Thoughts on Reality

The impact of twenty-first century technologies on perceptions of reality is unquestionable. We can "travel" to places without ever leaving our homes; we can "talk" to people we've never met; we can "see" things in 3-D on a flat panel screen without the aid of 3-D glasses; we can bring people from different countries "together" in a virtual conference room without anyone leaving his/her office; we can dissect a frog or study the human body in a biology lab without blood and guts or the smell of formaldehyde. Are those experiences real? Some would say, "No." But for the participants in these experiences, they are very real indeed. Maybe these are "new realities"--no less "real" in terms of learning, communicating, interacting, listening, seeing, experiencing than face-to-face experiences.

A generation or two ago, taking a "distance learning class", i.e. correspondence class, was considered "hokey" or a less than authentic learning experience. Today, taking a distance learning class is commonplace and almost expected as part of the four year undergraduate experience. Distance learning has evolved, in part, due to new media and globalization. What is possible today was not possible yesterday.

Our perceptions of "self" (individually, collectively, nationally) have been altered over time by globalization and new media. No longer is our "world" limited to what we can physically see, feel, hear, touch, or otherwise experience. We must interact with persons from different cultures and backgrounds, some of whom we would never have encountered before globalization. Knowledge of other cultures, societies, and economies is no longer merely interesting but quite essential if we are to participate fully and successfully in an interconnected world. This may be unsettling to some because it shakes beliefs that were, heretofore, not prone to scrutiny, but it's exciting to others because the broadening of experiences is unlimited. We, in some ways, become smaller when held up to the backdrop of the entire world, but we become bigger in so many other ways...opportunities, relationships, knowledge, experiences, ideas, cultures, etc.