Unplugged – a global media experiment

1. Unplugged – a global media experiment 12 universities Argentina, Chile, Mexico, US, UK, Slovakia, Uganda, Lebanon, China (mainland and Hong Kong) Dr Roman Gerodimos Bournemouth University

2. Introduction _ Brief context _ Global headlines _ BU headlines _ Pedagogic implications – CEMP spin-off _ Looking forward

3. Context & Timeline August 2010: Project launch “Unplugged” experiment designed at the Salzburg Academy on Media & Global Change September - November 2010: Core project data collection “Unplugged” experiment takes place around the world Core data collection completed at BU / Media School November 2010 - March 2011: Follow-up pedagogic project (funded by CEMP Pedagogic Innovation Fund) Post-experiment questionnaire data collection Textual analysis of student reflections from core experiment Reflective analysis of data vis-à-vis learning and teaching strategies

4. Aim & Procedure Aims: • To encourage students to reflect on the role of the media both in their own lifeworld / daily routines but also in society at large • To further our understanding of how/when/where/why young people use the media Procedure: • Each student chooses 24 consecutive hours within a period of two weeks • Gives up ALL types and outlets of mediated communication or information technologies • After completion (or drop-out) writes up reflective piece • Completes short online questionnaire (demo/baseline/ICT) Global sample: c. 1,000 students BU sample: 128 1st year undergraduate Media School students

5. The World Unplugged http://theworldunplugged.wordpress.com/

6. 1. I can’t live without media Global Headlines • Language of addiction & withdrawal “Media is my drug; without it I was lost. I am an addict. How could I survive 24 hours without it?” (UK) “I was itching, like a crackhead, because I could not use my phone.” (US)

7. Addiction Grid http://theworldunplugged.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/addiction-grid-new.pdf

8. 1. I can’t live without media Global Headlines • We’re surrounded – media as a social norm / unavoidable “Media are in places that you don’t even expect them to be, and that you don’t realise that they are everywhere, literally.” (UK) “It was not an easy experience because I felt I was in kind of another world – left out. I felt so lonely that I even started regretting why I had volunteered to carry out this task.” (Uganda)

9. Comparison of emotions by country

10. 2. News is important to many, but... Global Headlines • It is a broad concept – news = latest events in the world AND friends and family members’ lives “I am also used to regularly checking... BBC News, Facebook and Twitter. Without these, I felt a little out of touch... not only in worldwide news, but with my friends’ everyday thoughts and experiences, posted in statuses, tweets and blog posts daily.” (UK)

11. 3. TV is an escape Global Headlines • To relax at the end of a busy day “I had studied all day and felt I needed something to relax myself.  Usually an episode of ‘Friends’ would do the trick.” (UK) • It’s a routine and an extra voice in the house “Television is an integral part of my family, even if it’s just for background noise.” (US)

12. 4. Music helps my mood Global Headlines • It’s the soundtrack of my life & regulates my mood “Nevertheless, I realised how dependent I am to music! I was going nuts in the car without music. I tried singing to myself but that was not so helpful.”(Lebanon) “On the way back to my hotel, I felt bored and it was noisy. I needed some music, but, of course, I did not turn on my mp3; I just wore my headphones.“ (China)

13. 5. But without media, I can appreciate more Global Headlines • Freedom from media “Ultimately, it proved rather liberating and peaceful to simply lead a life with no intervention from any media.” (UK) • Opportunity for intimacy with family & friends “I interacted with my parents more than the usual. I fully heard what they said to me without being distracted with my BlackBerry. I helped to cook and even to wash the dishes.” (Mexico)

14. Media ownership by country

15. Hours of usage

16. BU Media School Sample - Headlines Unplugged led to significant changes to their daily routine: planning and preparation  disturbed their normal activities, thought processes and physical reactions (e.g. twitching, constantly reaching for the mobile phone or having a meal in front of the TV)  forced them to reflectabout the extent to which ICTs are embedded in the fabric of their everyday life.

17. BU Media School Sample - Headlines Because of the lack of media, many participants engaged in activities, and interacted with people, that they would not normally have engaged in or encountered in their daily routine (homophily v. diversity*). Most important change to routine involved leaving the physical space of their bedroom or home* and engaging in physical activities in the public sphere such as walking, visiting friends or talking to others in person and spending time in the outdoors.

