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New Media and Digital Technology - Coggle Diagram
New Media and Digital Technology
Film Analysis
"Her."
This film providing a completely different perspective of technology, giving it human qualities. This film was strange because a human began falling in love with something that was not real. An object was providing someone with something only capable of humans. Theodore Twombly is the main character who falls madly in love with his Operating System, Samantha.
After viewing the film several times, we were asked to write an analysis on the film. As we analyzed the film, many things stood out that typically would not if we were not looking deep into the meaning. Theodore found love with an object, but the main concern was that he felt lost without it. Without his OS he had no meaning in the real world. This was crucial to analyzing the film because technology is evolving constantly and people are adapting in different ways. People are so attached to their devices that they feel anxiety when without it.
This portion of the class helped me personally to see the film in a different perspective. By looking in detail at how the characters act individually and collectively, it gave me a better understanding of the film. This was helpful and beneficial in terms of the class itself because I learned more about how the producers and actors portray various aspects within a film.
Video Responses
Introduction Video
The introduction videos for the class provided a sense of a classroom without meeting in class. We had to record ourselves speaking and share it to the rest of the class. Some people may not have been comfortable with this, but knowing that everyone has to do it eased the nerves.
"The Smartphone Paradox"
There were eight video responses for this book. The book discussed many different aspects of technology that were insightful. Each chapter had a different significance and was beneficial to my smartphone awareness.
From the beginning to the very last video response that I submitted for this book, I was very interested in what I had learned. There were several ides brought up that made me question the technology in my life. I realized how much I relied on it and tried to change it. This went hand and hand with the media project because I was becoming aware of the habits I had and why I was doing it. I tried to use my phone less and focus on reading without thinking about my phone. Reading about smartphone usage makes you think of your phone and receiving notifications but I was able to focus on the words and not my phone.
This was one of the most beneficial parts of the class because the book was written by the professor and it helped see how he viewed technology and his interaction with it as well.
New Media Projects
Technology Mindfulness
This project was a semester long project that required data from eight weeks. At first I felt overwhelmed and worried that I would not keep up with it, but I was able to track my smartphone usage and enjoy the results.
I started by using my phone an average amount which seemed to be about four hours a day. I was able to decrease my phone usage and only use it to communicate with friends and family while away at school. Once the semester switched to online and I was home, my usage increased and then decreased as the semester came to a close.
Marvel App
This project was something I had not done before. I have never taken a media class and making an app required learning new strategies and being creative. I decided to make a prototype app for working out. It was called "Get Gains" and it included a lot of things to help college students figure out a workout schedule that fit their schedule and goals. This was helpful for me to see how the design process of an app actually happens and considering the digital technology needed to make it happen. The app was not programed or anything, it was a raw prototype and that itself took a lot of time and effort to get right.
The app took a lot of time and thought but once I finished it, I realized that I learned a lot about the process of making an app that people could use. If it had been programmed it would've taken a lot more effort and time but this helped me see the importance of taking time. By focusing on the needs of society and something that people would use, this app would have been perfect on a college campus.
Overall, this project helped determine a problem and turn creative ideas into something that could benefit a particular group of people.
Read & Respond
The read and respond portion of the class consisted of text as well as videos to help us better our understanding of media in society.
Videos
There were podcasts, youtube vides, and TED talks for these discussion posts. Each video had a different perspective and idea as to what media is and does. Sherry Turkle gave a TED talk regarding media. She discussed how we use it and essentially are connected more but at the same time we are alone. Our smartphones connect us to so many people online bt the conversations are not as important as the ones in person. Another read and respond was a podcast that talked about using our time wisely. People will turn their phones on and scroll endlessly and even in public. We use these devices to escape the reality in front of us and it is not good.
The videos made me think deeper about how I use my phone and when I am using it. It changed how I view technology and now I am more mindful of my smartphone usage. I am trying to connect through real life conversation, not through a screen.
Articles and excerpts
The semester consisted of several articles which gave different viewpoints and discussion topics to learn from. Each week we had a few articles to read and write a discussion post on. The articles varied from phone usage to research studies. I learned a lot from these articles because a lot of this I had never even thought about.