Assignment 1- Annotated Bibliography
Name: Ellie Rowe s3829473
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Blog reflections
Annotated Bibliography:
Affordances
Norman, D 1998, The design of everyday things , Basic Book, New York (Sections: Preface vii-xv; Chapter one pp 1-13; Chapter 4 (constraints) pp 81-87; (computers) pp 177-186).
Norman theorises that products, to be more usable, should have the theory of affordances applied when designing them. He provides many examples to support this theory, including shower controls, arguably, the most difficult one of all. According to the source, lots of products are only logically designed, meaning we can’t figure out how to use them, forming the basis idea of his book. The focus of this book is to think logically about products and how they were made and not blaming individuals for not knowing how to work products that are poorly designed. The goal is understanding that product design ignores the needs of users and comprehending the way people interpret an object they are handling for the first time. Norman applies the concept of affordances to design practise. He theorises a person forms a conceptual model before using a product, doing this through what he claims are: affordances, constraints and mappings. Affordances are defined as the perceived and actual properties of the thing, primarily those fundamental properties that determine how the thing could be used. Norman devised the idea of user centered design, something he thought was significant when designing a product as he believes users should help with the design.
Norman uses many ideas, definitions and examples to back up what he theorises, even using examples he encounters every day in his own life, such as a bicycle. He suggests that a person forms their own conceptual model, to learn how something is used. Through using an example of scissors, he accurately describes in-depth how our brains take into account the affordances of a product by using our own known logic, constraints, which are the limitations the product holds and the mapping which is a set of possible operations the product entails. Conceptual models need to not be very complex, so that any individual can apply their own known logic to figure out how to use a product for the first time. The constraints we hold are categorised into four: physical, semantic, cultural and logical. Arguably, semantic constraints are the most important in the end goal of a products usage, as without knowledge of the situation and the world, products would become impossible to figure out. Norman is a trusted professor, hence being a reliable source to use. He has wrote several books upon his studies and uses thorough research in backing up his ideas. The book was written in 1998, 20+ years ago, meaning his understanding about certain products have become severely outdated. Technology is always advancing to another level, with there being new and updated products and software every day in this modern technological era. Therefore, the date becomes a limitation of the source as the book needs to be updated to include the recent technological changes to products and how the design is influenced by the consumer. However, the theory can still be applied to products now as it carries the same meaning and examples that we still use. Conceptual models are very relevant, and it provides people with a good starting point to the design of products, influencing people to use practise and use the theory.
In relation to the course prompt, the concepts and theories discussed applies to social media as there are poorly designed software and applications that do not take the user into account, with only focusing on logic. Thus, they become a flop in the digital world. Affordances and constraints apply to Instagram as they are needed in order to work the application successfully.
Word Count: 585
The Network
Lister, M et al 2009, New Media: A Critical Introduction. Routledge, New York. (Sections: Networks, Users and Economics pp 163-169; Wiki Worlds and Web 2.0 pp 204-209; The Long Tail pp 197-200; User-generated content, we are all users now pp 221-232.)
Networked media is produced within a system where technology is always changing, and never stable. This book argues Web 2.0 has specifically afforded everyday people the ability to use the web as a tool for sharing their own content, without having to learn the first thing about software and coding, like Web 1.0. Lister summaries that contemporary developments in media are at the heart of powerful forces for change across corporate sectors. Thus, she makes the link between new media and business straight away as the two terms are interlinked, with Web 2.0 being a marketing strategy. One of the most significant findings produced in this book is the comprehension that Web 2.0 concerns itself with participatory culture in all aspects of the word. Websites from this Web 2.0 era provide a basic framework, which the user then utilises to contribute their own content, to gain access to the surrounding community. Therefore, being seen as shifting the onus on media using and sharing onto the user, creating a whole new digital world and market. User-generated content is such a main part of new media as ease-of-use became central to the development of it by traditional media outlets. Hence, new media took over from old media. Also, Lister discusses human creativity, technological affordance and economic advantage, and how they each contribute to our unique experiences as both producers and consumers in this active, networked world. She makes an interesting point that in being both producers and consumers, users forget their economic reality outside of the screen, as new media is free; therefore, users immerse themselves in it, freeingly.
