Thesis: DRDs are addicting. Carrie is "married to her phone." Henry thinks that Facebook is not a drug for him but to others, it is.
An aspect of DRDs people use to get attention or to give people attention is the internet through computers. From personal experience, I use AIM because I want to be updated from friends and it is the best way for me to keep in contact with them while I am barricaded at home. Why AIM and not phone? Maybe it is 'cause I have trouble communicating with others through phone and AIM allows me to hide behind the screen. I know that Facebook is boring and stupid but I find myself going on Facebook to get updates from friends. Lauren had a casual conversation one day and we were wondering why we like to have casual conversations. We thought that casual conversations help us keep in contact instantly and we are able to feel significant from causal conversations. In a short period of time, we can update people and it feels as if someone was there to care about your day. Even on Facebook, we have statuses so people can get an inside scoop on our life. AIM 7.0 is biting Facebook and has the same features, where we can comment on their statuses to show that we care or "like" the statuses. The feed allows Titus to watch Violet's feed efficiency so he is updated on how Violet is doing. People like to take pictures, capture moments but some people do it A LOT; in Michelle's post, they are called "camera whores."
DRDs are efficient. Cellphones, for example, allow us to keep in contact so moms can find their kids and kids can let moms know they are safe (Interview). Yu-Xi said that computers, IMs, and the internet allow people to feel more comfortable because there is a computer between the chatters (people like me). This comfort cause us to say things that we would not normally say; we can say mean things because we would not be able to see their reaction. Colleges and Universities are going green and they are accepting applications online so applicants would need to use the internet to fill out the applications. Even homework can be done online (Snyder's and Manley's); it saves paper and homework can be checked anytime. In the song "I love my computer," the artist loves his computer because he can flirt with people on the internet and stop anytime. He does not have to deal with the consequences or the aftermath; he is able to connect "in the most soul-less way." Computers allow us to play MMOPRG; we can play any role we wish and do things we cannot in real life. Even Wiis allow us to exercise and have fun at the same time. Laptops are made so people are not stuck at their computer desks with back pains; they can settle comfortably in bed. People at work use computer to optimize the amount of work (for example, sending out a note) in a short amount of time. In Feed, trees were cut down to make air factories because air factories can produce air at a higher rate than trees.
Efficiency sooner or later will cause us to become lazy. In Wall-E, people sit in portable chairs; they do not have to walk anywhere or even notice they are moving, the computer knows where they want to go. People in the movie are bigger than the standard size and we see robots carry their drinks for them, they do not need to get out of their chairs. Whenever they want shade, they just have to clap their hands and say "shade", the shade will come in two seconds. I interviewed my friend about IM-ing someone in the room next to yours and she said that people are either lazy, feels uncomfortable communicating directly, or they want to avoid situations that happen when communicating in person. Snyder points out that we are encouraged to google things we do not know; we just want the information and regurgitates it. This is seen in Feed, too; they just want the information, not to learn or process it.
Conclusion: DRDs are addicting because they allow us to seek and provide attention. They are efficient and this efficiency inevitably causes a universal laziness in our society.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
HW 15
Henry:
I appreciate your short summary, whereas mine was long and boring.
Johnson sees video games, TV, and the internet as opportunities to learn and improve skills constantly used in life. You believe that blood and violence fit into the mood of some games; you would not see details about the violence in words in games like Halo. It is actually nice to listen to a different view on the digital world, especially if that view is not criticizing the digital world. Johnson sees digital devices as a positive contribution to society while Feed bums down the idea of digital devices. Anderson forces us to rebel against corporations by using less digital devices while Johnson just educates us about the good stuff of these devices.
You say that books do not encompass all the other mediums but I think that picture books are a great way for kids to learn. Kids can read a sentence and look at the picture to figure out what the sentence means. I don’t know if you would say that it is the best medium but I am just saying books do incorporate other mediums.
While your post was a great summary, I feel that it does not incorporate your feelings and does not spark any new ideas. I would like to know how this excerpt has affected you.
Your experiment reminded me of my experiment to test whether music distract people from what they are supposed to be doing. While we think that music is supposed to distract us from doing our work, my experiment found that music has no affect on our study habits. But my experiment should not be enough to make any conclusions. IT seems, from yur experiment, that multitasking did not work that well for you. What does that say about what Johnson said about multitasking to train our muscles? Do you think it worked for you or did you not do enough of it?
Please comment back so we can raise new insights.
Jacob:
Good point about the subconscious and conscious categories. But I think increasing your AQ by watching TV is also unconscious; we do not notice our social skills getting better.
