Blog #6 Proposal

My critical question is: How has our generation’s use of cell phones affected the way we communicate and interact with each other?  Another question that I potentially would like to explore is whether or not cell phones will eventually take over all forms of communication (in person or not)? And what the effects of social media are on young adults.  I want the purpose of this piece to explore different social media sites to see how they have affected us over the years since they have been created.  I want people to think differently about how they use their phones and how social media is changing who they are. 

The audience for all of the genres will most likely be young adults.  More specifically teenagers from ages 13-19 and college students from ages 20-25.  The results will be very different for these groups because from what I have observed, teenagers use social media more than college students.  The genres I plan to use are social media sites.  More specifically: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat.  These all will have modes that include texts, logos, and slogans.  

 As of right now I am still pretty unsure of the direction that I want to take this project.  Hopefully after the activity tomorrow I can have a better idea of what I want to do.  As a model text I will most likely use an online article.  I haven’t had a lot of time to research for this project yet but an article is probably the route I will take.  I want to find an article that has the same time of view that I took on my first two papers.  But also I would like for the article to be informational about how social media has affected our generation of young adults.

Blog #5 Project Proposal/Interview Questions

My critical question is, How has the use of technology, particularly cell phones, affected us in ways such as communication and the use of social skills. I have been brainstorming a lot about who or what group to interview for my project on and I had a few ideas.  Since my personal experience talked a lot about how my phone use has affected my life, I want to do  this second project on someone who does not currently have a cell phone.  A girl named Kenzie Maloney who is also a freshman athlete hasn't had her phone for a few weeks because it broke.  She is on the volleyball team and I just recently met her.  I think this will be a good fit for the project because she is someone I am familiar with but do not know a lot about.  Seeing how she has been affected by not having a phone will hopefully help me find a connection with how much we depend on technology to communicate.  I will specifically look at her phone use before and after losing it.  Then I can observe her in a social setting or study hall to see how different it is compared to those who have their phone in class.
1. How long have you had a phone?
2. What kinds of things do you use your phone for?
3. do you find your phone to be distracting ever? Explain
4.  Do you use your phone when having an in-person conversation?
5.  How many hours per day do you use social media?
6. How do you feel without your phone, now?
7.  Has it changed the way you interact with people? Explain
8.  Have you noticed an increase in phone use in yourself or others? explain
9. Do you personally think you use your phone too much? Yes or no and why
10.  Do you check your phone in awkward situations?
11. have you ever lost your phone?
12. do you think you could survive without your phone?
13.How important is your phone to you?
14. What apps are most useful to you?
15.  Tell me about the affect phones have had on your family and friends? overuse, normal, never use?
I will be using an app on my phone that has an audio recorder.

Blog #4 Podcasts and Brainstorming

Blog #4

The first podcast was called “Summer Camp.”  Of course the title is giving away most of what the podcast explains.  The point of this podcast is to explain how “camp” is differentiated from normal life.  Everything seems to be better when they are at camp.  No one understands the gap between camp and normal life.  The kids would go home and describe how much fun they had, and would tell stories of their experiences at camp.  When they went home, no one would understand what was so cool or why they thought it was amusing.  The “so what” of this, as described by the narrator, is what is the difference between fiction and nonfiction.  Or in terms of this story: Camp versus world.  Older campers continued to tell their stories as well in the podcast.  This also affirms the question of fiction versus nonfiction. “the stories you tell at camp are so funny but once you go home, they give you a look.. like that’s stupid….when you describe the story.”  This perfectly describes how camp can  be its own world which no one else understands.

            The podcast about “Becoming Batman” was formed like a profile because it focuses on a single subject just like we are going to do for our second project.  The point of this podcast was to look into the life of a single person or thing and describe the actions of it.  The summer camp podcast was organized chronologically by talking about the camp at the beginning and then interviewing people about the subject.  Batman was about a man and a mouse whose stories were also told chronologically.  The subjects were introduced and then described vividly. Throughout the podcasts we hear background music which help us to put ourselves in the shoes of the storyteller to be in that scene with them.

