HW 7 - Interviews and Surveys

Interviewing a family member : My step father .

Q: Do you believe that technology is an advantage for our generation as oppose to when you were a kid and cellphones weren't invented ?
A: I don't believe in technology. I'm the only person at my job who refuses to have a computer in their office. I stick to old fashion researching books for knowledge instead of getting half stories or false information online. I have an email account because it is mandatory for work but i never go near it. My secretory checks it for me , and prints out the emails i need to read. I also hate cellphones and the idea that when a new one comes out , you have to buy it because your old one doesn't have the latest applications. Ive have my regular flip phone for 8 years (the first and only cellphone he has owned) . I barely even use it. If someone needs to contact me , from 730 - 5 they can call my office and other hours at my home. I turn it off during the weekends unless we go out the house. I have a cellphone just in case of emergency not to socialize.

Q: Do you think that if you were introduced to cellphones during your teen years , you would have developed this "addiction" my generation has?
A:Honestly i think i would be. Kids now a days are told what to do by the media coperations . They are told what to wear , what to like , what to consider cool, what to buy , and even how to act. This form of manipulation can take over anyone mind especially if they are often exposed to them and aren't told not to listen. When these digital things for popped out on the market , people were so fascinated by them that they didn't have a reason not to buy them. As they improved, people became even more interested in the gadget. The point is , yes, if i was exposed to cellphones and laptops and myspace and all of that crap, i would be hooked on it.

Q: Do you think we can ever break out of the digital world?
A: Not a chance. Everything depends on technology now. There is no way to fully stay away from it. Its there at home, at school , at work , in the streets. The world has become dependent on it weather or not they would like to admit it. Technology will advance and as it does , everyone will participate.


Interviewing random people in the streets :

I don't have the exact exchange of words but i can summarize the answers we got at the park.
We interviewed two female tourist. They said they are always on the computer at work but barely on their phones and they don't have facebooks or myspace or anything equalivant to it.

A girl about our age said that she went three months by choice with out a cellphone. i personally do not beilieve this. I think she cuaght on to the purpose of our questions and wanted to prove us wrong. Im pretty sure her line either got cut off or her phone was taken away by her parents.

These two ladies were sitting down on the becnhes so we decided to harrase them with our questions. One of them had her iphone in her hand and was claming to only use her phone two hours each day. After we gave her a few , "are you sure's" She changed her estimate to "ok maybe like 6 . " Yeah, that sounds more like it.


Interviewing my best friend :

Q: How often to you check your myspace , facebook ad twitter ?
A: About 5 times a day, depending if the computer is avaiable or not. I get twitter texted to my phone so thats nonstop vibrations and i have a facebook app on my cellphone so it makes it easier for me to reply to my notafications .

Q: The people you comment on facebooke, myspace etc. , how often to you interact with them physically ?
A: I go to school with almost all of the people i have as friends on myspace and facebook. Some kids are people i use to go to school with but i dont really message them just someitmes when im bored see what they are up too and stuff .

Q: If you see alot of these online friends in school why are you often on facebook?
A: Honestly i dont know. Its more of a habit. They write to me so i write back.

Q: Would you consider your self obbsesed?
A: No. I have a life. I dont just stay home staring at my computer waiting for a reply.

HW 6 - Video Project

Viedo Project from Stephanie Adames on Vimeo.

Heres a picture of the environment i was in while recording this video.

1. What are some thoughts and feelings you have when watching your own video?

When i look back at this video i noticed how distracted i was by all these electronic devices. I even stopped while putting on lip gloss to respond to an instant message that had popped up on my screen. Even while i was chatting i stopped to answer a text message and on top of all of that i managed to slide in some bops to the song playing on my ipod. Not only was i distracted by my computer from something that had nothing to do with technology , but i was distracted by other digital devices.

2. What do you think of the contrast between what's happening ON the digital representation device and what you look like interacting with the DRD?

