self-reflection and evaluation by jessie

Am I a cyborg?

Although I have any idea or concept about cyborg, after the very first lecture and introduction by Franco, I strongly feel that I am a cyborg. At one point, at least, I “talk” through a computer. According to the manifesto written by Dr. Donna Haraway, cyborg is defined as “a cybernetic organism, a hybrid of machine and organism”. This definition may give us the imagination of the characters in science fiction that human with robotic body or robot with human emotion, however, in my understanding, when technologies come closer and closer, our extension of embodiment goes further and further, it is impossible for us to deny that we are a cyborg. In my personal experience, telephone is a very good example. On one hand, when telephone comes closer and closer, from the telegram somewhere far away from our home, to the day that every home have a telephone, to everyone have a mobile; from the day that we need to “pick up the phone, until we invented in-ear hand-free, how communication works today is just like what we see in the science fiction: without the body but with and machine. When telephone had not yet invented that we still used to communicate with people face to face or we write, but until the invention of telecommunication, we started to communicate with a machine. Today, it is just commonplace that we love texting more than talking: we talk by our hand and listen by our eyes. Although I do not play webcam, I just feel like I am Jennifer Ringley. The change in every day embodied experiences in the technological environment is merely proving that we are cyborg in every second.

How I see this weblog?

Weblog is not a new thing for me, however, a new way to study. Usually I see weblog as a personal and private place that contains only personal experiences and emotion; therefore, I tend not to regard weblog as unofficial and not a good source for academic. As it is said “medium is the message”, studying on weblog seem hidden the meaning of “unofficial” and “personal”. It could change my attitude toward study. I think weblog can be a place for inspiration and discussion, however, not a serious place for academic study.

On the other hand, the use of weblog under this course seems a practical experience for being a cyborg. Once again, I feel like I am talking by our hand and listening by our eyes. My voice has become codes in the computer and I listened my classmates’ opinions through my eyes. Therefore, although weblog is rather unofficial, I think it triggers us to think more about the relationship between human, technology and life.

How I see this subject

I think this subject is a good introduction/ semi-conclusion for us who are used to living as a cyborg. The unit covers wide aspect and encourages us to seriously reflect upon our everyday life and the appropriate or possible relationship between human and technology. The subject is inspiring that the aspects which are discussed are too common that we may easily overlook. For example, the moral on the Internet, the boundary between private and public, gender relationship and how we will go in the future. These all questions are very important for us who live under the digital age.