My critical question entails ‘How has the use of technology, particularly cell phones, affected the way we interact and communicate?’  I have a few ideas about who I am going to interview and what I want to observe.  I might study a group of teenagers in general and see how they interact in a social setting.  I would possibly observe their phone use to see how often they take out there phone instead of simply talking, or if things get awkward.  Another group I might study would be people at the Union.  I want to watch them eat lunch and interact.  This could be while they study, or eat, or just make small talk.  All of these things were very hard for me to do without a phone so that is why I am interested.  I am still not for sure on who I would interview.  A girl I met just lost her phone so I have an idea of interviewing her to see how her life has changed in the past few days.  All of these things connect to my critical question because phone distractions cause us to change our personable characteristics.  I discussed this idea with a writing consultant and she thought that this would connect with my first project.  She also suggested interviewing a librarian from the Union who sells phones and technology related merchandise.

Blog #3 Critical Question and Artifact

The critical question that I chose was “How does the use of modern technology affect its society?” After class today I have been thinking about revising it to something different but I am not completely sure. After talking with a writing consultant and the activities in class today I am more confident in my Critical Question.  For now I am planning to keep it the same. My question fits well into all of the categories.  My question is personally meaningful because I have been thinking and having a lot of ironic happenings with technology lately and how it is affecting us.  Technology is affecting our whole society and that is evident in our everyday lives.  Some sub questions that I could ask from the main point are if these changes are for bad or good and what are some advantages and disadvantages.  Modern technology is sort of a broad topic but once I narrow it down to cell phones and interaction in my paper it wont be as broad.  Technology has affected us negatively and positively over the ages so this is not an opinionated question.  I want to explore one side of this though.  Technology is such an interesting topic that I will definitely be able to explore it through three different projects. 

Artifact:

Cell phones

Television

Ipod

Music

Social media

Twitter

Texting

Apps

Teenagers

Calling

The artifact that I am probably going to use is cell phone.  For all of these prompts and blog questions my mind and writing seems to come back to cell phones. There are so many directions that I could take this paper and I am excited about that.  I work best when I know the material and have examples to connect it back to.  Every time I look around the room I notice cell phones first.  Before I came to college I was having major cell phone problems.  I could not go two minutes without wanting to check my phone or have a thought about who might be texting me.  Now that college has started, I have found that I barely have five minutes to look at social media during the day.  My thoughts have completely changed since I no longer use my phone as much.  When I see others using their phone constantly, it annoys me and I finally see how pointless it is.  Before this week though I thought it was a necessity to check social media. I was so caught up in myself I would forget to notice others around me and interact appropriately.  In today’s society, everywhere you look there are people using their phones.  It has become a way to escape awkwardness and social interaction.  An example would be at a restaurant or social gathering.  My favorite is when you walk by someone and quickly turn to a cell phone to avoid eye contact and awkwardness instead of just saying “hello.”g  Even in pre-teenagers I have noticed some changes.  They hide behind their cellphone to text a crush or girl they are afraid to talk to.  Bullying is often started on social media because it helps people avoid human contact. There are so many topics I could explore with the cell phone artifact and through my “so what” point, I hope to give readers a different perspective on how to change their cell phone use to better our society.

Blog #2 Critical Question and Free Write

A topic that has been on my mind a lot lately is cell phones.  Cell phones are everywhere and have been consuming our lives lately. Well, at least my life anyway.  I have been thinking a lot about how my cell phone has been affecting myself and other, so when I look around a room all I seem to notice is phones.  I can be a bit creepy and look to see if people are on social media, texting, or checking their email.  I do this to compare my habits with others.  For a typical girl, you can probably find us on a social media app called “Instagram”, liking and commenting something nice on each others latest adventure.  Since I have been on campus though, my cell phone using mentality has changed.   I no longer use it to check social media but to check emails and do homework.  So the next time I look around the room I should hope to see others doing the same as well.

