True Life: I am a Multitasker

Hello, my name is Shanae Cole and I am a multitasker. I have come to the realization of this after I failed to complete a unitasker assignment in its entirety. Surviving for only five hours, I concluded that I am a busy body, needing to be in constant communication with people, and needing to do more than one thing at a single setting unless I am in the library. It is no surprise that we as a society are distracted by countless stimuli which explains why we feel the need to multitask in order to keep up with the days’ demands. The concept of multitasking includes both positive and negative aspects; positive in regards to getting more things done at once, negative because it poses as a distraction. In the case of A.J Jacobs, author of the “Unitasker”, he experienced the negative effects of multitasking after driving while listening to an Albert Einstein biography, which resulted in a car collision. Although I haven’t experienced the extreme aftermaths of multitasking, I do see why it is necessary. It’s like killing two birds with one stone and Jacobs personally feels that, “unless I’m doing two things at once, I feel like I’m wasting time,” (149). Despite being dependent on multitasking, I decided to participate in my own conducted experiment; unitasking, to see just how long I could survive and to see if it would change the way in which I went about doing things in the future.



My original plan was to begin the experiment once I left UMBC to head back to Pennsylvania for break, but because I hadn’t seen my family in three months it would be impossible not to have a conversation while the radio was playing, and while I ate cookies on our way home, so I decided to start the day following Thanksgiving. Friday November 26th at 1pm I began my unitasking experiment, only doing one thing at a time. I had only just woken up ten minutes prior to, after staying up late trying to make a dance routine. After brushing my teeth then washing my face, I went downstairs for breakfast to eat a bowl of cereal. Normally I read the box while watching the news, but today was different; today I was unitasking so I could only do one thing; sit there and eat. Just eating the bowl of cereal and doing nothing else was pretty boring, but what I did realize was how loud of a chewer I was. My next task was to do the dishes minus listening to my ipod; lame. At this point I had not said good afternoon to my grandmother, so being concerned she asked why wasn’t I talking as much, and what was my deal. At that point I stopped doing the dishes and said,” I don’t mean to alarm you, but I am doing a unitasker assignment and would appreciate it if I wasn’t bothered for the remainder of the day”. Confused, my grandmother respected my wishes and notified my younger sister as well.

The third task of the day was homework, I figured with the minimal distractions why shouldn’t I be able to get it done? The only problem was the deprivation from my ipod which accompanies me while I do my homework assignments. Two hours into my homework all was still good in terms of unitasking, and I was able to focus more and thought that the information marinated better without the assistance of music. However, one thing that I did notice was that it took me longer to read a chapter without music being present. Taking a break from homework I thought it would be opportune time to engage in meditation, since Jacobs said that it helped during his experiment stating that, “meditation is all about sitting…it helps us slow down and see the amazingness of the universe”,(159). I couldn’t have agreed more. We currently live in a time where everything is fast pace, and where we feel the need to constantly be doing something, when in reality the most precious times are when you’re in a relaxed state. Jacob said it best, “sometimes you have to focus on the trees not the forest”, (165). Meditating allowed me to engage in cathartic thinking, which prompted me to begin living life with value, embracing even the smallest things while living stress free.


The last half hour before I crashed, I decided to work on a routine for an upcoming performance. Although I was able to finish a good portion of it, I was missing a key component: music. My weakness began to kick in, making it hard for me to control my urge for music to be played, so what did I do? I ran downstairs, took my yellow iPod off the charger and began to groove. Ahhh, how I missed it during the five hours of deprivation.


Based on my experiment, I realized that I can only last a limited amount of time when doing one thing; this is thanks to the countless need to be doing more than one thing at a time. From this, I plan to take what I learned into consideration especially the mediation part. After my experiment, I went downstairs and ate leftover thanksgiving food, while holding conversations with my family members about how I missed out on Black Friday deals. One thing I did not do while I ate, was text when my grand mom was talking to me. As indicated in the article, multitasking is a hindrance to memory and learning, and that conversations suffer because of this. On Thanksgiving Day, I recalled texting as a family member was trying to speak to me, and I only partially picked up what she was saying; this was where the miss-communication came in. It was because of this that I am now going to be respectful when it comes to conversing with someone instead of texting since it poses as a distraction,. Nonetheless, the experiment was life changing, for it has suggested some positive alterations that should be made in my life. Thanks to Jacob being a bad example, I along with others are able to learn from his mistakes, leading to a better lifestyle for ourselves.



