Alright, so our assigned reading this week was absurdly interesting. I'm not going to be able to watch anything on TV anymore or go through any online tutorial without thinking about this article. Since ya'll obviously already read the thing, I'm not going to take the time to summarize it for you, that would be pointless. However, I will share with you how it applies to my work in a collegiate athletic association, mainly the ticket office (even though CJ thinks my work is going to be irrelevant in a few years anyways).
What immediately struck me about people relating to media as if it were human, was how I'm sure people respond to the voice recording from one of my bosses, Mark Gajda, on G.A.T.O.R.S, our automated ticket ordering system over the phone. He records that thing for every major sporting event that requires its help (i.e. if we didn't have it our employees would be swamped with phone calls) such as football and basketball season tickets, the florida-georgia game, the NCAA tourney, and bowl games. He records a response for every option that the caller may select and then he goes on about his day. Clearly, he's not on the line when these people are calling, yet since it's a human voice, I have no doubts that subconciously these people think they're actually talking to someone. I know I've talked to a voice recording before, normally out of anger, but I have honestly gotten upset at it when its told me that something didn't work.
The media equation will also seriously apply to the ticket office when computers eventually replace me. With the amount of people who do not feel comfortable in front of a computer, the program should be designed to have one of those helpful dogs, or paper clips, or whatever. Sure, it's an inanimate object on a computer screen, but like the article said, people still respond to it. There could also be a tutorial about how to go through the entire process with my bosses' voice narrating it, or even better, a camera recording of him talking to you and telling you what to do. And if we really want to get high-tech, build a key-stroke and mouse-tracking element into the program so when you do, or are about to do or click, something wrong, Mark would warn you. OK, I'm rambling now, but there are almost too many possibilities to wrap my mind around. That's all I've got for now.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Yes, I do believe your job will be phased out due to the emerging computer age; not because you are unable to perform your job well. I agree in the fact there should be some sort of a tutorial for those being acclimated to a new computer system or program. This especially holds true considering that the system currently in place has been for quite some time. Consequently, people in the ticket office may not be as tech-savvy has their younger colleauges. This is the main reason why you have said the system has stayed the way it is now for such a long time, because booster's are from a different era in which computers were not as prevelant. Consequently, the training system which you suggested is a great idea.
Post a Comment