EM 500 Users Conscious Intention when Treating Technology Socially Midterm

(1)  This examination is comprised of three questions. The first question is worth a total of 20 points; the second question is worth a total of 36 points; the third question is also worth a total of 36 points. The total for the exam is 92 points.

(2)  Think at some length about your answers before you sit down to write.

(3) You can complete this exam at your own pace, in as many sittings/sessions as you would like. Relatedly, computers crash. You are highly encouraged to save your progress frequently and in the cloud.

(4)  As noted in the syllabus, your answers will be graded based on the quality of content, but also grammar, spelling, proofing, and overall clarity of writing. You will not be evaluated on writing style; however, clarity and accuracy are essential. Give yourself ample time to review and proof your writing to ensure you are submitting the highest quality answers you can.

(5)  There is no fixed word or page limit for your answers. You should write what you feel is necessary to adequately answer each question prompt. No more, no less. That said, you should consider the different point values of each question (and their component sub-questions) to help you determine the relative time and effort you may want to allocate.

(6)  Rules on the use of materials during the exam period (read very carefully):

a. You are free to consult the readings assigned in the course.

b. You are free to use any notes that you may have taken on readings and course lectures.

c. You may use any materials or notes generated by others that were shared before the exam was posted on the Web. Do NOT share any class-related content/materials after the exam was posted.

d. Do NOT discuss the exam with other students during the exam period.

e. When writing your exam responses, you should NOT need to use the Web beyond accessing Blackboard and course materials.

f. You should include in-text citations whenever you directly reference a particular author’s ideas or arguments. Page numbers are required for direct quotes. If you include any citations in your responses, be sure to also provide a corresponding References list at the end of your answer. In general, please follow APA formatting guidelines for any citations and references: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/a…

(7) For this take-home exam, as with all assignments, you are expected to adhere to the university’s Academic Conduct Code. Please type the following on the front page of your exam:

“I complied with all requirements of the Academic Conduct Code in the preparation of this examination.”

(8)  Formatting instructions (please read carefully; failure to adhere to the below instructions can result in point deductions):

a. Compose and submit your answers as a single Word document file (.docx).  (NOTE – If you do not have Microsoft Office, you are entitled to a license as a BU student. You can download Microsoft Office with your BU ID at: http://www.bu.edu/tech/services/cccs/desktop/distribution/microsoft/studentoffice/)

b. For readability, please double-space your answers and use Times New Roman, size 12 font.

c. Each of your three exam responses should start on a brand-new page.

d. Make sure your full name [Surname, First Name] is at the top of every page of the document. The easiest way to do this may be to include a header with your name.

e. Page numbers should be inserted at the bottom-right of your document.

f. Please use the following convention for naming your midterm document file: Surname, First Name, EM500 Midterm

(9)  Please submit your exam answers through the Assignment Dropbox link on Blackboard, similar to how you would submit a reading response.

Question 1 (20 Points Total)

Both the “computers as social actors” paradigm and the “Apparatgeist” perspective describe the potential social aspects of media technologies. For this question, please briefly discuss how the two approaches compare to and contrast with one another. As you do, please specifically discuss how they are similar AND how they differ with regards to the following:

• The users’ conscious intention when treating technology socially  (5 pts)
• The inevitability of how users treat a technology  (5 pts)
• The level of analysis associated with each approach (e.g., micro/individual/ psychological vs. macro/societal/sociological)  (5 pts)

• How a user would likely describe their own social treatment of the technology when asked about it directly  (5 pts)

Question 2 (36 Points Total)

Steuer (1992) helps explicate the concept of telepresence by breaking it down into two key dimensions: interactivity and vividness. After defining these two dimensions and how they may be operationalized, he then describes how each of these dimensions contributes to the experience of telepresence. Finally, he uses these two dimensions to compare the relative amount of telepresence provided by several different types of media technologies.

For this question, please repeat this process for the concept of pseudo-community (also called pseudo-gemeinschaft). In particular, please do the following:

(1)  First, provide a detailed definition of pseudo-community. Your definition should draw directly from course readings and/or discussion.  (4 pts)

(2)  Suggest TWO different key dimensions that may determine the extent to which a media message or technology creates a sense of pseudo-community. You are free to come up with any dimensions that you would like; however, they should be directly related to how the concept was discussed in class and in the readings.  (4 pts)

(3)  For each dimension, provide a detailed conceptual definition.  (4 pts)

(4)  For each dimension, provide at least one example of how it might be operationalized.  (4 pts)

(5)  Create a chart similar to Steuer’s (p.90). Each axis should represent one of the dimensions you have selected. Axis values should range from “low” to “high” (if a continuous dimension/variable) or “absent” to “present” (if a binary dimension/ variable). Then plot the following media technologies on the chart, with their relative locations based on the extent to which they are characterized by the dimensions you selected:

o Instagram feed

o Netflix recommendations

o Celebrity Twitter accounts

o Facebook ads

o Google search results

o Smartphone digital assistants (e.g., Siri, Cortana)

Note – you are free to produce the chart within Microsoft Word or to insert an image you create elsewhere (in PowerPoint, with pencil & paper, etc.).  (8 pts)

(6)  For each of the technologies listed above, justify its relative location on the plot.  That is, provide a detailed explanation for why you placed each technology where you did.  (12 pts)

Question 3 (36 Points Total)

Smartphones are media devices through which several types of bits converge. As such, they allow us to perform a variety of different communication actions. Among other things, smartphones allow us to:

• Make & receive voices calls
• Make & receive video calls
• Send & receive text messages
• Send & receive emails
• Take pictures and instantly share them in online photo albums
• Track / check-in / share our location with others
• Read books, news stories, and magazine articles
• Purchase and immediately listen to music
• Purchase and immediately play video games
• Select and immediately stream television programs and movies

Consider THREE such communication actions you have recently completed with a smartphone (if you don’t have a smartphone, use your imagination). For EACH communication action, please complete the following:

(1)  In 3-4 sentences describe the process of completing that communication act from start to finish. Provide as many specific details as you can – when during the day it happened, where you were, who else may have been involved, and so on.  (3 pts)

(2)  Now pretend it is 1985, a point in time in which the vast majority of our media content was still composed of atoms rather than bits. What would the equivalent analog (non-digital) action be for the smartphone action you described above?  In 3-4 sentences, describe the process of completing this equivalent non-digital action, from start to finish.  (3 pts)

(3)  Based on your above answers, how would completing this action in the world of atoms compare to completing it in the world of bits? Discuss at least TWO substantive differences that highlight how bits have transformed that communication act.  (6 pts)

For each difference discussed, please draw upon one of the following terms. In doing so, explain what the term means (it may be useful to cite a specific reading) and how it relates to the communication act you’re discussing:

o Timeshifting / synchrony

o Cognitive demand / effort

o Perpetual contact / the tethered self

o The extended self

o Public performance

o Perceived sincerity

o Information we “give” vs. information we “give off”

*** Be sure to complete each of the above steps three times (once per communication action, with each communication action worth 12 pts total). Please note, you are allowed to use the same term for multiple communication actions if you find it appropriate. If you do use a particular term for multiple communication actions, you do not need to repeat its definition / citation.

All answers must be based on materials. Here are some tips.

Question 1:

Katz & Aakhus introduce the concept of the "apparatgeist”

"computers are social actors" paradigm outlined by Reeves & Nass

Question2:

Beniger's concept of "pseudo-community”

Steuer

Question3:

Negroponte discusses bits and atoms

Smartphones