Pecha Kucha Presentation

Research and Critical Awareness

Through my research and speculative drawings, I gained a deeper understanding of my essay topic 'to what extent has the development of technology and social media had a negative impact on society'

Technical Competence

Presenting in front of my peers

During this module, I have been interested in how society and ourselves as individuals have exploited the access to technology and social media on a wide scale; so much so that our dependance on these two developments has become obligatory and almost inescapable from every day life

 The first electronically general-purpose computer, was invented in 1946 with the aim to make complex mathematical calculations possible and to help make the lives of humans easier. As the decades progressed, technology developed gradually with the introduction of advanced software and the founding of two of the largest corporation companies; Apple Inc. founded by Steve Jobs, and Microsoft founded by Bill Gates.

 The modern internet was born in the 1980’s which was somewhat of a revolution, alongside the introduction of CD-Roms and other storage devices, gaming and networking, all of which have become more highly used, accessible and developed from then onwards. This has built up to living in a multi screen generation today, where tablets have outsold laptops, every day tasks can be completed at the touch of a button, and our lives revolving around social media.

Without Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and the founder of social networking site Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg alongside other technological developers, society would not be as technically advanced as it is today. Are they the reason that we have become so dependant on technology? Or do we thank them for the opportunities they have given us to advance as individuals and as groups?

From a pragmatic perspective, these developments have allowed us to become accustom to carrying out the majority of day-to-day tasks at the touch of a button via mobile phone, tablet or computer. As much as this may be a novelty in the height of convenience for time saving, we have forgotten the traditional methods and values of living in a non digital format which has led to a whole catalogue of problems.

 Statistically the ‘boomer’ generation aged 49+ use the internet and social media the least, having grown up in a non-digital age,whereas Generation X ages 38-48 are a little more digitally inclined. Generation Y, aged 21-37 and Generation Z aged 20 and younger are the most frequent, and supposedly the most addictive social media and internet users. Worryingly, children as young as 6 are starting to use social media.

 More and more children and young adults nowadays take more interest in spending time on mobile phones, tablets and computers engaging in social media and online gaming, as opposed to engaging in more physical and social activities. This is already starting to cause a lack of social and communication skills.

 This has had a negative influence on the way in which we as individuals think. The amount of time spent on social media, looking at what our ‘friends’ have been doing is the perfect way to constantly compare ourselves, in a ‘virtual competition’ to be the most popular. Essentially living our lives through other peoples.

 The constant level of comparison and competition has enabled society to become mindless and passive, which has impacted our physical health as well as mental health. Not feeling good enough in comparison to friends on social media will lead to low self esteem, and in some cases mental health deterioration. Not to mention the rise in obesity levels, a lazy attitude comes with a correlation between things becoming easier at the touch of a button.

 Mark Zuckerberg founded Facebook in 2004 as a site where university students could interact with one another. Today it has 500 million users of all ages, most of which engage in other social media sites as well. How long is it going to be until we stop constantly staring at screens and start living and progressing in the real world?

 In my series of speculative drawings, my first reiterates the point I’ve just made. There are over 500 million facebook users, all of which are exposed to other internet users. It is not always clear if the persons online presence matches their mannerisms in real life. Do people disguise themselves online? How social media users label other users? How many users are hiding insecurities?

 This sketch again focuses on how people, especially young women, strive to come across on the internet. A lot of attention gained via social media is extremely shallow, and often users feel they need to meet a certain criteria to be accepted by others. A lot of the time personal appearance is a large factor with many girls going completely over the top with beauty enhancements, just so they feel comfortable amongst others they consider to be beautiful.

 In this sketch I’ve created the impression of being drowned in social media; emphasising the point that it is so widely and easily accessible, that it is hard to escape from a lot of the time. Almost everything now has a relevant hashtag or barcode that can be scanned in via mobile phone to take you to an internet site related to the purpose.

 I drew these adverts for facebook and twitter to highlight the realities of over using them in general, and abusing their actual purpose which is to keep in touch with friends and what you’re doing with them. Subconsciously we fall into some of the habits listed like competing with friends, complaining about needless things and adopting a false or two faced attitude compared with the way we physically interact and communicate with eachother.

 Responding to the worrying percentage of Generation Y and Z being addicted to using the internet and social media, I drew out a comic strip illustrating a stereotypical students’ day revolving solely around keeping up with other internet users, and going out of their way to feel accepted, ultimately having a negative effect on their wellbeing.

 Starting to think about composing a visual diagram in response to my topic, I admire the way Tom Gauld constructs individual images in grids, using an alphabetical format; this is a possibility I could further explore.

 Working again in a grid format, I recorded a day I spent without using social media. I found this day very refreshing, and would strive to urge others to do the same under the idea of ‘how to survive a digital free day’.

 I also thought about making a poster comparing two or three generations, emphasising the mass level of interaction of internet and social media users today and the potential dangers it could lead to. Having something to compare relatable behaviour to is more likely to have a bigger impact on the viewer and urge them to stop being so digitally consumed.

 Here is a rough sketch of three comparisons of scenarios; on the left a typical walk through the high street, childrens leisure activities, and finding a love interest. On the right are todays dismal and digitally influenced equivalents.

Through my research, it has really hit home to me how digitally dependant our generation has become, and how negatively influenced society has become through the constant engagement and addiction to using technology and social media. In my visual diagram, I hope to inform and change peoples views on the importance of experiencing things first hand in the real world, rather than living their lives through others and never being satisfied. Most of all, I hope that this message comes across clearly to everyone in society. Thankyou for listening.