That whole last post on Media Dependency Theory may have gone over people's heads and seemed a little far-fetched, so I figured I would give you all a few more real world examples. These ones aren't scientific studies, so much as they are things I've noticed and maybe you all have too.
Here's an example of media dependency I've gone through today, and went through about a month ago as well. Today where I live we're suffering through some severe weather. Now, I (like a lot of people I'm sure) have come to rely on the media to tell me what to expect weather-wise. The news on television and on the internet let me know what to expect and what to do. Earlier today, I watched the news and was informed of this severe weather to be expected. When I lived in Colorado we had tornado alarms that would go off when tornadoes were spotted in the area and that was your cue to react accordingly. When I moved to Tennessee I discovered that where we live now, you can't hear the tornado alarm. Our power went out and I spent the day hiding out in my basement because I no longer had access to the television, radio or internet to tell me whether or not a tornado was in my area. I was dependent on the media for this information.
Another example of this is how much people rely on Facebook to communicate with others. I (like a lot of people, again) use Facebook to communicate with a lot of people. There are a handful of people, I have found, that I speak to primarily through Facebook. That means when I'm away from my computer or my internet is down, I don't have the ability to contact those people. I'm dependent on that particular media for social interactions.
Make sense? :)
Friday, March 2, 2012
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Media Dependency Theory
Media Dependency Theory is a media effect theory first proposed in 1976 by Sandra Ball-Rokeach and Melvin Defleur. It stems from the Usage and Gratification Theory.
The UG theory is an idea proposed that society chooses what media to focus on based on what needs the media provides (information, social interaction etc). This came after a realization that perhaps media wasn't controlling society and the ways people think about things. Perhaps, instead, it is society's choice what media they utilize and how much influence they allow it to have over them.
Dependency theory, basically, is the idea that the more dependent a person becomes on the media to fulfill their needs, the more important and influential that media becomes to them.
A really excellent and interesting example of this is the effect that Google is having on our memories. Psychologist Daniel Wegner has proposed that humans have what is called transactive memory. Transactive memory is the idea that humans have sort of a shared memory. Let's say that you have a spouse. If they know what day your child's dance recital is, you yourself don't have to remember that information and vice versa. Humans basically rely on one another for shared information. You may not know when the recital is, but you know that your spouse knows and you can always ask them later.
Our society is beginning to develop this sort of dependency relationship with media such as Google. Betsy Sparrow from Columbia University conducted a series of experiments to see the effects that Google had on our memory. One of the experiments involved 60 students reading 40 trivia statements and then typing them into a computer. Sparrow found that the students remembered fewer of the statements if they were told the computer would save them than the students who were told the statements would be erased. If they knew their work could be accessed later, they didn't feel the need to remember it. “Since search engines are continually available to us, we may often be in a state of not feeling we need to encode the information internally. When we need it, we will look it up,” says Sparrow.
This a great example of Dependency Theory. People are using media like Google to fill their informational needs, and are actually beginning to remember things less and become more and more dependent on Google for that information. Media isn't forcing itself upon them, rather it's being selected and used by society.
The UG theory is an idea proposed that society chooses what media to focus on based on what needs the media provides (information, social interaction etc). This came after a realization that perhaps media wasn't controlling society and the ways people think about things. Perhaps, instead, it is society's choice what media they utilize and how much influence they allow it to have over them.
Dependency theory, basically, is the idea that the more dependent a person becomes on the media to fulfill their needs, the more important and influential that media becomes to them.
A really excellent and interesting example of this is the effect that Google is having on our memories. Psychologist Daniel Wegner has proposed that humans have what is called transactive memory. Transactive memory is the idea that humans have sort of a shared memory. Let's say that you have a spouse. If they know what day your child's dance recital is, you yourself don't have to remember that information and vice versa. Humans basically rely on one another for shared information. You may not know when the recital is, but you know that your spouse knows and you can always ask them later.
