Introduction to Language and Technology

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FINAL PRESENTATION

Culture Jams Final Draft

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Culture Jam Final

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Culture Jam Final Draft

Final Culture Jam

One thing which stood out in the Wanono reading is how detournement and remix have already been detourned from their original purpose by the advertising industry and newspaper business to be an effective commercial technic. A tool which was originally meant to disrupt the system of power known as capitalism is now being used by it. This leads to detournement needing to evolve in order to once again combat capitalism. I used one of my pictures for the project to oppose BP Oil, who is a massive participant in Capitalism and values money above all else. Both of my pictures in the Culture Jams Project is to fight against systems of power and oppression.

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Light Bulb Presentation

Culture Jams Project Second Draft

The Wonano Detourn reading presents an overview of the French Revolution artists group that  Situationist International(SI) formed to fight against and destabilize capitalist society by creating visual representations, objects, and situations. Presenting an idea on their orientations can be changed towards society. Both forces and different ideologies are presented in the culture and also the definition that emerges through life. This reading relates to Culture Jams due to the meanings and concepts presented through culture and how certain things can be changed or presented differently due to these circumstances. On page four it states “ Even if this political and artistic movement failed to reach its goals, we should not underestimate the international repercussions it had in different cultural areas, with-standing the test of time.” One idea I want to present in my culture jam is immigration presented through children such as first-generation students. The international effects in different cultural areas are presented as immigration is presented through a diverse group of people who come from different cultures and each has their own stories.

Culture Jam Final

What stood out to me in the Wanano story was the word detournement, it is a French word used to describe the practice of old media to new. The theory relates to remix culture. In the reading it provides a critical analysis of how detournement works. I was noting how this practice has been used to create things which actively challenge societal norms. It then demonstrates how this practice has been used to critique old media and societal structures, often in unexpected ways. The reading argues that detournement can be a powerful mean of protest, it allows for the reworking of existing media to create new messages that oppose oppressive forces. These ideas are explored through examples in various media, such as music, video, and literature. The reading suggests that detournement can be a powerful tool for creating meaningful work of art that exist outside of traditional boundaries.

How the wonano detourn piece relates to culture jam by stating political position assaults on art. It relates to me because all of culture james were all related to major political issues ongoing around the world currently. The article used the May 1968 in France as an example of political issues with art. It also discusses Italy led Debord to officially dissolve the SI.

Culture jam final draft

Culture Jams Draft

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Culture Jam 1 & 2 (drafts)

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Culture Jam 1 & 2 (final edit)

Culture Jam

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Culture jam draft
 

Culture Jams Draft

The first idea I had for the culture jams project is about the discrimination the LGBTQ face and the various bills which have been proposed to take away their rights. Over the course of this year, over 500 bills have been introduced with the intent on oppressing the LGBTQ community.

The second idea I had was for immigration and some of the problems with the border patrol. The way the border patrol have such hostility towards others as seen in “The Border Patrol State” is concerning and there has been treatment of immigrants which can only be described as cruel.

The final idea I had was about climate change. Various entities in the oil industry, such as BP, have caused a lot of damage to the environment, polluting the air, and they have even violated laws and regulations, all to make a quick buck.

One idea for my culture jam is Tik Tok shop, which is a function within the app that allows users to purchase items shown in live videos. Users can watch a review of a product and directly add it to their cart. You can also add items from different videos to the same shopping cart so you continue shopping while using the app. Considering the relationship users develop with creators,   due to the medium and the way Tik Tok shop functions, I think it can be argued that it is predatory and promotes consumerism.

This idea was bought up briefly in the article, but I think the TRUTH campaign is an also a good idea for the culture jam. As someone who vapes and sees these ads all the time, they have done nothing but made me laugh and buy disposables. On a serious note, it’s interesting how an entire generation was turned away from smoking cigarettes but ended up with vapes.

As for the third idea, I am still thinking of something. I’m not too sure.

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One idea for the culture jam is Nike. The idea behind this is motto “just do it” and sweatshops. Nike is a brand that pushes the idea of needing their clothes and making the person feel the need to buy their “trendy” clothes at the expense of the workers in sweat shops.  

Another idea for the culture jam is about Nestle. Nestle pushes ideas of social responsibility and being ethical. All this while practicing unethical practices like predatory practices in poor countries pushing their expensive baby formula. 

My last culture jam idea is U.S Government hypocrisy on foreign policy. An example would be how the U.S government handles different foreign situations in the way that they do. Such as the Ukraine war and the Israel Palestine war where we care for the survival of the Ukrainian state. However, with Palestine we are very opposed to the idea of helping them.  

One idea I have for a culture jam is the book ban in Florida. Led by a group called Moms for Liberty, books have been removed from libraries and schools. These books contain subject matter that is deemed inappropriate (race, LGBTQIA+, sexual experiences). I personally don’t believe in banning books and some authors on this list include Toni Morrison and James Baldwin, who write about the African American experience. 

Another idea for a culture jam is the current migrant crisis, specifically in NYC. People are being shipped around the country like cargo without regard for their well-being. Many are offered temporary housing in hotels, shelters, or tents. The migrant population includes school-aged children who will enter the public school system. 

The third idea I have for a culture jam is student loan debt and how it’s affecting the economy. Also, how it’s affecting borrowers and their quality of life. The national student loan debt is around $1.7 trillion.  

I plan to look into making a culture jam about gender roles since we have discussed Haraway’s “Cyborg Manifesto” and its metaphor for the role of gender and identity. Traditional gender roles are often shown in media which can be harmful and the culture jam can challenge these everyday societal norms and stereotypes.

Another possible topic could be technology and media consumption. I can discover the effects of consumer culture social media and technology on our society and culture. This also plays a part in our expertise on electracy and the importance of our knowledge when navigating through a digital age.

Another topic I can look into is cultural appropriation, looking into the challenges of culture in mainstream media. The culture jam can challenge the power dynamic, exploitation, and cultural erasure.

One of my topics for a potential paper on culture jamming is the role of women in the historical period. This topic interests me as we read “A Cyborg Manifesto” by Donna Haraway and the fractured identities portion of the reading that speaks on the idea of being “female” and how it is constructed through social practices forced by historical experiences. Some topics that I can present in this limitation such as culture and how it is presented on gender roles. Other topics within this paper could be feminism and technology as there’s a comparison between the two and lastly, accepting different identities and characteristics such as the variety of different roles presented towards women in a historical period. 

    Another topic that is intriguing in writing especially for culture jamming is immigration. This topic can be portrayed in different ways but one major component that I would like to write about is the stigmatization of immigrants. The stigmas and stereotypes that are presented about immigrants are something I have always seen and want to dig a little deeper into. Both the readings on immigrants which were “The Border Patrol State” and Chapter Six of “The Land of Open Graves” will be presented as I speak about this topic where stigma and biases are presented in different ways where we can look at different aspects and perspectives. 

      Lastly, my last topic is speaking on the impact of social media on women’s well-being. As my first topic spoke about women in a historical period an idea of presenting the impact of social media on a woman’s well-being can also tackle the reading “A Cyborg Manifesto” by Donna Haraway as she speaks on different aspects such as identity, feminism, and gender I apply these different aspects to social media.

One of my topics for the culture jam is the 2024 US Presidential Elections. The reason I chose this topic is because of the candidates from both parties. Another reason why I chose this topics is because of how in my opinion how terrible their positions are when debating. They also can’t debate current world situations.

