Trekkies continued....

My first reaction to this video was that these people were just absolutely out of the ordinary and it was just a ridiculous idea to me that people would waste their time and money on this interest for Star Trek. But the more we talked about fandom and the validation for it, I guess that I could see some positive things coming from the Trekkie group. The two functions we talked about were Identity and Community. So many of these fans identified themselves through Star Trek. There was one guy who even changed his name to one of the commanders because he felt that he would be happier if he was associated with the particular Star Trek character. The dentist shows us an example of community. The dentist wanted to have people be able to come to his office and experience the community of Star Trek. He and his family not only wanted to be a part of the Star Trek community and bring others into it, but they identified themselves through it as well, wearing attire and such outside of work as well. The idea of people dressing up as Star Trek characters and going to conventions all over the world is a crazy and a new idea to me, but I do accept that this is a group that effects our media and the way that we view industrialization and modernization. We all have different interests and belong to different affinity groups, I just think that sometimes letting TV shows and media consume our lives, withholds us from seeing the important issues of the world sometimes…which may be just what these Trekkies are doing…kind of forming their own little society and group, trying to avoid some important and perhaps, emotional issues within society?

Trekkies

This video just put me in a state of amazement. I didn’t even know that such groups such as the Trekkies existed. When we started talking about pathological loners and hysterical crowds, the first thing that came to my mind were just crazy people who were obsessive fans and crowds that are obsessed with different celebrities and bands etc. When I thought of hysterical crowd, I had a flash back to memories of when the Backstreet Boys and N’sync were huge and girls would mob them crying and screaming when they were on talk shows or in concert. But, the Trekkies gave me a whole new perspective on this idea of fandom. I definitely saw many pathological loners throughout the movie. The first obsessive fan that comes to mind is the 15-year-old boy who is obsessed with Start Trek. He, along with many other Trekkies, are so obsessed with Star trek and want it to be a part of their everyday life, that they feel the need to wear Star Trek apparel. One woman even wore it as she went on trial, which made her well known by many, but the 15 year old boy blew my mind because it was just crazy to me how much time he put into his love for Start Trek. He spent a lot of time making videos and designing different outfits to wear etc. I know we all have our different interests, but I personally think that a 15-year-old boy should have other interests as well and should be discovering who he is through these different interests. (Of course the video only focuses in on his start trek interests, so he may have others.) An example of a hysterical crowd would be the people at the auction who are willing to pay thousands of dollars for a star trek mask. This is just absurd to me, but I guess some people find it worth their money to spend it on these things. (Continued.....)

Parasocial Interactions continued....

I enjoy reading Christian romance novels (sounds corny, I know), but I enjoy reading these books because when I read them, I feel so connected with many of the women characters in them. All the story plots are usually similar; they are trying to overcome some obstacle or obstacles and their faith is revealed or discovered through them and they learn much about themselves. Sometimes the characters do feel very real and I feel like I am a part of their lives and learning more about myself through them. I also enjoy sports, especially, cross country and track. Most people have favorite sports players that they follow, but for cross country and track, there isn't really much to follow on them. They don't get much feed on sports networks etc. (especially distance runners.) But there defiantly are professional runners I look up to and follow, but I just feel that they are more of a role model than a parasocial relationship. So, I have come to the conclusion that maybe I do need to be more aware of celebrities and leaders of our society, but at the same time I am content with just being aware of these parasocial interactions and just focusing on connecting with the people that I actually encounter on a daily basis.

Parasocial Interactions Part I

I have really struggled with trying to come up with someone that I have an interpersonal relationship with. I couldn't even come up with an example in class. To be honest, it was a rather embarrassing moment! I felt so unconnected with everyone else in that moment. I felt so not normal for not being able to think of someone to connect with like everyone else in the room. The thing is I don't know why I feel like I don't connect with anyone. I watch TV, I watch movies, I read books, I read PEOPLE magazine. I do "normal" things just like everyone else that connect me with people in society. But for some reason, I just couldn't think of anyone I really follow and look up to besides people in my everyday life that I actually encounter and interact with. The more I have sat here and talked with my roommate and tried to think of someone to connect with, I have discovered that I don't necessarily have to have an parasocial relationship. I feel that if I did have to choose to connect with someone it would be not necessarily a specific character, but characters that I can relate to on life issues.