18. BU Media School Sample - Headlines • Most were pleasantly surprised by how much they enjoyed these alternative activities: • reading books, • going to the beach, • enjoying meals and discussions with friends • …and felt that these were more meaningful and rewarding than their usual media habits  quality of life*

19. BU Media School Sample - Headlines Most ubiquitous medium missed: music and mp3 players -even more so than phones or Facebook This was noted throughout the day -especially in the morning and during activities such as work or commuting Silence initially made many feel ill-at-ease… …but allowed them to be more reflective and also more aware and appreciative of their surroundings* (e.g. natural and social environment)

20. BU Media School Sample - Headlines Many concluded that our consumption and use of media is perhaps unhealthy, unnecessarily excessive and counter-productive While most appreciated the practical and socialising benefits of media and ICTs, they also indicated that Unplugged has given them a chance to reconsider their lifestyle. Temporary withdrawal from media = a tool of media literacy?

21. Pedagogic Implications – CEMP project • Aim: • To assess the pedagogic implications of Unplugged and in particular to identify key educational benefits esp. vis-à-vis teaching of media theory • Understand why many students chose not to participate • Process: • -Post-experiment survey (n=169 / including 87 “non-participants”) • Textual analysis of reflective pieces (60,000 words looking at explicitly self-reported acquired benefits only) • Reflective approach to learning & teaching strategies

22. Pedagogic Implications – CEMP project

23. Pedagogic Implications – CEMP project

24. Pedagogic Implications – CEMP project

25. Pedagogic Implications – CEMP project • Produced a range of significant and tangible pedagogic benefits identified by the students themselves • These benefits are directly relevant, and can feed into, media theory units • Unplugged = embedded in the L&T process; ideally shortly after start of Term 1, Year 1 • Post-experiment reflective piece = fundamental to the learning process (helps students process and articulate their thoughts and feelings) • In-class debriefing / debating session (draw links between students’ lifeworlds and key theoretical debates)

26. Pedagogic Implications – CEMP project • In-class activities (e.g. small groups) could highlight the link between their own reflections and specific media theories (e.g. Katz’s segmentation theory) • How do you deal with “it would interfere with my studies”? • Reinforce relevance and value in the run-up to the experiment… • …but would this not pre-empt / lead students’ reflections and responses??

27. “I’d actually recommend anyone take part in the challenge, as it heightens your awareness to how much we as people RELY on media for so many things.” - A UK student

28. Key Lessons: Looking Forward For students: More cognisant of the presence of media & their reliance on it to direct their lives • Acknowledgement that the reliance was self-imposed* & that inhibited full participation in their lives • An indication of a desire to curb their reliance on media (less common).

29. Key Lessons: Looking Forward For educators: Important to fosterstudent awareness & learning around: • Distinguishing between fact & fiction, credible & non-credible sources, important & unimportant information. • Navigating multiple platforms for personal & professional purposes without becoming overwhelmed/distracted.

30. Key Lessons: Looking Forward For media producers/developers: Students appear to be platform agnostic: • Latest hardware wins if it connects them quickly with the people they care about • Different platforms to communicate with different people (eg. FB = personal; e-mail = professional)

31. Key Lessons: Looking Forward For journalists: • News = something that just happened • It comes from the sidebar in e-mail, their friends’ FB wall & Twitter feeds & it’s delivered in140 characters • Inundated, so headlines only unless personally engaged* • Underscores need for news curation* - people and tools to make sense of the influx of information

32. Looking Forward: Research Emerging research themes / policy implications* 1 > Insular new media culture (habitual uses, consumerist approach to public affairs, echo chambers  broader horizons, real social interaction)? Are these patterns of use really self-imposed?? Power laws, information overload and attention scarcity = huge social/structural forces shaping media culture = individual is powerless / media use is the inescapable norm = Consumer choice? Media literacy? Accessibility? 2 > Quality of life: privatised / atomised lifestyle Reconnecting users/consumers/citizens to the public space / natural and social surroundings (without disregarding the very many benefits and gratifications brought about by media) 3 > News curation & journalists as meaning makers

33. The World Unplugged Read highlights from the students’ reflective pieces on the BU Unplugged Blog @ http://blogs.bournemouth.ac.uk/unplugged http://theworldunplugged.wordpress.com/ rgerodimos@bournemouth.ac.uk