I could not agree more with the authors point of view on older people giving up on adapting and making excuses about how stupid the technology is or how they don't need it. I work at Best Buy and this is constantly the most grueling interaction of the day. An old couple wants to buy something they are familiar with but when you explain to them technology has changed and you can do so much more than before than tune you out and say I just want what my old machine did and nothing else.
My grandparents are in Hawaii and during a visit, I tried to show them how to use Facebook because in their words " you darn kids spend too much time on those fancy phones and not enough time with us" They wanted us to keep them informed and up-to-date by visiting Hawaii as much as possible and tell them in person. I explained that with Facebook, they could see what we were up to or the latest family pictures. It is an instant way to stay on top of all the happenings of the family. They hesitated but then agree to let me show them. 30 seconds in they were done. What do you mean I need to make a username. Why do they need my name, why is it so hard to set up. I was guiding them through the process and without giving any effort, they immediately got into the mind set of this is to difficult for me so I am not even going to try.
I have to admit that I have had a couple of instances where I did not feel like adapting and it does frighten me a little that I may be becoming an old man. I have absolutely no interest in Twitter. I think it is stupid and I don't need to know your opinion every second nor do I need to see updates on what you are doing minute by minute. My friend tried to sign me up and I refused to even let her show me how it works. It is the same way with the new Facebook Timeline. I am not even going to attempt to set it up because I like the familiarity of my Facebook and it seems to daunting to set up. I like the way things are and I don't want to stray away from that.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Blog Assignment #3
I believe that in my experience with my family, I would use the displacement theory to talk about how television affects my family. I have very few free moments in my day between full-time school and work and we I do get a free chance at home, it is usually spent watching tv. The theory says that participation in one communication domain takes away from others and would be definitely say that watching tv takes away from interpersonal communication within my family.
When I am home on the weekends, my family and I communicate occasionally but most of that is disrupted with what is on the tv. We are constantly around it and it pretty much is the center piece of our entertainment. Don't get me wrong, it also brings us together because we would all probably be in separate areas if we were not watching the tv but it does make us communicate with each other a lot less than we use to.
The one thing I do not like about our tv is how it is used by the government and media to basically try to put fear into the citizens. Every commercial for a news station is designed to put fear into your mind and make you tune in to see what is out to get you. It is ridiculous how much violence and scare tactics are used in order to try and grab ratings. Michael Moore spoke to this in one of his documentaries when he should a normal news day in Canada that was pleasant and had no stories to try and drive fear into people's minds. He also showed a correlation between the news and media being pleasant and the number of violent acts with firearms. Maybe if our media stopped this tactic, you would see a decrease in violent crimes.
The future of technology is one that I am fearful for. I don't know if it can survive in the future if every home has a DVR. Advertising and commercials are what keep the shows on our television from leaving. When companies look at data and see that everyone is starting to skip over the commercials, what is the point in investing money for the commercials. I could see it becoming like Pandora or Hulu where they only allow a number of skips or force you to watch a commercial before moving on in the broadcast.
I also think there will be a lot more focus on internet tv. There are already many people looking for a way to ditch cable or satellite and many companies are trying to seize the opportunity. With more and more people cutting the expense out of their lives, there will need to be more inventive ways to capture people's attention online.
When I am home on the weekends, my family and I communicate occasionally but most of that is disrupted with what is on the tv. We are constantly around it and it pretty much is the center piece of our entertainment. Don't get me wrong, it also brings us together because we would all probably be in separate areas if we were not watching the tv but it does make us communicate with each other a lot less than we use to.
The one thing I do not like about our tv is how it is used by the government and media to basically try to put fear into the citizens. Every commercial for a news station is designed to put fear into your mind and make you tune in to see what is out to get you. It is ridiculous how much violence and scare tactics are used in order to try and grab ratings. Michael Moore spoke to this in one of his documentaries when he should a normal news day in Canada that was pleasant and had no stories to try and drive fear into people's minds. He also showed a correlation between the news and media being pleasant and the number of violent acts with firearms. Maybe if our media stopped this tactic, you would see a decrease in violent crimes.
The future of technology is one that I am fearful for. I don't know if it can survive in the future if every home has a DVR. Advertising and commercials are what keep the shows on our television from leaving. When companies look at data and see that everyone is starting to skip over the commercials, what is the point in investing money for the commercials. I could see it becoming like Pandora or Hulu where they only allow a number of skips or force you to watch a commercial before moving on in the broadcast.
