Lexi Brenner Blog #2

Social media has changed drastically in the past decade, we have become more and more attached to technology devices that people lived without for so long and no I cannot imagine my life without it. Old media was less addicting and required more work than it does today. New media is always at our fingertips, we can access information quickly and easily. Even though there is a debate about how old social media is “their origins can be traced back to years earlier than 2005,” they still are considered newer to my dad, which is why I decided to interview him (Fuchs, 2017). As I question my 60 year old father’s media use when he was my age, I could not imagine a world with fewer media than I have now. He did say the older times were much simpler and easier which is surprising since there was less entertainment.  

Obviously, there were fewer media sources back in the olden days, however, they did have color TV when he was 21, which I was shocked to hear. Back then, he was a regular TV watcher and radio listener. He explained to me how he would have to be sitting by the TV or radio when he wanted to see or hear his favorite shows, there was no record or rewind. His favorite TV shows were Star Trek, Rawhide, and The Wonderful World of Disney. Even though I have heard of Star Trek, I have never seen a single episode, while my father has seen every last one. I was surprised to hear he listened to the 9.45FM radio station since that is one I listen to back home in Richmond. He told me how they still used to do the top ten count down, which was and still is his favorite part of the station. The newspaper was also, big back then and it was delivered twice a day, one in the morning and a different one from another company in the evening. My dad reminisced on walking down to the mailbox every morning and evening to find out what was going on in his local area. He was very intrigued about how the newspaper has continued to decline over the years when it used to be the main source of information and now he skims ours and throws it away.    

            Three significant changes since my dad was 21 years old is he told me were the fax machine, the computer, and the cell phone. He explained to me how those significantly helped make his life easier, faster, and more efficient. Being a business owner now, he uses all three of these daily, and cannot remember a day recently he went without one or the other. He stays glued to his phone during the day, makes faxes to send other business partners papers and uses the computer to email and look up information for a job.   

The fax machine allows people to send documents electronically as well as receive them. My father said this really changed the way businesses and employees can communicate easier and faster. He was sad to see how the fax machine is now almost extinct. I’m not going to lie, I had to get him to explain to me what even that was, I have heard the term, but never seen or used one.   

The invention of the computer allowed people to work on the go. It allows individuals to do a wide variety of tasks, my dad loved getting to continue to learn and connect in ways like never before. As he is a business owner this completely changed how his business works and he would not be as successful without it. My father has a laptop and desk top computer for business and for fun. Not only does he respond to emails throughout the day using it, his favorite thing to do is use Google. He thinks it is so cool to be able to google anything and find information or videos on that topic.  

Lastly, the cell phone, where would we even be without those? Cell phones allow us to feel connected and secure without our community. Being able to have easy access to social media, text messaging, email and quick security measures is crucial to daily life as well as businesses. My dad said his cell phone is his main form of communication for work, he is constantly taking phone calls and responding to texts and emails. Even though every time he gets a new phone my brother and I have to teach him how to use it, he does things with his phone even I barely use. For example, he loves being able to use the speaker to respond to texts, especially when driving.    

            Books are an underrated technological development, even though my dad has not gotten hip to the use of online reading he certainly loves buying those books online for my mom. I am like my dad in the sense of wanting to physically hold the book when reading. My dad noted this technological change first, which was interesting since he doesn’t even use it. Today, even textbooks are bought and used through online sources, we even have readings online through this class instead of having to buy a physical book to carry and take up space. This change has shifted how we read for personal use and in academia.

            Another big media change he noticed is television. There used to be only a few channels available and a certain number of programs on each. Now, we can watch movies, TV shows live, record them, fast-forward, rewind and pause. Our television at home now is linked with our subscription services, Netflix and Disney+ so if there is nothing on TV or no shows recorded we have other options. With these newer smart TV we can watch videos from YouTube without a connection to a laptop or with one connection cord to a CD player, watch movies or DVD’s with ease. My dad loves using the voice option on our remote, he loves to tell my brother and I that we have life much easier than when he used to have to tune the TV. 

References

Fuchs, Christian. Social Media a Critical Introduction. Sage, 2017.