Practices of Looking: An Introduction to Visual Culture / Chapter 6 / DTC356

Practices of Looking: An Introduction to Visual Culture / Chapter 6 / DTC356

Media in Everyday Life

Chapter 6 states that we use technology a lot and "we tend to take them for granted". 

"Although we perform some of these activities alone, most involve participation with, or simply the presence of, other people." (Pg. 223)

"Many of these experiences incorporate multiple forms of visual or audiovisual media at once, and we may keep open many screens at once, clicking between them as we multitask." (Pg. 224)

We may be anxious or feel disconnected from the world when we are disconnected from technology. We loose our phone or don't log into social media for a while. 

NOTE: I think it's good to be disconnected. Get away from technology, go experience nature. Just last week me and my son went to Franklin Falls in Snoqualmie Pass and I did my best to leave my phone in the car but I'm also a photographer so I felt obligated like I would miss something and would want to take a slow motion video or a timed photo. So... I brought it but I didn't dive into social media or try to check the latest post. I would take a photo and throw it in my pocket. I remember finding a gathering of orange mushrooms, getting down on my knees and really focusing in on them with my DSLR. Once I took a series of photos I stood up and came back to reality. As I stood up it sounded as if all sound came back. Almost like when you're plugging your ears and then you unplug slowly. My eye sight adjusted so I could see what was further in front of me as opposed to what was inches in front of me as the mushrooms were. It was a beautiful feeling, one in which I wish to experience again and one that I wouldn't have been able to experience if I was connected to technology as the book is describing. I know that I was seeing the world through technology (my DSLR) but I view it as a means of capturing reality in ways that we cant see it. After actually writing this out I guess it should be a personal goal to leave everything at home and experience nature through my own eyes without any electronics.