The tetrad is an “investigative framework,”
Sunday, October 28, 2012
724E Media Psych/McLuhan Tetrad
The tetrad is an “investigative framework,”
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
724E Media Psych/McLuhan
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During the reign of a
“tribal” era, James Burke explains that, “survival depended on the few square
miles they knew, while facts were a direct personal experience,” (Burke). The main
source of information was received through the pulpit at a local church or
passed down through folk stories, memories or troubadours. During this period
of time, all senses remained in harmonious balance.
In his day, McLuhan
attributed the television as the catalyst of the electronic revolution. While,
the television plays an integral role, the present day catalyst could best be
known as social media. Using social media, we are immersed in active interplay,
massaging the sensory function back to its proper balance. Similar to
newspapers, people “get into them every morning like a hot bath, “ (The Marshall McLuhan Center on
Global Communications, 1969). 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).
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An analysis of Marshal
McLuhan reveals that all media, regardless of the message exerts a “compelling
influence on man and society,”(The Marshall McLuhan Center on Global Communications, 1969). Technological
innovation has wielded an influence so great, that sensory function has been
thrown off-balance. The electronic revolution faces the challenge to bring
restoration to a pre-tribal society, therefore balancing the senses.
During the reign of a
“tribal” era, James Burke explains that, “survival depended on the few square
miles they knew, while facts were a direct personal experience,” (Burke). The main
source of information was received through the pulpit at a local church or
passed down through folk stories, memories or troubadours. During this period
of time, all senses remained in harmonious balance.
The introduction of the
printing press disturbed the balance of the senses, shifting emphasis to the
visual sensory function. McLuhan believed the printing press, “finally sealed
the doom of tribal man,” (The Marshall McLuhan Center on Global Communications, 1969). Visual
communication forever changed the way information was spread. Focus shifted,
giving voice to the individual and promoted the dissemination of the tribe.
“The alphabet and print technology fostered and encouraged a fragmenting
process, a process of specialism and of detachment, (Marshall
McLuhan, 1967).
This “separation of senses” as McLuhan
describes it, impacted the community or “village”. Identity of the tribal man
was no longer defined, protected, or encouraged by the group.
McLuhan holds the electronic
media responsible to bring retribalization back to the village. While print
technology created the public, consisting of separate individuals with separate
fixed points of view, electric technology created the mass, which abandons
fragmentation. “Enter TV. Television and the electric media generally, say
McLuhan is reversing the process; they are returning man’s sensory ratios to
the pre-print, pre-literate, ‘tribal’ balance. The auditory and tactile senses
come back into play and man begins to use all his senses at once again in a
unified, ‘seamless web’ of experience, becoming a global village,” (Wolfe, 1968). The global
village philosophy is a world of “allatonceness” or a “simultaneous happening”
involving men once again with each other, (Wolfe, 1968).
In his day, McLuhan
attributed the television as the catalyst of the electronic revolution. While,
the television plays an integral role, the present day catalyst could best be
known as social media. Using social media, we are immersed in active interplay,
massaging the sensory function back to its proper balance. Similar to
newspapers, people “get into them every morning like a hot bath, “ (The Marshall McLuhan Center on
Global Communications, 1969). 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).
As a media psychologist, the
constant concern is to find balance between where we have been and where we are
going. Similarly, we must realize this very moment will become obsolete in the
next. Living in environments that are not only invisible, but also active,
presents a challenge to be aware of. This challenge forges the road ahead as
unknown and often debatable. We must constantly investigate, struggle and hold
findings with palms open. McLuhan explains, “any approach to environmental
problems must be sufficiently flexible and adaptable to encompass the entire
environmental matrix which is in constant flux,” (The Marshall
McLuhan Center on Global Communications, 1969). Media is a
forever compelling influence on man and society; the key is to hop on the
train, destination unknown.
Reference:
Burke, J.
(Director). The Day the Universe Changed: Matter of Fact: Printing
Transforms Knowledge [Motion Picture]
Marshall McLuhan, Q. F. (1967). The Medium is the Massage.
New York, NY: Bantam.
The Marshall McLuhan Center on Global Communications. (1969).
