She’s Just Shelly

As the lights dim and the crowd goes quiet, her beautiful voice pierces the silence.

Beepbeeepbeepbeeepbeeeeeeep

Mom: Shelly get out of bed! It’s time for school.

Shelly: But ma I don’t have to go to school I’m a star.

Mom: Shelly quit fooling around and get ready for breakfast the bus will be here soon.

At the breakfast table

Dad: Shelly do you think you’ll be able to focus on schoolwork with that new boyfriend, whatshisface?

Shelly: It’s ALEX. Alex Scott. You met him last week. And to answer your question, I’m doing fine, Arthur.

Mom: SHELLY! Do not call your dad Arthur! It’s dad to you sweetie.

Shelly: And it’s SHELLY to you Marie.

Dad: Young lady we will not tolerate that kind of disrespect as long as we are your parents! Now you go outside, get on that bus and get to school before you’re late again.

Shelly: But I’m not done with my breakfast!

Dad: GO!

Shelly struts out of the house to wait for the bus to pick her up. As she steps through the arched threshold of the white Victorian style home perched on top of a slight hill behind a bodacious garden, Shelly slams the door shut behind her thinking about what a pain her parents are.

On the bus

Alex: Hey Shelly, over here!

Shelly: *gives Alex a long passionate kiss* How’s your morning hun.

Alex: Well for one thing it just got better on top of the fact that I didn’t have to hear a single word from my parents just yet.

Bailey (Shelly’s best friend): Hey Shelly did you do the math homework? I need help with it.

Shelly: Oh crap, I forgot all about that I was so caught up with my history paper.

Shelly and Bailey do their homework on the bus to school.

At school

First period- history

Shelly: Bailey, what do you have first?

Bailey: Gym, you’re coming with me, aren’t you?

Shelly: You betcha. I have history first and I don’t think I want to start the day off with Mr. Lambert’s droning voice.

Bailey: Whatever you wanna do. Don’t you have a history paper to turn in anyway?

Shelly: Yea I’ll ask Adam to hand it in for me.

Home

Mom: Shelly is that you? Where on earth were you?? Why didn’t you call?? Do you have any idea what time it is?? Are you ok? Where were you?

Shelly: Heeeey mom. I think its 10pm but iderno for sure. And I’m fine hahah. I feel fine.

Mom: IS THAT ALCOHOL I SMELL ON YOUR BREATH?? Shelly its 2 in the morning. Go to bed. Your father and I are going to have to have a talk with you tomorrow.

Shelly: Gnight ma

Shelly’s parents have a long talk to her about her focus on school. They realize that the school year is nearing its end but it is in no way acceptable for her to get home 2 in the morning highly intoxicated without informing them that she was going out in the first place. Shelly is grounded until they can trust her again. No matter how much she argues with them that she is on top of things in school, they don’t believe her because of her rash actions the night before.

The school year slowly comes to an end and Shelly has broken her grounding multiple times. Her parents have given up punishing and disciplining her because she has no care for any repercussions for her actions.

Reports cards were given out today, Shelly, surrounded by all her friends, walks out of the school with a wide smile on her face intent on partying the night away; her report card rolled up in her hand containing straight A’s.

THE VIDEO!!

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=150008277380

Video Homework

I felt like a dork watching my own video. I found it weird to watch myself doing all that stuff because it felt so fake. It felt like an artificial life for 5 minutes. I didn’t feel like I was really doing any of the digital stuff portrayed in my video because I was so focused on recording what I was doing. I felt like I was just doing everything to get it on video I really don’t think I act like that in actuality. Like right this second as I am using the computer to do my homework, it is the only digital thing I am using. The only other thing I am doing while doing my homework is eating cookies and drinking milk. Everything is available to me on my computer, music, videos, friends, entertainment; I don’t need to be using my other digital equipment right now. What also went across my mind was the fact that it was waaaaaay easier for me to make the video than it was for me to upload it. What’s funny is that our unit is about technology in people’s lives and how everyone is addicted to it and all but we’re into the surface tech. Some may know what goes on inside our electronics and yea it’s something fairly interesting to know but I for one am very un-tech-savvy. I am horrible with computers; I have had three computers and two laptops since I started high school ß that is a VERY bad ratio of me to computers.

The digital world is the digital world. It is how it is. Whatever it may be, if it involves a screen that entertains you, it is a part of the digital world and you are immersed in it. As for ideas such as the Wii, I feel that creators do understand that people are spending way too much time within the digital world. I see them as people trying to break the barrier between the digital world and reality. The Wii is a video game but unlike others it renders a feeling of satisfaction in the participant because it caused them to be more active than they would be playing a regular non physical video game. I still feel that going outside to do sports and have fun with friends is much healthier than get your exercise from bright screen of changing colors. Game makers are getting closer to breaking the barrier but the “work out” provided by Wii games will never compare to that of real exercise where one can work their muscles to the fullest extent.

VIDEO TO COME SOON, CURRENTLY EXPERIENCING MAJOR TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES. I SWEAR COMPUTERS ARE MY WORST ENEMIES.

Response to my First Comments

Kate:
Thank you for more ideas on how to expand on my "paper". I liked how you brought up new questions that I didn't even ask myself. It brought me new insights on how I should keep writing and editing my essay.

