My summative essay - ideas

My initial choice for the topic of my essay are phones. While it is a common object used every day by many people, I find that it has an interesting history of how far it has come in such a short time from a very simple bulky and heavy device simply used for basic communication of calling and texting between people who were far away,

To a small device with a camera, games and basic apps... 

Which now lead to big but thin, very sleek and shiny devices with a massive touch screen that has so many functions which would be difficult to list as there are new inventions and apps coming out every day. 

It has been a huge transformation and I would like to be able to find out how phones were interacted with in the past and how they were viewed by the public back when they first came out, all the way to now and what they are used for now. Possibly covering the anxieties that accompany the increased use of phones especially by kids and teens; and different opinions on how it affects people. I am interested in the future of smart phones and different predictions on what they will be used for as well as how the prolonged use will affect people long term in terms of health and social interaction. 

Do phones bring us closer together or do they make us isolated and promote narcissistic behaviour?

Machines in my field: Editing and Post Production

I would like to discuss the overall influence of the machines on editing over the years. This craft used to be carried out by hand, physical rolls of film carefully rolled out and cut then stuck back together to be later played on a projector with the small frames scrolling rapidly past an opening where a light shines the image through the film projecting a larger version on the wall. Back then the edit had to be very carefully planned out as reversing a cut or any mistake was not as easy as it is now. And if anything happened to the physical film that was it.

Then came along editing machines. They took some of the work away from the humans hands. But fast forwarding to computers and its software. Once cameras became digital and the film was now stored on a small card that could be connected easily onto a laptop, that changed the way people edit. Editing on a portable digital device makes the whole process much faster and less labour heavy as you can do a cut and reverse it within a second now, while back then it would take minutes. The fact the film is now digitally stored makes it much easier to share projects with other editors and even have multiple editors working on one project at the same time which can then be exported and distributed easily.

The digitalisation of the craft has certainly made things more efficient as all the information you need can be stored on a small portable disk instead of many boxes of tapes. Everything can easily be organised in the software and the expectation in terms of quality and speed keeps growing with every new update and development. Projects that used to take years now are expected to be completed in months. This puts more pressure on the editing team, however it also ensures more content can be created faster which also saves companies money which they would have to pay for the editors time.

Machines are all around us (Daily encounters)

Here is a list of some of the machines I interact with in a day:

-Phone
-Electric toothbrush
-Toaster
-Fridge
-Kettle
-Laptop
-Traffic lights
-Oyster card reader/automated gate
-Train
-Spinning door
-University card reader gates
-Lift
-Attendance card reader
-Card reader unlocking door
-PC's/keyboard/mouse
-office chair (adjustable height)
-projector
-Power Bank
-Oven
-TV
-Remote
-Heater

Some of these machines create daily anxieties which we have to overcome. For example the Laptop. In my experience, my old laptop would freeze due to a low RAM and would therefore begin to create feelings of frustration in me as I would be unable to quickly and efficiently carry out my tasks. This had to be overcome by being patient with it until I was able to get a better laptop which works faster. Another anxiety the laptop causes is when the laptop gets overwhelmed with new information coming in and it has to be restarted as it stops functioning. This has to be overcome by restarting the laptop so all the new tasks are terminated and it can process information efficiently again, however there is always a chance you may lose your work which brings a lot of stress and frustration directed at the machine even though it isn't the machines fault.

I asked for the opinion of my girlfriend on the troubles she faces with her laptop and how she overcomes them. She described a similar issue with the laptop going slow or switching off suddenly. This causes a lot of frustration at the machine as it is usually needed close to the time of a deadline and the machine feels as if it has a personal vendetta against her, doing these things on purpose to slow down her work pace. The frustration usually leads to her letting her anger out verbally at the laptop demanding it works and sending threats its way then restarting it hoping for the best. If all else fails she turns to a different device, a phone.

Are they machines?

Coffee maker

A Coffee maker is a machine. I believe it classifies as a machine due to its moving parts and also the fact it has a mechanism that allows it to carry out a function otherwise done by a human, in a more efficient and easy way to make coffee making more efficient and easy.

Hammer

A hammer can be considered a machine as an extension of the arm of a person. I consider it a machine as it is a tool that enables a function to be carried out in a much faster and easier way.

Smart Phone

A smart phone is a machine. Despite it not having any obvious moving parts it does have a digital mechanism in place that helps the human carry out many functions using one device. Originally a simpler design serving only to call and message, within decades it has become a multi functional device that can carry out many tasks making it easier for the human.

Personal encounter with a machine

The phone

The machine I chose is the phone. I use my phone every day throughout the day to carry out a lot of different tasks as the phone has many functions. I mainly use it to send messages. The machine can be considered good and bad for different reasons.

Good

1. Makes communication faster and easier between family and friends
2. Allows you to access the internet which allows for distribution of knowledge faster between people from all over the world.
3. It serves many functions and anyone can find something that will benefit their life. For example between the many apps in the app stores, there are some that help you exercise and keep track of your health.
4.Alarms on the phone provide a reliable reminder for any event, providing that you have your phone with you. It is portable and therefore is not restricted by the cord like many alarm clocks.
5. The phone allows shy people to make friends without the anxiety of facing another person.

Bad

1. It can take up a lot of a persons time if they do not pay attention to how long they spend on their phones. The many apps while beneficial can be very engaging and time consuming.
2. The ease of carrying out some functions with a phone can lead to a more lazy attitude in a person.
3. Some people use their phone as the only means of communication with the outside world which can be harmful long term. While it is an great if this is the only way you can connect with another person, it should not replace person to person contact as that can be harmful to the persons well being,
4. Looking at screens for too long can be harmful to your eyes and many people damage their eyes from over use of phones.
5. The use of phones hurts the neck due to the position in which you look down at your phone. Your head is heavy and when tilted at a 60 degree angle can harm your neck, the use of phones in terms of texting and swiping can lead to over use of the thumb which results in injuries and unnatural growths.