Digitalization from B1z， on Vimeo.
What are some thoughts and feelings you have when watching your own video?
When I was watching my video, I think it is extremely bored and it is the longest 2 minutes ever in my life. (Even I already edited by fast forward some parts of the video; it still felt long and dull.) I felt like I am isolated from my surroundings and eyes focused on the screen. Even when I am cleaning the house while moving in, the TV is on. Nobody is really watching it, but we just like to keep it on so there’s noise. Moreover, nobody attempt to turn it off and just leave it the way it is. The most interesting part that I didn’t realized it before this video, was that I can actually do 4 things at the same time. Eyes on the screen watching TV shows with my sister, eating with my left hand, right hand holding the phone, and actually kind of chat with my sister along the way simultaneously. It also reminds me of the food unit from last year, I just eat whatever that’s in front of me instead of paying attention to what I am actually eating!
When you think about living your physical experience being largely what is shown on the video, how does that seem to you?
I think it was okay, but of course not the best way to live. Since this video only focused on digitalization, there are many different parts of my life are missing in this video. By watching a video that consumes a lot of digital devices, it really shows how I am lack of exercise. But regularly sitting in front of the laptop for more than 5 hours, it felt like sleeping. The moment I woke up, is when I am away from the screen-back to the real world.
Would you want your little sister (or future son) to spend a lot of time doing this stuff?
Well, my sister is just one years younger than me. Therefore, she needs to use her computer as much as I do in terms of homework and research. It is not really for me to decide or to control her whether she should use it or not. But for my future kids, I think I will let them use “these stuff”, but not as much as I do. Because I don’t want my kids to think they are different from the others or got left behind. Once they older, I think it is just for them to decide whether they want to be in the digital world or not. I don’t think I have a say or the authorities to control what others want to do unless they realize it themselves.
What do you think of the contrast between what's happening ON the digital representation device and what you look like interacting with the DRD?
I think the contrast between the two is that the screens may look very entertaining in a way like the movie that drags you in, but I just looked dull. The image of it is like typing on the pieces of plastic with a screen, and just easy as that I am satisfied. Especially the part when I was eating dinner with my sister, I looked like a machine that holds up the spoon, put food into my mouth, and takes another spoon-repeat. It is weird that we can create emotions not just with animals, but objects also. I will consider most of the DRD not real; therefore I do not think they really have feelings or emotions.
What do you think of ideas like the Wii that are supposed to make this contrast less stark?
It makes me feel like you have to be in it in order to understand how fun it is. From another person’s point of view looking at you playing Wii might just be like a robot/machine too. But the one who used it; it is absolutely different. Wii is one of the products that I think it is well invented that really did make the contrast less stark. It actually gets you moving and has more actions while playing it. However, I don’t think the Wii did make people move as much as they thought they did. People might think they just have played the tennis in real life, but I don’t think playing sports on Wii will burn that many calories as people think they had actually did. Just like any other games, even though you moved, you are not touching the real feelings of it. People sure do have lots of imagination in order to put themselves into it.
I like how you took the time to make the video, and i guess you got carried away or was distracted by watching whatever it was on your labtop, but i think thats good. Also like how you invited people into your video.
ReplyDeleteMost of your point in your answers mostly talk about how a person looks, they look like zombies, out of it, basically how you interact with it.
Just like Dinorahs' blog, it talks about how a person really looks towards how the person using the gears actaully feel, its like a contradiction from what it looks to how your feeling.
The only thing i would look over is the grammer mistakes, and to view things more deeply.
The timing of the video you said was about 2 mins, althought you fast forward it so it must've been about 3-4mins. I guess what i consider is how time flies when your distracted.
Nice video and thoughts hope to see more.
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ReplyDeleteTo Bao Lin:
ReplyDeleteNice video! I can tell you spent time editing, it is well done. I liked how you recorded yourself doing what you usually do while interacting with electronic devices. Your fast forward modification really made me laugh.
I understand that all this technology is part of your life and it is "normal" for you to be surrounded by it even if you are not dedicating time to it. For example as you described how your family enjoys having the TV on while doing something else just because of the noise. Being aware. Despite all this you do not consider your life as wrong. Actually it is the usual thing to do in most families. Having dinner in front of the T.V. or playing music while doing something else are some of the things that most of us do. It is important for us to realize what we are doing so we can make a difference in our lives. No one else can really make us learn something from our actions unless we experience the negative consequences these may bring.
This reminds me of my own experience. Like you I just recently moved and while I was working around the house we had music playing instead of talking to one another. Also because we just moved we didn't have Internet or cable so we were "forced" to socialize during dinner. It was nice for a while, but then it was boring because we kept thinking of what were missing, our TV shows. Because our experiences are a bit similar I can relate to your thoughts on digitization.
