Work or Reality (Make up blog)

After watching the movie in class on pornography, it got me thinking what the difference is for these girls between what they do in their lives and what they do in their movies. Some of the things that i saw in that movie that these women were doing was absolutely crazy. Because i dont want this blog to turn X-rated i am not going to use examples to prove my point because i think everyone in class that saw the movie feels the same way. It was crazy to see the demeaning things being done to these women, all for some money. Who is to blame? The 10 billion dollar industry? The women fo allowing themselves to be put in this situation? It really is a tough question. But what i would like to explore more is one of reality versus entertainment. The fear of most people is that people will try to replicate the demeaning acts they see in porn and do it in real life. These events can bring up questions on how a women would react if men were to try and do this to a women who is not a porn star. I believe that most men would not try and do some of the things that they see in these films, but it gets their imagination going and who knows where that could take them. I think most men know the difference between a porn star doing some of the dirty things that they do, and their own life with their own sexual encounters. The more and more crazy porn scenes that are watched though i feel like the more and more opportunities will come about of people trying to replicate these scenes.

Whats Your Name?

You see everywhere around the country the different names of stadiums used for professional and college athletics like Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Florida or Gillette Stadium here in New England. Everywhere you turn the names of stadiums have turned into a company's ideal marketing tactic as well as another way to gain more income. You can see a company like American Airlines, whose industry is struggling, gain a lot more income through having the name on the two arenas. Naming rights have been faught over and bid for for many years. You can see a couple stadiums with the same company as the name of the stadium like the Miami Heat's arena the American Airlines Arena, and the Dallas Mavericks arena the American Airlines Center. The naming of a stadium doesnt have any effect on the play on the field but it is another way for the company's like American Airlines to get their name out there in a different way. Millions of Dollars are spent every year to get the naming rights for a stadium. This medium is just another ay to get the company's name on all the programs and everything inside the stadium so they know whenever a game or event is being played their name will be on the ticket or whatever. Some stadiums are more well known than others which also gives the name on the staium more publicity. When you have a better team and bigger games played there, the more and more people will hear the name. The name of the stadium or arena is just a large, expensive, but good type of marketing used today.

Virtual or Reality?

We talked in class about whether or not video games promote violence for young children. It was said that these violent games such as Call of Duty and other shooting games could have an effect on how young minds think about shooting and killing. What adults and people from different generations that didnt grow up playing xbox or play station dont realize is that these video games are just that; games. These games were meant for entertainment, not promote violence among our youth. People play and buy games because it keeps them entertained and is fun for them. I am not going to go out and buy a game that does not interest me. After I saw the video of the military officer claiming that because they use video games to help train their soldiers for war, and to kill that it is what everyone uses it for. The military already has to be in a mindset that they need to sharpen their reaction time as well as get used to different situations that cannot be replecated in real life so they use video games or virtual reality. When I play games such as Call of Duty it is because i want to move up n levels, try and beat my friend, or just plain have fun. I dont believe these types of games rubs off on kids and their violent behavior. Yes, I'm sure kids in the back yard can take what they see and make fun games out of it but thats with water guns and other toys. As long as they are not equiped with real guns, like the military is, i can see no way that these video games promote violent acts. The articles we read disproves the military officers theory and does not connect virtual reality for young children with violence.

Beamer Benz or Bentley?

In todays society alot has to do with the kind of car you drive. It gives off a message of your social status as well as about how much income you recieve. The type of car you drive is an adults way to show off what they can afford. People tend to generalize about the type of person you are by the kind of car you drive. For instance if a woman is driving a mini-van it is thought that she has young kids and is termed the "soccer mom". Or you have the people who drive around in Mercedes' or Lexus' and it is assumed that they are very wealthy since they can afford this luxury. The type of car you have is definitely a meidum because like a soccer jersey, or the kind of baseball hat you wear, it is a way for a person to express themselves. People dont buy cars just for the use, even though that is one of the main reasons, they also buy it for the look they are trying to achieve. The type of car you buy brings along many stereotypes and other generalizations about you as a person, so it takes alot of thinking about which car you want to buy. There is definitely a difference in a person who drives a mercedes than the one who drives a volvo. It is just the type of people they are and like any other thing it is a way to show who you are. Show your personality, and your preferances.

