"The Museum of Me"

In reading and interpreting Ullman’s essay “The Museum of Me”, I believe Ullman’s concerns of disconnected communities and more individual’s keeping isolated are valid. Internet does promote the “glorification of the self, at home, alone” (Ullman 639). On the other hand, I also believe that disabled people have benefited from the internet in being able to be self sufficient. The internet allows a disabled person the ability to accomplish necessary tasks to live by his or her self alone. Technology is definitely two sided and affects each person differently.

I see the isolation with teens today. With My Space, Twitter, Face book and IM a teen is about to connect virtually with multiple friends at one time. Because of this he or she distant themselves from the walking, breathing human’s that surround him or her in their own home. This is an example of how an individual allows technology to own him or her. “The web did not cause disintermediation, but it is what we call “enabling technology”: a technical breakthrough that takes a difficult task and makes it suddenly doable, easy; it opens the door to change, which then comes in an unconsidered, breathless rush” (Ullman 642). This can also be a positive implementation for an elderly person or a disabled person. A person who has never been able to be on his or her own can now accomplish simple tasks to a fully functional human being by a click of a button. He or she is able to order grocery’s, take out, clothes while also interacting with others through technology. Though technology can shut a person in, it can also allow a person out.

As long as a person is aware of the positives and negatives of using the internet and does not isolate his or her self from face to face interaction, the internet can be very useful. On the other hand the internet can also trap a person in and not let him or her out for hours. The internet has an overloaded amount of knowledge and sites that make time seem to kick in to full gear while surfing on-line. Being able to step away is important to being an internet user.