Attempting to describe
to my Mum the various social media outlets like Facebook and Instagram alone
exemplifies the development of media flows within globalisation itself.
As part of the blog
task I choose to interview my Mother, who proved to have little to no computer
or technical skills what so ever. So she was amazed when I took her on a guided
tour through the pages of Facebook and explained to her how significant
receiving a high number of ‘likes’ on an Instagram photo is. Although I’m sure
there are parents out there who are quite skilful with technology and have
Facebook accounts etc, I found it interesting talking to Mum about the
difference it makes in my life compared to hers.
She continued to tell
my about how communication occurred back in ‘her day’. Writing letters,
listening to the radio and face to face meetings were really the only way to
seek information. There were no televisions or computers to check up on the
latest news. A good example of the development of technology relates to Queen
Victoria in the late 1800’s (well before my mum was born; however the point
remains. Queen Victoria sent a message to the President of the United States
and around 16.5 hours later the president received the information (Fleming and
Parker 2012). At this time, people would not have dreamt that one day something
like this could be received instantly across the other side of the world.
The development of
media flows and technology has completely changed the way the world operates
and communicates.
My mother is exactly the same when it comes to technology- she really doesn't have a clue. Just like we have unwritten social rules of conduct, there's a whole new technological world- and with it comes an unwritten guide book of how to conduct yourself over Facebook and Instagram to name a few. My mother would not have an idea where to start, how to navigate the pages, what was appropriate and what is not, or how to adjust provacy settings. Something else you pointed out is the significance of 'likes' on an instagram photo- which our generation is very aware of- yet the older generation would not understand.
ReplyDeleteI agree that technology has shaped modern culture and has created a new defined set of rules to abide by when logging onto social media sites.
my parents are exactly the same, I often find myself thinking how anything got done 25 years ago. Just the thought of watching my mum writing a comment as simple as this is frustrating me! it would be an interesting idea to compare how things were done then and how they are done now using new media and technology, It's a whole new world! your blog post clearly communicates what you want to and with the use of your personal account of your mother it makes for quite a good read. however I think you could have given some background information on the new media you discuss, such as instagram, and what exactly they do, just in case a reader is unaware of some forms of new media. Possibly a few more examples of new technology and how it's changed how the world operates and how we communicate. Overall, Good job!
ReplyDeleteInsightful and interesting to hear from your lesson with the old dear and I get a real feeling that you might have learned a lot from this week’s topic seeing her realise things you probably take for granted. I don’t recommend signing her up to facebook from my experience. Not referenced exactly right but good fact adds to the piece. Engagingly written focused discussion. Not the most original or creative could use some multimedia and links.
ReplyDeleteIsn’t it strange that some parents are able to work it out while others struggle? My mum is a pain! Always checking my Facebook and ensuring I am doing the right thing. I would have liked to have seen your mum asked about ideoscapes as a substitute. How has globalisation affected her ideologies? Appadurai speaks a lot about the effects of change that different cultures can have. Obviously the technoscapes were a big letdown, so other areas could have been further explored and explained. However, it was a nice piece of writing and it was very understandable.
ReplyDelete