Johnson's purpose was to disprove assumptions made by people who have more faith in books than video games. He argues that video games, TV, and the internet play a part in our intellectual development. Video games help us think logically using to-do lists. TV improve our social intelligence and forces us to think about relationships. Lastly, the internet holds a large amount of information which can be accessed easily.
Johnson and I agree with you that we are pretty superficial. He says that multitasking is a good skill but it does not allow us to think deeply about what we do. Like as I am doing homework and chatting on AIM, I am not really digging into the information from the homework.
I think Johnson's argument about video games makes sense. Before books would exist, people would look at video games and see them as educational because it trains the muscle in the brain. Then when books are enter the world, people would see it as a bad thing because reading isolates one into the book. I can also see your point of view though; video games and the internet are illegitimate methods to interact. People who read books are those tend to do more community service (the book?), allowing them to actually interact with flesh and blood rather than through DRDs.
I appreciate your short summary, whereas mine was long and boring.
Johnson sees video games, TV, and the internet as opportunities to learn and improve skills constantly used in life. You believe that blood and violence fit into the mood of some games; you would not see details about the violence in words in games like Halo. It is actually nice to listen to a different view on the digital world, especially if that view is not criticizing the digital world. Johnson sees digital devices as a positive contribution to society while Feed bums down the idea of digital devices. Anderson forces us to rebel against corporations by using less digital devices while Johnson just educates us about the good stuff of these devices.
You say that books do not encompass all the other mediums but I think that picture books are a great way for kids to learn. Kids can read a sentence and look at the picture to figure out what the sentence means. I don’t know if you would say that it is the best medium but I am just saying books do incorporate other mediums.
While your post was a great summary, I feel that it does not incorporate your feelings and does not spark any new ideas. I would like to know how this excerpt has affected you.
Your experiment reminded me of my experiment to test whether music distract people from what they are supposed to be doing. While we think that music is supposed to distract us from doing our work, my experiment found that music has no affect on our study habits. But my experiment should not be enough to make any conclusions. IT seems, from yur experiment, that multitasking did not work that well for you. What does that say about what Johnson said about multitasking to train our muscles? Do you think it worked for you or did you not do enough of it?
Please comment back so we can raise new insights.
Jacob:
Good point about the subconscious and conscious categories. But I think increasing your AQ by watching TV is also unconscious; we do not notice our social skills getting better.
Johnson's purpose was to disprove assumptions made by people who have more faith in books than video games. He argues that video games, TV, and the internet play a part in our intellectual development. Video games help us think logically using to-do lists. TV improve our social intelligence and forces us to think about relationships. Lastly, the internet holds a large amount of information which can be accessed easily.
Johnson and I agree with you that we are pretty superficial. He says that multitasking is a good skill but it does not allow us to think deeply about what we do. Like as I am doing homework and chatting on AIM, I am not really digging into the information from the homework.
I think Johnson's argument about video games makes sense. Before books would exist, people would look at video games and see them as educational because it trains the muscle in the brain. Then when books are enter the world, people would see it as a bad thing because reading isolates one into the book. I can also see your point of view though; video games and the internet are illegitimate methods to interact. People who read books are those tend to do more community service (the book?), allowing them to actually interact with flesh and blood rather than through DRDs.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Second Text
Johnson starts off by giving us the typical view on the bad side on things like our food. Then he gives us the typical view on what people think of books vs. video games. Obviously, people say that kids should be spending time reading books rather than spending time playing video games. Statistically, the number of people who read books for pleasure has been declining. People think that video games is a worse option compare to reading books and Johnson thinks that this is because books came before video games. First, people think highly of books so when video games are invented, people see this opposition as a bad thing. Johnson proposed a theory that if video games were invented before books and video games were thought of as a good thing, then by the time books are wide spread, books would be seen as a bad thing. Video games and books each have their pros. Books convey messages and make the brain work to process and to retain information conveyed from the books. Our ability to pay attention and memorize the story line is becoming more of a challenge for us. On the other hand, video games help us develop a different mental skill that is as significant as the skills we obtain from reading books. Video games may not be entirely a bad thing. What is heard and seen about video games is different than actually experiencing playing the video game. Video games are hard to complete; their virtual tasks are more closely related to chores rather than an entertainment. People have to end up spending their wallet on walkthroughs to guide them through the games. Johnson makes a comparison between walkthroughs and cliffnotes; stating that they are essentially the same thing. He brings up the questions “why would anyone want to constantly play games that irritate them to a point where they have to buy walkthroughs” and “why are complicated games so fun?” He talks about how his 7-year-old nephew learned something from SimCity 2000 and this makes him wonder “why kids learn better from video games rather than from their class.” The answer has to do with how the video games capture kids’ attention. Video games trigger the brain’s reward circuitry, making people happy. If there is no stimulus triggering the reward circuitry, dopamine level drops and people get disappointed. There are a lot of rewards in video games; they force you to unlock rewards after rewards. People tend to want what they don’t already have or what is not yet there so it motivates them to do what is necessary to reward themselves. The rewards are what keep the kids into the screens. Video games force you to make decisions, to learn the rules that are not given to you, and to find the way around the rules. Johnson calls this probing; he says that you have to probe to progress in the game. Probing forces gamers to create a to-do-list naturally, creating stepping stones throughout the game. Johnson introduces another word; telescoping is when gamers keep their ultimate goal in mind while solving the smaller obstacles. He reminds us that telescoping and multitasking are not the same thing. In telescoping, the obstacles are connected to the ultimate goal while in multitasking, the actions are not. Johnson thinks that solving challenging games are more fun than just reading for fun.