Another topic is the Israel-Palestine conflict. The reason is that the major news outlets and parties from sides in the US favoring Israel and funding them in military weapons. Most of the west is doing this as well. But the people of these countries are protesting mostly in favor of Palestine and calling a ceasefire. They are also some politicians who want a ceasefire.

The final topic is Climate change. The reason I picked this topic is because its the reason why many natural disasters have been happening all over the globe. Despite this, many politicians have been paid by big oil to denounce this all over the globe. It is also the reason why the earth keep having record warmth every year.

PS2 presentation

The section I want to talk about in “Technological Warfare” is the part where deLeon is describing deLeon wonders if he will see his friends again and if they will be alive or dead. He goes into great detail about how he can imagine their deaths and how their deaths would be reduced to mere data for people to read, which would not do anything to help them. (pp. 154-155) deLeon states how he feels useless and ashamed of the fact he can do nothing to help them survive.

I believe this is important because it cements the idea of how dangerous this journey is for his two friends, Lucho and Memo. It paints a really grim image of this journey and the fact deLeon is considering the very real possibility of them dying shows that this is something which is not a rare occurrence. This also touches on a topic where people will write books on the deaths of others, studying the details of those deaths, reducing those deaths to mere data, and profit off of it. This is something which does happen around the world, and it can be somewhat immoral, since even deLeon notes how it feels wrong to him if that happens.

In “The Border Patrol State,” the section I want to focus on is where Silko describes the malicious intention of the Border Patrolmen, with how they seem to relish in the possibility of detaining Silko and her friend. She describes how she read reports about how Argentinian police and military became addicted to interrogation, torture, and murder, and would abduct citizens to enact their desires. She states how it feels so easy for these men to kill the both of them and walk away. (P.1)

This description is rather haunting. Reading this, there was a sense of panic and fear for Silko and Gus. Their day went normally for the most part, then these patrolmen pull them over and begin showing hostility, being rather menacing figures. It really shows how much power patrolmen had and the way they abused the power they were given. It paints the picture of a big problem with the patrolmen, where they will go and harass people for their own pleasure. It leads one to question the moral character of the United States and their patrolmen, with how this terrifying experience being considered a regular experience.

In The Border Patrol State, Leslie Marmom Silko writes about growing up believing that everyone had the right to travel freely across the borders of the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and how that freedom is now policed, especially among people who are native to the land. Silko describes the United States as a police state, where no one “is free to travel without the scrutiny of the Border Patrol” (pg. 3). Anyone can be detained for probable cause. The United States is referred to as the land of the free, but its citizens and residents are not free to travel across borders without being stopped or harassed. 

Although the Berlin wall has been destroyed in Europe, the United States is constructing a wall along the Mexico border (pg. 4). History has shown that borders do not work, but governments still insist on enforcing them. The only people who benefit from these walls are the contractors who are paid millions of dollars to construct them. The wall along the Mexico/US border is more of a symbol than an actual impassable barrier. 

In Technological Warfare, Jason De Leon also speaks about the Mexico/US border. He writes about two men, Lucho and Memo, and their unsuccessful attempts to cross the border. De Leon also describes the shelter where migrant workers live and its conditions. Something that stood out to me in this reading was De Leon’s comparison between the expensive equipment used by the Border Patrol and the tools used by migrants trying to cross, which are equally expensive to them (pg. 155). In an attempt to cross the border, Lucho and Memo filled their respective backpacks with food and items totaling $26, which took them some time to earn.  

The wall between Mexico and the United States does not stop or deter the flow of people. Ways have been found to go over, under, and through the wall. Border walls are expensive to build and cause damage to the environment (pg. 157). Again, in this reading, we see that the border wall is merely a prop. It does not stretch along the entire length of the border because that would be impossible. What the border wall does is make crossing into the United States difficult at certain points. Migrants still find a way in. It is estimated that 92 to 98 percent of crossers get through (pg.160).  

A passage I found interesting in “Technological Warfare” by Jason De Leon was on pages 154-155 when the author is describing the border patrol facility. The description of the facility and agent giving a guided tour is very different from that of Memo and Lucho. The facility has a large amount of weaponry, gadgets, and most wanted posters. Compared to Memo and Lucho who carry items to survive the desert and hope to cross the border for better lives. De Leon also notes that the agent “…is like most of the Border Patrol agents who have given me and my students guided tours of their facilities over the years. He is young, male, Latino, and excited to show off his toys.” Although the border patrol agent (and by De Leon’s language, most agents) share at least a language and possibly some aspects of culture with migrants, they couldn’t be more different. Referring to the weapons as toys shows how border patrol agents dehumanize migrants, treating their capture as though it is a game. Off-topic, but I thought the phrase “academic voyeur” (p. 154) is also worth noting. In academia, people are reduced to data and their stories to theories.

In “The Border Patrol State” by Leslie Silko I thought that the passage at the beginning of page 4 was interesting. Specifically when Silko speaks about how immigration has become a political euphemism that is used to “dehumanize and demonize” people of color. The U.S government uses this term to alienate an entire group of people and serve its own purposes. Even if the physical border and the many expensive gadgets used by border patrol hardly deters people from crossing the border, it is used as a “theatrical prop”. The fence works as intended for its political purpose; to serve as a symbolic barrier that separates “us” from “other”. This barrier perpetuates the idea that people of color are somehow different and need to be kept out for whatever reason.

Tech Exp Presentation

In “The Border Patrol State” by Leslie Marmon Silko I found the section about when Silko spoke about the erecting of an American iron curtain at the U.S- Mexico border on pages four to five interesting. Interesting in the sense that, Silko sees the United States as a state that is no different to the Americas geopolitical rival in the form of the U.S.S.R. The Soviets built up major security points throughout the borders of nations in which they controlled a sphere of influence, with the goal of keeping information out and keeping people in. The comparison between the U.S and Soviet Union seems like a correct one to make in the sense that the United States was increasingly becoming a police state no different to Soviet police policy in brutalizing its citizenry for suspected “capitalist corruption” and crimes against the state. 

I do agree with Silko in this regard, The United States has since its declaration of war on drugs had undertaken questionable domestic policy. These policies are clear to see in Silko’s readings in the fashion in which American police officers handle its citizens. I also agree with the euphemisms being used by politicians to target minorities in the United States under titles such to dehumanize them as explained by Silko in the reading. Considering this was written in 1994, I wonder what Silko still thinks about immigration and police conduct in the United States? I also wonder if Silko’s idea of borders not working also applies to nonnative Americans.  

A section that I took interest in reading in the DeLeon reading is in the Technological warfare section on page 159 where anthropologist Rocio Magana speaks of tactics in apprehending illegal crossers. He speaks of the strategy of exhausting the migrants over two to three days before catching them, and how enthusiastic he is when speaking of his foolproof strategy. I found this part of the reading a little disturbing due to the way Magana speaks about the migrants. As if they are these entities without names without voices or conscience and simply put not people. As we have seen in the Silko reading there is a large amount of dehumanization being done to these migrants. It seems to be that this dehumanization seems to be a method used by police departments to ensure efficiency from their officers or perhaps something more sinister.  

It is quite disheartening to read that section due to us knowing about Memo and Lucho’s journey across the desert. Throughout the previous section it seems that the two are ready and have everything planned on how to get across the desert and into the U.S. Instead, we are given a grim omen of what was to become of them when we are introduced to Magana. The two were caught and are now essentially in this purgatory of needing to get back out and attempt to cross again. It is the only thing they can think of at that moment and that there is nothing in their lives that is as important as crossing the border. Unfortunately, this is the reality of many migrants who do wish to come to the U.S, a sad reality. 

