My Digital Immigration

 

When it comes to technology use, I am definitely a digital immigrant. I got my first computer in the 9th grade, still in the times of dial-up Internet and extremely slow download speeds. I never managed to make a full use a new machine, with the exception of a few Google searches for school papers. Neither video games nor programing interested me.

Ironically, my immigration to the United States marked my immigration into the digital world. I would spend hours using a special program just to learn how to type. It was a painful process. It would take me 8 hours to complete a 2 page paper, as I was learning both English and digital languages simultaneously. I would handwrite the entire draft, and only after that I would type the paper up. Every time something would change in a word document settings, I would panic and not know what to do. And yet, I persevered, and today, word documents is how write almost anything. My handwriting deteriorated and note-taking on a paper diminished. And yet, my utility of digital writing is limited to word document typed academic papers and drafts for memos and letters. I rarely use Google docs. I would not know how to create a poster or anything beyond a double-spaced, 12 fond Times New Roman document with 1-inch margins all around.

Another way I assimilated technology into my life is researching scholarly databases for my work. I am rather knowledgeable about various academic databases across multiple fields. I even sometimes use it as a data collection tool—electronic surveys, digital archives, audio-recorded interviews—all these are examples of such tools. However, I am rather clumsy around any of them. I would not know what button to press if something goes wrong or if I stumble on an unfamiliar page. Because of that, I often shy away from digital initiatives, while also recognizing their positive potential.

Most often, I use email and phone. It scares me sometimes how much my use of email increased in the past five years. Back in 2008, I could have gotten 5 emails a week. Now, I get dozens before I even get out of bed. Sometimes, I even respond to them from my phone while I am still in bed. I look at my phone every 20 minutes to check mail, to read news, to text a friend, and even to take notes of any ideas that requires immediate recording. And yet, I would love to disconnect. I would love to allow myself the luxury of not answering emails immediately or ignore people’s sometimes-evasive texts. However, I feel like digital technology created a culture of instant gratification. Immediacy in responses is assumed, and delays are often seen as disrespectful signs of disinterest or ignoring. And I am, too, guilty of those feelings.

So yes, I am a digital immigrant. I live on the outskirts of assimilation, understanding the customs of digital culture on the surface but remaining reluctant to fully engage. I don’t participate in social networks; I never made a friend online. I take baby steps toward full assimilation, but concerns over privacy and blurred lines between public and private make me skeptical whether a full assimilation is desirable.