Effects of Mass Media Part II

As we talked about TV, I was surprised to find that to be considered a heavy TV watcher, you only have to watch 4 hours of TV a day. I am most certainly not a heavy watcher, but I do use TV and radio often for background noise and sometimes just for comfort when I am alone in my room doing work. But maybe, when I look at it that way, I may be considered a heavy consumer of TV and radio. I also found the Mean Scary World Syndrome to be very interesting. I do believe that TV does affect me and makes me believe that crime is more prevalent in my life. I used to be a big fan of scary movies in middle school and high school. I remember after I watched them, it would be very hard to go through the night and next few days without thinking about it and being paranoid about my surroundings. Mainstreaming does affect TV and influences opinions across all people.
I found the two-step flow very interesting and very true. I do agree with the fact that we are all highly influenced by opinion leaders, from actress and actors on TV, to the people in our very own community. I think that this idea of opinion leaders can be a negative or a positive thing, depending on what this leaders message is. But, I do think that opinion leaders are important and I do believe that as a member in society, I too, can become an opinion leader. I have really enjoyed learning about the effects of mass media and I do believe that the more educated I become on it, the better I will be able to educate and inform others on this issue that is such a big part of our society. I believe that God has a place for me in the education field and that He will reveal to me where exactly that is and how I can further His kingdom.

Effects of Mass Media Part I

For the past week, I was struggling to find motivation to blog. After class today, I found some motivation. Today we talked about the Effects of Mass Media. We have talked about this earlier in the semester and I have expressed the effects of media several times throughout other blogs. I do agree with parts of the Magic Silver Bullet Theory. This offers that media are direct, immediate, uniform, and powerful. I agree that media is direct and immediate, in the sense that we do have access to some form of media pretty much, anytime and anywhere we want. Media is also very powerful. Media does influence our views, whether we realize it or not. I don’t necessarily think that media is uniform because it doesn’t effect us all in the same ways and we don’t all consume the same amount of media or the same kinds.
I also found the different uses and gratifications to be very interesting. The two motives that we talked about were Utilitarian and Ritual. As I thought about both of these, I would say that I am more of a utilitarian user. When I look back on the past, I would say that I was more of a ritual user in high school. Now that I have a lot more work to do, I don’t find the time to use it for pleasure as often. I currently use media for lots of schoolwork, information seeking. I also use it to form my identity through Facebook and socialization, (which is pleasure as well).
To be continued....

Conglomerates

I felt kind of confused by the idea of conglomerates after discussing it in class earlier this week. I understand what a conglomerate is. It is a large oversight company, but some of the other ideas, such as vertical integration and synergy were kind of confusing to me. Then, I was sick on Thursday, this pass week, so I didn't get to attend class, which made me even more confused! I borrowed Ashley's notes. She explained to me that there was a debate in class over the idea of weather conglomerates were good or bad. After reading these notes and doing the reading, I feel much more confident about conglomerates. I do feel that conglomerates have many good and bad effects, and to be honest, I don’t think I know enough to make a choice at this point, but I am aware of their effects. I realize that conglomerates are huge, successful, corporations that have made their way to the top. They provide us with many pleasures, such as TV and radio, which at the same time, contain many harms. I look at Disney and all its success and how enormous it is, and think about how many people it effects. This is so crazy to think about…just how huge Disney is and how everyone knows about it! And it continues to grow today. The idea of conglomerates is hard to wrap my mind around- just how huge and powerful they really are, which is really kind of scary. I am not so sure that we want conglomerates to have so much power over our society if we look at the bad effects that TV has on people and is how greatly it is effecting generations of today. I am excited to explore much more about this idea of conglomerates and the effects they have on society and to understand ideas such as synergy and vertical integration better.

Media Effects Society

Today in class, we listed ways in which Media Effects Society. At first our group was having trouble coming up with five different ways. Our five ways were: media effects trends, it provides information, influences opinions, is an icon of entertainment value, and it effects us not only personally, but as a society. I think our five ways were a little vague compared to some others that we discussed in class, but as we discussed the issue in class, it was crazy to think about the ways in which media effects us as individuals and as a society (macro and micro) and also how each of the effects have a positive or negative effect, and sometimes, it is even hard for us to identify weather the effect is either positive or negative. I found the third person effect to be very interesting. I guess that I have noticed this belief, that other people are affected by media more than we are. I know that there have been times where I have thought that others around me were more influenced my media than I was. This self-serving bias is something that happens in society and is part of the media’s effect. As we discussed this idea, I realized that is something that most of us need to more aware of. I am not really sure how to make myself be more aware of it, considering it is a way of thinking, and sometimes I am not sure how to change a way of thinking, but I do realize that it kind of makes a person ignorant- in that we aren't seeing what is really happening- that not everyone may be impacted or affected by media in the same ways we are etc. I am excited to learn more about this idea of the third person effect. I think that the idea of the self-serving effect not only applies to media, but it also applied to all areas of our lives. I think that being aware of what others believe and the effects that people and media have on our lives affects us in all aspects of our lives and shape who we become.

