Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Semester of Degree Completion
1999
Thesis Director
Mark G. Borzi
Abstract
This study focuses on how individuals through their talk about computer mediated technology demonstrate a loss of control over that technology. Three separate computer mediated communication classes were involved in this study through the use of autoethnographies. The students in all three classes were asked at the beginning of the semester to keep field notes on their experiences with the technology. At the end of the semester the students were to summarize and report their experiences.
Because of the qualitative nature of the data, a narrative criticism of the stories students told about their experiences seemed to provide the most valuable insight. Narratives or stories provide clues to an individual's subjective interpretation of the world around them. Through stories people create and sustain their world giving the rhetorical critic a means through which they can look into an individuals perceived reality.
The results of this study reveal that people often surrender control to technology unaware of the larger social implications. They demonstrate this through the way they talk about technology and the future.
Recommended Citation
Farlow, David P., "Demonstrating Loss of Control Over Technology: A Narrative Criticism" (1999). Masters Theses. 1556.
https://thekeep.eiu.edu/theses/1556
