Pedro, 12
Media Consumption: Hulu, everyday, YouTube 1x a week, Xbox every Weekend (8hours), YouTube on iPhone during car rides, 2 hours a week, Alexa listening to music every day, Laptop for school everyday, and Apple Watch for messaging, everyday.
Favorite Media/Technology: Xbox (Apex and Fortnite games), because you get to play with friends and it’s fun.
How do you and your family interact with media/technology?
We interact through texting. I text my family when something happens like, I text my mom when I’m coming home and we also watch movies and TV shows together.
How do you and your peers interact with media/technology?
We text each other about stuff that happens in school and funny things like memes. We chat and play [video games] together.
What do you use media for?
I use media for video games , soccer, questions I want to be answered, funny memes, roasts, crazy expensive things online that I like to look at, to see what video games are the best, I text my friends to see if they can play outside, to see what they are doing and if they want to play xbox, I see the weather
What is your favorite/least favorite thing about media/technology?
My favorite thing about media is the variety to it, the internet gives a lot of options and you can do a lot of things on it and at once too. My least favorite thing are the cyberbullies on the Internet, when I go to the YouTube video comments I see cyberbullies making mean comments.
What is one thing you want the people who create the media you like to watch/play/interact with to know?
Stop doing 3 minute sponsors in the beginning, announcing sponsors on YouTube and stop finding ways to place ads in the middle of videos, too many ads. Don’t do not necessary talking in video games, the people talk all about their lives. Do a reset for video games to reset it for season 1. Instead of updating the game they create a new version which cost like 100$.
What media are you using more now because of the COVID-19 pandemic?
It’s back to the same now, during quarantine it was different. I was watching a lot more YouTube during Zoom meetings, which I got in trouble for while doing online school during pandemic.
Where do you get most of your information to learn more about changes during the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., news, internet, parents, etc.)?
My parents give me info about the COVID-19 pandemic.
What media has been helping you stay busy/stay calm during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Memes help me stay calm because they make me laugh, video games help me focus on something else.
What lessons have you learned from the COVID-19 pandemic?
Toilet paper is precious, and that people on the internet lie. My dad was watching the news and people were saying how the pandemic is government planned.
Have you learned anything about how you use media and technology because of the COVID-19 pandemic?
I use media a lot, because I resort to it when I’m bored, I like one genre of entertainment, which is comedy and action adventure, and on YouTube just comedy.
Interviewed by: Paloma Pfeiffer, UCLA Student
Yue, 5
Media Consumption: Every day
Favorite Media: Paw Patrol/Peppa Pig/Patty Shukla Kids TV
How do you and your family interact with media/technology?
When Yue was two years old, she liked dancing with Patty Shukla on YouTube. Since she was 3 years old, Yue started to watch cartoons such as Peppa Pig. Currently, her favorite TV show is Paw Patrol.
How do you and your peers interact with media/technology?
Because of COVID, Yue and her school had to use video meetings for online classes. For the past two years, Yue has been using Voov Meeting and DingTalk to take lessons from pre-school and practice dance with teachers.
What do you use media for?
Yue mostly uses media for learning and entertainment. For one, due to COVID, Yue took advantage of media to take classes with her classmates and teachers from pre-school. For another, she also uses media to watch cartoons. This also helps her to learn English.
What is your favorite/least favorite thing about media/technology?
Yue said her favorite thing about media is that she can watch the stories of dogs in Paw Patrol. Her least favorite thing about media is that her mom turns it off after 1 hour.
What is one thing you want the people who create the media you like to watch/play/interact with to know?
To make each episode of cartoons longer so that others will not notice how many episodes have passed.
What media are you using more now because of the COVID-19 pandemic?
Yue started to use Voov Meeting, Zoom, and Dingtalk more often as tools to have video meetings with her class. She uses WeChat and Zoom as a form of communication with friends and teachers, chatting online with play dates and taking dance classes when school was closed.
Where do you get most of your information to learn more about changes during the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., news, internet, parents, etc.)?
Yue gets most of the information about COVID-19 from her parents.
What media has been helping you stay busy/stay calm during the COVID-19 pandemic?
As a 5-year-old girl, Yue does not understand much about the anxiety and frustration people have regarding COVID-19. She is busy with the activities that school and her parents have planned for her. She took online lessons when the school was closed, and she was occupied with YouTube Kids and Disney movies at home when there were lockdowns. She also does crafts with online tutorials, such as making puzzles or doing paper folds.
What lessons have you learned from the COVID-19 pandemic?
It is important to stay healthy and follow the rules (such as wearing masks and maintaining social distancing).
