767B Post Interview #lilcook

1. What is the essential story behind the piece you created?

The story centers on a Twitter group chat. The chat is based upon a question and answer session with an “experienced” baker. As the question and answer session unfolds, the answers of the moderator are a little suspect and somewhat childish. The audience is drawn into the piece as the camera begins to reveal the moderator. Finally, the story draws to a close when the audience realizes what the group chat members do not realize. A small child instead of an experienced “baker” moderated the chat.  

2.What was your purpose in creating this piece of new media narrative? Do you feel you were successful in communicating your purpose?

The purpose of the video was to show how an online environment could misrepresent a person or experience. Quite often times we operate in an online world, virtually unaware. The purpose of this piece was to showcase mistaken identity. The Twitter users were assuming the person moderating the question and answer session was an experienced person. Instead, they were asking questions of a young child. As the camera revealed the true identity of the moderator, I believe my purpose was communicated successfully.

        

3.Who was your audience? Do you feel you were successful in reaching your audience?

The audience of the video is comprised of online users. Most likely, the audience is female, from soccer mom to grandmother, and between the ages of 30-65. While this is an estimate, I believe I was successful in reaching my audience.

4.Why did you use your particular approach to media production and media selection? Were you successful?

I chose this media selection because I believe it is a timeless approach to misrepresentation within the online world. A child is something that endears an audience to a piece and what better way to introduce a whimsical narrative. The approach was simplistic, transferring between moderator and group. The transition between screens was highlighted with a transparent type written question and answer. Finally, as the big reveal happens, the music swells and the audience is caught off guard.

5. What did you learn during the process of crafting your media piece that you can use in creating future new media narrative?I learned that editing is a valuable tool when creating a video piece. When I create a new video, I believe editing will be more important and take more of a focus in both planning and execution.        

767B_Media Psych_Project 2_#lilcook

767B_Media Psych_Project 2_#lilcook

Story Map

Story Table

Invitation to Twitter Q&A	Screen fills with invitation,(envelope and invite)
Q&A begins with users asking questions	Hands typing questions, keyboard displayed as well as question i.e. “What is your secret ingredient?”
Moderator answers questions asked	Full screen Twitter response, no hands, just handle and response
All users ask to see demo video of the baking	Split screen or all different hands typing question. Question is in foreground, typing hands in background.
Moderator finishes Twitter Q&A with a link to the video demo	Blurred or cropped out image of moderator typing final response
Baking demo video begins	Video of a little girl baking
Final screen quote	Something along the lines of what you expect online may not be what you get.

767B_Media Psych_Post Interview_Peanuts

1.What is the essential story behind the piece you created?

When I began to think about the story I wanted to share, my peanut allergy was the first experience that came to mind. When I was young I tried a peanut cookie for the first time. The result was a severe allergic reaction to the peanut. The reaction was so severe that I almost died. I experienced swelling both inwardly and outwardly, cutting off my breathing.

This event altered the way I lived my life going forward. I lived in constant awareness of an allergy in a world that was not aware. Growing up, I did not experience the taste of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, peanut m&m’s, snickers or pecan pie. This type of awareness made holidays i.e. Halloween, lunches and even eating at restaurants difficult. Several reactions later I began carrying an epi-pen and Benadryl with me at all times. My mom, of course became concerned and even overprotective.

Growing up I did not truly grasp the gravity of my allergy until I had my daughter. She tried peanut m&m’s and had a severe allergic reaction similar to mine. Now, I’m more aware and understand the overprotective nature of my mother. This awareness has proven to be the catalyst as I try to educate my 3-year old daughter about a food that could potentially kill her. I am now the overprotective mother at class parties, lunches and Easter egg hunts. Along with my daughter, we live in a world that operates unaware. With such a severe allergy, we are both learning to be brave and mindful in a peanut filled world.

2.What was your purpose in creating this piece of new media narrative? Do you feel you were successful in communicating your purpose?

The purpose of creating this piece really comes down to educating an unaware public. However, the overarching purpose was to share a monumental moment in my life that forever changed me and later on, my daughter.

I feel like I was successful communicating a moment that had a significant impact on my life. I’m pleased with the outcome of the video itself. There are several nuances that may not be visible to the audience that I would love to correct. The lack of proper lighting and sound equipment affected the video. This is something I could correct with more experience and better equipment. Overall, mistakes included, I feel successful. My goal was to tell a simplified story utilizing child-like props and it worked.

        

3.Who was your audience? Do you feel you were successful in reaching your audience?

The audience intended for this piece is comprised of moms, dads, teachers or children suffering from a peanut allergy or knows someone who is. I think this narrative is the first step to a larger message. My hope is that this begins a conversation about an allergy impacting young and old alike.  

I believe the only way to know if I was successful reaching my audience is to test it. Ultimately, showcasing Peanuts in a quirky way will cause the audience to pause. My hope is that the pause will cause awareness and empathy towards the allergy.

4.Why did you use your particular approach to media production and media selection? Were you successful?