In Leslie Marmon Silko’s book Border Patrol, the book follows two main characters Irene and Robert, as they struggle to find their own cultural identity in weird timing. The author explorations of identity goes much deeper, as she looks into the cultural tension between the two sides of the U.S./Mexico border and how that tension affects the individual identities of both Irene and Robert. This tension happens mostly when in the way of the Border Patrol officers and how they treat Irene and Robert during their travels to New Mexico. Despite their American visas, the officers treat them with suspicion and disrespect, while they connect their Mexican heritage with criminality. Many border patrol officers have this attitude and hard to get through ego towards Mexican immigrants.

Despite being of Mexican descent, Robert has adopted some aspects of American culture, such as his devotion to baseball. However, Irene maintains a connection to her Mexican heritage, cherishing the stories and traditions of her ancestors. This tension between traditional Mexican values and modern American ones reflects the struggle many people go through when attempting to reconcile two cultures within themselves. Identity is the heart of the book Border Patrol, the author paints a vivid picture of the complexities of identity. 

Technological warfare is a book by Deleon that delves into the implications of the use of technology in warfare. It is an interesting book about the future of warfare and the way the potential of technology shapes it. The book covers a lot of topics, from the history of technological warfare to considerations of using technology. One section of the book that feels particularly important to me is the discussion of the impact of technology on the battlefield. The author explains how technology has changed the way wars are fought, from drones and other advanced tech and then to the use of cyber warfare. He also looks at the implications of the use of artificial intelligence and robotics, and the potential for autonomous weapons systems to change the way wars are fought. He looks at the use of technology on the civilian population, and how it can be used to target civilians and cause collateral damage. This section of the book is important because it looks at the potential consequences of using technology in warfare and the ethical considerations that must be taken into account. 

“The Border Patrol State” by Leslie Marmon Silko talks about the border region and the regulations on the “border state patrol” placed by law enforcement on immigration which results in the dehumanizing and criminalizing of marginalized groups. From page 4 going into 5, it states in the text, “. In the city of South Tucson, where 80 percent of the respondents were Chicano or Mexicano, a joint research project by the University of Wisconsin and the University of Arizona recently concluded that one out of every five people there had been detained, mistreated verbally or nonverbally, or questioned by I.N.S. agents in the past two years.”. This is due to how the media portrays immigration and how officials handle it. The author also brings up the murders and the disappearance of many immigrants once coming across the “border state patrol.”

I appreciate the author for bringing awareness to an issue that is still current to this day. The mistreatment of immigrants, ranging from verbal to physical abuse is often overlooked in the media and yet, is deemed dangerous ones in media. Oftentimes, I hear about multiple people going missing while being detained, and yet nothing is being done about the thousands of people and children missing under official government care. When the author goes into her experience on the night of the highway, you can sense the fear and anxiety that overcame her that day, yet still, this type of mistreatment continues to happen.

In the excerpt from, ” The Land of Open Graves: Living and Dying on the Migrant Trail” by Jason deLeon, chapter 6 “Technological Warfare” starts with introducing Lucho and Memo as they prepare themselves for crossing the border. They try to lighten the mood as they pack their things by cracking a few jokes which insinuates how intense everyone must have felt. They pack items to prepare to fight off animals and to camouflage by wearing black clothes so they won’t be seen, regardless of how hot they would get from the heat being absorbed due to the black shirt. On page 7 (150), it states “[…] I ask about the discomfort from the extra heat generated by wearing black in the scorching desert, and he replies, “It’s better to be hot than to get caught.”. Which shows how much physically they were willing to sacrifice.

Overall, both texts explore the hardships of immigrants and the process and emotions of crossing the border. On page 13, (156) talks about the social and economic issues the walls create despite not being able to find a way around them. This goes into detail on the fixations of the dehumanization of immigrants and the fixation behind the ability to prevent them from crossing the border using the wall. The use of security is weaponized against a community and is used as a justifiable reason to discriminate against a marginalized group.

    The reading “Silko Border Patrol” goes in-depth with the author’s realization of border security and borderline. The author presents her thoughts on the development of the border and the unfairness presented. Her experiences as she traveled the highways of New Mexico and Arizona. The author’s experiences shape why the author feels the way she does towards the border patrol.  On page one it states “ The weird anger of these Border Patrolman made me think about the descriptions in the report of Argentine police and military officers who become  addicted to interrogation, torture, and murder that followed.” The author stated this as she was stopped beside the highway and the patrolmen were happy to drag them out of the car as they requested. 

      Later on that night, two other border patrol men stood by the white van and they also had a dog that was used to sniff and see if they smelled anything. That night the authors see that the patrolmen’s attitude gets uglier and disgusting. On the second page, it states “ Their mood got uglier; the officers seemed outraged that the dog could not find any contraband, and they dragged her over to us and commanded her to sniff our legs and feet.” The dog was used to help them on the borderline however this dog did not react when the author had medicated marijuana on her. The authors state “She had an inmate dignity that did not permit her to serve the murderous impulses of those men.” The dog was presented to catch and work with the patrolman however the dog was not showing any interest which proves to show how poorly mistreated she was. 

          The second reading “Technological Welfare” starts as an introduction to “leaving tomorrow” as it speaks on Lucho and Memo crossing the border soon. Lucho and Memo are on a mission as they gather certain necessities and more throughout the first few pages. The necessities presented to also survive such as rubbing garlic on your shoes or clothing prevent these animals from coming. This chapter presents individuals who are trying to survive and continue going. The emotional factors presented as you question what will happen to you or your family and if you will survive or not. On page one hundred and fifty-three it states “When you enter you have to listen if there are any rattlesnakes to make sure no one gets bit… You also have to make sure there are no people in the tunnel. If they are, we stop and turn around because they are bajadores.” This part of the reading demonstrates the risk and alertness needed to be able to survive. 

       On the ending of page one hundred fifty-six to the beginning of one hundred fifty-seven, it states “ Playing on the fears that conservative Americans hold regarding brown-skinned invaders running their economy, destroying their neighborhoods and killing citizens is a tried and true political strategy.” This part of the reading stood out to me, especially as growing up. Immigrants come to the United States to try to fight and build a better future for not only themselves but also their families. Stigmas and biases are still presented where some individuals feel like immigrants should not have the power to a better future due to their circumstances. Some individuals still feel as if immigrants and other individuals outside of their race are destroying their neighborhoods and more. 

In border patrol by Leslie Silko, she discusses how patrolmen abused the K-9. It was a small female puppy. They were upset that the puppy couldn’t find any drugs on the main character so they keep hold the lease on her head. They then dragged her to the patrol car and the person didn’t know what to do, the officers likely would’ve murdered the pup because they couldn’t find anything on the main character.

The main character had a marijuana pouch with her but it was for medical reasons but the dog on purpose ignored the marijuana. That’s what got the officers mad. The main character felt like the dog was embarrassed to be associated with the officers. It is likely about how they abuse her each night at the border. The main character got that off staring eye to eye with the puppy.

In Technological warfare DeLeon discusses many topic regarding technology such as surveillance and weapon. The main characters go grocery shopping and compare the US and Mexico prices and accessibility. All of the groceries came in total of $26 which isn’t much but people had to scrap by in order to make end meets while working in Mexico. The hourly wage in Mexico was $9 USD an day which is only enough for a pizza. One nice pair of jeans would cost $46 USD in Mexico which is a weekly check.