Have you learned anything about how you use media and technology because of the COVID-19 pandemic?
Yue thinks media brings convenience to people. She thinks it is amazing that she can communicate with others through video even though they are physically apart. Yue also feels that she had learned new knowledge because of media, such as sharing.
Interviewed by: Annie Qingyang Li, UCLA Student
Ruvim, 9
Media Consumption: Daily
Favorite Media/Technology: Popular Science YouTube Channel by Mark Rober
How do you and your family interact with media/technology?
I have my own phone, but I still share it with my little brothers. I also have an iPad, but mom and dad sometimes use it too. We have a TV that everybody shares when we watch movies together. I like to choose what we watch but I also don’t mind watching what my younger brothers want to watch. My favorite activity though is to hike, like going on adventures, and I would rather spend a day in nature with my family than be on my phone. I believe I spend most of the time outside and only a little using technology.
How do you and your peers interact with media/technology?
We are not allowed to bring phones to school, so we usually play active games, like basketball or soccer during recess. Sometimes, I just walk. I don’t have any social media, so I talk to my friends when I see them everyday at school. I know that some of my classmates use Snapchat when not at school.
What do you use media for?
I use computer and Xbox to play games with my brothers and sometimes with dad. I also use my iPad or my phone to take photos. I really like taking pictures because it helps me remember what I was doing. I take pictures of anything: my home, nature, my brothers, my mom, and dad.
What is your favorite/least favorite thing about media/technology?
I sometimes get bored with it and I’d rather spend time outside, playing with my friends or brothers. I also don’t like it that you have to charge technology a lot.
What is one thing you want the people who create the media you like to watch/play/interact with to know?
I like it when you can learn from videos. I think people who create videos like that are cool. There is this YouTuber that I like to watch because he is an engineer, and he does really fun science experiments. His name is Mark Rober. I even tried some of the things that he showed in his videos.
How are you using media during COVID-19 pandemic?
I used to have to be on Zoom for my classes and I didn’t like it. The only thing that I liked about it was that I could get up anytime I wanted and walk around the room if I was tired of sitting.
Interviewed by: Lia Gugava, UCLA Student
Adam, 5
Media Consumption: About 3.5 hours a day
Favorite Media/Technology: YouTube on his iPad
How do you and your family interact with media/technology?
I have my own iPad, and Jasmine (his sister) has her own. This is mine. I like YouTube and I watch stories about Red Riding Hood and play games. This is my game on Fortnite.
How do you and your peers interact with media/technology?
I like to play Fortnite with my friends and my cousins. Sometimes I play soccer on the Xbox when my friends come to my house.
What do you use media for?
I like watching stories on YouTube and hearing the songs. I also really like to go on the Instagram and look at pictures.
What is your favorite/least favorite thing about media/technology?
I love YouTube and Fortnite and Instagram because they’re really fun. I don’t like it when I have to share my iPad with Yasmeen because she didn’t charger hers.
Interview By: Rema Khalifah, UCLA 4th Year Student
Aiyana, 3
Media Consumption: 2 hours per day
Favorite Media/Technology: YouTube on her iPad
How do you and your family interact with media/technology?
My grandpa bought me this iPad that I love and Grandma lets me watch it while I eat breakfast. Sometimes Daddy lets me watch YouTube before I sleep, too.
How do you and your peers interact with media/technology?
I FaceTime my cousins when I miss them. When I can’t see my cousins, I can call them!
What do you use media for?
I love to watch YouTube and see Wendy and Jannie. They have so many toys. I love them.
What is your favorite/least favorite thing about media/technology?
I don’t like when I have to wait to press ‘the thing’ [Skip ad button on YouTube].
What is one thing you want the people who create the media you like to watch/play/interact with to know?
I want to tell them thank you for letting me spend time with my friends on YouTube. Oh, tell them too that I love watching girls like me sing!
What media are you using more now because of the coronavirus (COVID- 19)?
YouTube. And Grandma bought me ABC Mouse, but I only play that with Grandma.
Where do you get most of your information to learn more about the coronavirus (e.g., news, internet, parents, etc.)?
Grandma is scared of Coronavirus. We can’t touch anything because the germs, remember? And you can’t take your mask off! I have a pink mask with kitties on it. It’s so cute.
What lessons have you learned from COVID-19?
Coronavirus says you have to stay inside. I play outside in the backyard, but we can’t go to the park.
Have you learned anything about how you use media and technology because of COVID-19? I can only play on the iPad when someone lets me, but we play outside more now.
Interviewed by: Danielle Rivas, UCLA 4 th Year Student
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