I also think there will be a lot more focus on internet tv. There are already many people looking for a way to ditch cable or satellite and many companies are trying to seize the opportunity. With more and more people cutting the expense out of their lives, there will need to be more inventive ways to capture people's attention online.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Blog Assignment #2
I listen to music and other forms of entertainment on a few devices in my life. The first and most used item would be my Iphone. It is the source of all my entertainment running through iTunes. I think my use comes mostly from the Gratification Perspective because it is very convenient to have all my movies and music on one device that I can take anywhere I go. It allows me to never become board while walking around or waiting in line for things. I also listen to the radio once in a while but I mainly use my radio to listen to media on my phone. I listen to music and podcasts almost any time that I am going somewhere. If I drive anywhere, I am listening to something. I also listen to media when I jog or go shopping. I feel like my life has too much media in it but it is very difficult to try to cut any of it out.
I definitely feel as if people do not really have any interpersonal communication while walking through UofL's campus. I am guilty of this too but it seems that everyone has headphones in and no interaction among the students take place. I keep my head down and listen to my phone and when I do look up, almost every student is doing the same thing. They are either listening to their music or doing something on their phones.
As far as the type of media that I listen to through my phone, it is somewhat mixed. I listen to music but no where near as much as all other forms of media. I like music but it is not as entertaining to me as podcasts or movies are. I listen to a number of different podcasts. They are mostly of mix of sports talk and comedy podcasts. I find them very entertaining and I like to to laugh more than listen to music. I am addicted to getting my sports talk fix so I listen to almost any ESPN feed or NFL or NBA podcast available. It gives me a way to catch up on my teams and sports when I do not have time through the internet or television. I don't know what I would do with my time driving or doing errands or even walking around campus if my podcasts were taken from me.
I definitely feel as if people do not really have any interpersonal communication while walking through UofL's campus. I am guilty of this too but it seems that everyone has headphones in and no interaction among the students take place. I keep my head down and listen to my phone and when I do look up, almost every student is doing the same thing. They are either listening to their music or doing something on their phones.
As far as the type of media that I listen to through my phone, it is somewhat mixed. I listen to music but no where near as much as all other forms of media. I like music but it is not as entertaining to me as podcasts or movies are. I listen to a number of different podcasts. They are mostly of mix of sports talk and comedy podcasts. I find them very entertaining and I like to to laugh more than listen to music. I am addicted to getting my sports talk fix so I listen to almost any ESPN feed or NFL or NBA podcast available. It gives me a way to catch up on my teams and sports when I do not have time through the internet or television. I don't know what I would do with my time driving or doing errands or even walking around campus if my podcasts were taken from me.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Blog Assignment #1
I think that when it comes to technology, I definitely am a person who seeks out new technology and I like to be the first one to own it. I work at an electronics store where I constantly see upgrades and new technology and I am always fascinated but what will come next. I wish this was not the case because it is not a great interest when it comes to the pocketbook but for some reason new technology has a hold over me where I need to have it. I use technology more than any of my friends and I don't know how I would get anywhere in town without having a GPS to guide me.
When it comes to radio use, I do not use the medium at all and the only person in my family who does is my father. I don't know if having the radio to use CD's or the inputs count because I have all my music on my Iphone and use my radio to play it in my car. I have on occasion used it to listen to some sports games but this is the only time I have ever used the radio. I honestly do not see much of a future for the radio other than in the car. I see many radios in people's homes but it is mostly for emergency use only in case there is a tornado warning. I used to listen to the radio when I was in high school but now my favorite radio station has a podcast of their morning show so I don't have any need to listen through commercials. The only thing I fear is that commercials and advertising pay for radio so if no one advertises, I don't get to listen to my podcast any longer. I just believe there are too many apps or forms of entertainment available for the radio to survive in the future.
When it comes to radio use, I do not use the medium at all and the only person in my family who does is my father. I don't know if having the radio to use CD's or the inputs count because I have all my music on my Iphone and use my radio to play it in my car. I have on occasion used it to listen to some sports games but this is the only time I have ever used the radio. I honestly do not see much of a future for the radio other than in the car. I see many radios in people's homes but it is mostly for emergency use only in case there is a tornado warning. I used to listen to the radio when I was in high school but now my favorite radio station has a podcast of their morning show so I don't have any need to listen through commercials. The only thing I fear is that commercials and advertising pay for radio so if no one advertises, I don't get to listen to my podcast any longer. I just believe there are too many apps or forms of entertainment available for the radio to survive in the future.
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