The average minimum wage in Mexico is worth $4 USD and many of these workers are exploited in terrible working conditions. However if they work near the US-Mexico Border workers make double the average hourly wage due the peso and USD being used interchangeably but it is still not even close to being enough to live off that. Some of them still can’t even near the border due to being deportees or lack legal paper work. They then end up working off the books and getting paid under the table and receiving even lower wages compared to other locals in Mexico as they work in unsafe conditions.  Their labor get exploited even in their home native country of Mexico.

In Turkle’s “Video Games and Computer Holding Power,” one thing Turkle brought up that interested me was this idea of an altered state when playing games. Turkle states that when people play a video game and enter the world created by programmers, they must identify with a character and act through that identification. This puts people in this altered state where they are focused on a task and Turkle notes how people pursue this altered state, giving anecdotes with people saying this altered state is relaxing for them.

I think this is fascinating because I am aware of this sort of altered state but I have never been able to quite explain it. There are video games I play where I am extremely focused and enter this altered state. I do not think of anything else in this state and this can be a liberating feeling.

In Haraway’s “Cyborg Manifesto,” one thing I want to note was how Haraway states that cyborg feminists do not want any more natural matrix of unity and that no construction is whole. She talks about how there is a need for political unity to confront social constructs such as race, gender, class, and sexuality and how there was no other time she would have thought it to be possible for this kind of unity than the current times.

Now, I am still confused by the reading, but I will try to give my best interpretation. I think that this natural matrix of unity that is being described is this idea of a single monolithic ideology and that such an ideology was not whole and did not account for everything. The political unity is this idea of a unity that has various points of views which come under a sort of banner, if I could try to describe it. As for the current times being ideal for such a unity, I believe she is right in that the current times was better than all the other times because there are people who go against the binary of things such as gender, sexuality and more. This current age is one where people are exploring more parts of their identity than ever before.

In Video Games and Holding Power, Sherry Turkle writes that video games have two promises, one is the “touch of infinity”, and the other is the “promise of perfection” (pg. 511). In the video game world, a user has multiple lives, always having another chance to complete the task at hand. I think this gives users a sense that they are invincible and possess superhuman abilities. For young people, and probably people in general, there is a sense of immortality. If you lose the game, you can start over. This isn’t always the case in real life. The other assurance a user receives from the video game, the promise of perfection, removes their human limitations. Turkle describes it as the person becoming an “actor” in their own life (pg. 512). The video feeds the person’s desire to fix or control what they see as shortcomings, giving a false sense of control. The connection between the user and the game is immediate, unlike the time and work they would have to put in to see results in real life. 

I struggled with the second reading, Cyborg Manifesto by Donna Haraway. I knew right away it was a metaphor, but I could not make the connections right away. I read the piece multiple times. The section that stood out to me was The “Homework Economy” outside “The Home”. The homework economy is a term coined by Richard Gordon. Work has been redefined as a feminized term. All types of work are seen as feminine, whether it is done by men or women (pg. 526). 

In “Video Games and Computer Holding Power” author Sherry Turkle explains the positive and negative consequences of video games on users. Rather than first discussing negative consequences, Turkle lists the many positive effects of videogames such as encouraging creativity, sparking an interest in programming, and instilling a sense of control. Based on the experience of users, users are inspired to think of ways in which games can be improved and use their creativity to develop strategies. Users wanting to  improve games can lead to them having an interest in programming and computers, which is an outlet for their creativity as well as a valuable skill. Video games also provide an escape for users where they can experience a world with set rules. These rules extend a sense of control to the user and provides them comfort.

However, Turkle believes that users who are anxious about not having control and seek it through video games, are prone to video game addiction (p. 512). I found this idea interesting because I have heard that video games are addictive, but have never seen it explained this way. I thought it was interesting to compare machines to a perfect mirror that exposes our flaws.  I wonder how relevant this would be today since technology is a part of our everyday lives.

The essay “A Cyborg Manifesto” by Donna Haraway defines her concept of the cyborg. The cyborg does not assume a single identity, rather it has multiple identities that interact with one another and are able to change. The cyborg does not operate within the binary of gender and cannot be defined as a single identity, rather it exists in a space between. Cyborgs are also a result of the society we live in which is militaristic, patriarchal, and capitalist (p.517).

I found this reading really difficult, almost like I was reading literature. I found Haraway’s idea of the cyborg (from what I understand) really interesting and relevant to today. I can see why these ideas would have controversial for their time, since Haraway is directly challenging second wave feminism. Especially the idea that recognizing and upholding unique identities and acknowledging how they interact or compete with one another is what will allows us to overcome the current systems in place.

While reading Haraway’s’ “Cyborg Manifesto” I encountered interesting ideas that was brought up by Haraway. One idea that is touched upon by Haraway is the meaning of being a human being. The “cyborg” as donna describes is partial organic and machine. It’s a fluid identity not bound by regulations of society. The “cyborg” as Haraway describes is not an idea of fiction, but a real thing. What makes a cyborg is the melding of humans and tools, we are all cyborgs in this regard. Haraway also speaks about “dualism” and its importance. Dualism is the binary relationships that exist within our world and society. The binary relationship between man and women Haraway believes that in a post humanist world that traditional ideas of gender and gender roles will not be the same as they once were. The idea of the cyborg is to subvert these previous ideas and take apart dualism. 

Haraway also speaks about the ideas of how capitalism reinforces the ideas in which Haraway believes to be regressive. The idea Haraway brings forth is how women have been exploited by traditional structures of western society through capitalism. Female workers are seen as less than workers, but more akin to servers. Haraway believes that modern feminist movements should do more to appeal to a greater range of rights for women. Haraway looks towards socialism as an avenue to combat the current system of patriarchy brought by capitalism and this goes back to the idea of the cyborg. Haraway hopes that the cyborg will bring about a new evolution in society.  

Video gaming and computer holding power by Sherry Turkle mentions the idea of holding power and what that means for society. Turkle talks about how video games and overall computers affect the state of mind of people that use them. Turkle starts off her work talking about the debate between people who are pro and anti-video games. Turkle explains how such debates are a microcosm of something bigger and hidden. There is a generational gap between parents and children due to the nature as to how each generation interacts/interacted with new technologies. The younger generation of people see technology as a given fact, born with it and raised by it. In comparison to older generations that adopted technology and have a different outlook about said technology. 

Turkle explains that video games “are a window onto a new kind of intimacy.” Turkle elaborates that a special kind of relationship is formed between humans and video games. There is hypnotization and infatuation that occurs. There is a sense of power the computer/ video game holds over a person. Turkle is quick to dismiss claims that video games are “mindless” argueing that video games require attention, speed, and dexterity to complete. This, in contrast to television, are two completely different things. There exists a focus that only exists in video games. Turkle also mentions the dangers of becoming too engaged in video games and computers. As previously mentioned, a relationship is formed between person and machine. Depending on the person, video games can in a way trap people into a state of concentration. This is a universal concept in the reading. The pursuit of an altered state of mind in total concentration being seen as relaxation. 

