When the sign-up sheet for the practicum project was initially passed around, I remember hoping that I would get something "easy" like Twitter, or Foursquare. But then, when the sheet got to me I decided to choose a project on something I was less familiar with. I consider myself a fairy active user of the Internet and I thought this would be a great opportunity to expand my horizons with my internet usage. I am not sure what I ended up ranking first but I wound up with "Internet Users and Audiences", more specifically minority groups. At first I was a little outraged when comparing my work with my friends, some of whom just had to use Foursquare (which they already used). I was supposed to perform ethnographic research, which seemed like a much larger time commitment. Unsure of where to begin I felt most comfortable choosing to do my project on the Jewish community, because I myself am Jewish. I think I may have learned more had I chose a group I wasn't apart of but I still feel that this project was a learning experience because while I am Jewish, I do not participate in exclusively Jewish aspects of the Internet.
The main question asked of me was "How do groups of people use the Internet differently?" In my final blog post I would like to try and answer this question, while also reflecting on my time spent navigating through the websites I decided to join in order to complete my project. As I've stated numerous times, I joined three websites in order to complete this project, and in hopes to trying to draw connections and patterns between how this minority group used the Internet. Overall, I was disappointed with the social networking site (http://www.shmooze.com) I joined because the site remained pretty much inactive during the time I spent on it. But, the blog I chose to follow (http://www.yoyenta.com) and the Facebook page/group (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Judaism/123787554670) I joined allowed me to examine and participate in a larger discussion between members of the Jewish community.
Do I think that different groups of people use the Internet differently? Yes, I do. I think that there are basic similarities between how the average person users the Internet and how a Jewish person uses the Internet but I think that at the same time it is inherently different because they are a minority. I think that when a Jewish person is on a website that is specifically meant for Jewish users they are looking for a certain kind of experience. These users are looking to connect with people who have similar interests, values, goals, and hopes, through their shared religion. After examining the users on these sites I think that minority groups are using the Internet to connect with one another because while they a minority in real life, on sites devoted just to to their minority group they have become a majority. This is a positive that these Internet sites can provide for these users. Many minority members may have a hard time finding other members of their minority group where they live, or have a hard time meeting up but the Internet allows them the opportunity to interact with one another. So in conclusion, I do not feel that minority group members use the Internet in a different manner on websites devoted to all users but on websites that are "Jewish" in nature, these members are using the Internet for the specific purpose of connecting with other members of their group. I found that Internet use was a widely accepted part of Jewish culture, especially on websites that promoted Jewish culture and identity.
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