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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The Media Equation Paper