Michael Shanks - site 2006: Televisions: The Social Effects of Ownership

Posted at Mar 25/2006 03:42PM:
[chris witmore]: Lays out the key questions right out at the beginning. Pulls in imagery. Clear navigation. Great comparison to the radio (great deal of detail here), print media, and storytelling as media prior to television. Includes a detailed timeline I like the discussion of the arrangement of space around the television. Also particular TV shows as a focus for group gatherings. It is obvious that allot of work was put into the project, but I would have liked to have seen even more engagement wiith some of the issues presented in lecture. Nonetheless, great project. Well done.

back to... Meghan Kennedy | Ten Things 2006: Projects

For my project, I am looking at the social behaviors surrounding television ownership. Namely, I hope to gain insight on the following questions:

* How do people interact with televisions? What is it about television that causes these actions?

* Does television promote social or antisocial behavior?

* What did people do before there was television? Has social behavior changed with the introduction of the television or has the TV merely taken the place of older forms of entertainment?

* How have televisions affected the idea of community? (decreased movie attendance; encouraging antisocial behavior?; social gatherings to watch TV shows, sports, movies, etc; television shows creating conversation topics, offering common thread between people)

How do you watch TV?

Before There Was Television

A Brief History of Television

Social vs. Antisocial

What Is It About Television?

Sources for Research

Posted at Feb 13/2006 12:40AM:
Michael Shanks: some great new media issues here - but do take care to avoid slipping into clicheed topics (TV violence makes you kill people and commercials make you eat things that give you cancer etc ...)

Rather than TV as an intitution, you might start with a particular TV that you know, and ask the questions taken up in class - open the black box and look inside

Posted at Feb 22/2006 01:25PM:
[klfsong]: Are you going to consider censorship of TV programs or simply the owndership of having a TV, not what people choose to watch?

Posted at Feb 23/2006 11:29AM:
[klfsong]: Hey Megan, can I interview you for my project? Email me at klfsong@stanford.edu if you're interrested. The interview will take about 30 mins.