Media Experiment 3: The Social Network(s)

For my third media experiment I was assigned to compare the relationships I have with film and television. While I definitely cannot speak for all I can confidently say that for me, television is a much more social environment and apart of my weekly routine whereas film is so much more of an escape for me.

Currently in my apartment I do not have a television in my bedroom but instead the living room where my roommates and I all watch together. There we can talk about the program we are watching or we can even discuss something unrelated, there really are no rules when watching television and I sometimes even find it to be awkward if you watch television with someone and sit in complete silence, it almost requires commentary. Additionally, I never really find television as an escape but instead just tuning in each week to catch up with the characters of each show. Because television is episodic and returns each week, I definitely have more of a familial relationship with it, I know these characters and I'm invested in them and that's why I tune in each week., Similar to Peter Gibian’s question, “What does loyalty to a station or obsession mean?” (Newspeak Meets Newstalk, 140). There is definitely a nostalgic feeling with television shows because of my loyalty. For example, I have been watching the television show Gossip Girl since the start and unfortunately I find that in it’s fourth season I continue to watch each week not because I enjoy it (the quality of the show has definitely gone down) but because I have a loyalty to it. So to answer Gibian's question, I believe a loyalty to a station means that the biggest challenge a television show has is getting its viewers to feel a sense of loyalty to their show, that way even if the writing and storylines become weak the ratings will stay consistent.

On the other hand, film is much different for me. When I was younger going to the movies was definitely a social event with friends or family but as I have grown and come to respect film much more I have chosen to go to the movies alone and I truly find this to be an escape. When the lights are down and you are completely alone you can become completely absorbed into the film and there is no room for commentary except in your own head. Even afterwards the walk home by myself I am still replaying the film in my head and my real life doesn't come back to me until I am surrounded by other people again. Even when going with friends or family to the theatre now it is not a social event because unlike a television in your living room, there are rules in a theatre. There is no talking or using a cell phone, or at the very least kept to a minimum. Also, there is less of a familiarity with film because for the most part I do not know the characters before going in, with the exception of a sequel or remake, but even those can have original characters. This definitely supports McLuhan's theory that film is a hot medium because there is such low participation involved.

Additionally, because I am not heading to the theatres to catch up with familiar characters I am going because I am genuinely interested or curious in the story that is going to be told. You are paying specifically for this entertainment whereas with television you pay a monthly bill for all of it. Because I am paying this specific amount (usually 13 dollars in New York City) there is much more appreciation for what you are watching. You do not want to leave during the show to run to the bathroom or grab snacks because unlike television there is no DVR or Tivo, you cannot pause and rewind a great moment so there is much more authenticity when watching films. Similar to Benjamin Walter’s quote, “The presence of the original is the prerequisite to the concept of authenticity” (Illuminations, 220). Sure you can repeat viewings but that costs more money and you have to sit through the entire film again if you are just looking to see one scene again, therefore there is a very genuine and original feeling I get when watching a film in the theatre because I won't be able to have this moment again.

Here is a clip that demonstrates the strong and diverse characters a show has created to keep a loyal fanbase even if the quality of the overall show has drastically decreased: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qS-Jqc0KUA&feature=related

Media Experiment 2: The Sound of Music

Typically, it would not be shocking to be walking on the streets of New York City surrounded by hundreds of people listening to their iPods or listening to the radio in their cars as they drive by. Similarly, in the early mornings when riding the subway you most likely will spot many passengers reading the newspaper. For my second media experiment I was assigned to compare and contrast my relationship with two forms of media, clearly I have chosen the radio/iPod and newspapers.

I decided to conduct the experiment on Tuesday because I spend the day at my internship. I started the day by listening to the radio in my shower before leaving for work and then proceeded to listen to my iPod while traveling to and from work. I then decided to read the newspaper during any free time I had during the day at work, which ended up being a lot on this particular day. The first distinction between the two for me was that I felt like wherever I was I had access to the radio/iPod. Whether I am in the shower, walking to the subway, or riding in the subway. Additionally, I feel that when I am listening to Z100 in the morning hosted by Ryan Seacrest all the way out in Los Angeles, I am connected to those listening in LA, or any other area in the world with a radio. This of course made me recall Peter Gibson’s Understanding Media when he said, “ It certainly contracts the world to village size” (306). I completely agree with Gibson because I have a close friend who lives in Los Angeles and even though we are geographically so far apart I don't always feel the distance because of the media, particularly the radio because we both listen to the same stations so we are always receiving the same information.