Referenced From:

AJ Jacobs, "The Unitasker" from The Guinea Pig Diaries: My Life as an Experiment. Simon & Schuster, 2009.

Image from: My Sony Cyber Shot

Staying In Tune with the Tube!

In the Cole family household it is very rare that everyone will agree to watch one show that pleases all of our interests. With my younger sister being a “zapper”, flipping through channels constantly until she finds a music oriented show, and my grandmother being a “loyalist”, always complaining about her DVR being full which hinders her from watching “Army Wives”, it seems like there is never a clear consensus. At least for my twin and I who are “casuals”, we can agree on a show like “So You Think You Can Dance”, while dancing simultaneously during the shows duration. Looking from the outside in, one would think that my household consisted of barbaric animals who couldn’t agree on one thing without an argument being imposed considering our different television preferences. But ladies and gentlemen, contrary to popular beliefs, this is considered normal.

According to Philip Swan, author of “TV.Com: How Television is Shaping our Future”, “today’s viewer needs constant gratification: if she’s not entertained or intrigued for any stretch of time she will flip the dial,” (Jenkins 264). I can agree with this statement single handily considering the fact that I prefer shows that include comedy, dance, superheroes, or fashion and if a show doesn’t include these factors then my interest is limited. The same applies to my grandmother, who at most would watch five minutes of a dance show simply to satisfy my twin and I’s request to tune in for the latest dance craze.

When it comes to television consumption in groups, I tend to only watch award shows with friends because it’s a live broadcast, and I find it entertaining to see others reactions when watching the same program. Not to mention it sparks conversation even though majority of it may be gossip about someone’s performance or outfit. Nonetheless it’s a great opportunity for social interaction and as Debra Jones puts it, “It's not who you’re talking about its who you’re talking with that matters,” (Jenkins 268). I can’t help but t mention how my grandmother is the queen of television gossip especially in regards to the “View”, which I am exposed to through her constant phone conversations with her girlfriends about the latest on celebrities, and what Whoopi Goldberg was wearing today. As for other television programming, I watch dance related shows with my twin since we share the same passion, and leave the comedy programs like Kevin Harts, “Seriously Funny” for family time despite its derogatory language.

Recently however, I haven’t been watching that much television since I am in college which comes with demands that are important like homework, dance, and work. If I do find time to watch television, which is very rare, I watch the episodes that I missed on “Hulu” since nine times out of ten the show I wanted to watch isn’t airing on that particular day in which I have no work. I wouldn’t say that I use the internet as a constant supplement to television but it is convenient when I do miss a show. As for my cell phone, I only use it for texting and calling purposes just as I did when I was at home, so it really doesn’t have much of an influence on my television habits. Since the turkey season is fastly approaching which is complimented by a brief break from school, I am sure that I will be consuming more television than I am now!

As for whether or not television consumption has changed the Net-age or vice versa, I personally believe that it has had a slight effect on myself but for shows like “American Idol, and “Americas Best Dance Crew”, it has had an impact. As a series progresses, audience members begin to have favorite contestants or groups, so they are bound to rush to the internet to find out more information about them. I was guilty of doing this when it came to one of the seasons on ABDC, where I decided to look up “Boogie Bots”, only to find out that members of the crew attended UMBC!!! Internet influence can have both positive and negative effects, an example of a negative effect would be finding out that one of the contestants on a show used to be a stripper prior to competing which would spark up controversy. Cellular devices also contributes to television consumption with some shows having viewers use their cell phones to cast their votes in order to keep a certain person or group on the show.

So what assumption can we make from this? It’s a clear one: television consumption with the aid of internet and cell phones will be common formulas for the future success of television programming.

