“Media equals real life” (Reeves & Nass, 1996, p. 5). That is the premise of the media equation. As supported by various studies conducted on the subject, all individuals respond socially and naturally to media. Although people will argue that they can differentiate between real life and media, they generally respond to media as if it were real because it's an unconscious behavior. Nevertheless, it is important to point out that they may be able to distinguish between the two if they put forth the effort and are completely focused.
Media has the power to affect thoughts and emotions. I can personally attest to that, as I'm sure many of you can too. Through the years, I have laughed, cried, been scared, and felt disturbed by movies I’ve seen even though I “knew” they weren’t real.
How does the media equation affect blogging? Well, I think that blogs that have images, videos, and audio will elicit a greater response from a reader than ones that only contain text. By tapping into their social and natural responses to media, they are more likely to comment on and participate in blog discussions. That said, I think it may be a good idea to encourage students to include images, videos, and/or audio when appropriate in their blog posts to help support their thoughts and elicit further discussions.
Reeves, Byron, and Clifford Nass. 1996. "Ch 1, The Media Equation," pp. 3-18 in The Media Equation. Cambridge University Press.
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2 comments:
I like the idea of including images, video and audio in a blog posting. I agree that it will encourage participation and may elicit a response that is more critical and thoughtful.
I agree with you and Kirsten that adding pics and video will encourage participation. I think it will allow students to add a personal touch a bog. I know in writer's workshop we spend the first few days of school bringing in pictures and decorating our journals to take ownership of our writng. I think this has the same effect on blogging.
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