Monk

Work Title: Monk
Medium: TV Episode
Episode Title: Mr. Monk and the Bad Girlfriend
Year: 2007
Writer(s): Joe Toplyn
"Original" Writer: Yes Own work?: No

Summary:

from wikipedia.org. Monk's friendship with Captain Stottlemeyer is put to the test when Monk suspects the captain's girlfriend of murder.

  • Self-Written?:
  • Source Name: Wikipedia
  • Source URL:

Era/Year of Portrayal: present_day

Distinctive characteristics of the world in portrayal:

present day 2007.


Technology

  • Name of portrayed presence-evoking technology: Web Cam/Wireless Internet
  • Description of the technology: Captain Stottlemeyer and his girlfriend, Linda, communicate via web cam, on their virtual dates. Each has a home computer equipped with a camera and microphone, allowing the other to experience the mediated presence of the other through technology. The user interacts with the other person as if he/she was there, communication is not delayed. The quality is good - not excellent. It is clear the person is on a camera, the picture is not top quality.
  • Nature of task or activity: Conversation, interaction, dating.
  • Performance of the Technology: Works extremely well.
  • Description of creator(s): unknown.
  • Major goal(s) of creator(s): presumably to enable visual communication despite distance.
  • Description of users of technology: Linda is a woman in her 40s or 50s, white, attractive, intelligent. The Captain is 51 years old, white, attractive. She is a real estate agent and a murderer, he is a Police Captain.
  • Type(s) of presence experience in the portrayal: social_presence
  • Description of presence experience: It is enjoyable - the two are able to communicate and have 'dates' even though they live far from another and have very busy schedules. This also provides Linda with an alibi when she murders someone, so it is very useful.
  • User awareness of technology during experience: yes.
  • Valence of experience: enjoy it.
  • Specific responses: enjoyment, involvement, intense parasocial relationships, fulfillment, pleasure.
Long-term consequences:

Monk determines that Linda that when Linda was communicating via web cam, she was not truly in her bedroom, but in a replica room in a moving truck. She was using the web cam to establish an alibi. Alas, she truly did commit murder, so she is arrested and she and the Captain break up.

Other:

Coder name: Amanda Scheiner
Coder email: amandags@temple.edu
Coder affiliation: Temple University