8th Reader's Blog

Summary: In Charpentier’s writing about “Why Television is Better Than the Movies”, he outlines the reason for this title by saying that television allows for a longer story line of events that tell a story better. This longer period of time also allows for greater depth in complex character development and innovative story lines over time. In Moore’s writing about how video games should be played with friends next to you, he hits on the point that the best memories are made with friends experiencing and seeing the same thing as you. Therefore, he pushes for a more local-based type of game structure instead of random people online.

Comment: Both of these articles talk about the idea’s human connection and development. While one writes about character development being more meaningful and in depth with the increased time television that allows for character development, a similar idea can be applied to video games with friends. When playing with friends, it allows for more diversity in experiences as you are surrounded by people you enjoy. With this, television gives this same diversity, allowing for different situations to be conveyed to the audience. The theme of more detail in television and personal contact with video games allows for an amplified experience overall in the various types of media.

Question: With the idea of a better experience when playing video games with friends, is the experience still lessened if friends were to play with each other online instead of strangers? Or is the idea of having friends on the couch next to you the overarching argument?

7th Reader's Blog

Summary:

In Atik’s writing titled “Public Displays of Transaction”, she addresses the new norms of dating and relationships with others through the app “Venmo”. This app allows for easy transactions between people that are public and made with comments each time. Each time someone makes a transaction, it is possible to analyze the interpersonal relationship through the payment and accompanying reason. Meanwhile, in Bleyer’s writing about the online relationship with dating apps, it can be seen how technology is affecting human connection. She writes about namely “Tinder” and similar apps that have changed things to a more casual, easy-access type of interactions. Bleyer hits on the point these aren’t inherently bad, but only if meeting in person happens as quick as possible, instead of dating/getting to know each other over media.

Comment:

With both readings hitting different points of the new age of technology, they both portray its effects on human interactions with one another. The publicity of transactions in relationships can be tracked and seen as the true way people act and treat each other. With this, the ease of access and analyzing of partners based solely on attractiveness also truly shows how some people interact with others, and their goals of those interactions. These two forms of media show the changing forms of communication that technology is instilling on humans, due to the exponential increase of technology, namely smartphones.

Question:

Why do you believe apps such as Tinder have exploded so much, instead of more personalized, long term dating apps? Does this increase mirror the rising generations values/tendencies?

6th Reader's Blog: Compare and Contrast Pt. 2

Text messaging vs Snapchat

1.
- Text messaging is sending phrases/sentences/emojis to another person or group over mobile phones.
- Snapchat is a form of social media that is used heavily for communication over pictures/videos sent to other people or groups. Provides news articles, journals, and general threads of what is going on throughout the world. People have "stories" which convey what they do on a daily basis and the snaps disappear immediately or within 24 hours.

2.
Similarities
- ways to contact/have conversations with others
- can send pictures/videos
- use of emojis
- group chats
- fulfills main purposes of having mobile devices (instant notifications from friends/family)
Differences

- snapchat is more of a social media (with Stories, news articles, current events)

- snapchat based off of pictures/videos

- texting you can send gifs/memes

- texting is more direct/noticeable (with noise and how its portrayed on phones)

- snapchat blends in more with notifications b/c of its style

- texts stay forever on screen

- snapchat disappears after short period

- texting usually used for more instant/direct conversations while snapchat is usually used for a more laid back way of communicating/portraying yourself

3.

- Text messaging is significant because it is one of the main and most direct ways of communicating other than phone calls. Calling on phones has decreased significantly as most of the population now primarily uses texting.

- Snapchat is significant especially among middle aged people and below who use it more frequently than texting. Since you can have conversations over pictures/media and send things to as many people as you would like at once. Also there is a chat option that generally replaces texting. The media page of Snapchat also makes it used for intellectual purposes such as news and current events.

4. These are important because they have taken the shape of how most of us communicate with each other in either way. It allows us to customize the way in which we speak to each other and convey ourselves in new ways. These are more direct ways of communicating but with other additions such as pictures and emojis. Allows for increased ease and use of communication between people.

6th Reader's Blog: Compare and Contrast

List:
- Snapchat
     - leaning more towards social media way of communication/focus on pictures and videos
- Text messaging
     - more of a base of conversation, more noticeable/direct, focus on words
- Video games (focused on building types of games)
     - improves spatial skills and how things are created/formed/built, how they go together
- Video games (focused on shooter/action games)
     - improves hand-eye coordination, quick reactions

Text messaging vs Snapchat

> Similarities:
- ways to contact/have conversations with others
- can send pictures/videos
- use of emojis
- group chats
- fulfills main purposes of having mobile devices (instant notifications from friends/family)

> Differences:
- snapchat is more of a social media (with Stories, news articles, current events)
- snapchat based off of pictures/videos
- texting you can send gifs/memes
- texting is more direct/noticeable (with noise and how its portrayed on phones)
- snapchat blends in more with notifications b/c of its style
- texts stay forever on screen
- snapchat disappears after short period
- texting usually used for more instant/direct conversations while snapchat is usually used for a more laid back way of communicating/portraying yourself