Digital Literacies

When I first got an answer phone in the 1980s, I would spend ages recording what I thought were whacky messages for all callers. Some of these were quick and quirky, some of them … well, best forget.
But I got over it and stopped that rubbish. People don’t have to listen to me burbling on any more. And I am sure they are happier for it.

Same with ‘joke’ emails. When I first went online (when was that? It seems like I have been here forever, but I think t was 1995)I used to love getting ‘forwarded emails’ with cartoons and songs and links to sites. I would forward them happily to whoever else I thought would like them – the grand total of people on my mailing list being around 20.

But then I got wise and I stopped. At over a hundred emails a day we really can do without the sexist wise guy cracks about women drivers and blah blah. I especially don’t like ones that tell me the world is evil aand the world is coming to an end. If these people really liked me and knew me, they would not send me these things and so it is not fun or sociable at all.

I suppose I find it all intrusive – again this is why I am not keen on facebook with its facility for sending messages out indiscriminately. It is time for people to become more careful and sophisticated in their use – especially as there are so many of us ‘in here’ these days. I include myself in this criticism actually – someone who too happily uses ‘reply all’ sometimes!!

We have now got over the novelty of t’Internet – OK so I am a miserable sod, but these e mails are driving me batty (.com)

Nettiquette here.

This is a totally unrelated image – taken at a conference a coupla years ago.