Black Mirror

Although I find the episode frustrating to watch, the most interesting of the first season’s episodes of Black Mirror is the third episode entitled “The Entire History of You.” While the first episode is just something that seems too ridiculous to happen and the second episode relies on a dystopian future, “The Entire History of You” captures the potential of how we use technology. The episode raises compelling questions about how humans and technology interact. The characters in this episode have a chip implanted in their heads that records their memories – a piece of technology inside of their bodies, something that seems to have become domesticated. The humans in this episode are part computer - their memories, and by extension, their past, is completely digitized.

One interesting scene took place in the airport when security asked to see the main character’s most recent memories. In a world like this, how much privacy do citizens have? It seems like they really have none, especially when government officials are allowed access to a visual account of one’s memories. However, I thought about how our current world already digitizes our lives; Facebook prompts its users to re-share posts on the post’s “anniversary.” We have access to all past posts on Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram – essentially every social media platform except for Snapchat. Our social media and technology map us throughout history, so the memory chip the characters use is just an extension of that. The technology in this episode raised some concerns for me but we are already using technology very similar to it.

This brought me back to another idea I had about the episode. It seemed like all of the characters were very comfortable with the technology, freely sharing memories with others and singling out the woman who removed her memory chip. In our current world, a viewer is likely to react to this episode by saying that we would never use technology like that, but people have fears about every new form of technology and society eventually embraces it, then becoming domesticated and something we cannot imagine our lives without, and this episode especially exemplified that.

Geek Heresy, Chapter 3

From Geek Heresy, I thought it was most interesting when the author discussed the link between technology and relationships. The author presents two options about this relationship. In option A, the belief is that technology helps us to connect to those we would already be inclined to connect with. Option B believes that technology helps us communicate with people we would have not otherwise communicated with. He presents it as if one is correct and the other incorrect, but I think both options are true. It depends what technology is being used and what the intention is. On things like forums, option A likely applies because people are gathering to discuss a shared interest, but on something like Tumblr, option B likely applies because the casual blogger does not exclusively follow certain types of blogs. Opportunities for connections are greater because of technology. However, it is important to keep in mind that those connections may not always be positive, which the author then explores, talking about how sometimes connections cause us to be even more divided in cases like politics. I also really liked how the author talked about the privilege that is connected to having technology, which he expresses through the example of “you” raising money via social media vs. a very very poor person doing the same – of course “you” would raise more money, having the ability to write persuasive e-mails, having a richer network, etc. This was a strong example that highlighted opportunity.

One of the themes that seems to be running throughout this book is the human role in technological development and implication, and this is expressed in this chapter by the author’s questioning of technology’s ability to solve our problems. One of the examples of this is the story of Perez-Luna’s company and how he was able to detect the human issues that were responsible for the company’s issues, which helped the company avoid a costly digital solution to their problem (45). The same thing happened in the schools in India that did not have any IT support for their broken technology. I think humans are quick to accept technology as a solution but fail to recognize their own role; technology can only do as much as its creator.

Geek Heresy, Intro and Chapter 1

This was more of a philosophical piece; it left me wondering what the world would be like if every student in the world had access to the Internet and opportunity. I specifically liked in the intro when “opportunity” was questioned – what does one really need to succeed? Is the opportunity to do something enough (like Google jobs being posted online) or is it more important to have the means to learn and become qualified for something? I agree with the latter opinion. For Westerns, our lives and our society make it easier for us to achieve or goals. We have support nets and ways to accomplish things, which is not the case for other countries.

One of the most important sections of this reading is when the author addresses the typical reception of new technology in education; usually, new technology is declared as the future of teaching, such as movies, radio, and television. The author notes that the same thing is happening today with computers, especially with MIT’s program in which they sell laptops to countries for student use. While I think this is an interesting comparison, I think computers/the internet are a unique technology compared to radio/film/etc. The internet is highly interactive, and digital learning is often very involved. While I do not think that everything should be taught digitally, I do think that digital learning can be highly effective. It gives specific attention to a student, so teachers can pinpoint what each student needs. Things like radio, TV, and movies can also be effective teachers, but I think it is best when everything is used to reinforce each other – sort of like “transmedia teaching.”

Hamlet on the Holodeck, Chapter 3

While reading this chapter of Hamlet on the Holodeck, I was thinking about the way that users interact with their digital environments. According to the author, one of the essential properties of a digital environment is that it is spatial, something that actually limits other types of media. While books can only describe the environment and films can only show, digital stories allow their users to interact with their environment. In a digital environment, the user is free to explore their surroundings and is able to experience distance and the passing of time in a virtual setting. Because digital environments are spatial, the story is visualized and concrete; the user is situated right in the setting which creates a sense of immersion. This is important because the more immersed the user is in a story, the more emotionally connected he or she will feel.

Emotional connections are also reinforced by another one of the essential properties of digital environments: they are participatory. Users are engaged within the stories, able to induce behaviors from other characters or objects and elicit responses. Psychologically, we are reacting and interacting with this environment, which leads to questions of whether or not digital environments are real. The bigger question for me is, how separate are we from the digital environment? They have the ability to make us feel real emotions and connections, so they have influence over us, but how much? Can they make us form certain views or opinions or shape our thoughts and behavior?

