Interview

I interviewed my 13 year old brother in law. He isn't as attached to his phone and electronics as much as others I've seen, but I was glad to sit down and talk to him about it 

1. Do you feel like you get less attention when your parents are using technology? Yes, dad won't play games with me.

2. Do you wish that they were on their phone less or more? Less

3. How much time do you spend on your phone or computer? Idk, little bit

4. Do you find yourself using technology while spending  time with your friends? Not really

5. Do your friends spend their time using technology too while with you? Yes

6.  Do you find it hard or intimidating to have a conversation with a peer? No

7. Do you find it hard or intimidating to have a conversation with an adult? No

8. Do you have a Facebook Account? Yes, 11

9.  How often do you check it? Once a day

10. What do you do on it mostly? Talk to my friends

11. Do you believe that you are on it too little, too often, or just right amount? Just the right amount

12. If you are alone, what do you do to keep yourself busy? Play my DS

13.  Does being alone make you anxious or nervous? I FEEL LIKE I NEED TO BE DOING SOMETHING

14. What kinds of technology do you have access to in your home? PHONE, DS, TV, wii, 

15.  What kinds of technology do you have access to in your school? Computer, iPad, 

16.  How well do you think you are able to operate different types of technology? Really well. 

17. Would you like to have a robot companion instead of human companions? No, because that would be boring. Because my friends are already my friends. 

18.  Does your home have any technology rules? i.e. no phones or TV at dinner, or in certain rooms of the house.  No

19. Would you rather text (message) or call someone? Call someone, too lazy to text

20. Do you think that it is appropriate to text while someone else is speaking to you? Or in class? Yes it's okay in class, but not ok if they're speaking straight to you. 

21. Why do you think some people spend their whole day on their phone or computer? Because they're weird. Because they don't like having fun with other people. 

22. Do you think that you have to compete with your parents phone for attention? No

23. Do you think that you have meaningful conversations with your parents?  And they give you their full attention? Yes

24.Why do you think teens would rather text than talk on the phone? To avoid getting yelled at 

25. Do you think that it is sometimes difficult to interpret text messages?  Yes, idk. Would the message be more clear if it was spoken over the phone?  Or face to face? Yes, because you can hear how the words are being said. 

Week 9- Media Education

I chose to watch the McLuhan introduction and was interested in his concept of a global village.  He predicted accurately that with the invention of television and eventually the web that this form of communication will link all people by most of their senses.  In 1964 he stated in his book Understanding Media, "Today, after more than a century of electric technology, we have extended our central nervous system itself in a global embrace, abolishing both space and time as far as our planet is concerned." (Marshall McLuhan Forsees the Global Village, 2014, Para.1)I don't know how many other people could have seen this future coming for our world, but he did.  Today we are connected in an infinite amount of ways to an infinite amount of things.  Not just our town, or state or country but the whole world! Like synapses in the brain, our messages can be instantly transported.

 Nicolas Tesla was another forward-thinker of the past, before McLuhan himself.  In an interview with Colliers magazine Tesla in 1926 stated: "When wireless is perfectly applied the whole earth will be converted into a huge brain, which in fact it is, all things being particles of a real and rhythmic whole. We shall be able to communicate with one another instantly, irrespective of distance. Not only this, but through television and telephony we shall see and hear one another as perfectly as though we were face to face, despite intervening distances of thousands of miles; and the instruments through which we shall be able to do his will be amazingly simple compared with our present telephone. A man will be able to carry one in his vest pocket." (Marshall McLuhan Forsees the Global Village, 2014, Para.3)

How amazing is it that these men were so in tune with the future of our technology?! I know that we have dreams of future technology today; teleportation, flying cars, living on the moon, traveling outside of our solar system and so much more.  We think that these are things of the far future, but we might be surprised to find out that there are coming a lot sooner than we can ever imagine!

References:

Marshall McLuhan Foresees The Global Village. (2014). Retrieved July 10, 2015, from http://www.livinginternet.com/i/ii_mcluhan.htm

Marshall McLuhan Speaks Special Collection: Introduction by Tom Wolfe

Week 8-Ad Deconstruction

I chose to deconstruct this advertisement.  When I originally saw it I was shocked.  I thought that it was very inappropriate for a billboard to display something this provocative. Going through the assignment only confirmed my suspicions.  While I was driving down the high way I didn't notice the small writing underneath the Snickers logo "satisfies."  I never knew that was their phrase, "Snickers Satisfies."  Satisfaction can relate to one's hunger for food, but also hunger sexually.  I personally thought that adding that word put it over the top.  

 I think that this advertisement could lead people to associate eating a Snickers and then having sex; it puts you in the mood. I think that the woman is being portrayed sexually in this ad. She is being seduced by the man; she isn’t the one seducing him. I think that posting this on a billboard would be socially irresponsible. I think that it is company’s responsibility to post advertisements that are appropriate for all ages to view, since they will be seen by all aged citizens. Citizen responsibility means looking at the bigger picture of society and honoring all people in it. Consumer responsibility means that you also have to watch out for yourself. If you see an inappropriate advertisement or any form of media it is your responsibility to guard yourself and your children from the crude or inappropriate messages.

I think this ad is that it is funny, but it is also inappropriate for all ages for view. It depends on where it is being posted; in a men’s restroom or in a bar might be appropriate; because there should only be older individuals there. Young boys or girls don’t need to see a women in her lingerie with a man trying to take it off. But, I am really struggling to think of a perfect place for it to be posted. I can envision the confusion in my young daughter’s eyes if she would have seen this, “Momma, why is that man going to punch that woman in the back?” That would open up a whole other can of worms; why did they use boxing gloves? They have a violent connotation. Why not a pair of big bulky mittens? It would have still been funny, but maybe a little less violent. In the end it is our responsibility to appropriately filter what our children are exposed too as best we can.