Personalization = BORING!

So this is my first blog ever.... wish me luck!

We spent a lot of time last class talking about new media and how education should react to it, this often includes a suggestion of personalization. We started talking about personalization and what would happen if everything we encountered was exactly what we had pre-picked. This really just makes me want to scream! How boring would that be! I would never want to constantly be around people who had the same thoughts and tastes as me. People thrive off competition and difference. I am always learning from other people and most of the time I enjoy the new things I discover. My best friend and I are completely different. She is always giving me new music and ideas and vice versa. Personalization can be a helpful tool in new media but people need to consider that, like most things, it is better in moderation. If people are only reading what they choose for themselves it will inevitably create a close minded and hard headed society. People will no longer know how to interact with ideas that differ from theirs. Also I don't think I have ever encountered a person that has the exact thoughts or tastes as me. So only interacting with people who match me would lead to little to no human connection. How sad! People love conflict! Don't deny it. Every time you encounter someone who has completely different ideals than you it is a challenge. Even fighting with them is fun in a strange way. Because every time you have to defend your beliefs you learn to understand them a little bit better and either become steadier in them or find something that takes you by surprise, that opens up a whole new world for you to explore.