Hold me, hold me

Hello, is it me you're looking for?

Personally, deep down I believe our self concept develops as we respond and adapt to our ever-changing environments. Just as personality can be defined as a unique system of identifiable, characteristic behavioural patterns that distinguish a person from others, so can environment to a certain extent. Each environment is a unique system of identifiable, patterns, surroundings, settings, etc.  I found that the definition of self concept almost combines the two in that it is the perception of oneself as a person with identifiable behavioural patterns and characteristics, directed by desires, preferences, attributes and abilities. With all that said, I strongly believe that our self concept can change over time. Simply, as our environments and surroundings can change so can our self concept. Overall though, development of our self concept is greatly influenced by our culture and the values and beliefs that come along with it. For example, being from a Western culture myself, generally, I've been brought up to be more independent and less reliant. For those individuals in non-western cultures however, it is a different case. They are brought up to be more interdependent in a more communal setting.

All in all, I am who I am. I accept it and adapt to my surroundings. I am proud to be who I am.

A tape cassette?... What's that?

This is one of the many questions one might ask if born in the 2000's. Specifically, by an individual who has never lived without the internet! Today, the internet is everywhere...literally. We cannot escape it! Whether it be on your iPhone, your tablet, or your laptop, it is everywhere and seems as though we are never and will never have to be without it. More important, it is quickly influencing and shaping today's society more so than ever before.

As far as knowledge building goes... well that's easy. One word: Google! Google is the largest search engine out there. In fact, it is frequently used as a verb when wanting to know something out of the ordinary or something you just can't put your finger on. In most cases like this, we just "google" it! Throughout my past few years as a university student, I constantly find myself wondering just what would we do without google.. what would we do without the internet? How did my parents make it through university without it? It appears that EVERYTHING can be found on the internet now a days. I specifically remember the first time I had to find an article out of an academic journal for a course I was taking. So of course, the apparent thing to do seemed to go to the library and look for it. So, I did just that. I went to the library and asked the reference desk for help. However, they were quick to send me to the computer lab  to look on a never ending database of articles! Just like that, by the click of the button, there was the article. 27 pages long and right at my finger tips in a matter of minutes. Over the past few years, my trips to the library have of course decreased for this very reason-- the internet. I can find what I want, where I want, when I want.

Writing this blog  and taking this online course couldn't be any more of an example. If it weren't for the internet, millions of students would not be able to take a course from another school or even get a whole degree right at home! But yet here we are, every day building our knowledge as we "google" facts, do an online quiz, or take an online exam. It is without a doubt that the knowledge of today's society is greatly influenced by and dependent on the internet.