Spring break Blog

(This blog was done yesterday, I just didn't have access to post it when I wrote it.)

I am currently sitting in the airport on my way home from Phoenix, Arizona for spring break- where I went by myself to stay with family. I have a layover, so I figured I would make some useful time of it and get some work done. As I look back and reflect on my week, I see that my use of media was pretty limited compared to when I am at school. I went to Arizona to visit family and just to spend some time to relax. Part of my relaxing was to spend quality time with my grandparents and my aunt, without the distraction of studying, Internet, TV, and other distractions. I would have to say that my media intake was pretty limited. I didn’t really watch any TV. My grandparents and my aunt (who I stayed with,) don’t really enjoy watching TV; rather, they are constantly reading books! So, TV wasn’t really an option with them. I did have a TV in my room there, but I did manage to only watch it for just a few minutes at a time at night sometimes before bed. Other than that, I usually would read my books, or study something for school. Oh…and I also had my computer with me, and I am rather ashamed of this because I did get on it more than I should have. But, I did use it to just mainly post pictures for my family and friends to see. Where as usually I would get on and chat with people etc. I have been reading the book, “Everything must Change,” and I can truly say that it is impacting me in a new way. I am reading it with a new aspect- in that it can truly make me more connected with the world. I can honestly say that I am currently very aware of the media around me and I am learning how to not let it overtake my life.

Active Learning

I really feel that I have recently seen myself being actively engaged in mass media. The past few weeks, I haven’t really had the time to sit down and actively engage myself in any sort of media, other than my textbooks and the media on my computer. But after learning about print media and realizing how important it is to be engaged with problems in society, I feel that the past week, I have really stepped out of my comfort zone. I have found myself more engaged in interacting with other people about issues. For example, on Sunday night, I went to a book club. My cross country coach began leading this book club for the team. We are reading a book called “Everything Must Change” by Brian Mclaren. I feel like book clubs are always a step out of my comfort zone, as I am usually not a very outgoing person when it comes to expressing my opinions and sharing my thoughts in a large group of people. I mainly just sat and listened to my coach and a few teammates talk about what our first impressions were about the author and about Mclaren views and what new ideas he will show us and what NEW Christian ideas, we, as Christians and as just as a society in general can do to better the world we are living in. So, I am excited to be engaged in this Semiotic Domain, but I do realize that I need to step out of my comfort zone and be a true member of this domain, in hopes that it will increase my being able to better understand media and the ways that it impacts the world. I think that being a part of this book club is a great way to really challenge my mind and apply the things that I have been learning and will in turn, make me more articulate, contextual, and better able to argue, just like my dad. :)

THE NEWS Part II

Looking back on these memories I see how important the News really is. I think my dad is a very well rounded person, much due to exposing himself to the news and what is going on in the society that surrounds him. My dad has shown me that the news truly does make a person more articulate, contextual, and capable of sophisticated and elaborate arguments. My dad is one of the most opinionated people I have ever met and he has made me realize that I have most certainly not done a good job of exposing myself to the news and it is time that this changed.
Through my years in high school, I did watch the news in the midst of doing homework, and I did find enjoyment and interest in watching, but I just never had the time to sit and watch it, and or, read the paper. But I have realized that in order to be a well-rounded person and be truly effective in the kingdom of God, I must expose myself to the news and the problems within our society. I know that as a college student, I don’t have time to sit down, kick my feet up, and read the paper or watch the evening news, but I do have the advantage of technology which provides me with many opportunities to watch clips of the news and its time I started taking advantage of this opportunity and using technology in a way Neil Postman would approve of.