Our society is beginning to develop this sort of dependency relationship with media such as Google. Betsy Sparrow from Columbia University conducted a series of experiments to see the effects that Google had on our memory. One of the experiments involved 60 students reading 40 trivia statements and then typing them into a computer. Sparrow found that the students remembered fewer of the statements if they were told the computer would save them than the students who were told the statements would be erased. If they knew their work could be accessed later, they didn't feel the need to remember it. “Since search engines are continually available to us, we may often be in a state of not feeling we need to encode the information internally. When we need it, we will look it up,” says Sparrow.
This a great example of Dependency Theory. People are using media like Google to fill their informational needs, and are actually beginning to remember things less and become more and more dependent on Google for that information. Media isn't forcing itself upon them, rather it's being selected and used by society.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Misc Design Dump
Alright, here are some things I've done recently in no particular order. :)
A quick little ad done for a cute contest on Facebook regarding a film coming out in January (One For the Money)
A Youtube layout for one of my dear friends.
A little doodle of a WoW (World of Warcraft) non-combat pet for my dad. (Isn't he cuuuuute?)
A quick little ad done for a cute contest on Facebook regarding a film coming out in January (One For the Money)
A Youtube layout for one of my dear friends.
A little doodle of a WoW (World of Warcraft) non-combat pet for my dad. (Isn't he cuuuuute?)
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
It's been a while
Sorry for the lack of updates! I've just gotten a new job (non-design related retail job, boo) and when I'm not working I'm sleeping or working on homework. I considered posting some homework things because this class is really interesting (Digital Video) but mostly the assignments so far are to learn the software and I'm sure it would be terribly boring to the outside world. Hopefully I'll have something up to show you all soon-ish. I know I'll be making Christmas cards, (I do every year) so maybe I'll post those. Generally I make all of my cards, and they're almost always all different. I send out Thanksgiving and Christmas cards and tend to make each one different for whoever I'm sending it to (of course I do that for birthdays) but this year I think I may just make one generic design and send it out to everyone. Between the new house and the new job and the school, I just feel lazy all the time and don't really want to make a gazillion different cards. Who knows. Later gators :)
Monday, November 7, 2011
Doodles
Guess what guys? I get to be published in my school's literary journal once again! I can't show you all my piece until they publish it, but once they do I'll be sure to post it here. :) Until then, have these pieces I drew of Jennifer Connelly from the Labyrinth. Oddly enough, I drew one of these for one of my male best friend and I drew the other one for my female best friend.
This sketch I drew a while back. This one is for my female best friend. We've watched The Labyrinth together oodles and oodles of times and even have matching "Magic Dance" ringtones. I love the way Jennifer Connelly looks in the huge poofy dress and my bestie loves the little caterpillar guy. So, poofy dress Jennifer for me and caterpillar for her.
This second one is far more recent. I drew it...a week or so ago? I wanted to draw my male best friend a picture and he happens to have a crush on Jennifer Connelly. (And I happen to really like her from the Labyrinth in the poofy dress so that's what I drew for him) With this picture I wanted to try making everything one color, so I had him pick a color and I drew everything in various shades of that (other than the background). So yes I know her dress was white, her skin was fairer and not so pink, and that she is a brunette.
This sketch I drew a while back. This one is for my female best friend. We've watched The Labyrinth together oodles and oodles of times and even have matching "Magic Dance" ringtones. I love the way Jennifer Connelly looks in the huge poofy dress and my bestie loves the little caterpillar guy. So, poofy dress Jennifer for me and caterpillar for her.
This second one is far more recent. I drew it...a week or so ago? I wanted to draw my male best friend a picture and he happens to have a crush on Jennifer Connelly. (And I happen to really like her from the Labyrinth in the poofy dress so that's what I drew for him) With this picture I wanted to try making everything one color, so I had him pick a color and I drew everything in various shades of that (other than the background). So yes I know her dress was white, her skin was fairer and not so pink, and that she is a brunette.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
More Portraits
If you can't tell I really love doing portraits. :) This is just a quick one of my pretty little cousin!
Monday, October 17, 2011
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