In order to expand your thoughts on this topic, I recommend you to write about how your family and you react might when there are no electronic devices around. What do you think you will do or how will you feel because of this. Then analyze your answers to learn more about this stuff impact your life. Because most of us realize the importance of something only when it is missing.
I think it would be a good idea to think about this to reconsider the amount of time you invest to these devices.
After watching your video and reading your analysis it made me think of myself while watching T.V. with my family. As previously mentioned I usually watch T.V. with them during dinner and dinner is the only moment a day we spend time together. By watching T.V I am not really BEING with my family but just sitting on the same room looking at the same direction. I do not know what they are thinking or what they are feeling all I know is what they are watching and that is not enough for me. I didn't realize how electronic media could really severe a relationship between two people or more. We become distant from one another and pretend it is okay because everyone else is doing it as well. It is difficult to understand why we choose to live in such way specially around the people we love. Because just considering the possibility that our love for this stuff is more than the one we hold for our family worries me.
Thank you Bao Lin for your video and your thoughts! You have given me A LOT to think about and to talk to my family.
Richard,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your time reading my blog and actually have left some thoughtful comments with effort that tells me you do understand my writings. Additionally, I am glad that you like my video. Thank you!
When you mentioned how time flies when I am distracted is a point that makes me reconsider.
You make me thought about how time actually goes by. In the moment, I think I am making use of the time that I have and it is actually enjoyable. But how come when I looking back at it, it turns out to be the most meaningless moment that I ever have? This really did lead me to think deeper hopefully. As you told me in your comment to “view things more deeply”, I think your brief comment did somehow help me to touch more perspective about this topic.
The contradiction that you talked about between how it feels and looks like, it leads me to a further thought into this topic. When I was consuming to the digital devices, to me at the moment, I think time passed pretty fast and enjoyable. It even gets to the point that it is so addicted that I felt like I never have enough. But reviewing back to the moment from my video and actually sat down watching back at my life at the moment. It is certainly very dull or even spiritless. I think this is a very insightful question to think about, “Why the moment seems so enjoyable but people do not look back to it as one of the meaningful moment in their life?” Different from going on a trip or a birthday party that you have attended, even these moments have passed away; you do think back to it and say to yourself, that was a great moment. Now thinking about it, I think this is the biggest contrast between digital and non-digital life. One is that you always feels good and looks good, but the other only feels good, but it doesn’t look good. From my memory, I think you did touched a little about this thought too that you only are able to see what others are doing, but you are not in it. It is kind of depressing.
I think both in my post and yours have demonstrated the differences between how it feels and looks although we both did not really deepen this argument. You focused more on how it actually turned out but I focused more on the moment I interacted with it. Thus, you are going to the direction of final product, but I lie more on the process- beginning vs. end.
Both you and I have pay close attention to feelings and appearances in the posts and comments. Why do you think the digital devices could be so enjoyable in the moment, but the sense of fulfillment could be gone so fast?
Dinorah,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate that you have dedicated time to read my post and left me some comments with such a warm tone. I am glad that it makes you reconsider about your interaction with your family members. This really shows why reading each others’ post and comment is helpful.
First of all, I am glad that you mentioned “technology is part of” my life. This is very true and it shows you did understand my post overall. By saying that, you actually make me reconsider something that I never thought of to talk about in my post. When I am eating with my family, I always feel like we are all together and interacting with each other while the television is on. But after you shared your experience with how you eat with your family, I realized that even though they are surrounded by me, they are actually not here. I am just me, sitting there eat and watch TV shows. I am not really “BEING” with them. (This is great point! It is like I can sit with strangers and still do the same) Thanks for your suggestion that caused me to be able to expand on this idea about how I interact with my family.
When you said you have nothing to talk to with your family when the television is off, I feel very connected and similar to you. Sometimes when there are no TV shows that we all like to watch when we are eating, I tempt to find something beforehand so there will always be something to entertain everybody. This turns out to be a habit for my family, and we all are so getting used to have something there to watch. When there is nothing to watch, we did at first have something to talk about. But after awhile, it became so awkward that we just stare at each other. This makes me think about the question: Are we really running out of topics to talk about without these distractions or we just don’t have the will to open ourselves up on the dinner table?
In your blog, it seems like you focused more on how the digital devices have impacted you while I focused more on the process/moment that I am interacting with them. You talked more on how it distracts you from doing what you are actually doing while I lie more on how enjoyable that moment is but not afterwards.
Both in your post/comment and mine, we both emphasize the point that these digital devices could be one of the things that impacted us the most in our lives. But it seems like we did not really draw the line to clarify whether it is good or bad in the long term.