Colin's Digital Research Blog

Link to Colin’s Final Prototype on Construct 3: https://www.construct.net/en/free-online-games/colin-hanrahans-final-42528/play  ______________________________________________________ Here is the link to my final Prototype in Construct 3. It was very informative and exciting to research Media Dependency Theory as a Framework to prove the thesis in how women above the age of 30 have increased mental stress when watching cable news due to its fear-inducing segments. 

Claim : Women above the age of 30 have increased mental stress when watching cable news due to it’s fear-inducing segments.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Independent Variable : The News channels and Which days we chose to record the news for the experiment. Dependent Variable :  What news stories does the channel decide to show.  How the women will react to the shown stories.  Controlled Variable: I decided to use the same sequence the news stories were reported to show to the women. This is so that the experiment is performed the in the least biased way possible.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Prototype: -I decided to utilize construct 3 and code an app that would basically be a questionnaire. It would portray a series of news segments from one of the news channels that was shown that same day.  -After the user enters their name and age they will be sent to a page which shows...

For Assignment B, I've decided on the hypothesis that cable news networks use fear-inducing stories to gain more media attraction, but at the cost of their viewer's mental health; especially in women above the age of 30. I worked this into the claim below: Claim :  "Women above the age of 30 have increased mental stress when watching cable news due to its fear-inducing segments. " Media Dependency theory is used by media outlets as a tool to attract and keep high viewership. A key element of Media Dependency theory surrounds the idea that feeling like you are in a state of crisis leads a person to be more reliant on mass media for information.  Prototype :  I am still ideating the prototype I will use however I do know that I will be measuring Fear in this experiment, which I would need to somehow obtain from viewers of cable news.  In addition, I would need to figure out which cable news channels to choose from. I am considering just looking up who has the highest v...

Prototype Thesis Propositions: 1) Hypothesis: Using a customized app that limits one's access to their digital media will lessen a high schooler's reliance on media (Media dependency Theory).  -By studying the media dependency theory framework, can using a customized app that prevents one’s access to their digital device lessen a high schooler’s reliance on media or worsen it? +We can study the framework of media dependency theory and see if media's influence on the individual creates a sort of withdrawal, or lessens the effects.  Prototype : a phone app where you set a timer Problem - this sort of prototype works, whether it's an app or a safe with a timer on it, however studies on media dependency is still limited.  ___________________________________________________________________________ 2) Can implementing classroom learning with AR platforms help increase memorizing information for middle school students? (Implementing AR platforms/tools into a classroom setting)...

AR/VR technologies effectively engage and evoke empathy in users that can be harnessed by nonprofit organizations to encourage positive social change.  By Irina Bokun in 2020 Irin wanted to talk about how augmented and virtual reality can assist in developing consumer empathy for nonprofit needs. Her study examines the effects of using AR/VR and how much empathy it can invoke in the user. She wants to argue that AR/VR technology is the most effective means of bridging non profit orgs and their understanding of consumer empathy. One issue that arises is how VR/AR technology is associated with expensive experiences limited to entertainment purposes, such as the Oculus or Pokemon Go. For her prototype, she creates an app that basically acts as a search engine for non-profit orgs where you can use your smart divide to enter the environment in VR, navigate in augmented reality, or use geolocation filters. She even tests her prototype on a local dog park for the "Piedmont Park Conservan...

 Project B Part A: I found this interesting student thesis relating to political science; focusing on social media's effects mainly on the Obama McCaine Election of 2008. Please note that this research is over a decade old and may be prone to being outdated.  The Effect of Social Media Networks On Political Marketing  -By Sarah Khan in 2011 -Sarah primarily focused her thesis on how the rise of social media brought new forms of outlets for politicians to market their campaigns. Social Networking sites are used by more than half the US every day and so utilizing that would be a great advantage in the electoral forum. She used numerous examples from John McCain and Barack Obama's 2008 presidential election and studied statistics regarding their political content on social networks regarding forums, discussions, and propaganda. In addition, she looks at ethnicity, spending costs, user interactions on platforms, and other aspects that may affect online political conversations...

 Project B Part A: I will attach two articles in this one post because they are conceptually similar, with one pertaining to augmented reality being utilized in a museum setting, while the other refers to using projection mapping in a similar matter.  The Museum of Tomorrow: Using 3D Gaming and Projection Mapping to Create the Next Generation of History Museum Exhibits -By Jeffrey L. De Boer in 2015 Summary: Jeffery believes that our current/newest generations process information in newer ways and Museums aren't utilizing the latest technologies to teach this specified group of people. In his words, he wanted to propose innovative entertainment-based approaches to history-museum-exhibits by utilizing video game software, hardware, and cutting-edge projection mapping techniques. He emphasizes in his research his interest in using projection design. He notes that museums do use this idea, but there is no interactivity with the viewers. He continues to list a process which h...