Calderon 1 Ernest Calderon Rios 4/17/14 Reflection of a Reflection The percentage of individuals on this campus who own a smart-phone

is quite likely close to 100%. It is hard to believe, but if you look around, you will see it is true. Smart-phones give us immediate access to the Internet, a space to share information. The possibilities are nearly infinite, but the one thing a lot of people tend to constantly do is connect with friends via social media. Social media has itself become a space within the internet for sharing personal experiences that shape our intended image. Thinking about the Internet in such a way is what powered the direction of my research. My goal was to develop some understanding of the motivations behind social media usage and its impact on the human experience namely interactions and relationships. Personally, I find myself checking Instagram and Tumblr regularly throughout the day, and often when I observe students laptop screens around the classroom, I see Facebook pulled up on their browser. Social media use has clearly become something nearly we all have in common, so I feel it important to examine and study. What this course provided me with was a new understanding of the concept of space, and how it can be perceived. Social media sites are spaces, even if they are not tangible. They are constantly experiencing heavy activity, with users from all over the world uploading and updating with new experiences, ideas, thoughts, or anything else worth sharing. Reading N. Reynolds Spatial metaphors, spatial theory, and thirdspace essay clarified the themes that the course was aiming to convey. Once I had a better grasp on the different methods for analyzing

Calderon 2 space, I was able to ponder more critical questions on the matter and discuss it rhetorically judging its effectiveness and persuasiveness as a composition. My rhetorical space essay was on the UCF gym, or the Recreation and Wellness Center. This paper really tested my ability to talk about space in such unfamiliar ways, and I learned so much from it. I am striving to be much more careful and vigilant with my writing. The main lesson was to fully develop an idea and bridge it to the next one in a proper manner, rather than trying to talk about many things at once. Writing my annotated bibliography was another challenge, because I had to read and comprehend several sources in order to summarize them well. The more I researched, the more I understood about my topic, but I also started to shift the direction of where I originally intended the paper to go. After meeting with Professor Rios and discussing my progress on it, I felt surer about taking my research towards the analysis of online connections impacting human interactions. Professor Rios suggested I watch Sherry Turkles 2012 TED Talk Connected, but alone? which, along with Shimi Cohens The Innovation of Loneliness Cohen quotes the TED Talk have really made me want to reflect on how our technology use is shaping the way we interact as human beings. The goals of my mapping project was set: to uncover the realities of social media usage and to see if and how it is making us lonelier. As for my grade in ENC1102H, I respectfully believe I deserve an A, for my efforts in learning and applying the central concepts of the class access, space, and culture. I encountered many obstacles and made mistakes, but my honest commitment to addressing each problem really allowed me to grow and learn. Thanks to Professor Rios dedication to the class, I was motivated to be an active learner, engaging in the discussions and always looking for ways to learn more.