Johnson believes that there is a difference between intelligent shows and shows that force you to be intelligent. TV’s complexity is composed of multiple threading, flashing arrows, and social network. Starsky and Hutch has one thread leading to the plot, Hill Street Blue has more than one thread leading to the plot, and The Sopranos have more than one plot. TV shows like The Sopranos train viewers to juggle more than one plot. Flashing arrows are also known as the hints to the plot. More arrows equate to less analytical thinking. TVs capture viewers by leaving out flashing arrows so the viewers can do the thinking and fill in the details. Reality shows force social interactions among contestants, the audience, and the viewers. Whether you are on the show or watching the show, TV tests and improves your AQ. TVs are a great source getting to know someone emotionally. Johnson uses Nixon as an example to prove the power of TVs. TV forces us to practice keeping track of the multiple relationships going on on shows; the more we do so, the more our neurons fire and we become more skilled in keeping track of multiple ideas. Lastly, Johnson talks about the internet. The internet contains a vast amount of information and welcomes us to access them. The internet allows us to learn how to operate computers and to socially interact with a broader group of people. Johnson sees us hunching over our computers as our eagerness to learn the information the internet has to offer. He thinks it is better for people to write about themselves rather than watch other people live their lives. As we write articles on the internet and IM with other people, we are learning how to work with the applications. The internet allows us to connect with more people and exchange more ideas.
I feel that Johnson sometimes contradicts himself and he knows it. In the beginning, he says that video games are better than TVs because video games cause you to be active while TVs cause you to be passive. Then he talks about the pros of TV. Towards the end, he contradicts those pros by saying that we are better off writing about our lives on the internet instead of passively watching TV. It is not a bad thing, but it gets confusing when you are trying to figure out what is worth doing and what is not.
The excerpt ends the internet section on a good note. Johnson says that the internet is a great development because we are able to connect through a large group of people. Without the internet, we are limited to interacting with people in the room. Johnson speaks highly of the internet, knowing the insecurity of the internet. He constantly says that we are able to socially interact with people and it reminds me what we already discussed. Are we really connecting with other people? Connecting through the internet leaves out our voice, our tone in the conversation.
Anderson sees that m-chatting are depriving us from human face to face interactions. And even if two characters are able to see each other, they still use m-chat to avoid any unwanted feelings; like the time when Violet and Titus did not want their conversations to be awkward, so they decided to use m-chat. Johnson does not address this point but he thinks that electronic chatting allow us to reach someone that we cannot reach without the internet. We are able share ideas with people on the other side of the word through the internet. Anderson view the internet as a downfall while Johnson view it as an asset to interacting socially.
Johnson believes that there is a difference between intelligent shows and shows that force you to be intelligent. TV’s complexity is composed of multiple threading, flashing arrows, and social network. Starsky and Hutch has one thread leading to the plot, Hill Street Blue has more than one thread leading to the plot, and The Sopranos have more than one plot. TV shows like The Sopranos train viewers to juggle more than one plot. Flashing arrows are also known as the hints to the plot. More arrows equate to less analytical thinking. TVs capture viewers by leaving out flashing arrows so the viewers can do the thinking and fill in the details. Reality shows force social interactions among contestants, the audience, and the viewers. Whether you are on the show or watching the show, TV tests and improves your AQ. TVs are a great source getting to know someone emotionally. Johnson uses Nixon as an example to prove the power of TVs. TV forces us to practice keeping track of the multiple relationships going on on shows; the more we do so, the more our neurons fire and we become more skilled in keeping track of multiple ideas. Lastly, Johnson talks about the internet. The internet contains a vast amount of information and welcomes us to access them. The internet allows us to learn how to operate computers and to socially interact with a broader group of people. Johnson sees us hunching over our computers as our eagerness to learn the information the internet has to offer. He thinks it is better for people to write about themselves rather than watch other people live their lives. As we write articles on the internet and IM with other people, we are learning how to work with the applications. The internet allows us to connect with more people and exchange more ideas.
