#reflection 2

The widespread adoption of social media platforms has significantly reshaped the media landscape, influencing audience behaviors and establishing novel media rituals. One such practice is the habitual consumption of content through extended periods of mindless scrolling, often leading to a dissociative state. This phenomenon raises questions about the applicability of the uses and gratifications theory, particularly in the context of social media. Are contemporary audiences truly aware of their specific needs and desires when seeking out content on these platforms?

According to the uses and gratifications theory, media consumers actively select media content to fulfill their individual wants and needs, often categorizing these motivations into personal identity, information/education, entertainment, and/or social Interaction. A significant portion of users, approximately 38.50%, utilize social media platforms when they have time to kill (SOAX, 2024). However, the algorithmic nature of these platforms complicates the process of discerning one's true desires. The content presented on social media feeds can vary widely, encompassing both trivial and emotionally impactful material, often appearing in close succession. You can see someone joining in a simple food trend in one post and the latest death count update of an international disaster in the following post. 

The constant change of media content undoubtedly has consequences for users, including desensitization to violence and serious topics, and it may contribute to the dissociative state often observed during social media consumption. A recent study conducted at the University of Washington explored this phenomenon, describing how users enter a "Dissociative State" while scrolling through social media. When online, dissociation can manifest as zombie-like behaviour, characterized by prolonged, mindless scrolling, unawareness of one's surroundings, and autopilot-like consumption of content without genuine engagement. While seeking escape through deep absorption, including social media, is normal, excessive dissociation can lead to frustration and conflict (Baughan et al., 2022).

Ultimately, the content sought by media users may merely serve as a distraction or background noise. While audiences may initially engage with media to fulfill specific "wants" or "needs," these motivations can easily become secondary to passive consumption. This reflection does not aim to refute the notion that individuals actively choose media content and certainly still has significant limitations. While the uses and gratifications theory emphasizes the active role of media users, the reality may be more complex. The interplay between algorithmic curation, psychological factors, and individual motivations can result in a wide range of engagement levels, from active participation to passive consumption, leading to similarly varying effects of media on audiences. 

Referencing:

Baughan, A., Zhang, M. R., Rao, R., Lukoff, K., Schaadhardt, A., Butler, L. D., & Hiniker, A. (2022, April). “I Don’t Even Remember What I Read”: How Design Influences Dissociation on Social Media. In Proceedings of the 2022 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 1-13).

Baughan, A. (2022, August 5). Why it’s important to think about social media use as a form of dissociation, rather than addiction. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/why-its-important-to-think-about-social-media-use-as-a-form-of-dissociation-rather-than-addiction-185283

Katz, E., Blumler, J. G., & Gurevitch, M. (1973-1974). Uses and gratifications research. Public Opinion Quarterly, 37(4), 509–523. https://doi.org/10.1086/268109

Project 2 — Reflection 2

This project came to me relatively and surprisingly easy. I enjoyed using the alphabet as only images and shapes to create visual interest based on the overlap, curves, or boldness.

It’s very interesting how font choice as one factor can change the whole vibe of a piece. Baskerville, the font used in image 1 as well as my favorite font, has beautiful serif elements, making the essence of the design more elegant and respectable, whereas image 2, non-serif and bold, seems more poster/pop-art like, and image 3, while in English, has almost an arabic lettering quality.

This project shows how composition can really make or break a piece, specifically in the realm of our requirements (ie letters being unrecognizable). This project forced us to reckon with balancing positive and negative space, movement, and visual harmony. I believe our group exercise with the paper grid version of our pieces aided in the development of that skill also.

Moreover, for my leadership skill as a researcher, I have worked with Ishaaq on interview transcript selection.

Here is a photo of me and reviewing the transcription:

We were given the task of highlighting any negative quotations in people’s speeches. Not long after, Halima has finished her work and has decided to help us out in finding the quotations. 

We had to work together to speed up the space at which we work at and also to magnify the accuracy and dedication of our work. We were communicating to make our work more reliable as we would exchange thoughts and come to a conclusion of whether or not the quote is adequately negative.

I manage to achieve communication skill from doing this. I have illustrated communication skill when making an agreement of our problem at last about whether we should highlight that statement or not.

Date: 8th of august 2019

This is when Chloe introduced me to the functions on premier pro and helped me set up the project in order to get me started. She has also came to provide various points to help me improve the editing for example; she wanted me to shorten each day to around 1 min an help me delete the clips which are not so essential.

I have worked with Seidou on BTS editing and i have taught him all the function and reason on editing, I have also let him experiment it on a draft to check if he got everything i said or how much i have taught him. however i had to do day 4 because it is too hard for him since it is his first time doing it, it took a while however i did let him have some free time with his phone and i also told him to watch what i’m doing so that he can do it too when it is his turn to do so.

I had to work with him because Halima, my main assistance, had to go and do some arts award stuffs because she is behind on that. And also because i need to lead others other than Halima. Seidou is the only one free so he came to help me. 

My target this time is to make the clips sync with the music so that it’ll appear more awesome in the display and i did achieve it with the help of my brother because I was too tired.