THE NEWS

I have enjoyed learning about Neil Postman and his views on technological advance. I have realized that being involved in print media and the news is key to my role in the kingdom of God. I have realized that I have not done a very good job of being involved in print media and the news AT ALL. I remember as a child, we would always get the evening paper. My dad would come home from work, have the dog fetch the paper and then he would sit down on the old, worn out recliner, that was clearly labeled his seat from 5-6 every night so he could kick his feet up and read the paper for at least an hour. I even remember there were times when I needed help on homework, but dad HAD to finish reading the paper before he could do anything else. Oh, and of course, he had to watch the News too; he couldn’t just read the paper! I thought this was crazy! And on top of all that, he would listen to the news on the radio when he took me to school in the morning! I didn’t understand the news as a child, but what I did know was that this thing called, NEWSPAPERS and watching the news, were very important to my dad.
I remember sitting down and watching parts of the news with him, and as a child, I just thought, “What in the world is interesting about this?!” And I remember seeing the Newspaper thinking, “Why in the world would he want to read something without color and so big and so noisy when you flip the humongous pages?!” But, I do remember him telling me how important it was that he knew what was going on in these things that I so didn’t understand and had no interest in. I somehow knew that the news was making an impact on his life. I always have looked up to my dad. It seems to me like he knows EVERY SINGLE question that I have ever asked; from homework questions to everyday problems, and he always gave me advice and was never afraid to tell me when I am wrong. He always encouraged me to get good grades, and told be to stive to be successful in life. I think one of the things I admire most about my dad is that he is a very good arguer. I can’t remember a time where I haven’t seen my dad outwit someone in an argument....(to be continued)....

TV Genre continued...(part II)

“Secret Life of an American Teenager” involves many different syntigmatic and paradigmatic meanings. Within this show, the producers have portrayed the life of a young 15-year-old girl who gets pregnant. Through struggling with this pregnancy and having to tell her family, she "falls in love" with a guy who wants to support her through the pregnancy and wants to marry her. I think this show portrays the idea that this doesn't happen very often in society- that many people aren't willing to sacrifice their life to help another person with their problem; this situation most certainly doesn't happen very often with 15-year-olds. It makes us wonder if “true love” can really occur at age 15? (I don't believe so.) This TV show, shows that love can have different meanings. It does mean sacrificing yourself for the one you love, but at the same time, we have to wonder what the true meaning of love is. It is pretty amazing to me that TV shows can influence us so much. It is Hollywood's goal to keep showing us ideas and meanings through shows until we stop questioning them. I hope that as I watch TV shows now, I will be able to identify what genre a show is, look at paradigmatic and syntigmatic meanings, recursitvity and hybridity, and that I will see that TV shows do have power and control through these genres.

TV Genre (part I)

Everyone tends to have his or her favorite TV genre or genres. I have many different TV genres that I enjoy. I remember when I was growing up, that I had certain genres that I enjoyed more than others. Which is really interesting to think about....I like different genres depending on what is happening in my life and what mood I am in. For example, I don't enjoy watching Romantic TV shows or movies when I am going through a hard relationship. Or, I may enjoy drama when I need something that will bring me into the show so much, that I forget about the problems or worries around me. I enjoy sitcom, usually in times where I am not so worried and uptight, and I usually sitcoms when I can sit down and watch them with friends. So, as I think about genres and different meanings within them, I think it is first important to analyze genres and how they can affect our own lives.
I haven't had much time to watch much TV this semester. When I do watch TV, its usually on one channel, that being ABC family. I enjoy this channel because usually it is filled with "family friendly" TV shows, which I usually tend to enjoy in any mood. One (very corny, soap opera, dramatic, like show) called, “Secret Life of An American Teenager,” is one that I have enjoyed watching- for what reason...I am not really sure. It is typically in the genre of family friendly show, but it does have recursivities within it. It also has genres such as drama, romance, and (is supposed to relate to real life situations in American teen life.) I think the show is over dramatic in its acting, and therefore doesn't get all its messages and themes across to teens with similar problems, such as the pregnant girl in the show. However, through this drama, the producers are doing their job, and they are attracting a large audience. (I would be curious to see what critics think of the show.)

