Television is a Cool Medium

I guess there are a few points. First, I agree and disagree with McLuhan. I agree because the medium could articulate the message better. I disagree because the message could be distorted. Basically, the format and logic of the medium are just as important as the content. It’s just as important because the medium reaches the end user and affects the overall message. To answer the entire question, yes-the medium can determine the entire message.

In evaluating TV’s affect on the medium and the idea that television is a cool medium, it’s difficult to agree with Mcluhan’s, “hot distinction.” People are stimulated by, “changing images,” however the message isn’t always correct. Even more so than ever, people have more control over the content they view. Although our definition of information has changed, the medium isn’t cool it’s just incorrect. Now that audiences have more control people are demanding more out of their media sources.

Cyber Relationships

I’m a member of the LinkedIn network. I have 107 connections. I have not met half of the 107 connections. In my position, I receive a lot of sales calls. When I get those calls, I try and add those people to my LinkedIn network. By expanding my network I can see more people when I do a ‘people search on LinkedIn.” I use LinkedIn as a tool. LinkedIn helps me find names of contacts for people that might be interested in my company’s products and services. The relationships I have are very business oriented. The concept of, “if you scratch my back, I scratch yours” is a major concept. The concept of adding each other to LinkedIn is mutual. Each person opens up their network to each other and there is a benefit to that.

To expand on cyber relationships, I believe there are different levels of cyber relationships. Sometimes you meet someone and you use cyber-ing as a tool to maintain that relationship. I work 50 hours a week, so I can not meet everyone for lunch, but I can write an email.

Online Relationships

I did an online study on Facebook which drew my interest to the characteristics of electronic relationships. Electronic relationships have always fascinated me. I have online accounts at Linkedin, Facebook and Myspace. All my online classes provide different things. However, according to the study the number one reason why people join these websites is to meet people. Relationship development online is something where people involved in the relationships “overestimate one another’s attractiveness.” On Facebook there are pictures that people can browse in addition to online conversations. Disinhibition is when people feel like they have the freedom to express “our emotions in a nonnormative way.”

One thing I failed to accomplish in my study is to capture these two concepts. As it seems there is a reason why online relationships are more appealing to people than face to face interaction. I believe it’s easier for people to be social online but I think there is a reason why people have social anxiety. It’s because they don’t practice enough.

Attraction

When I was young, I did not have filters. I didn’t understand what I wanted and to describe my behavior, “I was all over the place.” When I aged, I realized that I wanted things out of life. I realized I wanted a career and I wanted different things in life. As I began to go through a series of trial and air I started to filter out what I wanted and didn’t want.

Characteristics or behaviors that lead me to judge others as unattractive are things that don’t align with my values. More specifically my classes have taught me that people have different beliefs and attitudes. However if their values don’t align to mine those are the things I find unattractive.

Ducks theory makes sense to me. I can not say that I have eliminated someone by using a sociological or pre-interaction. I never knew about the theory up until now. The theory works in 4 stages of theory starting from sociological to preinteraction cues, to interaction cues and ends with cognitive cues.

Rigid Role Relations

I believe submissive symmetry is the most difficult to change. I believe it’s the most difficult to change because “both parties struggle to relinquish control.” It seems to be an unhealthy relationship because the contributors in the relationship are trying to manipulate each other by forcing the other to make a decision. I think that type of behavior is something people can’t control. That it’s something people began when they were kids and they were trying to manipulate their parents to buy them a toy.

Conversely this can be very damaging to the relationship as it forces each other to not take control yet still be satisfied. It seems to be a paradox between give and take but nonetheless can’t be healthy.

I believe the most damaging of the self esteem is competitive symmetry because both members fight for positioning. Similar to athletes competition is something that can be good to increase performance but when you lose, it can’t be good for your self esteem.