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8/2/2019 The Media Equation Paper
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4485-The Media Equation Theory Paper - 1
PROPOSAL for the Critical Incident Paper1
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Steven Welch3
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March 22, 20125
6 March 22, 201278
Critical Incident Paper9
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COM 448511
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Media Studies Capstone13
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Instructor: Dr. Chuck Aust1516
Kennesaw State University1718
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1. Life experience details47
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1. MEDIA CONTENT51
52As a young child beginning to grow into adolescence, I remember very fondly how53
television played an important part in my development. The media equation theory by Byron54
Reeves and Clifford Nass can be applied to my content, the long-running sit-com Friends that55
aired on NBC. The six characters featured on the show were Monica Geller (Courtney Cox),56
Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston), Ross Geller (David Schwimmer), Chandler Bing (Matthew57
Perry), Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow), and Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc). The show followed58
this group of twenty-somethings who maintained lasting friendships with one another, and who59
were essentially like family to one another (aside from the characters of Ross and Monica, who60
actually were family). The show represented a cultural shift away from family oriented shows61
that were successful in the 1980s and instead focused on issues friends might face and come62
together to deal with.63
Friends is, so far, the only show I have watched from beginning to end, as my older64
siblings were the ones who first introduced me to the series . Throughout its ten years on the air,65
Friends gained a loyal following as we watched Ross and Rachel break up, Monica and Chandler66
get together and eventually marry, and Phoebe and Joey find themselves in both their lives and67
their careers. It provided a realistic view of life in a major city and what comes with being an68
adult out in the real world. The characters switched jobs several times, moved around (albeit69
always within walking distance of each others apartments), and navigated the more rocky parts70
of life like break-ups, divorce, and financial difficulties.71
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The characters were not unlike someone most people know, such as an obsessive72
compulsive type-a personality like Monica, a spoiled daddys girl like Rachel, or a ladies man73
like Joey. As they progressed from their 20s into their 30s several characters went through the74
stages of childbirth, divorce, and other experiences society faces every day. It made the show75
more real, and the characters more endearing to watch. The series ended with two of the76
characters, Monica and Chandler, buying a house in the suburbs after adopting twins. Even with77
the notion that their group will not all be right around the corner anymore, they still remained78
friends up to the very end.79
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2. MOTIVATION81
I chose this concept for my final paper after initially choosing a different experience82
because I feel this example better follows how I myself have progressed through life, as well as83
the lessons I learned from watching Friends for all those years. It is my all-time favorite84
television series as well, so this played a large part in my final topic selection.85
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3. IMPACT87
Friends shaped the way I viewed my own friendships, especially as I grew older an88
developed more interests that carried over into the people I became friends with . I developed a89
tight-knit bond with my core group much like the characters on the show, so I could better relate90
to what was happening on television.91
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4. HOW YOU KNEW93
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A very specific moment I knew this show had impacted me came during the fourth94
season finale, when Ross said Rachels name during his wedding to Emily. I remember getting95
excited and anxious during the whole summer break, as my friends and I pondered whether Ross96
and Rachel would get back together, and how significant and emotional a moment it was . I was97
rather young when I first started watching the series, so this key moment is when I first realized I98
was emotionally invested in the well-being of these characters lives.99
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5. AGE101
The show started in the fall of 1994, when I was six, and ended in the spring of 2004102
when I was sixteen.103
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6. CONTEXT105
When the show first started I was younger, probably too young to really be watching a106
show like that, but I was always curious about adulthood and enjoyed the comedic elements the107
series brought. As I grew older and developed into a teenager, I was trying to navigate life and108
find out who I was while also creating friendships that would hopefully last over time, much like109
the six characters on the show.110
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2. How the required concepts from the Media Equation Theory apply to my life112
experience.113
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Byron Reeves and Clifford Nass Media Equation theory (Griffin, 2009) involves114
interpersonal distance, similarity and attraction, and source credibility, all of which apply to my115
life experience involving watching Friends through my formative years.116
With regards to interpersonal distance, the media equation theory mentions that any117
finding validated in interpersonal communication research should hold equally true in modern118
media usage (Griffin, p. 407). The text compares this to how a person would react the same119
way if someone was right in front of them as they would seeing something happen on television120
or other forms of media. With Friends, I had different feelings and emotions when something121
