Unit 1 Final Analysis

Unit 1 Final Analysis

Abby Deering / WRT 205

 A Pencil Shop, for Texting the Old Fashioned Way

By Molly Young  /  https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/21/fashion/a-pencil-shop-for-texting-the-old-fashioned-way.html

"Who uses a pencil anymore?" Young's article, "A Pencil Shop, for Texting the Old Fashioned Way," begins by highlighting the lack of a market for the product. A pencil, used by almost everyone for hundreds of years, has become a dated object in this day and age. Replaced by technology, as many things are. 

Young utilizes comparisons to describe the replacements of pencils for faster, easier, technological tools. The pencils were replaced by emails, texting, and softwares. There are things that simply working better than pencils, pens are more permanent, typing is easier. As technology continues to progress, permanence and ease is critical for the products people are choosing to use in their daily lives. 

The owner of the pencil shop, Caroline Weaver, has immense passion for the project, for pencils. This is clear through an image of a pencil tattooed on her forearm, but mainly her large knowledge about pencils and their history, it is more than obvious the shop exists not because of a need for pencils, but because of her love for pencils. 

Young describes Weaver as an "obsessive hobbyist" and that passion is what drives people into her store, encourages people to purchase a pencil, which they receive wrapped in a gift box after the purchase. The pencils are a representation of nostalgia and meaning in an object. Taking the time to handwrite, particularly with a pencil that was selected specifically to your task, brings meaning and purpose to our daily lives and projects. 

As technology continues to progress, we lose some our basic thought and importance in the things we do. The pencil shop creates meaning in writing, interests people in something that requires more time, energy, and thought, as opposed to fast pace writing like emails or texting. It is clear that Young's purpose was to depict a thriving business based on selling an almost "dated" object. There is significant meaning in the pencils, and which customers choose to buy, as who they are as a person. The meaning of these purchases is critical to my topic of; how technology has stripped meaning from basic human tasks.

What is Deinfluencing? Unpacking TikTok's Unlikeliest Shopping Trend

By Boutayna Chokrane / https://www.vogue.com/article/what-is-deinfluencing 

"Deinfluencing" is a trend created on TikTok to encourage people to NOT buy products endorsed by celebrities and influencers through posts and videos on social media. Following an era of "gluttonous consumerism", as author Boutayana Chokrane states in her article "What is Deinfluencing? Unpacking TikTok's Unlikeliest Shopping Trend," "deinfluencing" has been critical in slowing down what people are purchasing, and how they buy it. 

Hyper-consumerism from social media has thrived in recent years. People are continuing to buy more and more products they see online, most of which have been endorsed by different celebrities or influencers. The products generally follow the same theme, they're expensive, they're mass produced, and "they'll change your life". The formula has encouraged many to purchase products quickly, without a second thought. The culture of social media has repeatedly shown a lack of honesty and credibility from many creators on different platforms. Chokrane shares one creator, Mikayla Noguiera, who lied about the quality of a mascara she was endorsing, and utilized fake lashes to make the product appear better.

"Deinfluencing" has encouraged consumers to slow down in their purchasing, but many people are questioning whether or not it is a marketing ploy in itself. Influencers who encourage fans to NOT buy certain products, generally tell people to purchase another product in its place. It appears as a never-ending cycle to encourage more and more purchases from consumers. 

Chokrane's purpose in writing the article was to provide both an analysis of the trend, as well as analysis of the behaviors that triggered it. In doing so, Chokrane touched on the significance of social media in the way it influences consumer decisions, whether that is decision is to buy or not to buy. Chokrane shares that the longer this purchasing behavior continues, more consumers will continue to feel fatigue and guilt from their purchases. 

In an age where technology is so affluent, and everything is so accessible, it is almost impossible to fall out of the over-purchasing trends present on social media. 