TV online

We finished the video "Merchants of Cool" today in class. As I reflect back on the feedback loop, the mooks and midrifs, the media conglomerance, and just they way pop-culture affects people in general, I have focused on the idea that teens can create their own culture. Generations today have so many different ways to create and develop a new culture, compared to earlier generations. Teens have the ability to choose to lean into pop-culture, or they can choose to make their own decisions and their own individualistic life. Some people say, "If something is going to happen in pop culture, there is nothing to stop it." I do not believe this claim to be true. To a certain extent, as a society, we do not have control over what’s produced and what is distributed in media. But, we do have the ability to choose to lean into it and make it popular within society, so I do believe that this claim is true in a sense. I personally hate to think that pop-culture has so much influence on us, that we can't stop it. We all have our own views and opinions and these opinions should be voiced, so that maybe each of our separate views on media might just have an impact and affect on people with opposing views and opinions.
Thinking about having my own view on media and how it affects me, made me think of a semiotic domain that I am not a part of. I just walked down the hall to visit a friend and she was watching the "Real World" episodes through the Internet on her computer. I realized that I am not a part of the Semiotic Domain of "Internet TV watching." Many of my friends are a part of this domain and I have thought about taking part in it. It is very convenient to be able to sit down and watch episodes to an addictive TV series where we have missed and episode and now, heaven forbid, we can’t watch it because we are behind! Now, since I am not a part of this domain, I only have an external view, but from this external view I see that, once again, our culture is exposed to media whenever and wherever we want; it seems to be an addiction. Allowing TV to be on the Internet is also hurting the TV production. People don't have to rely on the Television set to provide them with their missed episodes, instead, they just have to reach out to the next technology source to find their media.

Initial Reaction to Pop Culture Video

I have to admit, I was hoping that the movie wouldn't work today and that we would end up getting out of class early. :) But once we finally got the DVD, I really was intrigued by the video. I think I found it so interesting because it was around the time I was growing up. Although I wasn't yet a teenager at the time it was made, I remember seeing the things the video showed. I was probably in elementary school, getting ready to go into middle school, so I wasn't quite in the midst of my teenage years, but I did look up to many teens. The movie just intrigued me, in the fact that media impacts our lives more than we often realize! It kind of scared me in a way. As I watched the video and saw how teens were influenced and affected by pop culture and their surrounding of media, I realized that the current generation of teens is probably even more influenced by the media. As technology grows, we are exposed to more and more ways to access media. We are constantly surrounded and tempted by the ways of pop culture. Whether we want to know about what is going on in celebrities’ lives, we are exposed to it, and most likely are influenced by it in some way. I can currently see in my life how pop culture influences me, whether I choose to or not, and it kinda scares me! I sit and watch commercials and am always influenced in some way by them. I can either reject what they have to offer or be persuaded. I can see the ways that celebrities are living their lives through reality TV, magazines, and the news. I can choose to be influenced to live my life in a similar way or I can reject it. In a way, we are all living our lives through the influences of pop culture and media surrounding us. It is scary, and we do need to realize the effects it has on future generations, but it is possible to live a life outside of pop culture and media. We can create our own individualistic lives, and we need to show future generations this is possible.

Critical and Active Learning

As I am learning about critical and active learning in Mass Media in Society, I am also learning about critical learning in many of my other classes. In my Literature in Society class, we are currently working on writing a Critical Analysis Paper. As I have been studying texts and learning the different techniques of what it really means to critically analyze a text, I have realized what it truly means to "critically analyze media." I have always had teachers that have told me, and currently do have professors now that tell me, "Be sure to use a higher level of thinking and critically analyze what you are reading." My psychology teacher says this all the time, and I kept thinking, "What in the world does that really mean?!" This semester I have made the goal to really try to apply my studies to my daily life. I don't just want to go through the motions anymore. I want to study and do work and try to find meaning behind it all, bringing meaning to my life in a new way. I realized that the only way I can do this is if I really critically analyze what I am reading and learning. I have realized that all classes connect in some way. As I am learning about symbols and mythological stories, etc. in Mass Media, all these things apply to the way I am critically analyzing literature and developing an essay from these symbols and stories. In Psychology, I feel like I have been better able to understand concepts because I am trying to connect what I am learning outside of class. I have even noticed that Statistics class connects with some ideas in Psychology. As I am engaging more in this abstract learning, I am finding it to be tough, but very meaningful. It is a great to finally be able to connect studying and media texts to my everyday life.
I plan to be a teacher in the future, so therefore it is important that I understand the difference between Active and Critical learning. I realize that Critical learning does not apply to everyone. Young kids are not going to be able to critically analyze things, rather they will learn by being engaged in activities, such as coloring, writing. There are many processes to learning and as our minds develop overtime, we are then better able to critically analyze media and our surroundings.

