Blog #2 Interview With the Elderly

I interviewed Kara Keeling, an English professor at Christopher Newport University on matters of how media has changed from when she was my age to now. Her answers pointed to a favoritism for magazines and newspapers, but she also told me that she used Facebook and Reddit as well. The questions I asked were geared towards identifying if Dr. Keeling felt more comfortable/familiar with physical media (magazines/newspapers, etc) than social media (Facebook, Reddit, etc). What I found, however, surprised me, as Dr. Keeling’s answers were quite moderate on both counts, listing the benefits and disadvantages of both. I’ll start by going through her chosen physical media before

moving to her preferred social media, and finally concluding with my own thoughts on the interview.

As a young adult, Keeling found media such as magazines to be an interesting and good use of her time. Even now, she still keeps several subscriptions, though notably fewer now that so many have been run out of business by social media/internet platforms. Part of Keeling’s reasoning on

preferring magazines was because she largely learned to read from magazines and newspapers, and they kept her connected to her community. Newspapers especially contributed to this feeling of community, as Keeling could keep track of everything that was going on in her town at the time. After moving to Newport News, however, Keeling noted that her interest in newspapers fell off as she just wasn’t as interested in that community aspect when she arrived. She noted during the interview that this has changed since, but that she largely uses Facebook to stay connected with people now.

Seeing physical media like magazines and newspapers be replaced by online platforms, I thought it a good idea to ask Keeling if there were any big changes she noticed between her 20s and now. In response, Keeling brought up the original debut of the Kindle and other E-books. She mentioned how a large group of people thought that E-books would destroy the classic hardcover - and also how this ultimately did not happen. Instead, Keeling reflected on how E-books just created a newfound appreciation for classic books and libraries, proving that new media platforms don’t always succeed and beat out classic competitors.

The social media that Keeling actually uses, rather than just media platforms she has observed/remembers, is Facebook and Reddit (with an honorable mention for Twitter). Keeling learned how to use Facebook some time ago by getting help from one of her students - who also became Keeling’s first Facebook friend. She uses the social media platform, unsurprisingly, to keep

up with friends, colleagues, and now graduated students that she’s taught in the past. In one of the anecdotes Keeling shared with me during the interview, she reflected on how she even learned of the death of a good friend’s husband through Facebook - something she wouldn’t have been aware of until months after the fact otherwise. We also discussed how some people that Keeling is connected with on Facebook can at times put out political messages, which Keeling says she doesn’t mind so long as they are done at the right time and place (not in a Facebook group about school reunions). Keeling said she limits her Facebook time to three times a week. When I asked why, she told me, “I just don’t want to get too absorbed into it.”

Our discussion on Reddit was much shorter and more lighthearted than that of Facebook. Instead of connecting with friends and colleagues through this social media platform, Keeling admitted to largely using Reddit for entertainment. “I definitely like using it to see pictures of cats,” Keeling said

when asked what uses she has for Reddit. She also admitted to having many conversations with other posters/commenters about childrens’ literature and has openly disclosed that she is a professor. However, Keeling hasn’t disclosed where she lives online, nor even where she teaches as a college level professor. “I usually just keep things broad, like East Coast,” Keeling said while explaining what she does tell other Redditors. Keeling also said that she just doesn’t like putting her troubles out online for other people to see and shared an anecdote of a friend of hers who frequently doubts her abilities on Facebook and how she gets concerned for this friend because employers could easily see such posts. “It just doesn’t seem like a good idea to doubt your own skills like that on such an open platform,” Keeling said.

In considering everything that Keeling has said about social media, I found myself thinking about our recent discussions about anonymity and the behavior of other users on social media. Keeling’s desire to keep her personal location private, as well as not disclosing where she teaches, is a good way to avoid online harassment following you home. Despite not growing up with social

media, Keeling knows not to put out information that could potentially be used against her should an online discussion grow heated (although I can’t imagine a children’s literature discussion becoming overly tense). However, knowing how anonymous posters treat women with opinions online, its never a bad idea to prevent physical reprisal by keeping your location a secret. “I’ve always wanted to have times in private,” Keeling said. “Sometimes I’ll just leave my phone at home because I don’t want to be reached or tracked,” she said, probably referring to how some social media platforms like Instagram can track your location and show that to your followers - a potentially dangerous feature that many have had issues with

in the past. 

I’ll admit to being surprised by Keeling’s knowledge and use of social media, as I expected her to be almost exclusively a consumer of physical media like books, which admittedly made up a large portion of the media she consumes. Perhaps most surprising was her use of Reddit for entertainment. I had expected Facebook, as it is the great connector of our age, but Reddit caught me by surprise. I was less surprised when Keeling told me she used it to discuss children’s literature and Tolkien - often correcting people’s incorrect theories - but regardless, it shows that you don’t always know what social media someone will use or how they will use it.