Within the past Ten years Advertising during Christmas has definitely advanced. I feel like we get hit on all sides to buys certain products. We see advertisements online on websites, in the ads in newspapers, on TV in our email - everywhere. And this makes me wonder if this has had an effect on the consumerism that has increased in our country. I doubt Walmart had people standing outside in the cold and 4am on Black Friday Ten years ago.
Also I wouldn't be surprised if the amount of money being spent as also increased because what is being purchased, which I would submit that more Communication Technologies are being purchased. Is this a new immutable law? The more Communication Technologies that get developed more we will be consumed with consumerism?
We have so much visual stimuli That comes at us during the Christmas season because that is something that our culture values and uses as a way to promote us to buy things. I think we have substituted image for truth. In advertising we see people very happy with the new item they use. Then is that the reality when this item is bought and given as a present? Is the truth that that person is more happy after they own this item?
Are we valuing Consumerism over the Christmas season? And are Communication Technologies pushing toward this as well... I would argue- in some degrees- yes.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Men and Women What appeals to whom?
When it come to new technologies what appeals to whom? I think this may be more of a questioning blog than one that provides many answers. Lets take me for example, I participate in and use many technologies as a woman. Things I use most, are the features on my cell phone (i.e planner, Text messaging, calling) Email, internet, Instant messanger, Blackboard, registering for classes digital music, MP3s etc. I think that men tend to use these things plus more. For me I use Com Techs that end up aiding me in my job or my social life... most of the things that I use are effecting me so that I can participate in society.
Men I would say use these things and Com techs associated with entertainment. Why do guys find Games (generally) more fascinating rather than women? I asked a guy and he said video Games were: fun, tied into action and movement, along with visual stimulating aspects to the action- these were all bonuses.
As I was thinking about why women don't find this form of entertainment as appealing and I think possibly because the opportunity to relationally socialize is not as high? I ask these questions with and openness to respond. Why did I find video games more fun when I was younger... but not as much now?
Gender does have an effect on our choice of Com techs but I am unsure how... I am wrestling with this and will be seeking to observe these differences to gain insight on this topic.
Men I would say use these things and Com techs associated with entertainment. Why do guys find Games (generally) more fascinating rather than women? I asked a guy and he said video Games were: fun, tied into action and movement, along with visual stimulating aspects to the action- these were all bonuses.
As I was thinking about why women don't find this form of entertainment as appealing and I think possibly because the opportunity to relationally socialize is not as high? I ask these questions with and openness to respond. Why did I find video games more fun when I was younger... but not as much now?
Gender does have an effect on our choice of Com techs but I am unsure how... I am wrestling with this and will be seeking to observe these differences to gain insight on this topic.
"Get a life"- online gaming
Online Gaming has become very popular within the past two years. We are seeing these "online communities" emerge and they have brought in people (generally of the male gender) of all ages. Online games are simple enough where you can just download the operating system then sign on and play the game. To be able to talk to the other players while participating in the game you only need a headset. The diffusion rate is incredible because it reaches people from all ages. Which can have both postive and negative implications. It caught on very quickly with a wide area of people but I feel as if a person would either know about online gaming, heavily participate in it or be completely out of the know.
My little brother has recently become very interested in this form of entertainment. He has always been interested in video games but his free moments are filled with playing this game. So with the ability to talk to the other players this gives a real sense to the game. However I was disappointed and somewhat disturbed when I heard the conversation going on throughout the game. There were at least 4 people who were participating in the conversation ages 12, my little brother 14, another teen ager then an adult who was mocking the other players. This man who was doing most of the talking was using profanities left and right making vulgar comments and just being rude. I could not believe what I was hearing. I thought to my self does this person have anything else to do? Why is he talking to these kids like he is? I was disappointed and annoyed.
I think this has implications for us as a society as well. I think that we should have age limits or more restrictions on these types of games so low lifes like the guy that i was hearing would not be able to play a game like this with my brother. This was like a cheap entertainment form... out of convenience and I think that these people are spending a lot of time with this entertainment rather than socially participating in society.
What is interesting is that Online gaming- with the ability to communicate with other players- has become a Com Tech, while video games before was not. Entertainment has become a form of communication as well.
