Mary Parrish's review of Fable
Date last edited: 11-22-2024 at 03:07PM
Rating: Everyone 10+
Review:
Review an App
Title: Fable
Developer: Fable Group Inc.
Genre: Find, Discuss, and organize books
My rating: 4 stars
Primary audience: 12+
Version: 196
Platform: IOS
Cost: Free (In-App Purchases)
Fable is an app designed to find, discuss, and track books and TV shows. On this app, you can set reading goals, create lists of shows you want to watch or books you want to read, write media reviews, and connect with other users in online book or TV clubs. There are many functions to this app that set it apart from its competitors. Still, the purpose of this review is to discover the value of such an app and to see if it is more accessible and functional than other apps such as Goodreads or Letterbox.
1st Media Key: Balance
“In essence, balance is about us. It’s about our attitude towards media, and our approach to technology. It serves as the foundation for all the other keys because it’s the most fundamental mindset we need to cultivate in order to use media wisely.” (Gan, 21) The first media key of balance sets the tone for all of our media consumption, with its help, we can identify our own struggles with media consumption and create healthy boundaries with our media. Allowing us to not become dependent upon it for our emotional well-being. The purpose of the Fable app is to connect book lovers or TV show enjoyers and give them a space where they can discuss and share their opinions about the things they are enjoying or even hating. The goal of the app is not to grab the attention of its users for hours on end so they can spend endless time scrolling through minute videos. I think that the reading aspect of this app really encourages its users to spend more time off of it than on it. They can add reading goals, update their progress, and share their thoughts, which in turn encourages them to read more. The app also has personalized recommendations that help its users to find other books or shows that they may enjoy.
2nd Media Key: Attitude Awareness
The second media key of Attitude awareness helps us to be mindful of the media that we consume and builds upon the last key. Helping us to cultivate a healthy mindset when it comes to media. “It keeps us on our guard, helping us to maintain a critical perspective about the messages coming at us through the media.” (Gan, 37) With an app like Fable, it is important to look at it with a critical eye, especially since one of the features of the app is the ability to review other types of media, especially TV shows. Fable can be a tool that helps us choose to find a show and approach it with the right mindset, but we need to be cautious because not everyone using the app has the same standards as us and might live things out of the review that is critical to our viewing of the show.
3rd Media Key: The Dignity of the Human Person
“All media should reflect, uphold, and enhance human dignity.” (Gan, 51) This is what sets us apart from technology, from the artificial intelligence that is used in almost everything. Our inherent dignity and worth that is inseparable from the human person. Whether they are standing right in front of you or you are communicating with them through a screen. Because of this, all apps that are used to connect others should have strict guidelines that help to safeguard the dignity of the person and promote kindness. The Fable app has a strict community policy, that says “Be Kind and uplifting, Be authentic but respectful, Keep it PG-13, give more than you take, everyone belongs here and zero tolerance for harassment.” (Fable.co) This means that everyone who downloads this app and creates an account must agree to adhere to this policy or risk getting banned from the app for any reported violation.
4th Media Key: Truth-Filled
“When we use media when we enter online communities and virtual worlds, we mustn’t leave the truth behind.” (Gan, 68) Without truth there is no firm foundation, thus it is important for all media users to be aware of the truth and to be fully authentic and truthful in their actions. But how can an app be truth-filled? Especially one that allows users to share their opinion on certain things all of which can be true in their own way. An app like Fable can be truth-filled by staying true to doing what it says it will do. For Fable that means that it should always be a place where people can go to find recommendations, share their opinions, and connect with others who enjoy the same things they enjoy. It means that it should always stay true to being a “Welcome home to all bookworms and binge-watchers.” (Fable.co)
5th Media Key: Inspiring
The fifth media key states that all good media “inspires us to the good.” (Gan, 84) It should spark within us a desire to share in the true the good and the beautiful. One could argue that the purpose of the Fable app is to inspire others, to inspire others to share their love for a book or show, to write creative reviews, and to make beautiful posts that inspire others to share in their joy.
6th Media Key: Skillfully Developed
“Our media-saturated environment has made most of us critics already, telling us what makes for well-made, well-designed media and brings us into an encounter with skillfully developed media virtually every day.” (Gan, 100-101) There are many apps in the world, and Fable has many well-known competitors such as Goodreads for book lovers or Letterbox for TV show enjoyers. So in order to stand out in this market Fable would have to do something that sets it apart from these well-known competitors. In its competition with Goodreads, many already say that Fable is a much more skillfully developed app that is more modern and has more features that allow readers to track their progress and organize their reading. For example, Fable keeps track of your reading statistics and at the end of the year complies with a report on all of the pages you’ve read, your average rating, the length of time it took you to read a book and so many others. This sets it apart and makes it the more skillfully developed app that is always looking for ways to improve to enrich their users experience.
7th Media Key: Motivated by and Relevant to Experience
Thus we come to the last media key “All media should be motivated by and relevant to experience.” (Gan, 116) All media should connect us, and add value to our lives. Uniting us under a common good that moves us forward even if it is indirectly. The Fable app was created by book lovers and TV show enjoyers who felt disconnected and wanted a way to share what they loved with others. They wanted to provide them with a skillfully developed and easy-to-use app that allowed them all to share in their common experience. Therefore, one could say that the app was created to share their relevant experience with others.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Fable app was created for those who enjoy reading books and watching as a way for them to connect and share their common interests, whether that be books or TV shows, and gives them a space to express themselves. With its many advanced features, Fable outshines its competitors by offering a much more diverse list of applications that enrich their users' experience. Thus it is a very well-made app that can be used to promote goodness and understanding.
Seven Keys:
Balanced:
Attitude:
Personal:
Truth-filled:
Inspired:
Skillfully Made:
Experienced:
Overall Rating: 28/35
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