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Blog post: Meyrowitz’s theory on the effects of electronic media on situations and physical presence

Joshua Meyrowitz’s book “No Sense of Place: The Impact of Electronic Media on Social Behavior” is another resource that I have utilized in my research for this project. A key factor in choosing this source material was his desire to acknowledge the works of McLuhan (among others) in the field of media studies, but also to point out some of the shortcomings of these works. This desire also plays a…

Blog post: McLuhan’s prophecy of the internet

McLuhan’s prediction of the next step in media technology, published in his book “The Gutenberg Galaxy” in 1962 (nearly 30 years prior to the World Wide Web), is widely regarded as nothing short of a prophecy of the nature of the internet: “The next medium, whatever it is—it may be the extension of consciousness—will include television as its content, not as its environment, and will transform…

Blog post: Danah Boyd’s “Sociality through social network sites”

Through the course of my study for and execution of this Capstone project, I have relied on much of the existing work that has been done in the field of media studies and, more specifically, social media and online interaction. Danah Boyd’s work has been a crucial aid in my research and understanding of the affordances of social media and networked publics, and the behavior exhibited therein.…

Blog post: Cooperation in order to survive

It is without question that human beings are social creatures. We have developed language, culture, and infrastructure based on our interaction and cooperation with one another throughout history. This, anthropologically, is based on environmental factors which forced significant lifestyle changes to our species, such as a change in diet in order to survive and encourage the increased brain…

Blog post: Remixing as a legitimized art form

The social and artistic implications of the practice of remixing have undergone a change due in large part to the affordances of computer-mediated communication in web 2.0. What was once considered at best artistic laziness and at worst theft of intellectual and creative property is now a ubiquitous feature in the landscape of online interaction and creativity. This can be seen in many forms,…

Trolling is a phenomenon that is, in many ways, ubiquitously linked with networked publics online. Look at any message board, comment section, or reddit page to see proof. Trolls are everywhere. Does this mean that the seemingly obligatory attitudes of vitriol and malice  associated with trolling are strictly a result of the affordances of the online medium? Or are they universal characteristics…

Blog post: Is Lebron James smarter than Stephen Hawking?

My last blog post addressed the idea of “cognitive load“, and why the characteristics of different media and how they pertain to different senses of perception do not predicate superiority or inferiority relative those different media. This post is similar in that I will seek to address the idea that certain human beings are “smarter” than others, because of a capability for intellectual prowess,…

Blog post: Cognitive load/Is Lebron James a genius?

In my paper, I spend some time discussing the concept of embodied cognition. In a nutshell, this theory states that our cognition (or mind) is not separate from our embodiment, but is indelibly linked to it and even depends on it. So, with that being said, it got me think about how this relates to media studies as far as content is concerned, and the idea of “superior” forms of media and art. For…

Blog post: The problems with Goffman/McLuhan

Media studies, historically, have relied on one of two areas of focus. The content or the medium. Obviously, Marshall McLuhan is synonymous with media studies because of his theories on the role of media as it relates to sensory perception and human behavior. Conversely, Erving Goffman’s studies regarding framework take a more content-driven approach, focusing less on the role of media itself in…

Case study: Apes don’t ask questions

Because my research paper is on the topic of human behavior in networked publics as it relates to our place in the natural world, it is necessary to acknowledge some of our closest biological relatives in the animal kingdom, and their similarities and differences to us as it pertains to cognition and sociality. There has been a lot of study dedicated to teaching human language concepts to apes.…

Blog post: Embodied cognition or the mind is not a computer

With the global proliferation of networked publics, the human species is becoming increasingly fluid, culturally speaking. The ways we interact and socialize, and the norms and rules that apply to these interactions are continuing to expand in scope and, therefore, become more inclusive and tolerant. These are wonderful societal changes that can bring about a more harmonious and compassionate…

Blog post: The walls have been torn down

Throughout the history of mediated communication, there has been some resistance or barriers to individuals reaching a wide audience (i.e. “one-to-many”). At the onset of the Gutenberg printing press, it was a large, cumbersome apparatus. Not to mention that the acquisition and operation of one would be far beyond the means of many during that period of the Middles Ages. After all, the invention…

MAVS Homer Analysis (2/24/2016)

  This is the first in a series called “DFW Homer Analysis”. The entirety will be an attempt for yours truly, someone who is emotionally, though not contractually, involved with Dallas area teams to thoughtfully and deliberately analyze and interpret that night’s events for whichever of said teams (in this case the Mavericks) is playing. To start, here are the verbatim, stream of consciousness,…