This is a good question. When i look at the video it seems as if im not doing anything productive at all ! While i was recording the video i was checking my school email and found out about a overnight trip to penn state. I instant messaged my best friend to ask her if she would come with me to the trip. I believe my conversation was productive but while watching the viedo i was confused on how exactly i felt during the conversation with my best friend. I looked dull as if i wasn't int rested and was just looking for the next best thing to entertain me but i recall feeling excited about meeting new people on the trip and getting to visit the campus of a school im applying to. I guess i didn't physically react to my emotions because there was noone around to witness it so i just expressed them digitally with some smiley faces and exclamation points. My theory is that the overload interactions with this digital representations of socializing takes away from the physical experiences of emotions when interacting with people physically.

3. What do you think of ideas like the Wii that are supposed to make this contrast less stark?

Whoever invented Wii was cleaver. Its an electronic device which involved physical activities. My position on whether or not it is good or bad in this debate of media is blurry. Yes it is a digital game but in order to play it involves physical activities. I think this is a good way to involve someone who is obbsessed with video games to something more physical. Now using the game as a replacement of day to day exercise is not something i dont support. Wii has this yoga game where you use a board to balance yourself and get a score for doing good. Personally this is ridiculous. The purpose of yoga is to relax and feel connect with your body, not to be distracted by a game to win points. This game proves that digital media takes away from physical activites and interactions. The main enjoyment of our lives.

HW 4 - Triangular Comments 1

CHRIS ROLDAN"S BLOG:

What i liked about your blog post was the way you connected your currently activities to the homework. You mentioned the positives and the negatives.

My favorite point was about the news on espn and how they get their information via twitter. it seems as if old fashion interviewing and research is no longer needed. Technology is making everything "easier".

I can relate to the fact that when i do my homework online, i have tabs open to varies other websites such as face book and twitter. Its very difficult to turn my laptop on and not wonder what new notifications i have received on my profiles. which i really stupid because i have both applications on my cellphone so i already know what to expect when i sign on my computer.It has becomes more of a ADDICTION then something necessary.

What i think is worth exploring is the necessity of multitasking. Why cant people simply stick to one activity? Is it not enough just being on AIM chatting, just networking on facebook or twitter, or simply watching t.v? or do all of these connect in a way that they must be done all together. For example like you mentioned the VMA's; after the whole kayne episode , in the after show they had mentioned how it became huge news on twitter and there was like 1000 (a quess) tweets about it. They had announced it like it was an accomplishment!

I wonder if we could ever break out of these habits. if we do, will we become stupid because we have been so dependant on it, or will we became smarter by using the time and money for more productive things in life.

Well im done commenting your blog chris. You should bring these points in class.

JULLETE'S BLOG:

I like that you focused on the positives of technology more then the negatives.it gives me a different point of view to work with.

Face book does help people get in contact with friends and family members that live far away.

One day i was getting my nails done and i overheard some ladys talking about how they had just signed up for facebook and found a whole bunch of old friends and how it was refreshing tog et in contact with people they went to high school with. They were saying how much they loved facebook and were able to create a reunion.

We should explore the idea of how to keep the positives and improve of the negatives. Using facebook to get in contact with old friends and far away family members but not having to check your facebook 5 times a day.

You posted a good point and made me play devils advocate a little bit. Continue developing this idea :).

HW3 - 1st Blog Post

What is with the obsession with technology? Cellphones, facebook. twitter etc. I can understand the purpose of facebook; trying to get in contact with old friends and family members, but constantly having to update your status and commenting on other peoples pages is unnecessary. Yes it is fun but a waste of time. Twitter is website to stalk people. you "follow" people who put their business out in public. Cellphones have lost the initial purpose of its invention and the competition of who has the hottest phone (which people dont realize is all controlled by cooperations brainwashing to think your life is meaningless if you dont have the hottest phone out) is ridiculaous. i must admit i find myself trapped in this obsession because our society is so much involved it is hard to break out.

Now ipods, they create isolation. Over the summer me and my friends often went to the beach. usually train rides would be the funnest part of the 2 hour ride but lately its been seeming that all we do is plug in our ipods. Now how is that socializing? NO !!

It seems as technology advances, the drummer our generation gets.