
The Media Equation (Reeves, 1996) describes how human interaction with computers, TVs, and media is a social interaction. The media equation is: Media = “Real Life”. We as humans sometimes treat our computers and televisions as if they were living beings and interact with them as such. Have you ever found yourself cursing your computer when an application ends abruptly without your permission, and you lose hours of work because you didn’t click “Save”? You find yourself talking to your computer as if were human. “How could you do this to me?” “You lousy piece of .” Do you remember the duck smashing the computer with a hammer cartoon? Our televisions and computers have the ability to evoke feelings of love, hate, and fear among other emotions. Of course, the device does not have the ability to really convey these emotions but the connections we have to these devices because of our social interaction with them makes us believe they do.
Size Really Matters
Who came up with the saying, “Bigger is better?” Contrary to what some people may think, I believe a man coined this phrase. When it comes to our televisions and computers, we as humans have a tendency to favor the larger device over its smaller counterpart. In a study conducted by Goldstein, Alsio, and Werdenhoff, they noted that “the number of “likes” decreased and number of “dislikes” increased” when participants used PDAs or smart phones. In the Media Equation study, it was found that participants retained more information when it was displayed on a larger screen as opposed to a smaller screen. This information definitely presents a challenge to mLearning, but it can be resolved with quality graphics, high screen resolutions, and pedagogical sound curriculum development. Having the ability to learn anytime, anywhere even if it is on a small screen is better than not having the ability to access educational resources at all.
Reeves, Byron, and Clifford Nass. 1996. "Ch 1, The Media Equation," pp. 3-18 in The Media Equation. Cambridge University Press.
Michael Goldstein, Gorilla Also, Jots Werdenhoff. 2002. “The Media Does Not Always Apply: People are not polite Towards Small Computers,” pp. 87-96
1 comment:
Well said. As I read this, I could hear myself and the personifications I project on my computer. Even now, I keep telling my computer to stop being so stubborn.
Your comments about bigger is better ring true in my household. After much argument, my husband had to replace the TV in his den with a newer, much bigger, high definition flat screen. I still don't get this logic since the one he was replacing was big and had a nice picture. I am curious to see if the mentality is going to adapt to the smaller the better with laptops, PDAs, etc.
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