Reference From:
Jenkins, Henry, “TV in the Net-age”, Communication in History: Technology, Culture, Society, 6th edition. Boston. Pearson, 2010

Image From: http://ldsmediatalk.com/2009/04/01/video-watching-live-tv-still-king/

The Medium of the Message

Is the message the medium, or is the medium the message, that is the question. According to McLunhan, the medium is the message in which we as a society tend to derive personal experiences and social consequences from that medium. An example of a medium would be a lightning bolt, where the message would be light, while another scenario can be the radio which is the medium thus creating XM radio and Pandora sites representing the message. In Mark Federmans article, ”What is the Medium of the Message”, he references much of McLunhan’s ideas, including his claim that we tend to “focus on the obvious, how it works and what we can expect from it, while not realizing its unanticipated consequences that may reflect our societies conditions and culture.” Basically what McLunhan wanted us to realize is how society and culture can influence our interactions, thus creating change from the medium to the newly created message.

McLunhan can be considered as a technological determinist, one who believes that technology influences the way we are, and quite frankly I don’t blame him. An example of this can be related to broadcasting and radio. Newscasters from broadcast stations present the public with information, whether it’s weather, sports or local news. The medium in this case would be the newscasters, and the message would be the perceptions of the public when it comes to the topics being discussed. (Media influence) When it comes to radio, which is the medium, the introductions and creations of new stations became the center of attention. You didn’t have to hear just your local station which was, according to the “Radio in the Television Age” essay by Peter Fronatale, the radio programming that worked best. Instead there were jazz stations for jazz listeners, classical stations, r&b stations, sports stations, and many more, depending on your particular interest. This new aspect eventually branched off into even more categories, with the aim to better connect with the public. Not only that, but given the distinct language of spoken English that radio personalities and disc jockeys have, articulation and all, the desire to speak “that particular way” became more widely accepted, and anything outside of that realm was considered not normal. This idea along with the branching off of stations signifies the messages developed from the medium.

What comes from this “McLunhan Equation” is an advantage: early warning signs. Looking beyond the obvious allows you to make predictions about what’s yet to come, and by knowing this you become well prepared for the change. “Anticipation gives us the power to deflect and control force”, as referenced in Feermans article. This statement in itself holds true, from the birth of the CD player for example, one could almost make the assumption that running while holding a CD player in your hand wasn’t going to last for long; which allowed for the introduction to mp3 players. Let’s face it with all of the new “mediums”, today, I am sure it won’t be long until we have finally created the message, thanks to the fast developing technological world we live in.
Referenced From:


Federman, Mark. "What Is the Medium of the Message." July 2009. Web. .

Fornatle, Peter,Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: a Reader. “Radio in the Television”, Harlow, England: Pearson Longman, 2009. Print.

So You Think You Can...Dance?

While flipping through one of my magazine subscriptions five years ago, I happened to come across an advertisement that read, “So You Think You Can Dance.” Being a dancer, I replied to the advertisement by saying, ”yes, I do think I can dance”, but just by that one advertisement I realized that I had a lot more work to do in order to be the “ideal” dancer. In the magazine, there were a series of ads promoting the show, and of course I was super excited to watch the season premier. In the mean time however, I decided to work on my image a bit, so that once I was old enough to try out for the show I would have exactly what they were looking for, a fit and toned dancer.

Fast forward five years later and here I am today, attending school in Maryland and pursing my dream as a hip hop dancer; being on a dance competition team, networking with incredible dancers minoring in dance to become a well rounded and being offered a chance to be a backup dancer for an up and coming artist. Oh, and might I add too, the addition of a fit body, toner than what it was five years ago, because who really is going to want a non-fit dancer…or so the advertisement implied.


No matter where you go, advertisements are always around us, but the question remains as to what is really being advertised to the public. Are there underlying factors that come with certain advertisements, or is there a hidden meaning behind the surface layer? As Ruskin and Schor explain in their article,”Every Nook and Cranny”, “advertising manipulates symbols and create meaning.” So let’s take a look at the “So You Think You Can Dance” promotional ads, to see what was really being advertised.



