Sarah & Serena (Fraternal Twins), 11

Media Consumption: About 3-5 hours a day

Favorite Media/Technology: Roblox, YouTube, Gacha Life

How do you and your family interact with media/technology?

Sarah: One time, our mom was trying to go to a Zoom meeting, so we had to help her because she didn’t know how to join the meeting and we had technology experience from school. When our parents are at work, we sometimes text them through Google Hangouts, and they sometimes check in on us and tell us when they are coming home or when they want us to prepare things for lunch. We’ve also been watching a lot of movies recently together as a family.

Serena: We mainly tell our parents the shortcuts, like how to fast forward without using the mouse or how to spell words. Sometimes, I forget how to print the paper, so Dad will come and help me print it out. We talk to our parents using Google Hangouts and watch movies and trailers together a lot. I use Google Translate with my Mom to help me figure out Chinese words.

How do you and your peers interact with media/technology?

Sarah: So, in Roblox you can friend each other, text each other, and join their games. I can also talk to my friends through Google Hangouts.

Serena: Before we used Gmail, Google Docs, or Google Slides and shared it with our friends to chat. But now because of COVID, we use Roblox and Google Hangouts.

What do you use media for?

Sarah: For the laptop, I use it for Google Meets and Google Hangouts. For Mom and Dad’s phone, sometimes we play games and sometimes I help them send messages. For the iPad, I play Roblox, an app where you can invite your friends and play a variety of games. I also watch YouTube and play Gacha Life, a game where you can create your own characters.

Serena: I mainly use media to play Roblox or create Gacha Life characters. Roblox has a lot of games that you can play and talk to your friends. I also use Google Translate, watch YouTube, make presentations about my favorite animal, and use Canva to design my own projects.

What is your favorite/least favorite thing about media/technology?

Sarah: My favorite thing about technology is that you get to play with your friends and you also get to play games and text your friends. My least favorite thing is that it can sometimes get addicting, because sometimes if you are really texting your friends, you might lose track of time. And also, when you’re playing games, it can be really fun and you don’t want to stop playing.

Serena: My favorite thing is probably that you can almost do anything for technology, because you can search up projects or you can play games. My least favorite thing is the blue light that harms your eyes. Sometimes when I play too long, I can feel it. Also, technology can be addicting sometimes because some people get too into it. Like, they are talking to their friends all the time, or doing vlogs and making new stuff and experiments each day, so they could start thinking that it is their life now.

What is one thing you want the people who create the media you like to watch/play/interact with to know?

Sarah: For Roblox, sometimes the games are really glitchy, maybe because too many people are playing it, so maybe they should limit the number of people who can play it at the same time. For Gacha Life, maybe they can add more outfits because they are getting kind of boring.

Serena: In Roblox, some of the games that people make have these bugs, so it glitches and has some problems. Maybe try to fix that if it is an app problem.

What media are you using more now because of the coronavirus (COVID-19)?

Sarah: I use Google Meets and Zoom to attend class, Varsity Tutors for summer camp courses, and Google Hangouts to get in touch with our friends.

Serena: ​Roblox and Google Hangouts. We even downloaded Google Hangouts onto the iPad.

Where do you get most of your information to learn more about the coronavirus (e.g., news, internet, parents, etc.)?

Sarah: I mostly hear about the coronavirus from my parents who read it from Yahoo news, mainly through their phone and computer.

Serena: Dad always looks at the news from Yahoo and talks about it.

What media has been helping you stay busy/stay calm during this difficult time?

Sarah: I use Google Hangouts because I can text my friends whenever I’m bored.

Serena: Well, we have summer camps online, so that keeps me busy. I also talk to my friends and parents on Google Hangouts and play with my friends on Roblox.

What lessons have you learned from COVID-19?

Sarah: Viruses spread more quickly than you think. Trump didn’t really care about the virus until it actually happened. It took him a long time before he finally took action, while Taiwan told everyone to wear masks pretty fast, and this helped a lot.

Serena: Stay safe. It is always better to be over prepared than under-prepared. Taiwan handles the virus really well. If coronavirus cases are going down, they shouldn’t open stores right away, but instead wait a while to be safe.

Have you learned anything about how you use media and technology because of COVID- 19?

Sarah: I think I play Roblox a bit more, maybe because it is also summer. Ever since online school started, I think they gave us less homework. I also think my eyesight got worse because I used more technology since I was bored and didn’t know what to do. Sometimes I forget to wear my blue light glasses, so I should probably wear them more.

Serena: I am using technology a lot and not really spending time outside of technology. I use it in my everyday life a lot, like using tuner apps to tune my instruments. It’s always there, and when I’m playing games – which I do a lot now – I lose track of time.

Interviewed by: Lauren Huang, UCLA 3rd Year Student