I feel that Johnson sometimes contradicts himself and he knows it. In the beginning, he says that video games are better than TVs because video games cause you to be active while TVs cause you to be passive. Then he talks about the pros of TV. Towards the end, he contradicts those pros by saying that we are better off writing about our lives on the internet instead of passively watching TV. It is not a bad thing, but it gets confusing when you are trying to figure out what is worth doing and what is not.
The excerpt ends the internet section on a good note. Johnson says that the internet is a great development because we are able to connect through a large group of people. Without the internet, we are limited to interacting with people in the room. Johnson speaks highly of the internet, knowing the insecurity of the internet. He constantly says that we are able to socially interact with people and it reminds me what we already discussed. Are we really connecting with other people? Connecting through the internet leaves out our voice, our tone in the conversation.
Anderson sees that m-chatting are depriving us from human face to face interactions. And even if two characters are able to see each other, they still use m-chat to avoid any unwanted feelings; like the time when Violet and Titus did not want their conversations to be awkward, so they decided to use m-chat. Johnson does not address this point but he thinks that electronic chatting allow us to reach someone that we cannot reach without the internet. We are able share ideas with people on the other side of the word through the internet. Anderson view the internet as a downfall while Johnson view it as an asset to interacting socially.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Feed B
I think Anderson's use of allegory was excellent; using the feed to portray that we are always connected to digital devices. Anderson compares instant messenger or text to m-chat; in the book, we see characters m-chatting even when they are next to each other. I think that Anderson's message is that we use digital chatting devices to avoid tensions in the atmosphere, like characters did in the book. Anderson's use of tragedy creates a mood for readers, knowing death will approach if the use of digital devices continues. This scares the readers and forces them to reconsider the ways they are using digital devices. I feel that his use of special and self-aware narrator is not as effective as an ignorant narrator. If the narrator continues to be ignorant, I think the narrator will represent more of the population of digital users and maybe... just maybe, it will have more of an impact on the readers. I don't think that emphasizing problems and not proposing solutions is the way to go but I am starting to think that Andy has a point. Using digital devices is inevitable when digital devices are becoming more efficient. Just when I decided to cut down on using the computer and learn the stupid side of facebook, I find myself on facebook more often. I want to spend less time on the computer but it is hard to do when homework is done on the computer; I would have to spend more time on the computer, reading people's blog and coming up with insights. Maybe there is no solution to this digital era and the use of digital devices will continue to increase. I think that this book is targeted at a general audience; everyone needs to be aware of the downfall of digital devices. Parents are saying that they will buy their kids laptops because everyone else is getting laptops. Kids and parents need to learn that the "hot" stuff are not always the good stuff and going with the flow is not necessarily a good thing. Feed is successful in the way that it does a good job describing the crisis we are in right now but is unsuccessful that the nothing is done about the crisis.
I believe that a mirror cannot be a hammer; if they are the same and a piece of art is reflecting the World, then the piece of art would only be reinforcing the World as it is. The World cannot be shaped any different as it is reflected. I think that Feed is a mirror; it is an allegory of the world today but I think it can be perceived as a hammer. If a reader is affected by the book and decides to take action on the crisis, then the book has been a hammer and has shaped the reader's actions. I would want my art to be a hammer, but it would probably turn out to be more of a mirror instead.
I believe that a mirror cannot be a hammer; if they are the same and a piece of art is reflecting the World, then the piece of art would only be reinforcing the World as it is. The World cannot be shaped any different as it is reflected. I think that Feed is a mirror; it is an allegory of the world today but I think it can be perceived as a hammer. If a reader is affected by the book and decides to take action on the crisis, then the book has been a hammer and has shaped the reader's actions. I would want my art to be a hammer, but it would probably turn out to be more of a mirror instead.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Feed A
I remember talking briefly to Jacara about the book and she said that the allegory of the book is nothing like the world today. She said that we do not sound as stupid as the book makes us seem. But I can see M.T. Anderson's point of view. When I was reading the book, I noticed that the characters kept saying "like" and used a lot of slang. I got annoyed by the continuous use of the word "like" and it did make them sound stupid. Jacara and I agreed that m-chatting is similar to instant messaging and texting. <-- texting is not even a word in the dictionary.