In the book, Video Games and Holding Power, by Sherry Turkle she discusses the importance of understanding how technology has changed the way we interact with each other and how this affects our sense of identity. She says that technology has created a new kind of power that is different from physical or economic power, and that it can be used to manipulate people. Turkle also says that this power can be used to control how we view ourselves and how we interact with others. She says that this power can be used to create an environment of surveillance and control, and to create a false sense of identity. She also discusses the importance of understanding how technology can be used to influence our behavior and how it can be used to shape our values and beliefs. She says it is important to recognize the power of technology and to use it responsibly. This book is an important resource for anyone who wants to understand the implications of technology and its effects on our lives.

An important point I came across in Donna Haraway’s “Cyborg Manifesto” is the idea of cyborg politics, and that technology can be used to challenge traditional power structures and create a more of a equitable society. She says that the traditional view of technology as a tool of the oppressor should be challenged, and that cyborgs are those who embrace technology as a way of life and can be used to create a more equitable world. She also argues that technology can be used to create new forms of identity and expression, and that the traditional boundaries between humans and machines can be blurred.

I took Haraway’s A Cyborg Manifesto as a deep dive into cyborg functionality and the cybernetic world. On page 3, it states, “The cyborg is a creature in a post-gender world; it has no truck with bisexuality, pre-oedipal, symbiosis, unalienated labor, or other seductions to organic wholeness through a final appropriation of all the powers of the parts into a higher unity.” Haraway goes into the concepts of gender, sexuality, machine and idealism, and political and cultural aspects. Since cyborgs are a combination of natural and man-made I think this reading talks about the impact on social reality since there is no identity. That is what I am getting from it at least since there are also mentions of feminism which relates to identity which the idea of cyborgs challenges. Although I had a hard time grasping the text, I still enjoyed the reading very much since I am also fascinated with the idea of cyborgs.

Turkle’s Video Games and Computer Holding Powers goes into the power of video games which I had a great time reading since I enjoy video games myself and I have been playing since I was a little kid and my family is also involved with video games themselves. Turkle goes into the mechanics starting from the pinball machine and into computer cultures and the timeline of video games. Something that stuck out to me was a quote on page 10, from Losing Onesef in a Simulated World, it states in the first sentence, “If there is danger here, it is not the danger of mindless play but of the infatuation with the challenge of simulated worlds.” Which tackles people and how they tackle the real and artificial worlds. When it comes to MMORPG OR MMO it is hard to lose yourself in the addiction to these universes compared to your reality since you can control what happens in your simulated world through your creativity. Turkle talks more about how much this impacts people’s involvement in the real world because they can easily lose themselves in the simulated one. I can relate to this because I play a game called The Sims and I can create my own family, neighbors, neighborhood, and town the ability to control these things can cause me to lose the concept of time since I begin to hyper fixate on the ability to have “god-like” controls in the game. Of course, reality can suck sometimes so to get away and dive into a simulated world can be nice but also damaging to oneself.

Headphones Presentation

In reading “Video Games and Computer Holding Power” I found it to be a reading where I got to learn and also put my thoughts into everything that I learned as well. Video games play a huge role in our society today as children, adults, and even older adults find video games to be therapeutic and even become a hobby for them. On page two it states “By 1982 people spent more money, quarter by quarter, on video games than they spent on movies and records combined. And although the peak of excitement about the games may have passed with their novelty, video games have become part of the cultural landscape.” This quote stood out to me as it speaks on the significant role video games play such as individuals spending more money on video games than movies and records due to the connection presented as it became part of a cultural landscape. Growing up video games held so much value to me more than movies and records due to my connection to them.

In the reading “Haraway Cyborg Manifesto” I found myself both interested in learning more but also confused with certain points made throughout the reading. As we read it in class I got to understand this reading a bit more as it got clearer to me. Her mythology which are identification of identities, gender, and class. The binary connection, for example, good vs evil, and female vs male. The fractured identities were a component in the reading that brought so much information and concepts into why the author thinks how she thinks and why. The idea of being female is constructed by the social practices presented such as historical experiences for example patriarchy, colonialism, and capitalism. Another key component presented in this reading was the category of “woman” and the neglect of other than white women. In this section she went in depth with the differences among US women of color.

blog post #6 & #7

In Turkle, Video Games, she talks about how video games and computers impacted society in the 21st century. One aspect was addiction, people first get introduced they keep doing it over and over again but that was a myth according to Turkle. You have to learn how to fully play a game and balance it out. It requires skills and that is not addicting.

She also discusses computational specificity, she stated that video games are like pinball. You stare at them then react to them by smashing button and levers and then get better at video games you keep practicing at. After that your scores pile up and you get better at it.

In A cyborg manifesto by Haraway, she discusses many topics such as social-feminism in the late 20th century. She discusses a female cyborg that goes to different dimensions and doing normal human movements such as dancing.

Another topic is Fractured Identities, meaning its difficult to keep you identity and keeping it essential. She stated that there’s no state being female. It is difficult to describe
feminism in s single verb.

Within the Trask readings the author mentions colonialism, and the process of colonization of the native peoples. In what ways did this misrepresentation of Hawaiian culture facilitate the colonization process, and what were the consequences for the Hawaiian people’s relationship with their land and heritage? Can the understanding of language and local customs alone fix the misconceptions of history or is taking an objective, evidence-based stance towards historiography more important and effective in understanding history.  

In Pratts “Art of the Contact Zone” Benedict Anderson is mentioned and introduces the idea of ‘imagined communities’ and their importance. He argues that ‘Communities are distinguished,’ not by their falsity or genuineness, ‘but by the style in which they are imagined.’ According to Anderson and other scholars, printed text and literacy among people played a crucial role in helping bring to life national awareness and, consequently, revolutions. Therefore, our modern nation states are simply a grand version of the imagined community. Literacy has proven to be a powerful force in driving a new evolution in “imagined communities”. This begs the question as to how will electracy, in our current generation and those to come, reshape the concept of “imagined communities” in our globalized world? 

In the piece, From a Native Daughter, Haunani-Kay Trask writes about how she heard the history of her people, first from her parents and then from her teachers, and how those two stories differ. She felt as though she lived in a divided world, one Hawaiian and one white. Historians who wrote about Hawaii did not learn the native language and felt no need to. My question for the class is, why is it important to understand someone’s language and culture before documenting their history? It makes me think about how the history we learn in school is mostly surface level and told from one perspective. Knowing that we are a culturally diverse country, I’m curious how my classmates feel about this and what they have experienced in school.  

In Arts in the Contact Zone, Mary Louise Pratt writes about Guaman Poma’s manuscript where he tells the story of his people, but it is intertwined with stories he has heard from outsiders. What makes this significant is that the Incas had no written language. I think his intention was to convey a message that would be understood by people outside the Incan culture. Both readings tell how mediums such as song, dance, storytelling, and art were used to tell a country’s history. My question to the class is, how important is written language for the development of a culture? 

My question for this class is “if you could change the education system, how would you try to implement the contact zone to combat misinformation as seen in Haunani-Kay Trask’s story?” The reason why I am asking this question is because I believe people would be able to come up with different methods while pointing out the pros and cons of each method. A part of this challenge might be trying to get people invested in learning certain cultures. I got to thinking about this because I realized how the contact zone and Trask’s solution to the complete misinterpretation were connected and I was thinking about how much people rely on textbooks in the education system. I would like to learn more about what others view as important parts in the learning process and see some innovative solutions to the problem of the west having this imperialistic spirit of demeaning other cultures instead of understanding them.

