Task of the week was to spend some time in front of a television or digital signage screen in a public space and note how it makes me feel and observe the behaviour of others.
So, I conveniently ran to the nearby mall and stood in front of the promotional television facing outwards of Movie Magic video store that constantly plays new movies or music videos that they have in store.
Since I was consciously and deliberately doing this to observe others, how I feel at that point would be a tad bit invalid I would say. Hence reflecting on past experiences when I had to wait for someone in a shopping mall, I find myself paying attention to the television or digital screen to kill time and ultimately to avoid feeling/looking like the awkward girl standing alone in the middle of nowhere alone. Once I am engrossed in the featured video, although without sound effects most of the time, it helps me feel like I’ve been transported out of my current situation and my main focus would become what happens next in the video. At this point, it is safe to say I’ve built my own private bubble in the midst of the once very public space. Factors such as the way people viewed me, the amount of time I had to wait for my buddy to arrive and the awkwardness of standing in the middle of the corridor no longer bother me.
As minutes ticked by, I find that more and more people joined me in staring at the electronic box. Whether they were waiting for someone, I wasn’t sure, but this was definitely a case of monkey-see-monkey-do. Like me, many passers-by quickly carved their private spaces in the very much public place, indulging in the Blu-ray verison of Taken, starring none other than Liam Neeson. Even if they didn’t stop to watch part of the video, people would at least turn their heads to check out what was being shown.
With this said, it is obvious why most video shops place a television screen facing outwards of their shops- to attract the attention of passers-by and create interest in them to buy discs as nobody could possibly stand still for 2 hours watching a video from the start to the end without sound. In a way, the promotional television screens do fulfill its purpose in giving snippets to people who walk by. However, when people use these screens for personal reasons like my own (to avoid looking/feeling awkward and to kill time) the purpose of these screens in public spaces deviate and evolve to a whole new issue.
What do televisions or digital signage screens in public spaces do for you?
Media, Audience & Place 
You raised some interesting concepts about how people interact where there are screens in public spaces. I never thought that people ‘make their own private bubble’ when looking at public screens. Thinking about it now, this definitely happens. I guess people try to immerse themselves in the actual content on the screens to avoid social interaction with strangers. I recently wrote a post on public screens broadcasting sporting events (not using this as an opportunity for self promotion) and fans will interact with other fans even if they have no idea who they are. So its interesting that people will behave in front of public screens depending on the situation and the content that is being shown. In the case of your post, people sought of avoided each other and concentrated on what was happening on the screen.
Great post it’s nice to be able to connect with students from another country completing the same subject.
It is definitely a pleasure to read and connect with other students taking BCM240 in other parts of the world! Most times than not, we’d be able to see things that we may have overlooked or see things from a different point of view upon reading other people’s work. Connecting the dots provides an avenue for learning beyond the classroom.
People and public screens; I read your article as well, it’s a good piece! With this, can it be deduced that culture plays a crucial role in how people react and behave technology in public areas? In Asia, Malaysia and Singapore especially, majority of the population are less warm and affectionate towards others (this could probably be linked to the recent hike in crime numbers). What do you think?