The concept of "deinfluencing" relates to my topic signifycantly. Influencer and celebrity endorsements, as well as accessibility of products, have stripped meaning and thought from purchasing. The influence of social media and online shopping has stripped meaning from purchases, opposed to in the past when consumers had to shop in-store and based on their own thought processes. People were generally uninfluenced from outside sources and shopped based on their own accord. As a society, we need to create a balance to separate ourselves from the influence of social media, while still reaping its benefits. A way to begin would be focusing on our own opinions and thoughts, and to bring back meaning to daily tasks and processes. 

Why Everyone is Worried About Their Attention Span--And How to Improve Yours

By Jamie Ducharme / https://time.com/6302294/why-you-cant-focus-anymore-and-what-to-do-about-it/

"Human brains want novelty, excitement, and social connection, and devices play into that," states Jamie Ducharme in their article "Everyone is Worried About Their Attention Span--And How to Improve Yours." The article covers the influence technology has had on attention spans, particularly in youth, as well as an increase in attention disorders. 

A comparison is used by Ducharme to explain the attention deficits. Having access to technology, social media, and the ability to have constant communication with others, is like trying to focus in a room filled with people and loud music, you may be able to get the task done, but it won't be done well. By design, technology constantly distracts us in the forms of notifications, alerts, and constant inflow of information. It continues to impede on daily tasks and changes the way humans function. 

When we move from task to task our brain makes an effort to switch focus, and the more we perform this switch, the less likely we are to be able to focus again on one task. Ducharme compares this to checking your phone while watching your favorite show. 

As someone who has utilized social media since middle school, it is overwhelmingly obvious that my attention span continuously gets worse, and I welcome distractions constantly throughout my day. I cannot get through a TV show without checking my phone or performing another task. I cannot fall asleep without the TV on. I build in time to studying where I can check my phone, which normally leads to me not studying anymore. The purpose of Ducharme's article was to draw attention to the attention issues at hand, and to make them appear in a way readers can understand and relate to, they succeeded. Through the article I analyzed my own use, and recognized my own problems. 

Since technology, social media most commonly, is designed to grab our attention and change our focus, it is incredibly hard to change the way we will function as long as it exists. The dopamine rush that is caused by checking our phones or responding to a notification will make it almost impossible. Technology being created to have this reaction has an impact on the meaning in our lives. Due to the attention deficits caused by devices, people no longer enjoy or stay focused on activities, tasks, or media they loved. It continues to drive us a way from enjoyment separate from devices, and therefore strips certain meaning and thought from our lives. The basis of our existence continues to get closer and closer to technology, and that concept can have a daunting effect on us for the future.

iPad Kids Are Getting Out of Hand

By Eloise Hendy / https://www.vice.com/en/article/93k8kv/ipad-kids-gen-alpha-childhood-development

"At first my housemate was baffled, but then she realized. Her god-daughter was trying to zoom in on the butterfly," states Eloise Hendy in her article "iPad Kids Are Getting Out of Hand." Hendy uses anecdotes similar to this one throughout her article to depict the heavy impact technology is having on the new generation, Gen Alpha. 

Technology such as iPads, and platforms such have social media, have existed for the entirety of "Gen Alpha's" existence, the generation ranges from 2010-2024, and they are the first generation to know nothing but this new age of technology, and the differences are clear. Hendy uses different psychiatric studies in the article to depict the issues within this problem, the main one being that technology is being used as a babysitter or distractor for young kids in this day. This concept prevents kids from learning the basic skills of focus, patience, calmness, and managing feelings of difficulty or frustration. 

It also means that kids don't play anymore, and have little to no sense of how to properly communicate. 

The impact of technology on young kids is the most critical, too much technology and they are unable to learn the skills of basic existence. Hendy's purpose is to draw attention to these issues, and she is effective in doing so. She describes statistics that are startling, whether its that more children are short sighted than ever before, or that a significant number of children have found/seen pornography in school when given technology. In relation to my topic, the connection between the article is clear. Kids today do not have the same understanding of life, and some of its importance, as they have in the past. Simple things, such as playing or going outside, lack meaning and importance to the new generation, as well as treating people with respect and kindness. The accessibility of technology is extreme, and so are its impacts. There is no place where it does not impact society's daily function, and no action to be made without its influence. The longer this impact continues, the greater the issues it will bring.