While reading “From a Native Daughter” I was curious if the spiritual aspect of culture gets lost in written history. I had this question after reading the bottom of page 125, where Trask recounts their grandmother’s description of the land’s response to annexation. While historians learning the language should mean they interpret history more accurately, would they be able to grasp the feeling of being connected to the land and culture through language alone?

When I read “Arts of the Contact Zone”, I wondered if Guaman Poma’s education led him to linking Andean history with Christian history. If he had not been literate, would he have made those same connections?

  In reading “Trask: From a native Daughter” I found myself curious and wanting to read more as I read the first few pages. The connection to this book and the different elements presented from stories to the knowledge presented as she grew up was something that I could relate to. One quote that stood out to me on page five was “There was the world that we lived in my ancestors, my family, and my people – and then there was the world historians described.” This quote stood out to me because I can connect to it. I also feel like two different worlds present my family and those closest to me but then the other side of the world is presented by historians and other important factors which was a place and environment they had expressed. 

   The reading “Pratt: Arts of the Contact Zone” was an article that was significantly different as it expressed different components and the change between literacy and how it is portrayed. The beginning of the article started by the idea of what literacy was according to the author and then later changes between contact zones. One quote that stuck out to me was “To lay out some thoughts about writing and literacy in what I like to call the contact zones. I use this term to refer to spaces where cultures meet, clash, and grapple with each other often in contexts.” This quote stood out to me as he explains his reasoning and knowledge behind what contact zones really are.

For Pratt’s Contact Zone, I have question which is how did the Andes community struggle with Bilingualism? Why I chose this question is because of how the Government tried to stop People from speaking Bilingual. I hope learn about how speaking gets restricted.

For Trask’s From a Native Daughter, I have a question, Why is it that whenever USA gets a new land, they want to erase previous history of that land? Why I chose this question is because we need to have a discussion on why the US keep doing this in our history books. I hope we can discuss this to get an legitimate answer.

Group 3’s question

Ashiley Thomas Hanna Taveras

Explain whether or not search engines have a negative impact on our culture’s ability to retain information.

When Jay David Bolter talks about remediation, he is talking about how over time, media does not get replaced it just improves overtime. So we do not need to look at physical book as being replaced by ebooks, we can just see physical books being improved by the creation of ebooks. As mentioned in quote, ““As with any remediation, however the eBook must promise something more than the form thy it remediates: it must offer what can be construed as more immediate, complete, or authentic experience for the reader”  on page 80

Group 1  – Kaila and Abraham

Is the author’s intention to attract and repulse the reader through their writing effective?

Remediation is the transformation from one media to another. The “media” in remediation is referencing the media that people engage with, therefore remediation can be seen as having a writing being “remixed,” for a lack of a better word, into a new media.

Discuss whether if the alphabetical organization should be valued more than topical organization in the context of the encyclopedia.

Remediation within the context of “Writing Space” by Bolter is the repurposing or refashioning of a medium into something new. Printed work were remediated into digital media as explained by Bolter ” the eBook appropriates and refashions many of the physical properties as well as the interface of a traditional book.” It is in a sense an evolution of the previous media to fit a new time and space.

Explain why we as a society should be concerned that shift to digital libraries will leave some printed text behind as previous shifts did, such as the shift from papyrus to codex or manuscript to print. Who decides what is culturally relevant? (93-96)

In Bolter The Electronic Book page 80, Remediation means an previous form of media to a new form of media. The example on this page was eBooks. On page 93 Bolter was saying how a physical library with all books with different genres is turning into electronic libraries and the program was called Digital Libraries Initiative where everything available is on the world wide web. On page 96 Bolter described shift in remediation may never be completed due to some reliance from previous forms of media. On page 97 Bolter describes the Encyclopedia going from physical media to the world wide rob to look anything we want when we are researching topic on anything.

Presentation link

An idea that stood out to me in Bolters “Writing Space, Computers, Hypertext, and the Remediation of Print” was how encyclopedias are a reflection of the time that we live in. In the chapter “Encyclopedic Order” on page eighty-four Bolter discusses how books fluctuated due to the cultures that used them and events happening around them. This means at certain points in time there were either too many or too little books available. The encyclopedia, as Bolter states, solves this issue by putting textual elements in a place where the reader can be sure to find them and in this sense performs a therapeutic and bibliographic function. Encyclopedias main characteristic is its organization. The organization of the encyclopedia and its content also changes due to contemporary technology and knowledge of how things should be done. 

On page one in Robert Coover’s “The End of Books” an idea that stood out to me was Coover explaining how print based technologies will eventually become obsolete. It is one of the  main ideas of Coover, and he states how the print medium is a dying one that is to be replaced with a digital media. What is intriguing was Coover Stating how the printed medium is “dead as God.” Coover alludes to Friedrich Nietzsche and his work. When Nietzsche mentions God being dead, he doesn’t mean this in the literal sense, but in the sense that people have moved way from believing in religion and in turn God. Other forms of worship had entered people’s life and Gods importance started to fade away. Instead of the Bible, a new medium of worship existed in people’s lives. Coover makes this connection between Nietzsche and the print medium dying. Printed medium forms had existed for a long time just like the religions of old. Now with the invention of electronic books and media printed medium will now lose its importance as society shifts towards digital devices. Just as God died so will printed media. 

In “The Electronic Book” by Jay David Bolter I found the idea that books are anthropomorphized in western culture (p. 79) interesting. I had never thought about how the outwards appearance of books are their unique visual identity that competes with other books on the shelf. Especially different editions, which need to be different from the last. I thought this idea was interesting because it can applied to not only books, but other mediums as well. Books, music, and other mediums take on a “life” of their own separate from the person who created it. One example I can think of is the debate surrounding separating the art from the artist. Although the person who created something might not be the best person, we may judge their work separately.

In “The End of Books” I found the Hypertext Hotel created in a workshop Coover ran very interesting. Out of curiosity, I tried to find some archive or version of the Hypertext Hotel that is still available online but wasn’t able to. I’m not sure if it’s only available to Brown University students. The chaotic nature of this project would not be possible without hyperspace, but as Coover said the technology seems “fragile and short-lived” (p. 7). But also, whats wrong with that? While it would have been nice for it to exist for centuries like Coover wanted it almost feels more special that it didn’t. It feels like you had to be there to truly appreciate it. In a period of literacy there is a concern for preservation and order, so naturally that stays with us in the period of electracy. The fragmented nature of hypertext reminded me of what Bolter was saying about papyrus rolls not having a sense of closure and how that might be a reflection of mainly oral culture.

In “The Electronic Book,” I was fascinated by the author’s explanation of how a book should establish some sort of identity and how it should define its role in a library. (Page 79) Bolter states, “Each book must be different enough from all other books to deserve its own place in the library, and it should be complete in its own terms. Each book strives to assert its identity, while at the same time entering into a cascade of relationships with other books.” This statement is interesting because it makes me think on all of the books I have read and how they relate to one another while maintaining an identity.

In “The End of Books,” I was fascinated by the explanation of hypertext fiction. (Page 4) Coover recalls Carolyn Guyer and Martha Petry stating, “This is a new kind of fiction, and a new kind of reading. The form of the text is rhythmic, looping on itself in patterns and layers that gradually accrete meaning, just as the passage of time and events does in one’s lifetime.” This explanation of hypertext fiction is interesting, with it invoking an image of writing in hypertext fiction being this kind of evolving, living entity, which can do much more than the simple texts of the past.

