#digital lives

[oupacademic]

It almost didn’t matter what question I asked—the subject of happiness just kept coming up. Students were really identifying this difference between their real lives and social media...They’re really aware that there’s a difference between what they put on social media and who they are.

Donna Freitas on why young people strive to constantly seem happy on social media, in an interview with @publishersweekly.

[renaissancejosh]

Mental Distractions

“One way to boost our will power and focus is to manage our distractions instead of letting them manage us.” — Daniel Goleman

“One way to boost our will power and focus is to manage our distractions instead of letting them manage us.”

Daniel Goleman, author and science journalist

How many apps do you have on your phone? How many of them do you actually use? (Sidebar: If you’re interested in specifics, you can look this up in your phone settings.) How many email addressesdo you have? What does your desktop or file…

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[fighterthe]

This is how COVID-19 has changed media habits in each generation

We're consuming unprecedented levels of media to stay informed and entertained whilst staying safe indoors.

More Time to Kill

Global Web Index found that over 80% of consumers in the U.S. and UK say they consume more content since the outbreak, with broadcast TV and online videos (YouTube, TikTok) being the primary mediums across all generations and genders.

Unsurprisingly, 68% of consumers are seeking out pandemic updates online over any other activity. Gen Zers however, have other plans, as they are the only generation more likely to be listening to music than searching for news.

Overall, younger generations are more likely to entertain themselves by playing games on their mobile or computer. Millennials also stand out as the foodie generation, as they are the most likely to be searching for cooking recipes or reading up on healthy eating.

The Need for Pandemic Positivity

While staying abreast of pandemic updates is important, ultimately, a positive mindset and the ability to switch off will help people cope better day-to-day.

Therefore, it seems reasonable that people are more inclined to invest in new subscription services since they have been in isolation, with almost one-third of Gen Zers considering purchasing Netflix, followed by Disney+.

Understandably, people are becoming increasingly worried about how much time they are dedicating to their screens. However, research suggests that screen time itself is no cause for concern. Rather, it’s the content we choose to consume that could have a significant impact our psychological well-being.

Perhaps most intriguingly, the TV shows and movies that are increasing in popularity on Netflix are about pandemics—which could signify the need for people to fictionalize the chaos we find ourselves in.

Regardless of what type of content we are consuming, the fact is that every generation is relying on their devices during this pandemic to inform and distract more than ever before, creating a huge opportunity for media companies to engage a captive audience.

[jackie4dl3]

In Conclusion: My Reflection with My Reflections

(I wanted to create this photo using window writers on a mirror for this mirror selfie originally, but I haven’t been able to get out and buy the markers now :P I thought it might be interesting to bring something more concrete to the digital medium of the selfie with the physical writing. On the bright side, doing it using technology certainly fits into the Digital Lives theme!)

I got pretty attached to this blog over the course of the semester, so here’s a bit more of my presence through a selfie and some final reflections on the class, the final paper, and just life in general right now. 

[jackie4dl3]

I’m not sure if my avatar is easily recognizable, so a bit of an explanation: I based it off of the character Cookie’s glasses from the show Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide. If you haven’t ever seen the show I highly recommend it (although I haven’t watched it in years--hopefully it still holds up). It was a funny show, but what still stands out in my mind are these glasses. This is what I think of when I think of Digital Living; there have been many times when I wished I had these glasses- to take photos of exactly what I’m seeing, or to look something up online like Cookie does in the show (I definitely couldn’t do all the tech-y, hacking stuff he manages, but I still think the glasses are pretty cool). It’s interesting to think about the (less than successful) Snapchat “Spectacles” or Google “Glass” that try to integrate modern technology completely into our everyday lives through our vision, just like Cookie uses his glasses. Although this technology didn’t exactly catch up to the fantasy created by the show, our world is constantly evolving to bring the digital to the “IRL;” we can debate whether this is good or bad, but it’s certainly not black and white and it seems like there’s no going back as our lives become increasingly more digital.

[24australia-blog]

Massive new circus cocktail bar in Inner Sydney

[lavendercarefreedays-blog]

I NEED TO CHECK MY PHONE!

After reading and discussing Turkle’s “Stop Googling, Let’s Talk,” I thought about how social media and technology has changed the way many individuals are having conversations and how it has changed. I thought about how it has affected me personally and I do agree that technology and social media can come off as negative, where people are not actively engaging with one another in face-to-face conversations but rather checking their phone constantly and having separate conversations on their devices (Turkle).

For me, I was constantly glued to my phone if it was ever in my vision. When I used to go out with my friends, my phone would always be with me and if my screen lit up because I got a notification, I would immediately check it and I found that many of the people around me also did that. Recently, I’ve been trying to cut down my use of social media. I feel like it does really take out the meaning in having face-to-face conversations with people as there is less to talk about since you are pretty much caught up with each other’s lives from social media. You might as well have your conversation over the phone if you’re just going to be on your phone with the presence of others, not entirely engaging in face-to-face conversation.

I think what really lead to this was my trip to China this past summer. Most of the social media I use is pretty much blocked there and I honestly didn’t know how I was going to survive a whole month in another country without social media. Even though I did purchase a data SIM, I had to track how often I used it to make sure I would last the month – it was more of a method to contact family and relatives if we went out. It was definitely a learning experience for me. It made me realize how much time I wasted just scrolling on social media or constantly checking my phone even though not much has probably changed since the last time I checked. Being less on social media, I find, has made me feel better as a person – not having to really compare myself to others. I also had more to share about my travelling experiences when I returned from my trip knowing that my friends hadn’t always been updated on what was going on during my trip.

Works Cited:

Turkle, Sherry. “Stop Googling. Let's Talk.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 26 Sept. 2015, www.nytimes.com/2015/09/27/opinion/sunday/stop-googling-lets-talk.html?_r=0. Accessed 27 Sept. 2017.