Week Four Lab

(Image Information: Many books equal many stories; Source: pxhere)

The Danger of a Single Story  by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

You write the kind of stories you read
Humans (especially children) are highly impressionable and vulnerable
Problem: If you read one type of book, then you don't know that someone like you could be written in a novel
Assumption is dangerous
Talks about John Locke - represents history of African storytelling in the West
Showing people as one things repeatedly makes them become something they are not in the individual mind
"Stereotypes make one story the only story"
A single story can "rob people of dignity" - It points out the singularity, not the similarity
What would happen if you knew the whole narrative and not just a clip of it?

Imaginary friends and real-world consequences: parasocial relationships by Jennifer Barnes

Interest: Relationships we form with fiction characters
Harry Potter research (opener)
"Why do we spend so much on fiction?" to "Why do we care about these fictional characters?"
"What effects does this engagement have on the individual?" to "What effects do the relationships that we have with the characters have on the individual?"
Parasocial relationship: Relationship formed with someone you don't know through media about them
Alief
Effects of the relationship:
         -we get love and support from them
         -exposure to image of them can increase performance - the thought is of a real friend
         -women have more grief over a fictional death than a real-world death
         -however, neither male or female said that they would be sadder over a real death than a                        fictional one
This all depends on the bond you create
It seems as if real love can be equated to fictional love
Dangers of the relationship:
         -Can treat real people as fictional characters
Be mindful of media and what it does to shape your view

Overall, I found these talks to be very informative and important. Both of them showed me that the media can be ultimately corrupting to an individual or a community in general. I knew this before, but seeing even more evidence is interesting!