The "Second Skin" videos and the pages we read in Culture Jam were quite interesting to me. I felt that the videos showed a side of gaming that I really know nothing about since I don't play video games, and havn't even gotten "addicted" to facebook. However, I did have more time on my hands back when myspace was the popular social network, and I remember coming home from school and going directly to the computer to see if I got any new comments. I could never really explain why it was so appealing to me, I spent most of my days with the same people who would comment on my myspace and yet the fact that I had 5 new comments was always very exciting.
Although social networking is different than gaming I feel the "addictions" are similar. Online you can essentially be whoever you want to be which takes away from the inhibitions most people experience in a group of people. Ironically this is also what makes meeting people over the internet very dangerous. I also found the concept of a halfway house for gamers to be quite interesting. It seems odd but similar to the tobacco industry, alcohol industry and the drug trafficking, success is based on hooking people to what is being sold in order to maximize profit. Liz Woolley described this idea well, "It's designed to get them in there and keep them in there...so when it happens don't be shocked, you're falling into corporate strategy." This corporate strategy Woolley describes is exactly what the commercial media counts on us buying into on a daily basis as well.
In Culture Jam I found it to be sad, expected and actually detrimental in the long run that so many huge name sponsors turned away the idea of having a buy nothing day. I know the sponsors such as CNN make money when we buy products they sponsor. However, I feel that it would have been beneficial for them to send the message that although they are making money off of us, they at least realize how damaging our blind consumerism is to society as a whole. I feel that by acknowledging these issues and supporting our awareness, they could have gained more respect and trust from the people of the United States. I may be wrong but I feel this might have led to more success in the long run than trying to silence new ideas.
I agree with you 100% Molly. Addictions are definately similar. I rememver when I used to do the same thing. It brings up an interesting point though. Why would we rather go home and rush to the computers, rather than to go home and walk the dog, or exercise, or even eat? They kind of make you realize what we have going for us as a country and what our socities are based on. Nice summary Molly! :)
ReplyDeleteI too agree that the addictions are the same, and I also agree with Gary. Why are we in such a hurry to live in an artificial world? When I saw the film I was just thinking about Facebook and how it's some peoples' entire life. I love sitting in class and watching a few other students that are on their laptops playing farmville. Farmville is probably the closest that they will ever get to see a working farm.
ReplyDeleteI think the first semester of school I was definitely one of those people who were addicted to facebook. I would go on almost everyday and 5 minutes turned into an hour. When you mentioned corporate strategy it made me rethink some of the reasons why I bought certain things in the past. It is so true that people are becoming more easily influenced by others almost to the point of manipulation.
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