Charles:
Thank you for posting such a long comment on a small incomplete post. I liked how you pointed out one question that I should focus on because it had a great impact on how you think. I think I am going to take that question and expand on it to make a better essay. The way that you put your thoughts on how that question affected you made me think more about the possible ways I can answer it.

Another Initial Comment

Response to Maggie’s

I liked how your point was straight forward; humans are wasting time and energy on digital life. I agreed with you that we are definitely hooked on our electronics and that we are losing a part ourselves to the digital world.

Electricity is suppose to provide us with energy but is it really?

I agree with you when you say that technology sucks the life and energy out of us. Electricity has helped provide us with easier ways of living life but we have become so dependent on it that we no longer know what to do with ourselves when we don’t have technology around.

I know that when I go upstate, I have no cell phone service unless we go into town. There is internet, television and video games but through this unit I realized that I go the whole weekend without using any digital substances. Instead I go exploring, fishing, riding atvs, swimming, playing around with the dogs, or just take walks through the surrounding woods. These simple activities do not sound like much to do for the whole weekend but somehow, some way I have a good time just chilling.

I guess when you’re in a new and different environment, you tend to explore more. When humans are occupied, we think way less about who’s commenting on one of our pictures on facebook, who’s on aim, what’s on television or if anyone is texting us.

I hope you will expand on how we lose ourselves into the digital world, provide more examples.

I hope to read more from you.

-Cindy

Initial Comments

Henry:

cindy said...

I enjoyed reading your response. I felt that it was very well written.

I agree with you that social networking is just a big project to get other people's attention.

When I read your response I got the idea that people are starting to get too dependent on the digitalization of life and how fast it works and captures our attentions.

“I am addicted to Facebook.”
If you can admit to being addicted to facebook, how can you also admit that you can function without it? Being addicted to something most usually means that the addictive substance or activity is a primary source in ones survival. If you can say that you can survive without facebook then I guess “addicted” is the wrong word to use. OR are you really denying your true addiction????? I, on the other hand, wouldn’t say that I am addicted to facebook because I can live without it. It has actually become very boring.

In addition to figuring out if you really are or are not addicted to facebook I would like for you to expand on the idea behind the statement “killing us when it could provide fresh water for the country.” How so? I know it’s a broad subject but try to elaborate on how the digitalization of life can provide us with fresh ideas that we can feed off of.

Also, I don’t quite understand the last sentence of your second paragraph “The quality of relationships is not that of those who don’t rely on digital media to stay in touch.” Yea it sounds mighty smart but all I see is a whole big mumble jumble of words. I don’t understand the statement; I don’t see the meaning that you are trying to convey towards me. To me, it sounds as if you are trying to say “the quality of a relationship is not based on people who rely on digital media to stay in touch.” Even when I reworded to have it sound more comprehensible I still can’t get the full meaning that YOU are trying to show me. I would like for you to explain/ fix this sentence in a follow-up comment or edited response.

After reading your response, I feel empowered to write more about the digital life on my own blog. I also feel a little encouraged because I finally got my ass to actually try and start doing some of the assigned work.

cindy said...

I hope to read more from you. Your style of writing is very enjoyable and holds my attention long enough for em to finish and keep thinking about the ideas provided -Cindy Luo
(I forgot to add this part to the previous comment)

Thought

My friend Anne is spending her senior year studying abroad in Egypt and I find that incredibly interesting. If anybody else finds it to be an interesting lifestyle to read about, she is currently posting updates at egyptohmy.wordpress.com.

oldschool

This has no relation to our new subject but i wanted to tell you what happened with my sister in laws birth. She said she had an amazing doctor that was always there for her. Sure he was in and out but he was always in checking on her on a regular basis and was there for her birth 2 in the morning. When she had the epidural, her contractions started slowing down so he slowed down the epidural and sped up the pitossin. What amazed me was that he had shut the epidural off before she actually started pushing. She gave birth all on her own with no medications or anything, the whole time she thought she still had the epidural. I guess in the end it has to do with the mentality of the mother. I lost my train of thought, you can just ask me in person any further questions.

I was told that the doctor let my sister in law do whatever she wanted to be comfortable. She had her own positions and everything. He also let my brother do a lot of the work in the room. Whatever the doctor was suppose to do, he told my brother how to do it and if he felt he could or wanted to do it, he did it. My brother really liked on activity in particular, he helped insert a balloon into my sister in law's cervix and they filled it with water to try and expand her cervix more.

Initial Thoughts on the Digitalization of Life

I wasn't able to have your class on Friday due to a schedule mix up, so it was a good thing I took your class on Thursday huh.

Technology has taken over our lives.

Currently, I'm doing my homework on my brother's laptop, talking to my friends on AIM, waiting on a phone call and watching the Yankees and Orioles' baseball game. That's a lot of technology.

Well today's my birthday and theres family over and stuff visiting my newborn niece and stuff so I'm going to come back to this another time. I can't really think right now.

Social Networking
Digital youth
Digitalized music
Why are we so attracted to the digital life?
Why must we have whats popular?
What attracted us to technology in the first place?
Being lazy
We use technology because once it was introduced, we have become too lazy to complete certain tasks we can just do with technology.
The digital image is used to show class, or social status.
People are purposefully show and flashy to portray an image of wealth
The digital world may lead us the the next big theory.
We have developed a dependency, addiction, and obsession to the digital world.
The digital life is the main source of all our communication to everyone around the world. What would happen if it were to all disappear?
How did people communicate before technology was introduced?