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Permalink Reply by Jason Straub on October 13, 2010 at 7:23pm

I wouldn't mind helping you out, but I guess I'd like a more specific definition of media. Seems like a pretty broad term to me.

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Permalink Reply by BigRedd on October 14, 2010 at 6:18am

I made sure to revise the discussion post to make the discussion more specific.

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Permalink Reply by SketchedLilly on October 14, 2010 at 12:44am

Writing out your task assignment isn't enough. You have to actually make up questions for us to answer if you wish to obtain the information you need from us.

I really hope that this is a highschool assignment. If you're in any kind of college or university, I have no idea how the fuck you got there if this is how you do your homework.

Perhaps you can do your assignment on how you use the medium of internet to broadcast your needs and gratify answers for yourself via random strangers.

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Permalink Reply by BigRedd on October 14, 2010 at 6:14am

Thank you for your advice about creating a list of specific interview questions. I made sure to revise the discussion post.

When I initially posted this discussion, I was nervous about the nature of the assignment. I choose to post here, because it would be easier to interview people here than trying to schedule an interview with a classmate in person within the deadline of the assignment.

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Permalink Reply by Jason Straub on October 14, 2010 at 9:07pm

1. Male
2. 25
3. Music, video games, and movies.
4. I usually use media for purposes of entertainment and ability to engage my mind. For example, I like video games because they interest me and are interactive. I get more gratification out of doing something I can interact with and that keeps me thinking and actively involved. When I have some sort of control over the outcome it keeps me more interested in something like a weak story because I have put in that effort to see how things turn out based on my actions. That doesn't mean I don't like passive media like movies and television. I listed movies as one of my top three over, say, television because movies have the ability to be made with high production values, but can be more thought provoking than a television show because it doesn't have to be marketed to a large mass of people over a long amount of time. Sure television shows can catch my interest, too, but I've put more time into movies for this purpose. As far as music is concerned I think the same principles apply, but to a different extent. I tend to gravitate toward metal and indie hip hop as both have ways of catching my interest and making me pay attention. With metal I'm attracted to the complex composition of the music itself and the sometimes amazing musicianship. Indie hip hop interests me because they tend to have intelligent things to say and poetic ways of saying it that I can put some thought into.

5. I would say music is what I most use frequently because of its portability. I can take my iPod with me wherever I go or listen to music on the computer. It's convenient and therefore more pervasive in my life when I'm on the go, which is a lot of the time. Second would be video games because it's becoming a more social medium. Even if I can't get a hold of people to go out, I can probably pop online and find someone I know to game with. Movies are also pretty big because they can be a social outlet as well. Nobody has money to go out for cigars or hit the bar? Fine, we can all just hang out at the house and watch a movie instead. And I usually keep a well stocked liquor cabinet so we don't have to blow a lot of money at a bar.

6. This all depends on a lot of variables depending on mood, time of day, social setting, and a bunch of other things. Mainly though, I'd say quality is the most important factor here. If I get really into a good book or TV show or movie I might forgo social interaction for a long time while I finish it up. If something's good but too long however, I may lose interest. If a video game is really good I may play through it until the end without stopping (if work schedule and other commitments allow this of course). On the other hand if I have friends over we may end up watching movies or playing video games together a lot longer than I would've if I had been alone.

7. It all depends once again, on how I'm feeling and what the situation is. If I had to choose one or the other I'd probably say I like using media socially or at least as a means for social interaction. I love sharing things I like with others in hopes that they'll find things just as interesting as I did. I do like reading books, but they're much more satisfying if you can lend them to someone else and then have a conversation about them once they've finished reading them.

I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any follow up questions.

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