My little brother has recently become very interested in this form of entertainment. He has always been interested in video games but his free moments are filled with playing this game. So with the ability to talk to the other players this gives a real sense to the game. However I was disappointed and somewhat disturbed when I heard the conversation going on throughout the game. There were at least 4 people who were participating in the conversation ages 12, my little brother 14, another teen ager then an adult who was mocking the other players. This man who was doing most of the talking was using profanities left and right making vulgar comments and just being rude. I could not believe what I was hearing. I thought to my self does this person have anything else to do? Why is he talking to these kids like he is? I was disappointed and annoyed.
I think this has implications for us as a society as well. I think that we should have age limits or more restrictions on these types of games so low lifes like the guy that i was hearing would not be able to play a game like this with my brother. This was like a cheap entertainment form... out of convenience and I think that these people are spending a lot of time with this entertainment rather than socially participating in society.
What is interesting is that Online gaming- with the ability to communicate with other players- has become a Com Tech, while video games before was not. Entertainment has become a form of communication as well.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Generations
I find generational gaps fascinating. I use email, my cell phone, and digital music on a daily basis, where my grandparents find many of these technologies very foreign to them. My grandma refuses to learn how to use email even though she is quite the talker on the phone, or my mom blames myself or my siblings when something goes wrong with the computer, because since we use it more we probably created the malfunction in the computer. My parents have used the internet for some practical purposes but for the most part still rely on paper or conventional methods before they turn to a computer. This makes me think of the various changes that will emerge in our generation.
As we marry have kids, will we be a past generation who is inept at the new technologies, having us at the mercy of our kids to teach us? Or will we be a generation that will keep up with the times? Since we have been so used to constant development and advancement in technology I wonder if we will be able to progress right along side the next generation because we are used to learning new Com Techs.
Obviously only time will tell, because Diffusion come into play, which generations will accept new technologies, or if our generation will continue to place the same importance on technology as we do today, ( what we will value in the future), or what our motivations will be in adapting in society. As I said only time will tell.
As we marry have kids, will we be a past generation who is inept at the new technologies, having us at the mercy of our kids to teach us? Or will we be a generation that will keep up with the times? Since we have been so used to constant development and advancement in technology I wonder if we will be able to progress right along side the next generation because we are used to learning new Com Techs.
Obviously only time will tell, because Diffusion come into play, which generations will accept new technologies, or if our generation will continue to place the same importance on technology as we do today, ( what we will value in the future), or what our motivations will be in adapting in society. As I said only time will tell.
Technology Failing
In the past two weeks I have heard about more and more people speak of how slow their internet was, or their cell phone breaking or blackboard not working and this has turned into a feeling of frustration in their lives.
When technology fails it messes with our daily lives and makes us not only think about how much we may rely on technology but also we find other alternatives in completing our task. Now I was thinking about whether we are unhealthily dependent on technology or if has just simply become a method that we rely on just as we do in our ability to talk or hear. Email has become just about as effective as a phone call. Or where a hundred years ago when the writing letters was an important mode for communication, we would naturally get frustrated if the post services were down.
My theory for why we see technology as the bad guy is because technology has come into our lives very quickly and penetrated into many areas of our lives in both a good and bad manner. It diffused quickly and was first seen as a luxury and now it is becoming more and more of a necessity.
Unless it consumes us completely I have decided I am not that opposed to the way in which technology has diffused. And I think that we should acknowledge the realistic role it plays in our lives so that we can better examine it in the future...
How it affects our relationships- with God, family, friends.
How it affects our temperament.
how it affects society as a whole.
When technology fails it messes with our daily lives and makes us not only think about how much we may rely on technology but also we find other alternatives in completing our task. Now I was thinking about whether we are unhealthily dependent on technology or if has just simply become a method that we rely on just as we do in our ability to talk or hear. Email has become just about as effective as a phone call. Or where a hundred years ago when the writing letters was an important mode for communication, we would naturally get frustrated if the post services were down.
My theory for why we see technology as the bad guy is because technology has come into our lives very quickly and penetrated into many areas of our lives in both a good and bad manner. It diffused quickly and was first seen as a luxury and now it is becoming more and more of a necessity.
Unless it consumes us completely I have decided I am not that opposed to the way in which technology has diffused. And I think that we should acknowledge the realistic role it plays in our lives so that we can better examine it in the future...