Tweet Tweet

The evolution of he social network has changed the way our society functions of a whole. Twitter especially has grown popular of people of all ages and all social classes and back grounds. It has grown to be a large medium that many people rely on today. Athletes and celebrities have found the use of twitter as a great way to connect with their fans on a more personal level. Twitter has also led to fines for NFL players as well as spark large controversies in the celebrity world. It has become so popular in the NFL that players are now fined thousands of dollars if they tweet 90 minutes before or after a game. Twitter is also used by music artists and movie stars to help promote their work. Twitter is used by people on an everyday basis to tell their "followers" what they are presently doing or something they found interesting or liked on the internet. It is another way for people to share their thoughts, feelings, or whatever else they want with a mass group of people. I do not have a twitter because I already have a facebook and think the two are basically the same thing but i do like to sometimes look at the twitters from the likes of Chad Ochocinco, and Shaquille O'Neal because they post some funny things. It is also kind of cool to know what these guys do during their days. Twitter has definitely evolutionized our society and has grown to be a strong medium. Included is a link to Chad Ochocinco's twitter.

http://twitter.com/ogochocinco

Turn It Up

The types of music we listen to and like has changed throughout the decades. From the Beatles in the 1960s to Michael Jackson to Jay-Z. The music industry has transformed throughout the years to coincide with the emotions and styles of its listeners. Music is another way people group others and associate the type of person you are with the type of music you listen too. Everyone went through it when they went through middle school / high school. You had the "goths" who listened to heavy medal and were more melo and shady. Then you had the popular kids who listened to all the new music that was being played on the radio. I feel that people like to generalize people by the type of music they listen too. Like when you listen to country music or rap music or alternative it tells you about the person. The people who go to country concerts are alot different type of people then that you would find at a Nickelback concert. Music has been used as a medium to express yourself or the mood you are in. I know when I work out i like to listen to rock music and up beat rap. Yet when i am hanging out in my room relaxing i like to listen to country or dave mathews. Music has been used as a medium to express yourself and your emotions through lyrics and beats. Music is a source of medium that help defines the person you are.

All Tatted Up

Tattoos have always been a way for an individual to use their body as a canvas. Whether it be remembering a friend, family member, or loved one, with a picture or a quote or saying that effects them or represents them in some way. There are alos people who believe tattoos are stupid and dumb to get. Croteau and Hoynes state that “the meaning of tattoos must be constructed by those observing them” (7). The use of tattoos can definitely be seen as a medium as it is used to represent the person it is on. I feel like getting a tattoo was something that became the thing to do when you turned 18 years old. It was the first way a then newly legal adult was able to do something that represented themselves in a drastic way. Throughout the years I have seen some very interesting and different tattoos. From large eagles on a persons back, to chinese symbols representing a saying or quote. I feel like the type of tattoo someone has represents the type of person they are. Say you have a picture of your mother, you can assume this person was a family man and has strong family roots. Now if you take a quote or saying you can see what kind of standards and values a person lives his life by. The tattoo has been used in recent years as a new way to represent yourself on your body. An interesting way to use your body as a canvas. 

The Youtube Phenomenon

The youtube phenomenom is something that has helped shape our society to what it is today. Many people today aspire to be the new "big thing" on youtube. People do crazy things to express themselves to get the most views on their video as possible. The funny thing is you never know what the new big video is going to be. People try to imitate the already famous videos yet dont reach the fame of others. It's the creativity and uniqueness of people that turn the attention of others. Youtube has been used as a medium by society for the last couple of years. People's lived have changed because of youtube. It has brought fame as well as humility to people for the good and bad. Youtube also has served for a type of entertainment as i find myself watching videos all the time. Youtube has also led to things as the new popular dance such as the "dougie" or "stanky leg" that kind of represent our society today. Included is the "dougie" video as well as another video that is pretty popular among our society today also known as "Hide yo kids, hide yo wife". This video has been the most recent youtube phenomenom today. Youtube is most definitely a strong medium as millions of people use it everyday for either a sense of enjoyment, share their own message, or any other creative way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LrypfofIx4&feature=related (Hide yo kids)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnPJmDc0b_M (dougie)