A concept that stood out to me from Robert Coover’s article, The End of Books, is that hypertext doesn’t translate into print (pg. 8). Today many books, magazines, and periodicals have been digitized. Some even start that way and have no printed versions. However, if a document is first published in hypertext, it is difficult to make a print version because it is not linear. Hypertext allows a reader to venture off the page and do things like search the dictionary or visit a location on a map, and come back to the page when ready. Those features would be lost in a digital to print conversion, changing the direction of the text. 

In Writing Space by Jay David Bolter, he points out how the term book has been used to describe or represent some electronic devices (pg. 79). The Chromebook, PowerBook, and Omnibook are laptops that were designed to be portable, like a book. He states that these devices are in fact hybrid books. They are not just portable, but they function like a book and not just as a computer. I am familiar with these devices and thought the name referred to their size, not their function. 

Jay David Bolter’s “The Electronic Book”, calls attention to the change in digital technology and defines hypertext as digital writing and moving information digitally in a non-linear way. On page 10 (92), “The computers, storage devices, and communications equipment must be housed somewhere, but the reader has no need to see the equipment, any more than he or she needs to see the physical plant of the local telephone company.”. The main takeaway of this quote is that even though there is no physical object of what is being stored, it still exists for the user to use. He compares the use of stored devices to making a phone call while seeing a phone company.

Robert Coover’s “The End of Books” talks about the effect of hypertext and how we engage with written content versus digital content. On page 4, it states, “With hypertext, we focus, both as writers and as readers, on structure as much as on prose, for we are made aware suddenly of the shapes of narratives that are often hidden in print stories.”. This quote means that a structured narrative is different because digital content allows the audience to retain and connect the information better than printed stories.

Link to the essay.

      In the “ Coover End of Books,”  I was very intrigued by the ideas and concepts that were demonstrated and explained in just these few pages. Learning about Hypertext and the different components that it may present was truly astonishing. One quote that stuck out to me on page four was “ This is a new kind of fiction, and a new kind of reading. The form of the text is rhythmic, looping on itself in patterns and layers that gradually accrete meaning, just as the passage of time and events does in one’s lifetime.” This quote stuck out to me because not only does it explain this type of literacy but it also goes deeper into the significant meaning behind it.

        The reading “The Electronic Book” gave some background information on what books were in history such as silent reading, a book becoming an object, and more. The beginning gave some insight into the different stages presented in history with books and how it was presented. A quote that stuck out to me was on page eighty-eight which states “ When he compared the encyclopedia to a world map, he went to say that “… one can create as many different systems of human knowledge as world maps are having different projections..” This quote stuck out to me because of the alignment of both creating different systems of human knowledge and the world maps. 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_EmtUl452On0QUnmpmyQ32j3cmWN0YCJjXtAgVLKNy4/edit?usp=sharing

In Coover The end of book, they talk about many concepts and ideas but one that caught my attention was the obsolescent print technology on page 4. The author describes it as likely to engage in major hypertext fiction of his own. If you can print a whole lot of text it can possibly replace traditional books. It will most likely replace the traditional book in the next half century.

In the Electronic book, one idea that stuck out to me was encyclopedic order on page 83-84. This idea stuck out to me because it offers a solution for both surplus and scarcity. When Books are unavailable the encyclopedia summarizes everything that wasn’t in the original source. It controls the text and the choice of organizing text.

Link to draft

For this paper, I tried to think of technologies that have changed during my lifetime. There have been quite a few; televisions, public transit tokens, telephones, cameras, and computers. My first 3 choices were the telephone, the digital camera, and either the MetroCard or the OMNY card. In trying to incorporate McLuhan’s philosophy into my writing, I realized the 3 items I chose didn’t relate to one another. In the end, I decided to go with the mobile phone, the digital camera, and the e-reader. McLuhan’s concept of hot and cool media can be applied to these devices, along with his 4 laws of media. 

Tech and Media Exploratory Project Final Draft

My draft needs more details. I struggled with this project and had some writer’s block. The biggest struggle was deciding on 3 technologies. I also need to figure out the best way to incorporate McLuhan’s philosophies into the paper.   

Link to final draft

Link to presentation

Tech Exploratory Final Draft

The Shaping of Individuals and Society essay_final draft.docx

Tech exploratary paper

Exploratory Final: Tech Revolution

ENG 1710 paper 2 final

My plans for revising my paper would be to make it more cohesive and combine some of my sentences. I also intend to fix my last body paragraphs and make it more cohesive. I speak about some of the intended consequences, however I move from idea to idea without much explanation. I should be more specific about my unintended consequences, I feel like I end too short without bringing back the overarching idea about individuality and community.

I am planning to structure my intro in a way where there is more focus on the direction it will go. I will try to talk more about McLuhan in my intro and I will need to think of a way to introduce him and his ideas. I will need to remember this paper is targeted towards a general audience and I will need to explain things in a way where it will be clear to an outsider what is going on. I will benefit from finding a way to make the intro more interesting in order to catch the attention of the reader. As for the body of the paper. I will need to find ways to smoothly transition from topic to topic. My paper right now is just jumping from one topic to the next.

Some ideas that I want to present in my essay is elaborating my thoughts to more of a general audience. I wrote my introduction based off of those who know about McLuhan and the type of philosopher he was and the prompt presented. I will also introduce who McLuhan is as I used his ideas and quotes. I will also work on demonstrating a flow like essay where ideas, concepts, research and more are presented as I want it to be. Lastly, looking at the feedback from my last paper also helps me revise and fix occurring mistakes in my writing.

After today’s class I plan on concising the ideas I want to use from McLuhan. I have a handful of scholarly sources, as well as normally sourced reputable ones that will aid to the ideas I have laid out already. Going over my intro in class and reading it out loud helped me fine tune and note what the rest of the paper needs to sound like vs what it sounds like already.

After what we discussed in class, I would like to add smoother transitions and also clarify my points. After discussing how well you can incorporate McLuhan versus when you do it. I also want to work on broadening my responses to the questions being asked in the prompt and using them as a guideline rather than just answering the questions being presented in the bullet points. I want to include more of what we discuss in class in my paper as well as to stick to what is being asked of me.

The plan for my revision of the final draft for the tech/media is to add an title  to my paper to make it more professional. I also should make my paper MLA format not only the work cited page but for the paper. I should also use less quotation and add more of my words.  When my paper is almost, I plan on going to the writing center to see if I need any improvement like my last paper.

Destiny Wallace TEC Intro

Here is my intro for my TEC piece discussing the layout of the paper.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kvjhzytXSmGuwSMXavyquifukaeBAO9g-gwo2XMRz6s/edit

The writing was okay. I finished it, and I do believe I adhered to the prompts set to a fair degree. However, I had trouble making it coherent for the reader. I felt like I was jumping from idea to idea to fast and without explanation. Getting the sources for he paper was the worst part of he assignment. It felt if as though I spent more time researching rather than writing, and it was very frustrating. Overall, I only wish that getting the sources was easier.

Tech Exploratory Project

I think this project was challenging in finding research for my project. It was difficult to find expert sources talking about the technology I chose and discussing topics which were relevant to the project. It was easier to try and find videos discussing the topics. Writing all of these ideas for the draft is not hard, but what is difficult is making sure to include only information which is necessary and I catch myself thinking, “Is this important?” Though, these sources are interesting and provide some useful insight on these topics. I can easily some things which can be linked back to McLuhan.

