15 weeks. What a trip. I never would have thought that I had so much to say. So what has it all been worth? A critical look at my life in relationship to multimedia and technology, though sometimes painful to consider honestly, has given me new insight into the world around me. Insight and freedom. Thinking so much about all of this stuff has kind of liberated me from the chains I've bound myself with in regards to the shame and guilt I carry about my use and dependence on technology. Like, is it cool to be techy? I guess I don't fucking care anymore about whether or not it's cool. Technology and multimedia in 2014 simply just is. I've come to terms with that. I can fight it all I want--be as analog as possible with polaroids and typewriters and vinyl and like abacuses--but multimedia is swarming my every day, and it's just easier to go along with it.
So that's it. Have I conformed? Am I seeking comfort in the will of the masses? I don't know. Hold on. I need to check my Instagram feed real quick.
What I've learned from this class penetrates deeper than my mobile operating system; I've become reacquainted with myself as a learner. Many of those same characteristics that helped me drop out of college in 2009 are still with me, but they haven't devoured me like they did last time. Whatever it was about me that didn't work before isn't as broken as I thought it was. Now, does that mean that I've signed on for a whole course load for next semester? No. Almost as important as finding out that I can be a good student is acknowledging that I don't need to connect my self worth to my academic status. Kudos to anyone who works full time and goes to school, because that shit is not for me. Luckily, spring has taken it's damn time getting here, so I haven't missed that much good weather, because being out on a bike and pushing myself in that capacity seems more important to me right now than finishing my degree.
That has been the most liberating thing about this class.
A lot of that has to do with priorities, but also with what I've learned about the world I'm growing up into. If contributions stand to count for more than credentials in this multimedia-focused world, then maybe that degree I've put so much stock into isn't as crucial as I thought. That isn't to say that I'm turning my back on education for keeps. I've enjoyed using my brain for this class, and could see future opportunities for enjoyment if circumstances allow.
But that's it for now.
