This class has really made me think a lot about connections and how we make them and with whom. The other day as I was listening to the news on the radio there was a man from the Philippines talking about his job and the difficulty he is finding with doing his job following the recent devastation caused by the typhoon there. He works as a customer service agent, answering phone calls and helping people with computer technical issues. Though he receives calls from all over the world, the majority of his calls come from the U.S. I listened as the man described the tragedies he has witnessed, recalling in horror the havoc of the event. Barely able to hold back his tears, he then started talking about his job and how hard it is to sit and listen to someone complain about their petty computer issues when half of his friends and family are missing. He can’t concentrate. When the interviewer asked why he doesn’t just take a little time off the man explained that it was out of the question, that considering the state of things there are thousands of other people who would take his job in an instant. I found myself crying by the end of his interview. It made me think of how many times I’ve called a tech services number and been annoyed at the broken English coming out of the other end. I never even gave a thought to the person who was trying to help me, or what they might be going through. I would love to see a project based on this idea. Who are you talking to? Who’s on the other line and what’s their story?
That is why I really liked the Highrise project we viewed this week. It gives us a view into the lives of other people who we might otherwise not think about. I have lived in an apartment building before and never met most of the residents there. I thought the way this site was designed was fantastic. Along with the Planet Takeout site, this one is my favorite so far. I just found it really engaging and I liked the interactive aspect of it. In a way it reminds me of one of my favorite Hitchcock movies, “Rear Window,” except for way less creepy. In the movie a man in a wheelchair passes his time by watching his neighbors lives unfold through their windows, and in the process he uncovers a murder. The point is, it is interesting the lives those closest to us in proximity lead that we never know about.
I would really love to see a multimedia project about those overseas workers too. I saw in a documentary before that the U.S. companies use many of their workers whether in labor or offices from India, SouthEast Asia, China and South America because they can pay them a lot cheaper over there. It’s really sad to see this country puts a relatively high minimum wage for its own people just to be ranked within the top developed nations who respect human rights, and yet it allows its biggest companies to open their factories overseas just to pay their employees a lot less and have them work a lot more, sometimes more than 14 hours straight!
In a world where digital connections can sometimes feel impersonal, your reflection encourages a deeper understanding of the people we encounter daily, fostering empathy and humanizing the digital landscape. It’s a testament to the transformative potential of digital storytelling in building connections that transcend geographical and cultural boundaries. 🌐 Thanks for sharing