Final Reflections: "How I Have Come to Understand Digital Culture"

Coming into my final semester at BYU, I was preparing for a course-load with most of my English classes working through different novels, going through the same processes to discuss the same themes again and again and again. I don’t say that to be snarky or rude, but to highlight how absolutely thrilled I have been to learn about the humanities and our current culture in such a different and relevant way. (I suppose it’s also important to note that I really didn’t know much about digital culture before taking this course.)

Within my own research and writing I have been able to focus specifically on the missionary efforts of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and how that work has been, and needs to be, adapted within our current digital culture.  I narrowed down my focus to talk in particular on the benefits of metadata (See my first post specifically about metadata here, as well as my final paper).  One of the great aspects of this course though, has been to watch other’s come to conclusions regarding different topics, that still have so much relevance to my own interests and work. While my writing was focused on metadata, obviously this is one of many aspects of digital culture that affects missionary work.  In particular, I began to see how the digital world is not so much of just an opportunity to present and share your ideas in a variety of ways, but it is a way to really shape your identity and make personal connections as well. 

From within my own blogging group, Kylee often contributed ideas that either fueled what I already had going or sparked completely new ones. Her outline from her midterm post talking about crowd-sourcing got me thinking about the need to work with others, and form connections in order to produce something for the greater good. Her final project was dealing with tourism and technology, and her argument regarding how travel companies should be using digital tools helped me evaluate the way in which the LDS church has been using those tools in regards to missionary work. Lizy and Sam’s posts concerning fandom (see here and here) caused me to consider the motivations people have, and what that means in regards to our own motivations when sharing links or starting discussions about our religious beliefs. These are just a few examples of the many posts that have influenced my understanding of digital culture.

Understanding digital culture helped me to not only understand how missionary work can evolve, but it served as a great reminder that at the heart of missionary work (whether digital or not) lies the personal relationships formed, and the chance to further discover or form our own personal identities. Understanding online communities, the need for personal connections and collaboration, as well as a greater knowledge of the digital tools available has allowed me to expand my understanding of our present culture, and has opened my eyes to the possibilities the digital age offers me.