Visual/Filmic Literacy

After watching the “Thrillicious SoBe Water Commercial for the Super Bowl”, I discovered any signs and symbols. The first thing I noticed about the commercial was the lighting as the girl was walking through the door. The lighting was sparkly and bright with a "pretty" girl walking in with a rather revealing outfit on. Right away, the commercial grabs our attention with the catchy lighting and flashy girl. The angle of the camera changes from showing her whole body to showing her feet, with a gecko running across the floor toward her and a SoBe water in her hand. After grabbing our attention, they direct our attention to the SoBe water. The angle of the water continuously changes as it gives a close up of the girl and then back to her feet as she is walking on the white floor. Then we suddenly get a close up of the girl drinking the SoBe water and then we see the gecko lick his lips and jump for a dribble of water. After he drinks the water, he gets an evil look a look in his eye, and then the next thing we see is the camera switching to a bunch of different colored geckos dancing to "Thriller" by Michael Jackson. Then the girl begins dancing with them. They are all dancing on the white floor. No other colors are involved but her shiny outfit, and the color of the geckos. As they continue to dance, we get different angles of the girl and the geckos. Then we see the girl laying on the floor with the geckos all over her and then we here a "snap" of a camera and then the camera switches to a bunch of different colored SoBe waters lined up and then one of the geckos jumps into it, with the song ending and a voice saying, "Thriller."
I think this commercial was very creative. It immediately caught my attention with the lighting. They used a girl in a skimpy outfit to capture the attention of both men and women, assuming that men lust and women want this type of body. After they catch our attention, the camera switches our attention to a colorful SoBe water. I think the white floor and lighting tries to focus our attention on the rather small, but colorful object, the water. One syntagmatic meaning could be the music, as most of recognize the song "Thriller" and are anticipating something, thrilling and enticing, perhaps. After she takes a drink and the gecko gets taste of the SoBe, they are filled with energy and happiness as they dance, showing us that SoBe provides this "Thrill." So, a paradigmatic sign could be the water= energy and fun. Also the camera snap at the end, may signify that this water is something that we all want and will find pleasure in and pass on to other people, just as pictures help us pass on things we want to remember and show to others.

Media Diet

As I have analyzed the pass three days of media usage, it turned out to be a bit different then I first envisioned it would be. The past three days, I have been limited to my media usage. I went to watch my teammates run at a track meet in Finley, Ohio. A few of my teammates and I stayed at one of our teammates grandparents house in Findley. We were all hesitant as to whether or not we should go because we had a lot of homework and studying to do. We wanted to bring our computers along, but of course, we didn't' have internet access at the house. We wanted to bring homework, but we knew that it would be dark most of the trip, so we wouldn't be able to get much done during the ride. We knew once we got there we just wouldn't want to do any studying because we would just want to hang out, watch a movie, enjoy each other company, and watch our teammates run the following day. But, things ended up turning out a little differently. First, of all, I knew this trip would be a good thing for me- that I wouldn't have the ability to get on Facebook 24-7, like I usually do. I have been trying to not get on it as much this past week, and this weekend was a great time for me to go without it. Its not that I am obsessed with it, its just that whenever I am in my dorm room, I have the ability to get on it, and I usually do. I would say I usually am on it 2 or so hours a day (ridiculous, I know.) It so often distracts me from social interaction or studying. After spending time with my teammates and not getting on Facebook, I have felt so much more productive. On the way to Findley, I wrote some family and friends letters. We watched a movie (Fireproof), that evening. We went to the meet the meet on Saturday and I read some psychology and literature texts and wrote a paper. Looking back on my media usage this past weekend, I am very pleased with it. I got the studying I needed to get done, without Facebook being a distraction or any other type of media that I have in my dorm room. I have also begun reading a book called, "Reedeming Love." Although I don't really have time to read because of other homework, I decided to start reading on the elliptical. I guess as I look back on my media usage over the past few days, I have learned that there are ways to not let it consume me and distract me. I can limit myself and get more important things done, such as spending quality time with friends and family instead of being consumed in Facebook and watching TV. Media is designed to bring us pleasure, and it is enjoyable. I do think media is great in moderation, and this weekend gave me a little taste of how I need to moderate my media diet.

