Overall, I felt that this may have been one of the most confusing chapters we have read thus far. I feel like I understand what the authors are trying to say, however, it seems to get fairly repetitive and also rather lengthy. I think that's the part that confuses me. The concepts themselves do not seem that difficult to grasp, but the text overworks itself trying to explain, and then re-explain what they mean, and define the difference between "public" and "private" discourse.
A few interesting points that are made however, is the overlap between public and private discourse that modern technology allows. The book states that "when the wrong communicative space (public or private) invades the other, a fundamental communication ethics violation occurs." (107). How do other people feel about this? Although this overlap may not be ideal, do any of you guys think it's somewhat normal/necessary? When technology keeps advancing, it becomes more difficult to limit "public" and "private" discourse. My employer expects me to check my emails frequently, and sometimes I have to do this when I'm out with a friend. I think this is happening more and more frequently in society, therefore, it becomes more and more accepted. Obviously there are times when this would be extremely rude, and I certainly think that when "private" discourse invades "public"(like checking twitter at work etc), it becomes more of a problem.
Also, the book claims that the reason we love to watch talk shows stems from our "finding entertainment in voyeurism, watching others make fools of themselves through violation of public and private communicative lives." (107). I think this overstated. We live in a culture that is increasingly becoming more open. I feel that many people who watch such shows actually enjoy the fact that participants and interviewees are more open about their lives and what they choose to share. I also feel that some people who watch these shows may be watching because they like the host, or they are curious about the topic which will be discussed because it may apply in some way to their own life. I don't really think that these shows are watched for the sole purpose of making fun of others. (Of course, I am assuming that by talk shows, the book is referring more to "Oprah" and "Dr. Phil" setups, not to "Jerry Springer"). Does anyone else find this to be a dramatic, overreaching claim?
I think that you have brought up some really great points. I think that the public and private arenas have most definitely overlapped more than ever due to technology. Overall, I think that this is unavoidable because, even though it does present some ethical implications, the benefits outweigh the potential issues. I think that due to technology, we are stretched thin. What I mean by this is that at times, we are in two arenas simultaneously. I cannot tell you how many times I am in a public arena and the people I am with are in the private arena as well as they text their friends, partners etc. I think that some issues arise, but I think that technology is so prevalent, this lack of differentiation is unavoidable.
ReplyDeleteI thought that this idea of tv shows is somewhat overdramatic. I can see where the author is coming from, but at times, I think it is just pure entertainment. That being said, there have been times when I have been watching a show and they will talk about their sex lives or intimate details and I am incredibly uncomfortable. When a person is on national television, it is such a huge public arena and then when they are talking about incredibly private matters, it can really catch someone off guard. I think that, overall, at the historical moment, the differentiation of the public and private is becoming more muddled.
I also felt this chapter had some confusing concepts. Although its general ideas were simply stated "multiple times." The part that I found issues with was when the book mentioned public and private space. Originally it was described in the way that made most since, but it tried to show how private space has now become public space. I find it hard to differentiate between the two after they tried to combine them. For example, the book stated "The past 50 years have been an experiment with the collapsing of public and private communicative life, with phrases like "this company is a family" and "we are all friends here." I wasn't sure if they meant that private space has become more public due to things like the work environment becoming more relaxed with its rules on public discourse.
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