Media and Society
February 2012
Part one - Q's &
A's
I interviewed my
grandmother today to find out the advancements of technology in media from her
childhood to this present day. I was
completely shocked to find out some of the things I did about her disadvantages
growing up. There were a series of
questions I asked her, even though our conversation could have went on for
years, I was able to capture the major points concerning her media experiences. It was quite interesting to learn things
about my family that I have never known before today. Below are the questions that were asked;
Name of interviewee:
Maria Galati
Age or Birth-year: June
9, 1930
Birth Place: Santo
Stefano Di Camastra
Relation to me:
Grandmother
Date interviewed:
2/03/2012
Place interviewed: her
home and my home via phone
1. Can you describe
your childhood and the popular media that you and your family used?
During this time
period, my grandma didn't have television.
However, she lived in such a small town that the people who did have
television; would put them out on their balconies to share with nearby
neighbors in town. Everyone in town
would gather to watch the news updates for the war that was going on during my
grandma's childhood days. The local
newspaper was another way she was able to be connected to the news and war
updates.
2. What is your
earliest memory of television?
By the time the war was
over and things began to settle, this was when many civilians of Sicily began
to purchase televisions. My grandma
remembers watching television for her first time on her own family's television
when she was at the age of ten. She said
this was a very exciting moment shared amongst her home.
3. What was the
telephone like when you were growing up?
What was it like to have a "party line"?
People in the town of
Santo Stefano did not have phones in their homes, however, school facilities
had them. My grandma doesn't remember
her family ever having a phone. She explained
that since she was the youngest, her family waited for her to turn seventeen so
they can all move to America to get away from the dangerous living situations
from the war. During this time of
waiting, they never purchased a phone.
There were many occasions where my grandma's family had to hide in barns
so they wouldn't get killed.
4. Can you share an
experience of going to the movie theatre?
When I asked my
grandmother this question, she grew very interested in this interview because
all she ever thought about was how scary and hard it was to hide away from the
war, that she had forgotten all of the good times she had with all of her
friends. There were no malls in town, so
when my grandmother wanted to go out with her friends and dress nice, she would
have to go to the shop and buy material to make her own clothes. My grandmother was only nine and had no
experience with sewing. However, the
material shops would teach the customers how to sew and create their own
clothing. After doing so, all of my
grandmother's friends including herself, would make themselves pretty dresses
and all go to the movies together. At
the movie theatre, it was of course a black and white film and it was also a
silent film. Sound and color was not yet
invented at this time. This was my
grandmother's favorite thing to do with her friends.
5. Did you and your
parents know who to support in political elections?
During the times she
can remember, Mussolini was president.
She remembers civilians chanting “Viva Duchi!” To get publicity, presidents or political
people would give presentations on balconies that overlooked the town. Another way she remembers they would get
publicity was the newspapers.
6. What forms of
communication were present at school when you were a student?
Technology was not
quite developed during this time.
Schools had telephones in their buildings; however, people’s homes did
not. My grandmother went to a catholic
Italian school, where the teachers were nuns.
My grandmother’s family was considered middle class. She remembers a small memory from grade
school, when every time she walked to school she would smell a delicious scent,
but was not allowed to eat the food to which the smell was coming from because
it was only for the poor.
7. Do you remember what
advertising and commercials were like when you were growing up? What products were sold? What messages or slogans do you remember?
Things have changed dramatically since your youth. What new forms of media have you adopted?
(the internet, cell phone, hand-held devices)
My grandmother was from
Northern Italy where technology levels were far lower than in Sicily or other
areas. They had no telephones, washers,
dryers, stoves, or cellphones during her childhood. There were some big signs, but she does not
remember much. She never seen a
commercial because the only time she watched TV was on the balconies of
neighbors houses, just to get updates on the war. She still has not ever used a computer, or
the internet. She had a cellphone for a
week, but quickly gave it up when she realized it was too confusing for her to
become familiar with. She loves to
listen to the radio and watch television on her new flat screen HDTV.
Part two - Reflection
Times have definitely
changed since my grandmother’s time to today.
She went from basically having no electronics to having nearly
everything electronic in her home. When
it comes to the advancements of education, my grandmother can now watch shows
on TV to learn how to basically do anything, such as knit, cook, or draw. The political advancements that have made
drastic changes in her life would definitely be news channels, recorded
speeches, and even movies. Most
importantly, the economic growth from 1930 to this present day has led my
grandmother to open bank accounts and insurance policies and much more. This interview really made me appreciate what
I have in life. I have it so easy
compared to my grandmother’s past childhood.
She had to dodge hidden underground bombs to save her from stepping on
them. Living through the times of the
war with no protection seemed to be for more stressful than anything I ever had
to experience. However, on a better
note, she did say she loves that TV’s are now in color. She also stated that making long distanced
calls is much easier now, and much more inexpensive also, easier communicated.
The world is constantly
evolving into something more technical and advanced. I wonder what it will be like for me to give
this interview when I am eighty-two years old.