The Hat

The  hat is a form of media that shows the difference of class and social status as well as breaks the barriers of class as it also represents where you are from. Many people, men and women wear hats daily. They where it as a sign of fashion as well as a tool, or medium, to represent something about themself. Whether you wear a flat brim baseball fitted hat from a certain city, or a faded polo hat can tell someone about your style and about yourself as a person. The faded polo hat tells a story of a preppy kid, while the fitted flat brim hat would lean more towards the urban style as well as athletic. I know as being a member on the baseball team you can always find a majority of our players around campus wearing their favorite teams hat or the team of where they are from. Just like a jersey, the hat resembles the team as well as the person who wears it. Depending on the type of hat, or the team you wear, one can distinguish one self from others as well as bring themselves together with other people they usually wouldn't. This is how the hat breaks the barriers of class because people from all different social and economics class can come together to support one team by wearing their hat. The hat tells a lot about a person and can sometimes serve as a form of advertisement as well as representation.

the influence of television

The television has had a strong influence on the way our society and our world is shaped the way it is today. Television has been able to shape and altar our personal thoughts on life with different programs and news outlets that are available twenty-four hours a day. Between the news, sporting events and other television programs the television has turned into an event that most families do together as well as watch during dinner and spend many nights a week watching different programs. The messages that are spread throughout the world on television have affected everything from politics to social identity. The up to date activity of everything that is going on in the world, many people rely on the television to keep them updated as well as to keep them entertained. The television is used as one of the biggest forms of entertainment today. On Sunday afternoons in the fall people come together to gather around televisions to watch football. Without the television popular shows such as American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, Family Guy, wouldn’t be. A lot of shows are created to entertain the audience as well as get a message across. Commercials also take advantage of the television by being able to market their product or service to the masses. I would have to say the television is one of the most influential devices of media that is used today. Whether it is for entertainment purposes or to get news across to the rest of the population. The television is used so much more frequently than people realize it and the effects of it if it were not available would be devastating. I think you don’t realize the importance of something until you don’t have it. I couldn’t imagine doing a media deprivation experiment with the television. It is something I use to keep me occupied as well as entertain me and keep me up to date on what else is going on in the world.

Included is a clip about the importance of television by Walter Cronkite.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQsXBEFtKKg

define media

Professor Li

Define Media

Media is all around us and used in our everyday lives. But what exactly is media? Media is how we communicate in the world today. It has taken a lot of the social interactions in our everyday life and replaced it with new technology. Media which is the plural form of medium can best be described as our source, or hub, of getting information in what is going on in the world today, as well as people’s thoughts and ideas on these subjects. Media can best be described as the mass communication between people from anywhere in the world. What used to take place in face-to-face meetings has now been replaced by emails, phone calls, video messaging and so many other ways. People now get their news from the internet, TV, newspapers. We take for granted how much of an influence media has on our lives daily. What if we didn’t have these things available to us, but that is a whole different topic.

Media has been transformed to a different kind of power then what it used to be. The effects that media such as TV, the internet and written media have are insurmountable in influencing the people around the world today. I believe media is the way people get their messages and thoughts across through items such as the TV or the internet. Take for an example a television commercial, a form of media. But what is actually being said to get the message across is what I think media is. Being able to get your thoughts and ideas across in creative and different ways to make people remember. Media is also the device used to get these messages across. My favorite medium in my life would have to be my cell phone. Something I use daily to talk to people, stay connected with my favorite websites, receive emails, and many other things. Media is a form of technology that is used for the convenience of people to socialize with others as well as generate a lot of interest because it is such an integral part of our lives. Croteau & Hoynes talk about how media is a socializing agent, they go on to say that “Media also affect how we learn about our world and interact with one another. That is, mass media are bound up with the process of social relations.” The affects of media on the way people interact and socialize is so great people don’t realize how much we as a society rely on media to keep us informed and together with everyone else. The media deprivation experiment that we tried the first weekend of class just went to show me how hard it would be to live my life with just one form of media taken out of my life. I only lasted about 3 hours.

Media is the new form of socializing in today’s world. It has also had its effect on everything that goes on in the world from politics to sports or business to amusement. How have different entities grown and prospered or gone down in flames because of media? It is a question that would take a lifetime to explain its effects. Media has turned heroes into villains in an instant like Tiger Woods. It has the effect to tear a life apart, or build one from nothing with a simple article on a website, or a post on a social media network like Twitter. Media is the act of getting a message across with the means of technology we now have available to us. It has changed the way people live and act in today’s society. “Americans have about & hours of “leisure” time per day, and about two-thirds of that time – more than 4 ½ hours – is spent with mass media” (Croteau & Hoynes). It just goes to show how much media can consume people without you realizing it. What is media? It is the messages and the ideas and the way we do it to connect to people in our lives as well as outside of them.