When I took a shower this morning it was 7:15 am.  My thoughts during this time period included many different things.  It was my second time showering in Cather Hall and I still don’t know how I feel about it.  Actually I do know how I feel.  I feel cramped, gross, and awkward as I stand about a foot above the showerhead.  This wasn’t the first time this has happened but I always find it very amusing.  I thought about clever tweet ideas I could say for being taller than the shower and for the limited space I had.  One might include, “Glad my legs get clean in the shower #tallproblems”.  I’m glad I could find the humor in being squeezed into that tight space which I get to spend most morning and nights in.

When I went to lay down last night for bed, I was so exhausted that I don’t remember ever thinking about things.  People always say that late night thoughts will make you emotional so I normally try to avoid those anyway.  It was late so I was sound asleep as soon as I laid down.  Normally I will review my day and think of the things that were important.  I always thank God for blessing me during the day and for the upcoming day.  These past few nights I have been thinking a lot about my plans for the following day but not when you are exhausted after your first full day of college.

My favorite classes in high school were Social Literature, Spanish IV and Advanced Chem.  These three classes were very different but fun for the same reasons.  We were able to interact a lot and do creative things that didn’t just include listening to lectures.  In Social Lit we watched videos and explored different cultures through books and videos and then discussed them.  Spanish IV was probably my absolute favorite class because we got to learn by playing games.  Advanced Chemistry was also great because I loved my teacher and we did labs that helped me apply our learning.

 Right now there are many emotions that are going through my head.  It is the first week of college and my whole world has changed! A new school, a new house, a new team, and all new material to learn in both school and basketball has my head spinning. I am very flustered but trying to stay on top of everything.  So far I have been staying on schedule and up to date with everything.  Currently I am thinking about how I am going to finish all of this writing an manage m other class along with starting my college sport tomorrow.  Everyone has been telling me to relax and stop worrying but that is who I am.  I think being nervous and worried just means you are preparing to take on your task.  Although I am scattered right no I am confident that I will get in a rhythm by next week.

My critical question is going to be something along the lines of “How does the use of modern technology affect its society?” I chose to use this topic because it was one of the first podcasts that I listened to and it was very interesting. The podcast told stories of how technology is taking over our lives and I could not agree more. The podcast itself had its own question related to how technology is affecting us.  This gave me so many ideas and questions that I wanted to explore. Since this prompt is being used for three different projects, I figured it should be something I am interested in and could see myself wanting to explore. In more detail It seems very ironic that I came upon the “Computers and Technology” podcast because lately I have been thinking a lot about this subject.  I have had an iphone for about a year and a half. I was so excited to finally be able to interact with my friends on social media.  It was the “cool” thing to do and I always felt out of the loop without a smart phone. I had no idea about the other benefits of having a smartphone, such as better communication, maps, and tools for everyday life.  All I seemed to be interested in was the “fun and games” part of it.  Sadly, until a few days ago, I still had this same mindset. Also sadly, my use of social media has gotten worse since the amateur iphone days.  I find myself thinking about what will be on social media when I look, who messaged me, or if so and so liked or commented on my picture or tweet.  Even though I recognized these problems, it still continued to get worse.  I wasn’t able to hold a conversation for very long with my family, or focus on studying because I was too worried about my network of friends online.  I think becoming a college student on Sunday was Gods plan because since then, I have not had any of the problems listed above.  There is no time to waste now that I am a student athlete and I couldn’t be more thankful for the timing of this.  Sadly, I don’t think I am the only person, who struggles with this tendency.  I want to find out if others are experiencing the same thing as me.  Even though  I can tell by watching people in todays society act like I had, I still would like to take a more in depth look at it.  My question can fit in all categories.  For the first category, personal nonfiction, there are many ways that I can explain how it pertains to my experiences.  I think this will be the easiest project because I understand myself better than anyone and the topic of technology relates well to myself.  For the second project, which highlights a specific group of people, I have an idea as well.  I am a teenager and I could imagine that most other teenagers are experiencing the same problems as me.  I will research and interview a group of young adults to see what their thoughts are about this.  The last genre will fit nicely with this topic because the whole world seems to be curious about technology and our lives.  I am excited and interested for the upcoming projects and hope to learn more about how technology is changing our lives.