Chapter Six

One of Richardson's main themes is that use of the internet allows us to provide information to people around the world who share the same interests that we do.  This ability unites people around the globe, and even allows them to create together, without even leaving the comfort of their own computer.  I agree with him.  It is a mind boggling concept. 

One method, that Richardson suggests, of becoming, and staying connected to others is through the use of Twitter.  He states that this is the way to stay informed about the people and organizations in our lives.  Some schools have used Twitter to keep parents and others in the community abreast of the goings on in their schools.  He maintains that Twitter has the ability to give us a detailed account of the events in the life of a friend who may live a distance away.  But do we really need to know what that friend is doing minute by minute, as Richardson suggests?  Can't a phone conversation accomplish the same thing, but at a deeper level?  And don't schools already maintain communication through their school's website?  Are other means of communication really necessary?

Richardson then introduces social bookmarking sites called Diigo, that give the user the ability to organize, annotate, and highlight favorite sites; and Delicious, which allows the user to share links by the manner that the sites are tagged.  This seems to me to be a bit overwhelming.  How many different ways do we have to use to accomplish the same task?  How can interpersonal relationships survive with so much time spent on the web?

Technology overuse is something we should be concerned about, because we are only in the beginning stages of this information revolution.  It will take time to understand the long term implications of how these innovations might be affecting the children of today.