The Marshall McLuhan Center on Global Communications. Retrieved from
McLuhanmedia.com: http://www.mcluhanmedia.com/m_mcl_inter_pb_02.html
Wolfe, T. (1968). The Pumphouse gang. New York, NY:
Noonday Press.
Images:
http://mb-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/post_images/assets/000/005/667/mcluhan_large.jpg
http://www.kk.org/thetechnium//philosophersCouch-717791.jpg
Sunday, October 14, 2012
724E Media Psych/Technology Innovation Game
Using the technology game, I
created an Augmented Reality Thermal Camera. In the first circle representing
Tech A, I chose a thermal imaging camera. In the second circle representing
Tech B, I chose augmented reality. The combination of the two circles resulted
in an Augmented Reality Thermal Camera. When adding the third circle to
represent the goal of the combination, I decided the camera should be used in
brick-and-mortar retail stores.
Unlike online shopping,
brick-and-mortar retailers are limited to the amount of information gathered in
the store. Using an Augmented Reality Thermal Camera would allow retailers to
track consumers while in the store, taking note of their buying habits. Thermal
cameras can sense and report traffic within the store using body temperature.
For instance, if a consumer chooses specific traffic patterns within the store,
it allows the retail owner to know where the hot and cold spots are located. Or
rather, where people stop to shop versus just passing through. Coupled with augmented
reality, the thermal sensor camera can determine if someone has stopped in
front of a rack of clothing or a display of folded sweaters. An augmented
reality store clerk would pop up and suggest an item of clothing to match, find
a size, or reserve a dressing room. Consumers could also purchase on the spot,
compare prices, or watch advertisements.
Retailers and consumers
alike would benefit from this creation. Consumers receive an enhanced
experience in the store. In real time, consumers could compare prices, purchase
and receive live, real time service searching for sizes, dressing rooms, or
matching items. “Stores should focus on providing
an experience and services that create a sense of extra value in the mind of
the shopper” (Davis, 2011) .
On the other hand, retailers would be able to track consumer buying
habits, enabling improved store layout, products and sales.
Retailers are having a
difficult time keeping up with online sales, not to mention the negative effect
the economy is having on retail stores. While online retail measures sales,
advertising, SEO performance and traffic sources, they do not present a
positive consumer experience. In contrast, retail stores excel with providing
customers with the look, fit, and feel of the product, but they do not
effectively measure traffic and store touch points. Combining a way to track
shopping and buying habits throughout the store along at point of sale, would
benefit retailers with increased future sales.
Marketing this product would
be easy to do at retail markets where most clothing boutiques purchase clothing
for each season. Store demonstrations would be critical to market the product.
Employing a sales team to travel across the US to meet with storeowners to offer
in store demonstrations or free trials would be beneficial for owner buy in.
Finally, marketing alongside a POS system would be a beneficial relationship.
With their relationships in the retail market already built, this relationship
would solidify trust in the company.
I believe that the retail
experience offers shoppers something that the online world cannot. The online
world is still far enough away from offering an experience to the consumer that
emulates a sensory experience of the product. “There is a lot of room for
improvement in helping consumers go from doing online research to in-store
purchases. Only 61 percent of consumers who cross over from one to the other
are satisfied with their buying experience, compared to 82 percent for those
who end up buying online. Forrester draws the lesson that retailers need to do
a better job appealing to online consumers in their physical stores” (Schonfeld, 2010) . If retailers can stay in front of the curve with
these innovations, then they can track customers to increase sales. Any
hindrances would most likely involve cost of product for retailers, development
and/or manufacturing.
As a media psychologist, I’m
incredibly interested in consumer purchasing habits. Developing an
understanding of how and why they purchase and the resulting impact on retail
is a fascinating area of study. It would be exciting to develop information to
aid retailers with enhancing the shopping experience.
