn't a jetee a ballet stance?) although I'm still not sure why. I never expect to enjoy science fiction but am often surprised and this movie was no exception. The film is in French and so is subtitled which adds to the appeal for me I guess. It feels a bit more arty than your average science fiction movie. I think I'll rent Twelve Monkeys, as suggested by Stephen, and compare the two movies. I'll keep you posted.