The author brought up an interesting point early in the chapter about how people had fears that they would not be able to tell the difference between movie images and real life, and how they similarly had fears that we would soon not be able to tell the difference between talking to a human or talking to a computer. I remember when AOL instant messaging allowed users to chat with AIM Bots, such as SmarterChild. It was only an entertainment feature; the robots would respond based on your own responses and it was always clear that you were speaking to a robot. Now, I can pull out my phone and ask Siri to write a text for me or set a reminder. Already, computers are becoming more intelligent (another essential property of digital environments: encyclopedic) and more apt to do things; they are becoming more human, or perhaps more real.

Transmedia Storytelling - Part 2

In my last post, I noted Harry Potter/Pottermore as an example of transmedia storytelling. Pottermore also exemplifies worldbuilding, an idea discussed in chapter 5 of The Creator’s Guide to Transmedia Storytelling. Although Pottermore offers the same information as the Harry Potter books, it extends the information by expanding the world in which the story is set. Character backgrounds, explanations, terms, or concepts can be further explored on Pottermore. Worldbuilding can also be physical - I was born in Salem, Massachusetts and still live on the city’s border; as a city that grasps onto anything occult-like, Harry Potter was popular enough that a wand store selling the character’s wands was opened downtown. Worldbuilding allows the consumer to interact with or connect to the story in unique ways. Harry Potter and other transmedia stories are proof of how deeply invested an audience can be in a story.

Sometimes an audience is so involved with a story that fan culture develops, which has found a home on social media and other Internet platforms; because fans become so emotionally invested, transmedia storytelling has transformed the ways that social media can be used. As much as fans benefit from transmedia storytelling, having access to new information and more content, the story creators also greatly benefit from transmedia storytelling. It creates a better, more cohesive story in general purely because the characters and background stories are more drawn out and explained.

From the second reading, I liked the author’s comparison of the computer to a camera in the 1890’s – just at the beginning of its storytelling capabilities. This made me question the future of transmedia storytelling, as it has already advanced so much and still expands – such as fictional characters having their own real Twitter accounts. How far will storytelling go?

Transmedia Storytelling

Transmedia storytelling is essentially what we do on social media, where the individual is the “story” that is being told. This relates back to my third blog post where I talked about how people display and highlight different facets of their personalities on different social media platforms. We utilize transmedia storytelling methods without even realizing it, using several social media platforms to create a more accurate representation of ourselves in the virtual world and extend our stories. Some have even made careers of selling themselves as a story, such as YouTube celebrities, who usually maintain accounts with YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat. While YouTube acts as the main platform for storytelling for these individuals, the other social media platforms contribute to their own story in different ways; Twitter allows them to promote projects or offer insight on particular topics whereas Snapchat lets their audience see them in their daily lives.

 The author often mentions that transmedia storytelling is closely related to marketing and argues that this form of storytelling can be used to do much more. While I agree that transmedia storytelling can be used for a variety of purposes, I think that there is always a marketing element to it. The author supports her argument by citing some of her own projects and others like educational docudramas and YouTube channels. On the surface, these are not made for marketing purposes, but documentaries and other campaigns with media presence often try to push the viewer/consumer into forming certain opinions or thinking in a certain way. Even on social media, individuals “market” themselves to other social media users, trying to depict their lives in a particular way. Some of the examples have more obvious marketing elements, such as the Half the Sky Movement encouraging the audience to join in the fight to end oppression against women or Bernie Sander’s presidential campaign, but even "Welcome to Pine Point" had messages about the importance of community and place. Every message has some importance or meaning to it that contributes to a larger idea. 

One example of transmedia storytelling that I thought about while reading was Pottermore/the Harry Potter franchise in general. Starting out as books, film adaptations and video games were created to progress the story. After the books were all written and the films were coming to an end, Pottermore was created as an interactive way to read the books with new information. Harry Potter has been brought brought to the stage, with a new play in the works. Even in 2016, Harry Potter fans can expect a new spin-off film series and a new book.

Superbowl 2016

Every year, millions of viewers tune into the Superbowl to watch a football game, a concert, and perhaps the biggest attraction, the commercials. For those like myself, the commercials are enough to garner interest in watching a game where I don’t even know which two teams will be playing; the annual event outright exemplifies our culture of consumerism. When it comes to advertising, the key is to grab the audience’s attention and somehow convince them that they need the advertised product. Keeping this in mind, advertising is a game of psychology.

Superbowl ads in particular are known for being funny which is why they are so popular. Each ad-maker must make an advertisement that appeals to the audience in an emotional way, such as the wiener dogs running toward the Ketchup family making the viewer laugh, which then creates a positive association with Heinz, both through laughter and images of puppies. Other brands try to sell positive messages in attempt to brand themselves in a better light, such as Budweiser using Helen Mirren as a celebrity endorsement (another marketing strategy) against drunk driving. The positive association then creates trust between the consumer and the brand, so even if the product is not being sold, the brand still is. The idea is to make the viewer form an emotional connection to the brand.

I also thought it was interesting that the Superbowl ads had a legacy to carry on; hashtags and websites dedicated to the ads were created post-game. Ads must be seen a number of times in order for the viewer to even register the commercial. Because the Superbowl is a one-time event, I think it was a clever marketing move to dedicate an entire website to the ads, allowing viewers to not only absorb the message but take notice of the brand.