[Air-l] suggestions?

Tue Oct 3 06:26:36 PDT 2006

Hi Charles:
2 things of possible interest:

1) Fairly recently, I wrote a chapter on the COMMUNICATION IS THE 
SPREADING OF A DISEASE metaphor. It's chapter 14 of J. Duchan and D. 
Kovarsky's _Diagnosis as Cultural Practice_ ( 2006, Mouton de 
Gruyter)--titled "The diagnosis of the constituents of communication in 
everyday discourse:  Some functions, enabling conditions, consequences, 
and remedies." Be forewarned, the publisher's type-setter started a new 
paragraph after each block quote, regardless of whether that was proper 
or not, and did this despite the fact that I pointed this out in the 
proofs. I think it was done in all of the other articles, too. Ugh!

2) I've had students do the Un-TV experiment described in B. McGrane's 
_The un-tv and the 10 mph car : experiments in personal freedom and 
everyday life_ (1994, Fort Bragg, Calif.: The Small Press). For 30 
minutes (I shortened this), students are supposed to "watch" a TV that 
is turned off. Kinda like this cold turkey experiment. Most students 
report feeling like they've been abandoned by a friend, but there are 
other reactions, too, which McGrane describes. Judging from Bereleson's 
article "What 'Missing the Newspaper' Means" (in _Communication 
Research_, eds. P.F. Lazarfeld and F.N. Stanton. New York: Harper and 
Brothers, 1948-1949, pp. 111-128) people experience similar reactions 
when they are deprived of their newspaper. (Here's a replication of 
Berelson's paper: Penn Kimball, "People Without Papers," Public Opinion 
Quarterly,  Fall 1959,
pp.  389-398.) From googling Berelson's paper, I see that Clyde Bentley 
at Missouri seems to have extended Berelson's insights into the 
internet domain in one if not both of the following two papers:
“No Newspaper is No Fun:  Failed delivery, Berelson revisited and what 
missing the newspaper means.” Newspaper Research Journal 22:4, Feb. 
2002.
“The E-Mail is Down:  Using a 1940s method to analyze a 21st  century 
problem.”  With Brooke Fisher.  Presented to the Communications 
Technology and Policy Division at the AEJMC Annual Conference, Miami, 
Aug.7, 2002.

Best,
Christian Nelson

On Oct 2, 2006, at 11:42 PM, Charles Ess wrote:

> Hi AoIRists,
>
> I've been asked by a local TV station to comment on a story they're 
> doing
> titled "Techno Detox".  They have one volunteer (so far) to engage in 
> the
> following:
>
>> We are looking for individuals who are "addicted" to technology 
>> (iPod, cell
>> phone, texting, email, facebook/myspace, etc)
>> We would like to have those individuals tell us why they love their 
>> gadgets
>> and then have them go cold turkey for a few days.  We'll check in to 
>> see how
>> they're doing and then wrap up at the end of the week as they are 
>> allowed to
>> once again use those coveted items.
>> Now, failure can also be part of the story.  We just want people who 
>> are
>> willing to give it an honest effort, and candidly tell us about their
>> experience.
>
> 1.  I know that someone(s) at AoIR in Brisbane mentioned a similar 
> sort of
> process, but done (if memory serves - always a shaky assumption) as an
> academic study.  If anyone on the list who was also at AoIR in 
> Brisbane can
> remember this conversation - can you please contact me offlist with the
> details of the study?
>
> 2.  I have a number of qualms about participating in the story as a 
> local
> "expert" - but hope that by doing so I might be able to defuse some of 
> the
> prevailing dichotomies that seem to shape reporting on media 
> (beginning, in
> this instance, by using the disease model of addiction as the primary
> frame).  Stated another way, I'm hoping to provide more informed and 
> nuanced
> commentary that would help both the reporter and the audience move 
> away from
> these sorts of notions of technology (good or bad? cure or disease? 
> blessing
> or curse, etc.) - notions that fuel the sorts of "moral panic" 
> reporting on
> new media (currently, e.g., connections between violent video games and
> recent episodes of violence in schools, etc.)
>
> So ... does anyone have good research relevant to these concerns and 
> the
> phenomena in question that you would recommend as useful background 
> reading
> as I prepare for the interview?
>
> Many thanks in advance -
> charles
>
>
> Distinguished Research Professor,
> Interdisciplinary Studies <http://www.drury.edu/gp21>
> Drury University
> 900 N. Benton Ave.              Voice: 417-873-7230
> Springfield, MO  65802  USA       FAX: 417-873-7435
> Home page:  http://www.drury.edu/ess/ess.html
>
> Information Ethics Fellow, 2006-07, Center for Information Policy 
> Research,
> School of Information Studies, UW-Milwaukee
> Co-chair, CATaC conferences <www.catacconference.org>
> Vice-President, Association of Internet Researchers <www.aoir.org>
> Professor II, Globalization and Applied Ethics Programmes
> <http://www.anvendtetikk.ntnu.no/pres/bridgingcultures.php>
>
> Exemplary persons seek harmony, not sameness. -- Analects 13.23
>
>
>
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