This week's discussion was really interesting for me. I am going to focus on two discussion points though. What hit home most for me was work in personal lives and the need for re-training when it comes to computers and technology.
When it comes to work during personal time, I do not consider it a good thing. I mean if you are working on a big project with a deadline, that is different. You actually need to finish that. But if you just decide to check your email, that should not happen. My mom has a work Blackberry, and she is always checking her email every time she walks by the phone. My aunt also has a work Blackberry. She is always getting calls, texts, BBMs, every type of message that she "needs" to respond to because she is upper management. I do not find this necessary. If you are on vacation, or even just home for the weekend, you should not be dealing with work.
The other topic of re-training made me laugh a little. The first thing that came to mind was my grandfather. My grandfather took a computer class 10 years ago and then bought a computer last year. He expected everything to be the same, but was surprised to learn that everything was different. He needed to take yet another computer class to learn how to work his new computer. People need to stay on top of new technologies so they have a better advantage at work ect.
Can this issue also be compared to work from uni or school. We are given work to do while in class and yet we are also expected to do work in our leisure time. I understand this is different from a job but there are some connections that can be made between the two especially at a high school or public school with the issue of homework.
ReplyDeleteI like the issue Chris raised about homework and I also read another blog this week which raised the point that we are introduced to homework which is 'bringing work home' at a young age so is it now classified as the norm?
ReplyDeleteI think that excessive work at home is unhealthy for families. I know my dad always had work to do, readings, late night meetings, emailing, proposals etc etc etc. It always ate into our family dinners as well as family time. Life is always about finding a healthy balance and if it means leaving work at work then so be it!
I am very interested in your story especially your grandfather’s. I found that information on the internet changed everyday. As Felix said (week 2 reading), change is one of the four basic dimensions of information ecology. A research shows that there are 80 percent of people involved into social network and there are 38 percent of people check their email or Facebook when they just wake up. I think entertainment and work become fuzzy in modern society, as your mum she has to check her email every time because that is her job. My mum works for television station and she also has to pay much attention to what is happening everyday trough the internet. Obviously, internet has changed people’s lives, at the same time it brings more pressure to people’s normal lives.
ReplyDeleteI guess excessive work can be harmful, but then again I do this without even noticing, and I don't really stress too much about it. I guess if stress does develop, or social interactions start declining then it would be a very negative thing.
ReplyDeleteIf someone in my family started saying that I was working too hard, or being contacted too often, I guess I would do something about it.
I guess it just depends on how dedicated you are to your work, and exactly what borders the boss has in place, and if it starts becoming too much, people need to negotiate these things.
I agree with your post. While i was reading it i kept thinking about this time when i lost my phone and couldn't get a new one for several weeks. During the first week i seriously went through withdraw, its not easy to communicate when theres no cell phone. After the initial shock i grew to really appreciate not having a phone. Sure i couldn't readily contact someone, but no body could bother me either. I wasn't checking my phone every 2 mins like i do when i have it. I am feeling a mini version of this right now. I have had a blackberry for about a year and a half and now I'm using a phone that can call and text thats it. No email, no twitter, no facebook. I am appreciating my macbook more and more because for the first time in almost 2 years its how i am connected with home and everyone else. I blame the internet for the merging of borders but i also blame the smartphone.
ReplyDeleteIt really is getting to that point where work and play no longer are separate things, they have kind of meshes in to one. My father is the same, constantly fiddling with his iPhone checking work e-mail and ever since I can remember he's had business calls even during family vacation. So for 26 years of my life I've grown up with it, but I still refuse to become like that. I guess it depends what line of work your in, your position etc.
ReplyDeleteI understand the argument that work bleeds into leisure time, with new technologies such as smart phones etc.
ReplyDeleteHowever, what I keep thinking about reading all of your comments, is how often social or leisure squirms into my study time. As so much of our work at Uni is online, or at the very least on a computer (Pretty sure no one writes an essay free hand these days?) it is increasingly easier to procrastinate on social sites, or leisure sites such as online shopping, or a magazine website. Often, I find I have an allocated time for getting study done, only to spend half of it facebooking, tweeting and spending my hard earned centrelink money on shoes.
Ok, so I'm blaming my bad studying habbits on social media, but I maintain it can be a two way street, blurring work, study, leisure and socialising as you can now do it all online.
That's a really interesting point Katrina! Social time is always eating into my study time, it's almost a compulsion to check Facebook now. And it's the same in reverse.
ReplyDeleteI think it's hard these days to say no to answering emails, phone calls etc in your leisure time because the workforce is so competitive that if you're not going to take on the extra workload, someone else will.
Because it's so easy for us to check our emails now, not even having to be at a computer, it feels quick and convenient, but in the end it all adds up.
hahahaha you note about your grandfather made me laugh a little i can completely relate! My Father is one of the only people left on this planet who still uses check. haha we get his emails and he has only just discovered his text message inbox... he still doesn't know how to reply. old school but it works for him and if it works... hey why not :)
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