Austin,+age+11



__ Interview by Daniel W. Yi __

Austin is a typical 11 years old boy who likes to play games that are somewhat violent and likes to enjoy watching funny kids’ shows on television. He is also an active and outgoing child who likes to get involved in sport activities such as soccer and baseball. His favorite celebrities are sports athletes especially Phillies baseball players. A type of media and technology he likes best is a television. According to him, he spends over 2-3 hours per day on watching television. He knew which shows are popular among kids and he said he watches the cartoon networks the most because there is always something new with episodes. When he used the computer himself, one thing I noticed was that he knew what he is doing. He knew where to go on a website to play games and to watch funny videos online. His comments towards iCarly were “Gibby is awesome, and Spencer rocks”. Interviewing him was a totally new experience for me because I have never done something like this before. This process helped me a lot understanding a child’s perspective towards iCarly show and I think this is one of important components when researching children’s attitudes towards media technology. When we asked what they think of iCarly to the kids, they all had different views and attitudes. For example, Austin seemed not enjoying the show that much compared to Erin and Emma. When I interviewed him about media and technology, I noticed that the most effective tool in interviewing process is asking questions and listening to answers. That way I was able to identify what his thoughts are towards a specific topic.

Austin interview on iCarly & Nick by Mark Robinson

Austin seems like the type of kid that likes to use media technology. He is very comprehensive and shows a lot of interest in learning about new things. Austin is very active in watching TV, he shows a lot of interest in kid shows that have plenty of comedy incorporated in it. Furthermore, Austin when also is very computer literate, he is very active in using the computer. I noticed that Austin basically had no trouble migrating through the internet, and when he open up the Nickelodeon webpage, he exactly where to go and what to do. Austin basically like to use the computer for video games. Austin view on iCarly is neutral, he doesn’t find the show boring but at the same time, he doesn’t have a great deal of interest in the show either. He mainly watches the show when there’s really nothing else on TV. I found that the interview was very helpful for me to understand how children today view iCarly. For example, Austin informed me that the idea of parent not really being around in the show, can be cool only if you have older siblings who can look after you at home. He feels as though parents not being around can give a kid sense of freedom to watch TV, use the internet, and play games all they want. Austin finds it interesting to use different media technologies, and wouldn’t mind learning about it whenever he gets a chance. One thing I noticed about interviewing a kid versus an adult is the fact that the interview process is very straight-forward and more fun to do. Talking about subjects that kids find interesting is one technique that I find the most effective. Furthermore using the internet as a medium to explore want kids watch and find interesting was another effective technique. Just relying on spoken conversation to get kids to openly give their views on media technology was probably one of the least effective techniques.
 * Describe the child's personality in a few brief sentences.
 * Describe what types of media and technology the child likes best.
 * Describe what you noticed when the child used the computer himself or herself.
 * Offer some direct quotes or closely paraphrase the child's key observations, attitudes and opinions about iCarly.
 * Offer your own opinion about how your experience interviewing a child or parent may or may not add insight on our iCarly research project.
 * Children of different ages have unique ways of talking about TV show, websites and videogames. Describe some of the unique characteristics of the way the child talked about media and technology.
 * Reflect on the process of interviewing children and adults about media and technology. What did you notice about the interview process? What techniques were most effective and why? What techniques were least effective and why?

Austin Interview on iCarly and Nickelodeon With Austin, he was someone you could call a “typical” child TV watcher to a degree. He knew all about the latest Nickelodeon TV shows and mentioned that some of his favorite Nickelodeon shows included // Big Time Rush, Avatar// and // Spongebob Squarepants .// He also was a fan of the games that the Nickelodeon website provided, which included a recycling game that involved the show // Big Time Rush .//
 * Describe the child's personality in a few brief sentences.

Austin tended to be well-rounded in his media and technology selections. He enjoyed watching television because of his favorite shows that aired on Nickelodeon (mentioned before). But he was also fond of the Internet because of the fact he could go on the Nickelodeon website and play his favorite games that were available on the site. So he was very versatile with his favorites.
 * Describe what types of media and technology the child likes best.


 * Describe what you noticed when the child used the computer himself or herself.

He was extremely experienced with the website and barely needed any help at all. He knew exactly where to go, what to click on and did not need any help at all. It was completely obvious he was no stranger to the computer and the Internet. “Both can watch it (iCarly), but I prefer more boyish shows. I may watch it if it’s a new episode” “I watch tidbits, only really when there’s nothing else is on” > It would not be beneficial if the child/parent does not have any experience or knowledge of the show. Obviously if they do not have any insight of the show, they cannot offer any assistance to our research.
 * Offer some direct quotes or closely paraphrase the child's key observations, attitudes and opinions about iCarly.
 * Offer your own opinion about how your experience interviewing a child or parent may or may not add insight on our iCarly research project.

>  Austin was very articulate and knew exactly what he wanted to say without stumbling or coming up short without a complete opinion. Since he was the oldest out of the group, he knew how to get his point across and expressed his answers with a lot of clarity. -Blake Neal
 * Children of different ages have unique ways of talking about TV show, websites and videogames. Describe some of the unique characteristics of the way the child talked about media and technology.