English 231! A Semester in Review
By Maddi Stanton
Module 1:Introduction to new Media
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What is new Media?
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Module 2: A brief history of the Smartphone
How Technology relates to Culture?
Disembodied experience
The Mind
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Module 3: Habit Making Devices
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The Marvel App
Technological Determinism
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Module 4: Use. Gratify. Repeat
Her
Technological Singularity
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Module 5: Outsourcing memory
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Key Authors: Shirky, Poundstone, Carr, Rumsey
The internet debate: Does it make you smarter, dumber or ignorant?
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Module 6: Digital Socialities
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Key Authors: Rosen, Hampton, Turkle
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Module 7
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Module 8
Technology Mindfulness Project. See Blog Branch
Technological determinism
Theorists: Mcluhan and Flew
reductionnist theory
Social shaping of technology
Knowing verses Google Knowing
Tools of the mind
Key Authors: Lynch, Moore, Kurtzwell, Kranzberg, and Lightman
Today the internet is " easy, fast, yet dependant on others" (Lynch, 25)
"knowledge is not only easy everyone knows so much more”. (Lynch 4)
a reductionist theory that assumes that a society's technology determines the development of its social structure and cultural values.
Lunch Break app
Social Shaping of technology
"It's mistaken to think of technology and society as seperate spheres...technology and society are mutually exclusive" (Wei, pg 3)
Mindfulness Blog
Operating systems building their own identity? Relating to our world? What extent does a healthy relationship with technology go to?
Key Authors: Kurzweil, Jacobs, Chandler
Film Theory, Analysis, The Gaze
a hypothetical future point in time at which technological growth becomes uncontrollable and irreversible
"Economist Seth Stephens-Davidowitz noted that the third most-common Google search containing the phrase “my penis” is “How big is my penis?” You’d think a ruler would have a better answer." (Poundstone, 3)
Technology on our memory?
The social debate
Connected But Alone
Technology connects us across all physical barriers yet social customs have been created which isolate us in ever day life. We are ever more connected yet trapped alone.
Headphones = Do Not Disturb
Does technology make us more or less social?
"connecting virtually isn't like- Real world bonding" (Rosen, par. 1)
"Relationships Are Being Enhanced, not Replaced" (Hampton, par. 1)
Time Well Spent
Bored and Brilliant
Key Authors: WYNC Studios, Stossel
Not to avoid technology, but to advance it so that "it enhance[s] the life outside the device in our hands". (Strossel, 2016)
To me, if I am daydreaming/mentally exploring I am not bored. Bored is defined as "feeling weary because one is unoccupied or lacks interest in one's current activity." (Dictionary.com)
"creativity and daydreaming are peas in a pod which is a problem if my mind never gets to be idle because of my phone" (WYNC, 2015)
Blog 1: I took the Smartphone Compulsion test and Scored a 5. According to the test that means "It is likely that [I] may have a problematic or compulsive Smartphone use pattern." I do not think this accurately described my phone usage habits
Blog Post 2: Using the space app, I estimate I am using my phone around 3 hours per day, which is honestly less than I expected it to be. That being said it looks like I unlock my phone around 40 times per day which is over 10 times per hour of use. This makes sense considering I mainly use my phone for correspondence and thus I respond to notifications and then turn it back off till the next one.
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Blog Post #3: My favorite apps can fall into a few different groups. For Work, For General Communication and For Play
Blog Post #4: It's been about 33 days with this Space app. So far everything is going roughly as expected, though I am still bothered by having to turn it on every time I turn on my phone because I sometimes forget first thing in the morning, or after restarting my phone, causing my data to be off. But at the very least it should still be a good approximation. As of now, I don't seem to have a schedule for my phone use.
Blog post 5: This week's prompt is to decrease your phone usage by implementing parts of a 12 step plan. With all due respect, I will not be doing this. I am very very comfortable with my level of phone use, and I find this level necessary to do my jobs effectively. Instead, i will be reviewing certain steps of the 12 step program and qualifying them into how I manage my personal phone use to my satisfaction.
Blog Post #6: For this entry we were challenged to "Try leaving your smartphone at home in your dorm room for an entire day."
Blog Post #7: For this blog we were instructed to do a mindfulness meditation from a site called mindful. I really tried my best with this meditation, but in the 10 minutes I devoted to it I didn't get much out of it. It felt weird holding my phone and trying to meditate and it felt weird having my eyes open. I prefer to meditate in a closed off space, eyes closed, sitting or lying comfortable, and usually associated with my yoga. So sitting and holding my phone and staring at it was not my ideal head space. It wasn't bad, just weird.
Blog Post 8: Below I will attach some screen shots of my final Space App results so you can see my Journey through this self reflection. The last thing I want to say is that at the end of the day we each know ourselves, and must do act think and live in a way that is best for ourselves. We are our own best regulators, teachers, and authority, so it is imperative to take that responsibility and help yourself become the best version of you you can be. "To thine own self be true and it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man." (Shakespere, Hamlet)