July 31, 2015
Media Systems Dependency
Probably the largest change for me with the media has been that I now receive most of my “breaking news” and information initially from Facebook. It seems rare that I learn about an event or major activity first from a traditional media outlet, or even from a friend or colleague. Additionally, most of this information is received/learned while on my mobile device. I do keep Facebook open on my desktop periodically throughout the day, but it’s those few moments between meetings or waiting for some other activity, that I pop open the app and check my feed.
If I’m extremely busy during the day, it might not be till the evening when I get a chance to “check-in” on the events of the day; often learning stories hours after they occur. Additionally, I try to make a concerted effort on Sundays to avoid social media, and the Internet if possible, to help create a break. Furthermore, while I might learn of the original message via my smartphone app, if it’s a really large or important story, I’ll jump on my laptop or iPad and start validating or seeking additional details from other online sources; usually those traditional media outlets’ online presences.
Agenda Setting
Generally speaking, I’m probably more influenced by the reported direct actions or speeches of politicians, than that of the competition. I do find myself often questioning the media’s interpretation of a speech talking point or quote that’s referenced or cited in a news report. I’ve initially questioned the dots that have been connected, assuming that there were larger interviews or material that’s being referenced in the story, while not necessary directly cited. This has led me to be more cautious of what’s reported, and instead research the data and information directly.
For each election cycle, I try to do my own candidate research for both party and nonpartisan candidates and positions. I will typically start with the candidate’s’ website (and have made a lot of decisions simply based on design of a site, or lack thereof) and look at their platform to see how much of it aligns with my personal beliefs and who I’d like to see in office. This has often led me to cross party lines within varying branches of local, state and national campaigns. If I’m unable to locate candidate information directly, I’ll seek out secondary or news sources as additional data points, but I very rarely make a decision exclusively on what one source or person outright says I should do or vote.
Diffusion of Innovation
I would probably have to go back to the mid 1990s when Nintendo introduced their Virtual Boy Gameboy system. While riding the success of its original gaming system, the product flopped almost as quickly as it was announced. It had many firsts for technology by Nintendo, but unfortunately didn’t garner even the innovators or early adopters and therefore was discontinued within its first year of sale.
Several challenges with the system, including its field of view, hardware, and limited gaming options hindered even early adopters from the market. I think that more recently 3 dimensional television sets have had a similar fate, with electronics manufacturers building television sets, but with limited engagement by consumers, and even one of the first content providers, ESPN, cancelling their 3D network.
Sometimes, as the article from the New York Times illustrated, innovation isn’t what society is looking for or demanding, and therefore either the technology will fall, or the “innovators” timeline will be a much longer tail than anticipated.
Agenda Setting, MMC6400, Web Theory,