Tech Exploratory

I found this project to be challenging. I had trouble writing my thoughts since McLuhan’s ideas are so abstract. Also, I found myself disagreeing with McLuhan at times and struggled to apply his concepts in a way that made sense to me. Research was very helpful, but I had trouble interpreting some of my more academic sources. I ended up changing one of my technologies, so my three technologies are now visual effects, multitrack recording, and digital art. This draft includes my more concrete ideas but still needs a lot of work.

      Exploratory Draft

       My experience with writing the Exploratory draft was a task where I enjoyed researching these different technologies and looking at them from several standpoints. I researched Bluetooth, Laptops, and Headphones. The four laws of media helped me throughout this paper as I tried answering each bullet point, these laws made it clearer for me. This is my draft. I still need to incorporate some of McLuhan’s ideas and thoughts to make this paper flow as I want it to. Overall, I learned so much from these technologies and also got to see what was presented before these technologies even existed which I enjoyed.

ENG 1710 paper 2 draft

The research paper was about 3 major techs which were the iPhone, PlayStation, and Microsoft PC. I stated in the paper its history and how consumers keep buying it. I also discussed how McLuhan had a influence on the rise of these techs. I used the McLuhan for begingers, and I also used 9 additional online articles as sources for my paper.

After today’s class discussion and reviewing my notes, I had to rethink the 3 technologies that I chose for my research paper. They didn’t relate to each other well. My third technology is now the e-reader.  

I can see how McLuhan’s 4 laws of media relate to each technology I chose, but I need to reread the book from beginning to end. (I feel a little lost. I will revisit this post.) 

While looking back at my notes on my thoughts and questions after I read the first few pages of McLuhan I saw several things I can add to my paper. One idea I will present in my introduction is the quote “To fully understand anything, he argued you have to look at it from several viewpoints”. When I read this again I thought about the four laws of media which is looking at things from four points of view. Another idea I will be adding is the quote “Step into writing how we step into baths”. I will be adding this as well because when we research we study and see various concepts so viewing them all and presenting them to our research paper is important. Lastly, I will include “the medium is the message” where I speak on McLuhan’s thoughts and more.

Three ideas I have are to definitely include the Four Laws of Media. I think that has a big role in my project, we are constantly talking about in class so it would make sense to include it.
Also maybe including quotes that McLuhan has said and include it into my essay.
Articles and pictures definitely will help me but for now that’s all I have. I will definitely come up with more ideas.

One idea I would like to use from McLuhan is the idea of medium being the message. With the way we use technologies in our everyday lives, I want to explore what these pieces of technology were an extension of and what change did these technologies cause in societies.

Another idea I want to use is the idea of amplification becomes amputation. I want to know what did these pieces of technology amputate. I think it would be interesting to see how everyday technology has amputated us and I think it would be in ways I would not have even guessed.

The final idea I would like to use from McLuhan is this idea of reversal. I would like to know if these technologies have been pushed to their limits and how they have taken the opposite of their original features. I think this would grant a lot of insight into these pieces of technology.

My focus for my TEP is (hand written letters, telephone calls, verbal face to face. The transition to Instant messaging, emails, forums/blog post, etc…)

A few examples I plan on using from McLuhan are “The medium is the message”, The four laws of media, Hot and Cool media, Station break: Amputations, and the “Global Village”

McLuhan’s ideas of amplification/amputation, hot and cold media, and the medium is the message can all be incorporated into my paper. Firstly, visual effects and multitrack recorder amplify and amputate the user. For instance, the invention of motion control cameras that are programmed to make repetitive and accurate movement acts as an extension of a camera operators arm but amputates because it is impossible to replicate the movements of a computer. In multitrack recording, the ability to modify the artists voice is an amplification, however, the artist is unable to reproduce this when performing live. Hot and cold media can also be applied to visual effects and multitrack recorders. Visual effects create movies that are more realistic and immersive; they heat the medium up. Multitrack recorders allow artists to “perfect” or tidy up the sound of their music in a way they are unable to when recording in a studio. Both technologies heat up the medium, now viewers and listeners don’t have to put in as much effort as they previously did to understand/decipher the media they are consuming. Lastly, paywalls affirm that the medium is the message. Paywalls themselves send a message to the audience that only a certain group has access to their content.

These ideas from McLuhan From Beginners will help for my technology essay.

Despite help tech evolve, why would he be against if he was still alive today?

How did McLuhan still have such an influence even years after his passing?

What made McLuhan go into media?

From Page 6 of Beginners from Beginners, the narrator stated that McLuhan knew little about how his work led to the rise of the world wide web, interactive television, PCs, CDs, talking eBooks, terminal node computers, optical discs, pocket computers, the Internet, optical fiber, and laser technology.

But it was McLuhan’s work that led to the rise of the these technologies and high consumer use of the modern era.

One way of incorporating McLuhan into our writing is explaining his idea of cool and hot media and explain how my selected technologies operate. Another idea would be amputation into amplification. The technologies chosen should show how technology transitions from old to new. Reasoning given can be how does new technology expand and come into conflict with previous existing technology. The third idea would be the global village. McLuhan speaks about the advancements of computers and other telecommunication technologies. Social media is a good example of the global village. As an example, Instagram has been able to connect people in many ways and do a lot to create a global shared culture, hence the term “global village”. However, McLuhan revised his ideas on the global village and realized the larger negative effects of it. Echo chambers are created and the idea of the peaceful global village is incorrect. Instagram is a modern equivalent the global village both simultaneously uniting and splitting apart people. 

1.  Printers, Bluetooth technology, and Electric scooters, all in some way follow the 4 laws of media. Each of them are advanced enough that they in some way have made older forms of technology obsolete, but also had some form of consequence.
2. can refer back to AI technology in how it is the next step in replacing technology that we use now or even before, referring to how McLuhan advised us into focusing into how we would receive and send this new technology.
3. Hot and cool media plays a big role into technology, especially for the ones I chose as part of the project.

McLuhan Image

I would like to research some of the more mundane technology which has impacted our lives, such as the lightbulb, indoor plumbing, and pens. I would like to see the difference from the eras before and how these technologies have changed they way we lived. I would like to see their beginnings and how these technologies have had an effect on future technologies, what their legacy is and will be like in the future.

Link to drawn image

The items I will focus on for my TEP project are ways of communication (hand written letters, telephone calls, verbal face to face. The transition to Instant messaging, emails, forums/blog post, etc…)

CamScanner luhan 09-28-2023 11.45

(pg 104)

What I was trying to get at with the artwork was the concept of McLuhan’s global village. The idea of the global village is with technologies like computers, television, and other advanced telecommunication devices, coupled with the retribalization effects of electronic media led to him arguing the position of a “global village.” McLuhan believed that technology could act as a unitier of people under a single culture. However, many critics of McLuhan think otherwise. They believe that the idea of the global village that McLuhan proposed is “off mark.” Instead of uniting it divides people into smaller worlds in the form of information echo chambers. This is an idea I personally believe to be the case in the modern world. 

(part 2)

Technology list

-Printing press

The printing press allowed for written works to be produced very quickly. It allowed for people to become literate on mass, it changed the way people thought and acted due to the democratization of knowledge and allowed for individualism as an ideology to exist.

-television

it became dominant in homes of people during the 20th century. Created a shared experience amongst people who watched television and influenced people via the programs they watched on the television.

-social media

like the television it became prevalent in peoples lives in the 21st century. People were given tools to have a lot of self expression and hyper individualism.