Last Blog :(

So here it is! (My last blog for my media studies class) and I know just what I want to talk about. Yesterday, I was watching TV and a commercial for PlayStation came on. Being the curious one that I am, I decided to find out a little more about this "download,play,connect" tag line they were using.
I discovered a quote by Peter Diller, the Senior VP of Marketing & PlayStation Network for Sony that describes what the advertisement hoped to achieve:
"So with [PS3] tremendous growth and adoption, we thought it was time to give the PlayStation Network its own moment in the sun with a TV spot that sings its praises. This PlayStation Network ad will also make its debut this weekend. The ad is a metaphor and itself depicts the relentless spread of the PlayStation message from user to user. We've featured various ways you can "Download/Play/Connect." (Found on http://www.qj.net/PlayStation-Entertainment-Unleashed-unveils-ad-3-Download-Play-Connect-for-PSN-/pg/49/aid/126510)

This message contributes directly to the concept of what direction is new media taking us in. In other words, how is new media changing the way we live? PlayStation suggests that we can now live in a digital community where we can connect with other people through downloads and playing. Everything that we begin to see, we can transform into a digital image that can be spread from user to user. So when does it get too far? I mean I’m not going to say that there are no benefits of digital technology because personally, I am excited about using Skype or email or blogging when I go to Singapore next semester. Exchanging abroad experiences or even travel experiences is so much easier now that we can put albums on the web. A daughter in California can send pictures to her grandmother in New York. Communication channels have opened. But what concerns me the most about Diller’s comment is that “the ad is a metaphor and itself depicts the relentless spread of the PlayStation message from user to user.” The phrase “relentless spread” has kind of a haunting connotation, doesn’t it? Regardless of how our society thinks about community or old values, new media is relentlessly going to approach and invade our lives. I know this is an extreme, but this situation reminds me of the movie Wall-E in which the people of Earth resort to having automated machines and technology do everything for them. They become so accustomed to not having to walk or interact with other human beings because everything is laid out for them in a screen right in front of their eyes. They also all become overweight and have to learn how to use their legs when they fall off their flying chairs. Obviously this is an extreme, but I think it is a really interesting ironic play on our society. We may eventually become like these people if we do not take responsibility for our actions. In fact, I think that McKibben would really like the movie Wall-E because it is all about reconnecting with nature, taking care of the Earth, and not taking it for granted. We have become so comfortable with letting others or machines do our work for us. PlayStation’s “Download, Play, Connect” campaign replaces our imagination with visual explosions of what PlayStation wants us to see. At what point will we begin to really question new media’s influence and whether or not it is beneficial for our society?