How it affects our relationships- with God, family, friends.
How it affects our temperament.
how it affects society as a whole.
Effective Presentations
For the past few class periods we have sat through a number of various presentations and some obviously stood out above the rest as better presentations. A thought that I would like to process through this blog is what makes a great presentation and what makes another boring. I believe that technology has a role in this and can work for or against the presentors.
A pet peeve that I have developed is when the person goes up to the front and seems to have spent a decent amount of time preparing the information to present in a power point form and he or she simply read the information off of each slide. To me this is incredibly boring. I do not see why people see reading off of a power point as much different than reading their notes. Because the only difference in my opinion is that you can make the words move, the audience can see the notes and there may be a cool background. This is an example when technology has become a crutch in the art of presenting. The time taken to prepare the power point only brings out a boring slide show rather than a stimulating presentation. So I think that if a person chooses to use technology they should make an effort to spice it up a bit with interaction, inflection in their tone, better eye contact, the ability to move around, and not as much detail on the slide but providing that detail in explanation when presenting.
People are using technology out of convenience, because sometimes it does not require much creativity. And because the technology is between the presenter and his or her audience, a social distance is formed... where the notion that people can feel like they can approch the presenter is lost.
I frankly admired the people who got the audience involved, smiled, seemed to have fun up front... and unfortunately only and handful of my classmates come to mind. More information is not always better. Personality, simplicity and quality is more widely appreciated.
A pet peeve that I have developed is when the person goes up to the front and seems to have spent a decent amount of time preparing the information to present in a power point form and he or she simply read the information off of each slide. To me this is incredibly boring. I do not see why people see reading off of a power point as much different than reading their notes. Because the only difference in my opinion is that you can make the words move, the audience can see the notes and there may be a cool background. This is an example when technology has become a crutch in the art of presenting. The time taken to prepare the power point only brings out a boring slide show rather than a stimulating presentation. So I think that if a person chooses to use technology they should make an effort to spice it up a bit with interaction, inflection in their tone, better eye contact, the ability to move around, and not as much detail on the slide but providing that detail in explanation when presenting.
People are using technology out of convenience, because sometimes it does not require much creativity. And because the technology is between the presenter and his or her audience, a social distance is formed... where the notion that people can feel like they can approch the presenter is lost.
I frankly admired the people who got the audience involved, smiled, seemed to have fun up front... and unfortunately only and handful of my classmates come to mind. More information is not always better. Personality, simplicity and quality is more widely appreciated.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Technologies in the faith
Nooma Videos. These videos are considered wonderful teaching tools. Rob Bell, who is the pastor of Mars Hill Christian Church is the creator of these thought provoking messages via video. His ministry is all about being relavant and challenging people to seek God through truth and finding meaning in things again. However one of his teaching tools is the videos he has created.
I think that there are pros and cons to using video. Pros is that it can be distributed to a large array of people all over the world communicating the message of Jesus Christ, it can add special effects that may keep the attention of contemporary audiences better than a speaker could. Cons is that he is not right there with us... it could be seen as impersonal, it could be seen as just a money maker or as acting. I think that the older generation may feel a greater social distance between the speaker and themselves than perhaps the newer generations. Some may feel a lack of personal interaction which can be perfectly understandable. However is the technology getting in the way of the speaker or is it aiding the speaker to communicate I would argue it aids the speaker in the case of Ron bell. It does give me a sense to want to see him in person, thinking that his biblical teaching would perhaps be more profound in person than on video.
After all this I think we still desire face to face communication above all.
I think that there are pros and cons to using video. Pros is that it can be distributed to a large array of people all over the world communicating the message of Jesus Christ, it can add special effects that may keep the attention of contemporary audiences better than a speaker could. Cons is that he is not right there with us... it could be seen as impersonal, it could be seen as just a money maker or as acting. I think that the older generation may feel a greater social distance between the speaker and themselves than perhaps the newer generations. Some may feel a lack of personal interaction which can be perfectly understandable. However is the technology getting in the way of the speaker or is it aiding the speaker to communicate I would argue it aids the speaker in the case of Ron bell. It does give me a sense to want to see him in person, thinking that his biblical teaching would perhaps be more profound in person than on video.
After all this I think we still desire face to face communication above all.
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