I had to change the clips because they were not showing enough diversity so I had to pick out new clips and edit them back on the track and make it sync with the music so that took a long time.

Unfortunately I haven’t got a picture of me and Seidou, so I go one of only me.

FEEDBACK:

‘It was really helpful, you helped me to insert the clip in the tracks and you taught me on how to edit tracks and the short cuts on premier. you also taught me how to input a title in a short movie. Thanks for teaching me how to edit videos and make montages.’ - Seidou

Specific times where I have shown leadership?

I have developed my ability to work independently on my task and finish it before the deadline, for my leadership skill, by writing a public and interview consent form. I have also shown my communication skill when liaising with Chloe via email to produce and ameliorate the consent forms.

How you’ve developed the leadership qualities you set out in your plan?

 At the start of shoot week, I made two consent forms: public and interview consent forms; for my leadership skill as a researcher. i initially created a template of how i want the consent form to look like and then afterwards i sent it to Chloe on a Saturday morning for verification. 

Here is a screen shot of the letter:

Here are the photos of the before and after of the consent form:

Before:

After:

From this, I have built on more of my communication skill which was one of my leadership skills.

Have you had any leadership opportunities you weren’t originally expecting? Apparently, i have also adapted the skill to work independently in making the consent which was a leadership quality that i wasn’t expecting to have extracted.

Have you had to amend your project plan? 

No, gladly I didn’t have to.

Any other health and safety issues you’ve had to think about?

Shoot week 29th July - 2nd August

Day 1

Today is an experimental day for us to get into the pace and feel of filming. I took part in shooting some cutaways of Farringdon Station in the morning. It was a brilliant opportunity for us all to get used to using our equipment. Me and Pablo were responsible for recording sounds and wild tracks of the Station. We have worked collaboratively in achieving to retrieve sounds inside the train station, including: t annoys, footsteps, train tracks... The process was challenging because we need to be aware of our surroundings in order not to obstruct passengers’ passage or arouse station staffs’ attention. 

Here is a me holding a radio recorder, I am recording the wild track of Farringdon Station:

My sound operating skill has improved when using the Ta-scam to record wild tracks. From what I have learnt from today, a wild track is a recording of the surrounding background noise of the entire place of that particular scene is based at. Currently, I am just getting started in learning about sound making filming

I love to work as a crew member behind the making of a film because it makes me feel included in the filming society.

Day 2 

We made a great start to filming Somerset House. In using the equipment has made me familiar with them and my space. I am videoing behind the scene today, of interviews of Behind-the-scene crews. I have learnt the roles that are involved behind the scene in making the publication of a film possible. Everyone was under pressure whilst sustaining the pace of the rehearsal. Being behind the scene cameraman didn’t weigh on as much as becoming the interviewee and the interviewer. 

During an interview, the cameraman and the boom operator weren’t expected to pay their full attention on the interview since they didn’t require the need to move- once the interview has begun, but the boom operator- according to my experience as that role- may need most of their attention watching over the sound level and making sure that it doesn’t peak from going beyond the optimum sound level. As a boom operator you are also responsible for starting and stopping the recording. It is very important to get the timing spot on because a mistake from it can mean that the recorded video will have delayed sound or the voice of the interviewee and one delayed recording can even accidentally miss out a very important spoken information which may result in having to record that entire video all over again.  

Other than holding the boom during the interview, I have also tried attaching a radio mike on Indy. A radio mike has a mini clip-on-mike and a radio recorder connected together with a wire and to utilise it, you clip the radio recorder onto the interviewee’s trouser and then clip the mini- mike onto the interviewee’s shirt just below their mouth.

Here is a me fiddling with a radio mike:

 It was also my pleasure again to hold the boom once again which gives me an opportunity to rehearse my boom holding skill. In practising it constantly helps me to get used to the flow of using it up to speed so that I can keep up with the rest of the crew.

My second reflection piece is on Kristin Erasmus’ Leverage fanfiction, The Purgatory Job. A short Eliot Spencer centric which focuses on his struggle to remember where he is from and who he must return to.

The crossover was something unexpected and for the first part of the short story I wasn’t sure how the crossover was relevant to Eliot’s story and the homage that the fanfiction was playing to the show but as I read further the purpose became clearer in a more spiritual sense in which it was used to explore Eliot’s connection to the team and how important they were to him. Eliot’s acceptance and search for the family that he could not remember, the subtle nuances of his mind recalling certain things without understanding what or who they were created a sense of desperation on my end to find out how, when and if he was going to find his way back home.

I enjoyed the focus that the writer placed on Eliot’s past and how even without a complete memory of his life before, there were horrors that still haunted him and that combined with the small instinctual memories of his life with the team portrayed a sense of longing. The contrast between the memories of his service days and the days he spent with the team created a greater impact when Eliot was called out of Purgatory by a familiar voice.

The final line however was what drew a smile to my lips and took me back to the Eliot Spencer that I most remember from one of my favourite television series, the rebellious defiance and stubborn determination had me wishing that the story hadn’t ended.

References