This ad obviously displays the name of the show, the network in which it’s being aired on which is “Fox”, and when it will be airing. It also shows a female in motion who is wearing shorts, a bra top, high top socks, and chucks for shoes. That is just the surface of the advertisement, now it’s time to deconstruct, because as stated in Friths “Undressing the AD: Reading Culture in Advertising” article, advertisements reflect our society, and this advertisement in particular is showing a hip hop dancer ,which is currently considered as form mainstream dancing. The assumption that the female is a hip hop dancer is based on the fact that she was probably dancing when the photo was taken since water is being splashed, and her attire and body language is typical for a hip hop dancer. Before the 2004 movie,”You Got Served”, hip hop dancing was seen on the outside of what was considered as real dancing, since ballet was normally seen as the ideal style of dance when referring to a dancer. After the movie premiered however, hip hop dancing became mainstream, thanks to the popularity and excitement that came from the high energy performances featured in the movie. Nowadays, many movies like Step Up 2 are being created that focus on hip hop dancing, as well as television shows like MTV’s “Americas Best Dance Crew”, and Hulu’s “League of Extraordinary Dancers”. When it comes to other forms of dance, there isn’t much “hype” found in the mainstream realm of things but there are shows like “Dancing with the Stars” that have survived even without the presence of hip hop dance. Of course the show SYTYCD doesn’t focus just on hip hop dancing, it covers a myriad of different types of dance but for advertisement purposes they wanted to include a dance style that was hip. Consider this, would viewers really tune in if there was a ballerina in a tutu on the front of this promotional ad? Maybe, but the ratings wouldn’t be as high.

The second underlying meaning in this ad is the promotions of both Converse and Adidas. Dancers in general occasionally sport high top socks, and chucks, name brand or not. But what two better companies would be the ideal places to get these two elements from than the Adidas Company who are famous for their stripped bottoms and Converse Companies whose sneakers are notably considered as hip and affordable? I myself wear high top socks from Adidas and Converse chucks when I dance.


The last message that is being portrayed in this advertisement is body image. Earlier I mentioned that I wanted to work on being a better dancer not just technique wise, but body wise as well. “It’s more honest to think of culture as a process that makes you desire things”, says Puckett author of the article,” How Much Did You Pay for Your Identity”. This statement holds true for most people including myself, since I desired to have a toned body after seeing the dance advertisement. The dancer in the advertisement is wearing minimal clothing and is clearly toned. Dancers’ especially professional ones who do hip hop, contemporary, or modern dance tend to wear less or fitted clothing to show body form and alignment, so one can see the emphasis in movements. In reality, a dancer wouldn’t show off his/her body if it weren’t toned and the likelihood of having a heavyset dancer showing their midriff in a competition is slim to none, with some exceptions being participants on the show, ”Dance Your Ass Off”, and the male dance crew “Heavy Impact”, who was featured on the show, “Americas Best Dance Crew”. Frith suggests that our culture values what is socially accepted, which is featured in advertisements, and one thing that is praised in this ad is having the ideal thin and toned body. In terms of my situation, I personally decided to tone up not because I was fat or anything, but for endurance purposes so that I can be able to dance for ten minutes straight. I also toned up so that I could have the freedom to bare my midsection without being insecure about my body.


So, as I was flipping through my magazine subscription yesterday evening I happened to come across an advertisement for “So You Think You Can Dance “and its upcoming season. Instead of saying, “yes, I think I can dance”, I said “this is just a promotion of a show airing on “Fox” that includes mainstream hip hop dancing that feature slim dancers because their culturally accepted.” So yes, I do think I know how to analyze advertisements.


Resources:
Frith, Katherine. "Undressing the Ad: Reading Culture in Advertising." Questia - The Online Library of Books and Journals. 1997. Web. 07 Nov. 2010. .

Puckett, Scott. "Punkrockacademy.com - Articles How Much Did You Pay For Your Identity?: The Big Business Of Selling Individuality To Kids." Punkrockacademy.com - Critical Thinking about Music That Matters. 26 Mar. 2008. Web. 07 Nov. 2010. .

Ruskin, Gary. "Every Nook and Cranny: The Dangerous Spread of Commercialized Culture." Common Dreams | News & Views. 25 Mar. 2005. Web. 07 Nov. 2010. .

Image from:
http://www.entertainmentwallpaper.com/images/desktops/movie/tv_so_you_think_you_can_dance28.jpg