We rely too much on technology to help us think. In the end of the book, Titus asks Violet's dad numerously to just tell him what "eloi" is. Similar to us, we want information immediately and just ask for the knowledge, the answer, without actually understanding the answer or learning the knowledge. We take the knowledge and regurgitate it (Snyder). When we have questions, we rely on Google to give us the answers when we type keywords into the search box.
I liked how Anderson used the feed in the brain as an allegory to our interaction with digital technology. It is as if communication devices are attached to us and when we need to use them, it is convenient. Titus and his friends use m-chat while we use instant messengers and texts. I also remember when Violet was able to track Titus's feed and Titus was able to watch Violet's feed efficiency. This is like facebook, myspace and/or twitter; we check people's facebook and myspace pages to see what they are up to and we follow people on twitter to stalk them.
[edits]
In the book, trees were cut down to make air factories because air factories were efficient in making air. Everything in the world is about efficiency; the world enters the industrial era because people industrialization increases efficiency in making profit. Even in the digital world, emails are used because they are faster at sending messages than postage mails. Facebook, twitter, and myspace are efficient because they allow you to stalk more people in less time. Texts are created to send messages when you cannot make phone calls in meetings or when you want too be sneaky in class.
The lesions can be seen as plastic surgeries in this world. Quendy and Calista went overboard with the lesions and people in this world go too far with plastic surgeries. The characters in the book got lesions for this one guy who was not even worth it. Both, the characters in the book and people in the world, get plastic surgery to just get attention.
Violet's dad got Violet a feed because everyone else had it. This reminds me of the woman I interviewed in the streets; she said that she was going to get her son a laptop because everyone else had one. People are living under the influence and always want the new stuff. In the book, the characters are notified of the new stuff through their feeds. I think this shows the obsession and bad habits we have in the consumption of new products. The same woman also said that she was going to get her son a cell phone because they needed to get into contact. Cell phones are great digital devices to make sure your family is safe but people get addicted with the texts.
We rely too much on technology to help us think. In the end of the book, Titus asks Violet's dad numerously to just tell him what "eloi" is. Similar to us, we want information immediately and just ask for the knowledge, the answer, without actually understanding the answer or learning the knowledge. We take the knowledge and regurgitate it (Snyder). When we have questions, we rely on Google to give us the answers when we type keywords into the search box.
I liked how Anderson used the feed in the brain as an allegory to our interaction with digital technology. It is as if communication devices are attached to us and when we need to use them, it is convenient. Titus and his friends use m-chat while we use instant messengers and texts. I also remember when Violet was able to track Titus's feed and Titus was able to watch Violet's feed efficiency. This is like facebook, myspace and/or twitter; we check people's facebook and myspace pages to see what they are up to and we follow people on twitter to stalk them.
[edits]
In the book, trees were cut down to make air factories because air factories were efficient in making air. Everything in the world is about efficiency; the world enters the industrial era because people industrialization increases efficiency in making profit. Even in the digital world, emails are used because they are faster at sending messages than postage mails. Facebook, twitter, and myspace are efficient because they allow you to stalk more people in less time. Texts are created to send messages when you cannot make phone calls in meetings or when you want too be sneaky in class.
The lesions can be seen as plastic surgeries in this world. Quendy and Calista went overboard with the lesions and people in this world go too far with plastic surgeries. The characters in the book got lesions for this one guy who was not even worth it. Both, the characters in the book and people in the world, get plastic surgery to just get attention.
Violet's dad got Violet a feed because everyone else had it. This reminds me of the woman I interviewed in the streets; she said that she was going to get her son a laptop because everyone else had one. People are living under the influence and always want the new stuff. In the book, the characters are notified of the new stuff through their feeds. I think this shows the obsession and bad habits we have in the consumption of new products. The same woman also said that she was going to get her son a cell phone because they needed to get into contact. Cell phones are great digital devices to make sure your family is safe but people get addicted with the texts.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Self-Experiment 1
I have been trying to cut down the time I spend on the computer so I wait until 9PM to sign on AIM and expect to sign off at 10PM. But it always seems as if there is not enough time to finish what I have to do on the computer so I end up signing off at 11PM or 12PM. Sometimes, I feel that I need to be on AIM, to talk to friends, to connect with the outside world, so I cannot wait until 9PM. But particularly today, I was studying and I felt that time was passing by so slow, that I needed to start working on something else using the computer. When 9PM came, I did not feel like using the computer. Maybe it was the boredom from studying or something, but I felt tired going on the computer. I think that if I did not have to use the computer for HW, I would have spent less time or not have used the computer at all; I would have spent my time starting conversations with my mom or my little brother (maybe even studying some more) and actually be in the house mentally (not just physically) rather than connecting to something outside the world (the computer).
Sunday, October 4, 2009
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