happened to my beloved characters, and I remember feeling like I was right there with them in122
the coffee shop as they went about their lives. When Ross and Rachel broke up throughout the123
series, the intense feelings they were going through transitioned into the real world, and it was124
almost like I was feeling their pain as well. There were times when I thought of something to say125
to the characters before realizing it was not real . Reeves and Nash even admitted an idea like that126
may seem a little odd and that we can all safely say that real people dont reside inside of media127
or on a screen, so it shouldnt matter whether images of people make them appear close or far128
away After all, its only a picture (Griffin, p. 407).While I knew deep down that this wasnt129
real, no matter how hard I tried, my feelings of being right in on the story showed the concept of130
interpersonal distance to be true in my experience.131
I believe that most of my fondness for Friends stems from the concept of similarity and132
attraction.In this sense, Griffin states perhaps the most well-validated principle of relational133
research is that perceived similarity increases attraction (Griffin, p. 408). I liked the characters134
because they were similar to my own friends and I, and therefore I was drawn to the series . As I135
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got older and more able to comprehend the storylines and the developments the characters went136
through, I realized how they were in tandem with some things my friends and I experienced as137
well. Much as we pick friends we have common interests with, the concept of similarity and138
attraction essentially means we will also be more inclined to engage in any media we also have139
an interest in, over media in which we dont.140
The characters within Friends themselves also exemplified the notion of similarity and141
attraction, as they were alike in many ways to one another, in that they were all young,142
Caucasian, professionals living in Manhattan. It was very rare for them to interact with other143
people outside their archetypes, a good example being the fact that it was well into the 9th
season144
that any of them dated someone outside of their own race, and even then the character did not145
last until the end. While not exact copies of myself, my own friends and I are more alike than146
any of us would care to admit.147
While not as extensive, the third concept within the media equation theory, source148
credibility, does apply somewhat to my own experience and ties in to what Griffin, Reeves, and149
Nass have written and experimented with.Griffins text states that with this concept, the source150
of a mediated message is the electronic messenger (Griffin, p. 410). In regards to the television151
series Friends, I, as well as most of the rest of the world, saw the stars of the show as the ones152
creating the series, not the writers who sit at the table hounding out the episode scripts . The153
entire cast constantly broke records for the pay they received towards the end of the series, and154
some of them like Jennifer Aniston and Courtney Cox were able to transition to other successful155
movies and television series at the conclusion of Friends. These were the names we associated156
with the show, with very few people knowing who David Crane or Kevin Bright are, despite157
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them writing and executive producing the episodes for a decade. We see the stars as the ones158
bringing the show to life, and those are the ones we idolize and give the credibility to . Griffin159
states that credibility is in the eye of the beholder (Griffin, p. 410). We want to give credibility160
to the people we see on the television screen each week, and often forget they just bring the161
characters to life and deliver the message, which someone else as created for us .162
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Section 3. One specific, detailed insight, idea or process related to the theory that you will164
take with you165
I had never heard of this theory before beginning this critical insight paper, so it was166
interesting to learn how each of the concepts factor into how we perceive media as more than167
just a tool. One thing in particular has stuck with me already, and I know it will stay with me168
well after my collegiate career is over, and that is the concept of source credibility. As I did in169
my past experience with Friends, often times I tend to forget who really sends out the messages I170
receive, and now I find myself being more aware of that fact and not giving someone like an171
anchor the same credibility as the writer who created it . I also now notice advertisements more172
than I used to, as they tend to use words to distinguish themselves from their competitors and173
come off as the best. In the past I was not as cognizant of the fact that credibility can be174
manipulated to seem like it comes from somewhere else, but now I find myself really thinking175
about the overall message and who the sender is. There were times when I used to think176
something was better than something else, simply because it was given credibility that made it177
seem that way. I even once spent extra money to buy a Lexus over its Toyota counter-part178
simply because of the credibility in the name.179
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The Media Equation theory has better helped me tie in what made me feel the way I did180
about something as trivial as a television show. From my experience of growing up with Friends181
and learning how true friendships really work, to why I feel the way I do about aspects of the182
show such as the stars, writers, and who brings it to the masses, this theory ties in to how I183
developed with the show and in turn made my own friendships more valuable . Along with being184
more aware of how this ties into my past, I have now taken parts of Reeves and Nass studies and185
can apply them to my future.186
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References
Bright, K.S. (Executive Producer). (1994). Friends (television series). New York: National
Broadcasting Company.
Griffin, E. (2009). First look at communication theory. (7th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill
Publishing Company.
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