Final thoughts..

I just submitted my final paper and I am now officially done with Technology and Culture of America (after this post....). It has been an interesting semester, learning things that I never thought I would learn in a college class, but it was a very nice surprise to experience such a class. I used to take technology for granted and never thought about the underlying meanings and potential consequences. Now, though, I know better.

As my last blog post, I wanted to talk about something that I found inspriring and interesting, which is the success people get through just the web. A lot of talent is hidden in the world and a lot of the times, it's discovered via the web! Singers like Sean Kingston and Soulja Boy were discovered on popular sites such as myspace and youtube. Others make their living through the internet, such as bloggers and online store owners. Case in point: http://www.cnngo.com/hong-kong/shop/local-online-brand-hanalie-latest-hong-kong-fashion-success-613688?page=0,0, and http://www.cnngo.com/hong-kong/shop/how-make-money-beauty-blogging-987709?hpt=C2.

It's pretty amazing that these people were just doing what they liked, not for any financial reasons. The financial gain that came later was just an added bonus for them. Interestingly, this would not have been able to happen if not for the infinite reach of the web. The one part about the first article that I thought was really interesting was when the second blogger said she refused to only give raving reviews about the companies that sponsered her. She basically told them from the start that she wouldn't lie to her followers, which is very admiring. The second article talked about how two students who weren't even experienced in the fashion industry ended up reaching success through their online shopping site that features pieces they wanted for themselves! This is seriously a strike of luck.

If people can get this kind of success from simply doing what they want online, they have no reason to pursue another path just for the money. I feel like the web has enabled people to carry on with their desires and freed them to be happier! Yes, critics can say this type of life is not guaranteed, it's risky, hard to manage, too time consuming, etc.etc.etc, but for these people, it was well worth the risk and we should applaud them.