Contrarily, I did not have the same relationship with the newspaper. I did not have access to the newspaper when I was in the shower, it was not delivered directly to my door so I couldn't read it in my apartment, I also could not read it on the subway (I always seem to get carsick if I read while in motion). Additionally, while the newspaper is technically found everywhere, it is not the same newspaper everywhere. My local news is not the same as LA’s local news, or anywhere else besides New York. Although this is an extremely large distinction between the two, after thinking about it I realized the radio and the newspaper do have a lot of similarities you would not necessarily think about it right away. Both have the amazing ability to brainwash me. When I am listening to the radio I automatically will take it to be fact instead of just an opinion, something that Jean Franco admits is not always true, “At a moment when political decisions are increasingly being reserved for the experts, the talk show remains one area in which it is legitimate and good to have opinions even when you know nothing at all about whatever it is you’re talking about” (Hello, You’re On the Air, 154). I definitely agree that there is a sort of "danger" with talk shows on the radio because it is acceptable to have a strong opinion even if you are not familiar with the topic you are discussing. This is dangerous in my eyes because I believe what I hear as fact most of the time. Similarly, if I read something in the newspaper, I automatically take this as fact without a question, even more so than the radio because a newspaper requires multiple editor approvals. Furthermore, to the best of my knowledge, most newspapers require citations, so it is more of a reason for me to trust them. Unfortunately, libel is not unheard of and I have been a victim to believing falsities many times. Lastly, the newspaper and radio are also similar in that both are intimate and private. When I was listening to my iPod on the subway it was inside my head mixed in with my own personal thoughts, no one else on the subway provided their interpretation to my music and I was closed off in my own world, and the same can be said when I read the newspaper at my internship, although it was a bit more difficult to tune distractions out while reading.

Overall, this experiment proved to be very eye opening to me because I assumed I would spend the entire time describing the differences between the radio and newspaper when in fact both have many more similarities than I imagined. While radio is not bound to geography and newspapers are, both offer intimacy as well as possessing the power to manipulate and control the user.

Media Experiment 1: (NO) Texts From Last Night

On a typical Saturday night in a New York City bar, it would be seemingly impossible to not spot numerous individuals on their cell phones. Some may be looking down texting, others may be having verbal communication on the phone attempting to converse over the loud music, while others may just hold it in their hand at their side for comfort. For my first media experiment I was assigned to abstain from as much technology as possible for a designated amount of time. While I had planned to lock myself in my bedroom for a couple of hours on Sunday with no access to the media, Saturday night unintentionally became my designated time for the experiment.

The night started off normal as I went out with three close friends to a bar on the lower east side, however things took a turn for the worse when I suddenly realized I had left my cell phone at home in its charger. After the initial panic had left me I decided to tough it up and spend the night without my cell phone intact. While I am not someone who is constantly obsessed with my cell phone at home or in class, when it comes to social situations my cell phone is my lifeline, my comfort. This immediately made me recall Marshall McLuhan’s quote from The Medium is the Massage, “Electric circuitry has overthrown the regime of ‘time’ and space’…Nothing can be further from the spirit of the new technology than ‘a place for everything and everything in its place.’ You can’t go home again” (16). In class we discussed how home is ever changing. Because of the connectedness of these technologies home is all of these digitized places. Well, on this Saturday night without my cell phone, or any other form of media with me (laptops don’t really work in a bar), I truly felt like I had no connection to home or the outside world.

This should not be confused with my social abilities, because I find myself to be very outgoing, especially in social situations like a bar. However, my generation has evolved in such a way that we almost do not know how to be social without the comfort of our technology by our side. At the bar I quickly felt trapped for many reasons. For one, I could not leave a friend’s side at any moment in time. Typically, the moment one of us is separated from the group we text each other asking ‘where you at?’ Something that seems completely irrational because you are all in one location and can simply just look for each other, but it is something that my generation has become accustomed to. Additionally, I also felt extremely limited to just my three friends. Although I love my close friends to death, it is very common to be texting your other friends who are not out with you on that particular night. This was obviously not a possibility for me on this night and I was confined to communication with just my friends who were physically present. Furthermore, it is also a very common habit of mine to hold my phone by my side during an uncomfortable or awkward moment. Generally when I am waiting on line for the restroom or standing at the bar waiting for a drink. Even if I have no reason to be on my phone at that instant, I pull it out and browse through it to overcome this awkward or sometimes boring moment. This is something that I did not fully realize that I did until I was waiting for a long amount of time at the bar and went to grab my phone from my pocket for no particular reason except for the fact that I was bored. Finally, on page 12 of McLuhan's book he discusses that private is no longer possible and an image of a fingerprint is visible. In class we discussed how McLuhan is implying that our usage of media leaves a fingerprint of traceability and I wholeheartedly agree after my personal experience. That was the only upside to this experiment because for once I got to experience what it was like to be untraceable in the world. No one knew where I was except for those I was with and it was a surreal feeling to have this privacy.

Although this experiment was definitely a great parallel to Marshal McLuhan’s message (or should I say massage?) and also a great social learning experience for me, it is definitely something I would not want to test out again in the future. It may be a sign of weakness on my part, but it’s how my generation has evolved and I plan to continue down my path of embracing the comforting “massage” media has offered me.

Here is a clip that definitely conveys McLuhan's theory that as long as we are attached to the media there is no privacy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hfnw2qpFO38