A Reflection on Selfe

three Narratives, The “Global Village’ And The “Electronic Colony”, “Land of Equal Opportunity” and “Land of Difference”, “The Un-Gendered Utopia” and “The Same old Gender stuff.” this article focuses on the conflicting ideas that technology will improve our lives and that we fear the change it brings and how these ideas affect educators.

Selfe explains,“This chapter will attempt to illustrate the ways in which change is modulated and complicated by forces of stasis by forcing attention on a series of images that come from commercial advertisements about technology. These advertisements reflect a portion of our collective American cultural imagination about technology….they reveal us, as Americans to ourselves.”(par10) She implies that our view of our self has been compromised. We dream of a "global village" and "world harmony."But when it really comes down to it a global village “suggest the possibility that Americans could be asked to relinquish their current privileged status”(par13)Says Selfe and that is wear The “Electronic Colony” comes in. In reality “…while we maintain the vision of linking people around the world, we imagine ourselves, not as simple members of this electronically constituted village, but rather as discoverers of the village, explorers of it’s remote corners, and even colonizers of it’s exotic peoples.”(par15) Americans take the high seat once again. We are the "suppliers".
In our advertisements we have exotic images of traditionally dressed ignerent savages.
We remain disconnected and above them. our ads are “…illustrating how generous Americans can be in providing other needier countries with useful technology, and providing the story a potent cumulative power.”(par30) says Selfe while pointing out our racism and how many ads are amplifying it in a subtle way. “Technology is not the solution for all the worlds problems-and indeed, it might well be a contributing cause to many of them.”(par33) she suggests. "Equal opportunity.... Americans like to believe is open to everybody."(par36) There is a story told to us over and over again about hard work and Fair Play. It's the story of the golden times in the 1950's where the idea was to help everyone be just like us as westerners. We use images from the 1950's to advertise things like “…citizens of the twenty-first century can achieve the same kind of happy security and personal well being that was enjoyed by citizens of the fifties-by purchasing a software package rather than a new home.”(par41) says selfe pointing out an ad featuring a nuclear family with the slogan "How to keep up with the Joneses, the Gates and your kids." Selfe is challenging us to look at this critically. As Americans we have no background of a real global village or true equal; opportunity. We have a society of the “Limited privileged.” Reality can be confusing and difficult to discover when you grew up thinking the opposite.She goes on to address Gender roles. We tell ourselves that computers are a tool to be used to enhance the lives of men and women equally.But Selfe points out that “Computer games are still designed for boys; computer commercials are still aimed mainly at males; computing environments are still constructed by and for males”(par44) we are ignoring that these differences are there. the basic idea is that “Men use technology to accomplish things; women benefit from technology to enhance the ease of their lives or to benefit their families” (par52) she admits there are exceptions but this is pretty much how it is. The ads show Beautiful women advertising sleek computer screen but no key boards.

Contrasted by ads of serious business men ready to work with their computers. Selfe says educators goals should emphasize "The importance of educating students to be critically informed technology scholars rather then simply expert technology users."(par63) She ends extorting educators to challenge their students and promote positive change.