Com 481 Assignment 2: Week 8, October 6

Week 8 Reading Response: Social Interaction 

Reading 1: Connect, But Alone – Ted Talk 

This Ted Talk discussed our use of mobile phones and how they affect our daily lives. When we are bored or unfulfilled or dealing with an emotion we don’t want to we gravitate toward sour phones to distract the attention and start focusing on something else. The talk touched on the concept of being Alone Together, which is about being with another person while also wanting to be connected through a device to a multitude of other platforms. The underlying concept the speaker touched on about why we do this is because we want to have control of what we are doing, and how we are being perceived. This leads to only paying attention to the things that interest you. I found this something I as well as many other students could connect to. I often think I am good at multitasking or listening to someone while also sending a text or email. At the end of the day we can’t do that. I think the speaker was spot on with only choosing to listen to what we want to because I see that happening in my everyday life. She also introduced the Goldilocks effect which is about finding that middle balance between what is just about right in terms of being connected and having relations. I thought it was sad when she used the example of the 18-year-old boy who wanted to learn how to have a real conversation, especially because at 18 you are an adult in our society. I find it very sad that technology has evolved so much that younger generations are becoming accustom to not having face to face interactions. This is something I strive to fix in my life when I can by either calling or facetiming friends or family when I have time instead of sending a text. I really enjoyed this Ted Talk and the insight the speaker gave. 

Reading 2: Connecting, Coordinating, Cataloguing: Communicative Practices on Mobile Social Networks 

This reading focused about the social interaction and aspect the media mobility and technology can bring, both in the positive and negative aspects.  The article talked about how some mobile interactions are locative and some are not which I thought was interesting. Some interactions don’t use the mobility to connect with people nearby. I found this interesting because I feel like most social interactions are used to connect with people far away instead of nearby. In the somewhat contradictory viewpoint, it also mentioned how sometimes these online interactions can create in person ones which is something I hadn’t really thought about. I think this is the most applicable probably for YouTubbers and Influencers who’s career is online based, those working online relationships have probably cause a lot of in person ones as well. I really enjoyed this reading and found it very easy to connect to class material as well as life! 

Technology Application/Example: 

 I think that both of the readings connect back to the idea of social media, we use it as a tool, a connection and as a distraction. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram can all be used in the business setting or personal in a lot of positive ways such as connecting with old friend or using it as a promotion platform. This aspect is very prevalent to what we work with and have been learning in class. It has also created a large disconnect with social interaction in person as well as always trying to portray your life as something it’s not online. I think being able to find a balance and not letting online life consume you is hard struggle that many face, myself included. I think if our culture could move away from such a large online presence and get back to the root of communicating with other human beings it would make a large culture change that could guide the new generations immensely. 

Discussion Questions: 

• Do you often find yourself trying to multitask, and only choosing to listen to the information you think is applicable to yourself?
• When you are hanging out with friends do you find yourself engaging in your phone more than you do in conversation? 
• Do you think that social media is isolating our generation and future generations?