I used this approach to Peanuts because I believe it’s a message that needs to be heard. In order for people to hear it, it has to be easy to understand. I’ve seen allergy commercials before or even public service announcements about peanut allergies. Unfortunately, they take a serious message and forget to engage their audience. Instead, there is an extensive amount of information thrown at the viewer and the viewer has a hard time sifting through it. The viewer is overloaded with information and then misses the message.

Using a whimsical approach allows for an otherwise “boring” subject to be interesting and engaging. Changing props allows the audience to keep track of a story because of a simple narrative and the look and feel of the video.  I was successful using this particular approach to a certain degree. I’m a bit of a perfectionist and realize what is wrong with the piece. Lighting could be better and there is a transitional edit that could use some work along with sound. I also covered the top of the ambulance instead of holding it at a different angle. Again, these are all learning curves. At the end of the day, I’m happy with how the piece turned out.

5. What did you learn during the process of crafting your media piece       that you can use in creating future new media narrative?

        

I think I will constantly be learning how to craft media pieces. This assignment gave me the opportunity to imagine and ultimately create a video that told a personal story.  I believe this video is the first step to creating many more.  I learned more about lighting and sound during this video. I also learned a little more about editing. Even filming was a bit of a challenge. I also learned how to operate iMovie a bit more.

The challenge for me is always developing what I picture in my mind. It can be difficult to picture something in your mind and realize that you may not have the skill set available to create the video you want. This is my challenge in the future. To be able to imagine it and actually create what I’ve imagined.

        

            

767B_Media Psych_New Media Project 1_Peanuts

767B_Media Psych_Peanuts Story Map

Story map

2 years old

Tried a peanut butter cookie           

Had a severe allergic reaction 

Rushed me to the ER and I made it

Have to watch everything I eat

Benadryl and an epi-pen at all times

Learned to live in a peanut world

I have to constantly be aware

Mom was overprotective 

Daughter has the same allergy

We almost lost her

Now, I’m overprotective

I also try to equip others

I try to equip my 2 year old

She’s trying to avoid something that could kill her

It’s not always easy, but it’s worth it

724 E/Media Psych/Final Print Ad

When I began to develop my final print ad, I had a tough time. I struggled with trying to put all that I've learned onto one page without it seeming overworked or overloaded with information. To accomplish this, I introduced a new social media technology to incorporate my learnings along with persuasive media.

I began with a digital citizen. As technology progresses, our digital citizens will start early. In this case, looking to the future, it's quite possible that digital citizenship will be introduced at birth. With the growth of new technology,  infants may be able to use to touch pads to stimulate and increase growth. Because of this, I introduced a social media site that could start as early as infancy. I chose to call it Chirp because it follows the same thread as Twitter and could be considered in the same "family." Chirp encompasses the "speak" of a young bird and because it's introduced at early age it represents a young infant.

If I act as a digital de-tech-tive and apply the tetrad to this technology, it's possible that it may exist sooner than we think. To be gained will be the visual and mental stimulation at infancy, the loss will be fake baby toys with phones, iPads, Leapfrog learning toys or Twitter. Using Twitter as the old or antiquated technology confirms that this moment will become obsolete in the next. If this is pushed beyond it's limit we may have anti-social individuals who cannot operate outside of a technical world. 

The ad also incorporates the importance of education. Because technology is growing at such a rapid pace, we need to educate our youth not only in our schools but our homes. It is important to teach responsible digital citizenship with a balanced learning approach. 

Using social media reminded me of Marshall McLuhan which is why I chose Chirp. Re-introducing the tribe could happen at infancy with connection beginning earlier than we imagined. Social media becomes our environment and we become extensions of its skin. Working us over, the tribe is restored with a world of,  "total involvement, in which everybody is profoundly involved with everybody else,"(Marshall McLuhan, 1967).

I also chose to create this ad because of my personal struggle with technology. I was amazed at the very beginning of the course to find my reliance on technology was a moment by moment, every day occurrence. This was a scary realization. This influenced my decision to choose an infant in the ad because from birth our reliance on technology is evident. I also chose an infant because of the struggle I have with over-connection.  While benefits are easy to see, I struggle with the real live connectivity that occurs with face-to-face relationship. I believe we are tipping the scale and will find that our only connection "from birth" is to technology rather than people. 

Finally, using a "need to nurture" approach with a baby grabs the attention of most. Babies in ads create pathos in a way that most individuals cannot. Using the baby to grab attention, the  phone in the hands of a baby stimulates awareness, the copy portrays the attitude of the ad/company and a call to action is made using a URL address. Because Chirp is a "new category" it introduces something new to the social media world. Association, bandwagon and humor are the persuasive approaches this ad takes to increase awareness, sales and involvement in Chirp.

Overall, the last few months have been more than awakening. I'm aware of dining rooms and microwaves and more involved with the technological decisions I'm making for my children. I go back to my Mantra often, " to use technology as a digital citizen, with balance, creativity, relevance and social responsibility." More importantly, I believe I'm educated in such a way that I can succeed as a Media Psychologist both personally and professionally. --Thank you!