This book is a first edition, providing reliability for the text as it is the author’s first hand, accurate views on new media. This means, it is a trustworthy source to use to introduce students to the history and theory surrounding new media. It was written in 2009, making it a very contemporary source as the internet and media was in full swing of users. Therefore, it offers modern views on Web 2.0 and new media, making analysis of the internet culture at the time, which can be applied to future texts. However, Instagram was not created until 2010, making this book a limitation in reference to the course prompt, as it does not consider one of the most used social media apps and how this influences new media, or simultaneously, how Instagram influences new media. The rise of social media apps such as Instagram and Snapchat arguably impacted and changed the internet entirely, changing the culture surrounding the internet and connectability. Although, Facebook (2004) and Twitter (2006) were both created and being used at the time of this book, so Lister does make accurate interpretations of new media in regards to social media as it was on the rise. Through this logical thought, she states the theories and concepts explored can be carried over to new technologies as they progress further in this wave of new media. Nevertheless, for this text to be more reliable, it should be updated to include the most recent wave of new media, including Instagram and other successful sites to provide a more accurate assumption. But as an introduction, it provides an in-depth starting point for all scholars who want to critically think about something they take for granted every day, not knowing the software behind it.
Word Count: 560
Social Media
Hinton, S & Hjorth L 2013, Understanding Social Media. Sage Publications, London 2013. (Section: pp. 1-31).
This book, written by Hinton and Hjorth provides an introduction for new media and social media academics. The book discusses social media in terms of the relation between technology and society, discussing how social media creates various forms of presence upon the internet. The key to this text is understanding how social media can dictate what users believe ‘socially connecting’ with people is. They provide a very candid interpretation of the difference between the coined terms, ‘Web 1.0’ and ‘Web 2.0’. They claim Web 1.0 only exists as a term because marketers needed a way to distinguish their business model for Web 2.0. Thus, a re-branding would create more money for profiteers and lead them to ‘monetise’ internet users. Through this book, Hinton and Hjorth talk openly about the way companies use social media, arguably foreshadowing the rise of ‘Instagram influencers’, as these exploit their followers through promoted advertising, making social media a form of integrated marketing, blurring the lines of what the purpose of social media is, if not connecting.
However, they argue the web has become a method of communication through social network sites including Facebook and Instagram. Hence, the authors show how social media has evolved into socially connecting person to person. Hinton and Hjorth argue Web 1.0 was developed to be too technically inaccessible for most users to interact with, without learning the coding. Therefore, Web 1.0 was re-branded with more accessible websites and content to become Web 2.0. From lowering the barriers of authoring, publishing and producing, it increased user engagement and activity. Thus, user-generated content emerged, making it easier for marketers to track the behaviours of their required demographics. Therefore, the authors discuss in-depth how the internet has become a marketing tool for businesses to gain user information. The text was written in 2013, providing a more up to date account of social media than the previous texts. Being produced in 2013 creates reliability as the authors have lots of research and examples to base their findings off. It is a very useful source for understanding the technological world and provides an introduction of Web 2.0 by looking straightforwardly at social media and how companies used the terms ‘Web 1.0’ and ‘Web 2.0’ term to exploit users through the internet and social media, all for marketing purposes. The authors take on a very pessimistic view of the internet, with the article focusing a lot on the negative sides of it, with not mentioning many of the positives that have came out of it. This is a limitation of the article as Web 2.0 has created connectability, connecting users all around the world, instantly and easily; and social media is an accessible way to do this. There is no need to learn software and coding, users can have an effortless experience on the internet by pressing a few buttons.
Instagram provides an easily accessible interface, perhaps increasing user engagement as the application runs smoothly for users, even if they have no technological skills. Instagram and Web 2.0 are fully integrated, involving a high level of participation, which is fully granted.
Word Count: 515