Final thoughts

Wow, five weeks have gone by already! Crazy how the older you get the faster time goes bye. I must say I enjoyed our blog disscussions and everyone had great topics to talk about where everyone could relate or comment. I have learned a lot about media through this journey of blogs, discussions, screenings, readings and papers. I also thought of obvious things that I never really thought about before or paid any attention too. Like stereotyping in the media, how selfish people have come with technology uses, the dependency our generations has towards all media mediums and the psychological power the media has on its audiences. Not only did I learn from this class i learned from all my classmates as well, their thoughts, opinions and  comments opened my eyes a little more to all of this mass media stuff. I also liked the movie The Age of Stupid so much I sent it to some friends who watched it as well, just spreading the wealth. Its interesting how many aspects of media their are and how many elements go into it. I never new how huge of a topic media really is, this class along with another online class I took has gotten me that much more interested in media studies. Hopefully this can lead me in a direction?... Peace All

Camera Crazy

Its amazing how big Facebook has gotten, (an issue we have all talked about frequently in our blogs) However, would Facebook be as interesting and used if people didn't take pictures. Everywhere i go girls and guys are snapping photos to not only hold the memories or load them on Facebook for every to see and comment. This nice couple at work who are regulars, wanted me to be in a picture with them the last thing they said was, "find us one Facebook you can comment the pic!" I am on FB but how did they know? they assumed. It seems people are taking pictures only for the purpose of posting them online to flaunt and show people the night they had or the outfits they wore. I mean don't get me wrong, i definitely  frequently load pictures on FB I am guilty of this, I just think its crazy how we have all become so obsessed with picture taking, due to FB. However, cameras do add a hugeeeee factor to the media today. Pictures are everywhere and I mean everywhere, TV, all over the internet, billboards, trucks, cars, buses, stores, magazines everything has pictures, it captures life and puts it on things for people to see. Pictures help the media out in multiple ways, where would advertising be without them? Its amazing how easy it is for people to take pics and upload onto the computer. All in all pictures are an asset to the media world.

Impression Management

I was reading about impression management earlier today and it was creepy to realize and understand how so many people online, which is millions of people have online accounts to many different social networking sites and others. With impression management you can create who you want you to be. You perceive your concept of self and  how people present themselves to others. This brings me to the idea of online dating, its becoming such a popular method of romantic realtionship finding, i'm surprised their hasn't been more rape stories and killing stories due to online dating. (a good thing don't get me wrong) but with all the creeps out their, how easy is it for them to make an account, make a profile upload some random pictures  of someone they want to be and start a relationship with an unsuspecting desperate possible mate. Its scary to think about. I mean any of us could  do it, its that easy. Computer mediated communication allows you make your own impressions, identity that you probably wouldn't be able to play out in real life, then you have the freedom to experiment and control who you can and cant talk to. I think about it, and how many people are in CMC relationships with people who want to kill them. Yikes!! i also dont really agree with the fact that you can find somebody through internet usage and meet in real life and get married, obviously people lack f2f communication skills and then their meeting in real life to be able to be compadable? However, i could see how two socially awkward people could just be breaking the ice through online....i don't know i'm just rambling.

Radio,eh not so much!

What is up with the radio these days? I don't know you about you guys but I cant listen to it, ever. Not only do I find most radio talk shows, boring as I get sick of listening to the same voice over and over, but it's also like listening to the same CD over and over again. They don;t seem to get the newest hits right away and they play oldies over and over again, so annoying! I will be on the highway, and click through my 5 programmed radio stations, click through each one, then I plug in my Ipod, right away. I don't even know why  I bother with the stations. Maybe all this new "at your command and pleasure" technologies that the world has come up with alters my perspective of the radio. Media has changed drastically since we all were kids, like i'm not going to lie I remember a time where the radio was cool. Or my opinion on this could contribute to my age, the radio is however an appropriate place for kids to listen to edited music and not hear all the swear words in America, even the talk show hosts don't  swear which is good. My mom has the radio on in our house all the time (not a station I would pick if I had too) and i literally know all the words to the songs because they play the same damn thing over and over again. They also have all the same, contest like "Guess that artist" or "What movie is this" so my point, is the radio media is getting pretty stale these days.

Rude !