Reference:
Davis, D. (2011,
October 10). Industry Statistics. Retrieved from internetretailer.com:
http://www.internetretailer.com/2011/10/10/holiday-shoppers-head-web
Schonfeld,
E. (2010, March 8). Tech Crunch. Retrieved from techcrunch.com:
http://techcrunch.com/2010/03/08/forrester-forecast-online-retail-sales-will-grow-to-250-billion-by-2014/
Sunday, October 7, 2012
724E/Media Psych/Week 2/Digital Citizen
After completing the “consider your electronic extended
family” activity, I had mixed emotions. My digital footprint as an individual is
fairly small. Making connections with people I feel personally tied to,
typically do not happen in a digital community. I may touch base using the
virtual world but do not spend time there. My digital footprint in the business
world is much larger. This is where I
spend the bulk of my time virtually. The
order of what “felt the most important” to me was: self-family-friends-extended
family-work-church-creative community-school. I also fell into the category of
mixing all three communities within concentric circles. The next step of the
exercise solidified these findings. If I removed any modern communication
technology, the only groups were affected were work, creative community, and
school. This led me to ask the following question, “Is it possible to be
successfully connected real life and in a virtual world as a digital citizen?”
Real life is value driven. “The direction we take our lives is based on
what we deem most important. As a result, life has personal meaning and
relevance to us. And with that meaning and relevance comes investment, that is
to say, caring about what we do and where we direct our lives”(Taylor, 2011).
While technology is moving in that direction, are wired connections as meaningful
as we would like to believe? Real life offers a sensory experience that a
virtual world (try as it might) cannot. “Yes, technology has made great
advances in replicating the experience of real life, for example, improved
visual graphics and sound (e.g., video games), the sensation of balance and
movement (e.g., Wii), and, emotionally provocative content, though artificially
created (e.g., FarmVille) or kept at a distance (e.g., Facebook)“(Taylor,
2011).
I believe strongly in building relationship face-to-face
with both family and friends. I have a small group of friends all over the
world that I’ve been very close with for more than a decade. These friends
don’t require upkeep, but what they do require is face-to-face, quality
time. We converse and build our
relationships with personal contact. ”Experiences are created by technology
with the aim of approximating and simulating actual experience. The problem
with this ‘low-resolution’ life is that, though it shares similarities to real
life, it lacks the high resolution and the granularity of real life”(Taylor,
2011). Taking part in relationships requires social responsibility, which
allows voice tone, context, and body language to prevail. “One of the most
distinct attributes of local communities, is that we can experience the effects
of our own actions up close in a relatively unmediated fashion” (Ohler, 2010) .
Living life as a digital citizen in a virtual world has
proven beneficial to individuals, education, and global community. In real life
a person may be quiet or shy, but in the online world they can be confident. Communication
we take part in, also improves. The time it takes to deliver a response through
email or texting allows for consideration of the message. In education, digital
citizenship challenges students with new ideas and new ways of thinking.
Learning takes on a different tone and allows students to explore a global
world that was once restricted to outdated textbooks. Finally, our involvement
in a global community thrives. Merging the online identities over several
platforms allows users to “synthesize many viewpoints, which is crucial to
being a global citizen” (Ohler, 2010) . While our
local communities may be isolating, we can “travel to other parts of the globe
electronically and begin to gather. . . perspective” (Ohler, 2010) .
In my personal life, I’m the antithesis of what I promote in
a business setting. I do not have a personal Facebook page or Twitter account,
and I very rarely check my voicemail. My
phone is a bit of a burden, but feel it’s a necessity because I have children.
Texting is my salvation; it allows brevity and a directness that a phone
conversation does not permit. On the
other hand, my business life requires a constant presence and community online
in order to build to maintain staying power.
While I realize the benefits to a virtual world, I have successfully (so
far) been able to split time between both worlds similar to the way I split
time between work and home.
There are benefits to dabbling in both worlds. The best of
both worlds at our can only be beneficial if managed properly. Looking to our
future, dual citizenship should be an option. Developing an allegiance to one
while exploring another can develop us as individuals.
Reference:
Jim Taylor, P.
(2011, May 31). Technology: Virtual vs. Real Life: You choose.
Retrieved from Psychologytoday.com:
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-power-prime/201105/technology-virtual-vs-real-life-you-choose
Ohler, J. B. (2010). Digital Community Digital Citizen.
Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin.
Shirky, C. (2010). How Cognitive Surplus will Change the
World. TedTalks. TedTalks.
Images:
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