- Maker: Zach Timmons
- Genre: Video Manifesto
- Level: Graduate
- Program: Composition, Rhetoric, and Digital Media
- Course: WRIT 5340: Studies in Multimodality and Digital Media
- Instructor: Dr. Eric Mason
- Semester Created: Fall 2024
Description
In a world where many young adults are caught up in comparing themselves to others, “keeping up with the Jones’s” and focusing on/arguing about certain topics online, this “Touch Some Grass” Campaign/Manifesto encourages people to get off their devices and go outside. The video was filmed vertically to fit most smartphones’ aspect ratio and grab their attention online. Personal searches and screen recordings were used to capture the content, with royalty-free stock audio tracks used in the background to build suspense.
Reflection
Prior to this assignment, I was inspired by a conversation with my brother when he noted that I needed to “get off my phone and go touch some grass”. Many younger people are chronically online, and it shows when they use certain terms in conversation that are typically reserved for internet forums, echo chambers or other similar platforms. It’s easy to get caught up in the 24-hour news cycle, to react negatively to rage-bait that’s intended to get views, or responding to clips/snippets of interviews that go viral for the wrong reasons. The most important thing is knowing when to unplug, go outside and enjoy your life; this manifesto made me check my own social media habits/usage and look in the mirror. After taking his advice and unplugging for a bit, I realized how right my brother was.