I waitress as a summer job, and I enjoy the face to face communication and interactions with the pubic. I like hearing peoples random stories and inputs and giving people information about the island in which I live. I typically go around my job with a perky attitude and manors manors manors.  HOWEVER, some people in this world don't have a manor in them. It is amazing to me, to experience rude people who give a crap less about a server. Today for example this man and his wife came in, right as I walked up the table he rudly spits out the order at me, not even looking at my me! He didn't let me greet them, tell them the specials or ask them if they wanted drinks or coffee, This throws off my routine so I politely said, "I'm sorry Sr, let me grab you the juices and coffee first, then I quickly grab your order. He just sits their in silence, as his wife starts asking me these ridiculous questions, like, " Can I have your decaf tea, but is is fake decaf tea or real decaf tea" I said "Well mam, it says decaffeinated herbal mint tea on the box" the man  rudely intertups saying "Go get the package and let us see four ourselves" (hes lucky my boss had her day off, she loves rude people) I was appalled at his rude manor ism. it was disgusting that people can be so rude to others especially a server, he treated me as if I was his slave. The fact people in this generation can treat others with such disrespect, makes me think about how much communication between people has been altered and failed. I also wait on tons and tons of children who also have NO manors, they grab the juice out of my hand, say "i don't want this anymore" and push a plate at me, " i want milk" no please no thank yous, as the parents just sit their. Its just so sad, parenting is lacking these days. Manors are so important when communication with strangers and especially wile in a restaurant enviorment.

True Life/Intervention

Digital media does a good job of showing every possible situation, sexual acts, animal life story's, teen mom story's, drug addict story's, reality tv, gossip, celebrities, documentaries on everybody, you name it the tube has it. Channels like National Geographic, TLC, A&E and MTV have many documented shows about real life people living with challenges they are trying to overcome. MTV in particular is one of them, and i'm sure were all aware of the show Intervention and True Life. These shows have many episodes of people doing drugs, they show this act right on live Television and not past any certain late night time. Kids of all ages can watch this if they are not being monitored by parents. They literary show the people in these shows doing the drugs, dope, coke, alcohol, heroin you name it, they show the methods they use, how they use it and then they show them being high afterwards. This is not very educational for younger kids who obtain this kind of information at such a young age. The shows don't even have a moral at the end, some of the people don't even get better, they just exploit their drug problem on TV. But lets face it that's what our viewers want to see.  Its disturbing that these kinds of things are what interests people, and we all like watching the unknown or bad things. Why is that! Anyways i find shows like this to be pointless as well as disturbing, it shouldn't be on the air for kids or teens to watch, it teaches you how drugs are used and how "normal" it almost is that so many people choose to use. Oh Digital Media what will you come out with next?

Cyber-sex

I was reading an article about cybersex and how it’s considered as a form of adultery these days. I was reading this article because it’s a subject that was brought up in another online course which I am currently enrolled in. We were disusing in a discussion board if we think cybersex is a form of adultery. The girls in my group posted that they do not feel that “CMC” (computer mediated communication) cybersex and sexting via cell phones is considered cheating. They said they would not terminate any kind of romantic relationship if they found out their significant other was doing this, however they would tell them to stop and if they didn’t then they would. My opinion stood out from theirs because I believe cybersex or sexting through cell phones IS a form of adultery. I’m sorry, but if my boyfriend is sexting or cybersexing (however you call it) another girl sending and receiving dirty photos and using intimate language back and forth I would NOT be ok with this. Even though this is not physically being done, there is still an emotional bond between the two participants of this act. They are expressing sexual interests and that’s a personal, intimate thing that you do only with your significant other. I mean, wouldn’t he or she be hiding this act, yes, so why are they hiding it? Because it’s WRONG! Cybersex is so common these days it can even become an addiction. I think the sex through the net is a real life encounter even though not physically. It takes two to tango, and your real life talking back and forth obviously hiding these CMC and cellphone relationships, then how is this not a form of cheet? I just don’t see how anybody would think this is not a form of cheating if you have a significant other.  This is the article I was reading, http://www.netaddiction.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=84%3Acheating&catid=42%3Arecovery-resources&Itemid=85 and I can completely agree with it, hands down. Now I’m not one to judge so I hope I didn’t offend anybody but I would love to hear you guy’s opinions on this, if you agree or disagree. Interesting topic