Appropriation- how communication technology is acquired.
An instant of when I can remember acquiring communication technology was in grade 8 when I got a cell phone and was able to communicate with friends as well as download games for it, which helped to keep my attention on it longer. With my cell phone I was able to keep up with the latest gossip and also organize times to hang out with my friends.
Objectification- when the technological object is displayed in the home, the context to which the technology exists in the home.
When thinking about how technology is displayed in the home and when people come together, I think of how my family television is in the living room, which is close to the kitchen. Thus, after dinner me and my family would watch television and discuss the show during commercials. Now that we are able to record shows and then pause the T.V. when we have work to do, we schedule a different time to watch a favourite show together or we save it for those who missed it.
Incorporation- the ways in which these technologies were used by those in the household.
As a student, I use television in my home as a way to relax and watch T.V. mindlessly in order to escape from the demands of my school work. Also, I sometimes watch the new in order to keep up with current events in my area and the world.
Gender- how technology is gendered.
In some people's households there are televisions in the kitchen that only the mother watches for either cooking purposes or to keep her company during the day. Also, there are televisions that are decorated for boys and girls. For instance, there are Hello Kitty televisions for girls and Spiderman televisions intended for boys. In addition, the technology may be negotiated between the genders on who gets to use it when. For example, when my mom comes home from work, even if my dad or my sister is watching the T.V., they ask my mother what she would like to watch as they understand that she has had a long day and watches television as a way to relax.
Conversion- when information is carried by a communication technology and becomes part of everyday social interaction and builds social capital outside the home. Social capital increases as you know more about what everyone is watching/talking about.
Before there was YouTube and television recording, if someone missed an episode of a popular show, there was often no way to see it and you were therefore out of the loop in conversations discussing the most recent episode. Thus, without many of the technologies that exist today, many people would lose out on some experiences or gain of social capital if they were not up to date on the most recent media events. For instance, if I were to go a day without using my phone, I would lose contact with many people and not be able to receive updates on their lives and vice versa.
High Holidays- shared mediated moments; bringing people together that changes the status quo.
The event that I remember that really stopped me in my tracks was the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting. I was studying for an exam the next day with my friends and one of the girls came into the room and told us there was a shooting at an elementary school in the U.S. We all stopped what we were doing and turned on the television to get live updates to see how the kids were doing and to figure out what had happened. There were interviews of people crying and reports of people losing their lives which caused us to watch even longer in disbelief that something so horrible could be happening in that moment. Eventually one of the girls turned the television off and got us all to focus and compose ourselves for the studying that we had to do, but every so often we would take breaks to get the latest updates on peoples' conditions and any new developments.
No comments:
Post a Comment