The Media Equation

            Reeves and Nash’s article was very interesting.  We discussed anthropomorphism in class, but this article took it to another level.  They develop the media equation “media=real life”, and they explain how it applies to everyone.  According to many different studies, they have found that no matter how simple the media is, if it is similar to real life, it can activate natural social responses in humans. Psychology plays a huge role in human-media interaction.  The article explains how many of our thoughts or actions take place unconsciously, and how those are the reactions we see taking place in human-media relationships.

            Reeves and Nash also discuss the concept of media.  As humans, we are the experts of media (some more than others).  They explain we create these machines to exactly what the user is looking for.  The basic concept is the more similar that media is created with social and physical norms, the more enjoyable the machine is to use.  As humans, we enjoy social interaction, so why not have the machines be social as well?

            I found it very interesting how the authors chose to discuss politeness in technology.  They first explain that it is a social norm that all experience of trying to make people happy.  Of course, there are a few who don’t quite meet the description, but nonetheless, when people are having a direct conversation and another person asks a question, you respond politely.  The study that was done on the computers seemed like a very thorough analysis.  Although, they said all the subjects used had extensive experience with computer, which could throw off the results just a bit.

            Grice developed 4 principals that should be followed during conversation.  They are quality, quantity, relevance and clarity.  After reading through the descriptions, we realize how these principals apply to new media, and in an almost perfect respect.

            Overall, this was a very interesting article. I would have liked to see the study conducted using participants of different background of computer experience. Personally, I know I am guilty of anthropomorphizing technological machines, but as the article states, we all do it!