Description of theme
My assigned space is elevator.
Public elevators work more than as lifting devices when transporting people in urban cities. As people have to stay in this narrow and closed space, the elevators have become perfect space to spread information. The study shows that a person would receive 34 Gb of information everyday. Therefore, the ability to catch and filter information has been a helpful skill that every modern citizen should learn.
Vision and hearing are the two most important senses we use in normal lives, same in the elevators. These two senses are different: people have the choice to close their eyes and block the vision, but it’s hard for them to block their hearings. And the property companies are clear about this. From observation, the paper announcements in the elevators are optional for citizens to notice and there won’t be big mistakes if they miss an announcement. However, the prompt tone to remind the users to get off the elevator in time is much more helpful.
In China, some elevators are with screens beside the doors and the property companies would launch brainwashing and annoying TV commercials to earn more profit. The passengers have no choice and had to listen to the noise.
I believe the elevators in urban places represent a “fickle” information city. In urban cities, every object is being utilized to make the greatest profit. The citizens want to get to their physical and abstract destination faster and faster. Using elevators, people enjoy the convenience and catch any useful and attracting information, and companies enjoy the profit and spread information. The information that others want you to notice might not be the one you really care, I hope everyone would not be distracted when getting their destination in this “fickle” information city.
Method
My research started with observing. After knowing my assigned space, I would pay more attention when I was taking the elevator and what I noticed the most were different kinds of advertisements and announcements. Then I decided my topic as “information city”.
Although the information city might represent more senses about the technology of a city, after searching the definition of “information” as that from which data and knowledge can be derived, I decided to insist what I thought at first.
I also searched “elevators” in different search engines and social media and one article on Zhihu got my attention. The article mentioned how internet wants to draw people’s attention and how the brainwashing elevator TV commercials spend your “garbage time”. The “garbage time” here refers to the time that you have limited choices on where your attention would be. I thought this would be a good entry point to produce the video.
In the video, I wanted to represent how people input and output information during their “garbage time” in the elevator, so I have few assumptions of the video. However, I was only able to film one elevator in my apartment due to the pandemic in the city. Luckily, I had the habit to film myself alone in the elevator if it contains a mirror and I would share the outfit filmed in the elevator on social media. I believe I might be the person who output the information and utilize the “garbage time” in some ways. Then, I collect more material of we staying in the elevator as input of information.
To keep my video interesting and appealing, I decided to make it in an interactive way at first-person perspective. I used the TOEFL exam listening section as reference, creating an exam environment to make audience more concentrated. I also connected three pieces of video by Siri’s narration which is more like a computer-based exam situation.
After three sections of interactive video, I needed an evaluation and an conclusion. To represent the large amount of information we process everyday, I added all the pictures and audio of announcements, news, commercials and lectures together and make them suddenly stop, so that the audience could return to peace from a mess. Then I narrated the evaluation by myself and added some tempered music to finish.
Reflections
I think my video lacks techniques and I struggled when I did not know how to present the content in video way. It was hard to settle every ideas and connect them in a relatively abstract topic “information city”. When I thought of “city”, I always thought it in macroscopic, but by focusing on one architecture/space, I started to think in another way which I rarely do.
Reference
““强奸式”电梯广告.” 知乎专栏, zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/82622379?utm_source=wechat_timeline. Accessed 2 May 2022.
“Information Literacy Analyzing Information Techniques.” Basicknowledge101.com, basicknowledge101.com/subjects/informationliteracy.html#:~:text=Information%20is%20something%20that%20data%20and%20knowledge%20can. Accessed 2 May 2022.
“The Human Brain Is Loaded Daily with 34 GB of Information.” Tech 21 Century, www.tech21century.com/the-human-brain-is-loaded-daily-with-34-gb-of-information/#:~:text=Although%20people%20can%20not%20really%20read%20these%20105%2C000. Accessed 2 May 2022.
我是魔星小新. “铂爵旅拍 想去哪拍 就去哪拍 15秒系列广告_哔哩哔哩_bilibili.” Www.bilibili.com, www.bilibili.com/video/av44596955/. Accessed 2 May 2022.
Shi Yifei 3035947752
I never really observed how much information do elevators try to put into your brain. I knew they had to give out information such as maximum possible weight, and license of the elevator to tell ‘elevator riders’ the elevator is well maintained and safe. But I never realised the advertisements, audio wise and sometimes visually as well. So yes, even when you’re alone in a peaceful elevator, you are still bombarded with pieces of information that you have to pay attention to for safety reasons.
I didn’t really understand the second question regarding the mirror selfies. You look absolutely lovely and stylish in them, but I can’t seem to find the relation between the outfits and the elevator.
Thanks!!! I was trying to give auditory, visual, auditory + visual three kinds of information respectively in the three questions. It may feel at a loos for the second question, because I was intended to tell that the mirrors in the elevators gives visual information.
Hi Yifei,
After watching your video, I really like the creativity of your text and video. Especially the reference to using the TOFEL listening test model to test the audience that is so creative. Another creative point is the plot of Empresses in the Palace, which is so funny because I am also a “骨灰级” fan of the TV series. It is unexpected for me that your video can connect Zhenhuan with the elevator.
Plus, I like the first perspective of your video, which gives people a sense of immersion. Finally, the theme that you choose made me start thinking about the society we live in as one that is wrapped in information and cannot be avoided, which is very thoughtful.
Ziqian
Thanks for your comment!! I’m really happy that you caught the points that I want to express!
Hahaha, honestly, I have watched your video many times because it is so interesting the gossip and news you have used as examples that I missed the TOELF questions. However, what happens to be a trap, and I acted as the person who missed out on all the announcements in vision view. So I think it is a good idea to point out that “the prompt tone to remind the users to get off the elevator in time is much more helpful” and I will be more careful to remind myself that information that others want you to notice might not be the one I really care.
I love your outfits, they are so cute!!!
I like the shooting mode of the video, which is introduced in the mode of test questions. It is very novel. I was so amused to hear the story of Zhen Huan. The elevator is the most common things in life, people can receive advertising information, gossip information and so on in the time of taking the elevator for a few minutes, I think it is a good performance of information city.
You have used a creative method to bring out your message. You have also demonstrated some level of virtual and field research. You could also consider your camera angle and be more precise with the visual. Perhaps the listening part and the reflection part could be more even.