Semiotic Domains

After learning about semiotic domains, I have analyzed different semiotic domains within the media. I have placed myself in some affinity groups within certain semiotic domains and I only hope that as I learn more about semiotic domains, that I will learn to not only be knowledgeable in my internal views of my affinity groups, but that I will be able to better understand external views that I have now of other semiotic domains. I know that my knowledge will grow through active and critical learning that I chose to apply myself. For now, I am going to describe a semiotic domain and affinity group that I associate myself with. Book reading is a semiotic domain that I would currently place myself in. Up until the past few years, I didn't enjoy reading for pleasure at all, and now I love it. I have grown to have a new appreciation for it and continue to grow in knowledge through it daily. Reading different media not only provides me with more wisdom and knowledge, but it provides me to open up my mind to things I don't often think about. It gives me an escape. Reading takes my mind off the problems that I have in this world. While I am reading, my mind is not focused on anything but simply, the words that are before my eyes. While reading, I discover new symbols, which create a higher level of thinking. Through discovering my love of reading books of my choice, for pleasure, I have found not only pleasure and enjoyment in just these, but in all media that I read. I now have a new understanding that reading has many benefits and I want to read with an open mind, (yes, even my boring Ancient History, I try to read with some enjoyment.) :) So, as I associate myself with the semiotic domain of reading, I would place myself in the affinity group of a "reader." To be specific, I love reading Christian Romance novels, but like I said, I am trying to be open to different types of books and novels. I hope that as I continue to read for this class and others, that I will gain a better understanding of others views so that I can better communicate with society.

Myth Un/True

I do find the Myth, "The coming of the Messiah," to be a Myth that I find the most true. I am sure that many people find this myth to be true and one that we can see often within media. It is one I do see most often and that I do believe to be true, but another myth that I find to be true and see much importance and value in is the myth, "Pull yourself up by your boot straps." This myth is also one that we can see throughout many movies and within books and other media. This myth is true because people do encounter this myth. Although we may not be surrounded by people who have lifted themselves up through a certain problem or situation, we do encounter these people, and are often effected by them, whether we realize it or not, they often provide great wisdom for us. As I spent my years of education in public schools, I have seen many students around me, fend for themselves and fight their families battles and ways, making there own life and having goals in life to be successful. Just seeing this through other people, has made me more disciplined in life and makes me thankful for the way my family has raised me. So, I do believe this myth is true because we can see it everyday through others lives and through media, which portrays many stories of these types of people's lives.
I suppose this myth can be untrue as well. It can be untrue in the sense that we tend to judge people by standards of myths, as Dr. Rudd said. This is something that we must be careful of and look out for. Especially as we watch movies and engage in media, we can’t forget about reality. Often, media adds drama to situations, for our entertainment of course, but we must not forget that while media does have its true parts, it also must not control our ways of thinking. We may see people change their life and effect lives around them, making us think that we must be as successful and productive in our own lives. I do believe that this myth and other are great in the sense to provide inspiration and give us an open mind to other people and their situation, but we also must remember that we are all different and have our own goals, dreams, and aspirations- and sometimes we can't let media change our path toward them.

Myths in Media

I have never really thought much about myths throughout media. In my high school senior English class, we learned about how every movie and book we read applies to this idea the teacher called, "A Hero's Journey." This is totally related to all the same ideas as the myths. Basically, the Hero's Journey that we see in all movies and such is that a character or group of people encounter a hard situation that they realize they must overcome. Through this journey to overcome the situation, they will encounter things or people along they way that will help or hinder their journey. Ultimately in the end, the person or group finds their true self by the end or they are defeated. This sort of idea generally applies to many of the movies and books we read. There is always a myth or life lesson that we can take out of them. I always try to look for meaning in movies and books. I want to make the most of my time. So whether I am studying, watching a movie, or reading, I try to look for wisdom through them that I can apply to my everyday life. One of my favorite movies that I see many myths in is The Chronicles of Narnia movies/books. I am most familiar with "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe." I think there are several myths that we can see within this story, but one that sticks out the most to me is the myth "The Coming of the Messiah." Aslyan, ultimately portrays Jesus in the story. He is the ultimate hero who provides guidance to the kids on their quest and he ultimately sacrifices himself in the end, and returns to life to help fight the final battle for Narnia. We can also see the Myth of “Eternal Return.” The land of Narnia has lost all hope because of the evil witch, but the people of Narnia bring together their hope and strength with the help of Susan, Peter, Edmund, and Lucy, and they find common value and hope to win in the end. We can find other Myths within these stories as well, but I do think it is important to look for myths within all media because they do help shape our media community.

Formative Media Text

It is most certainly hard to pick just one media text that has had an importance on shaping my life. Of course, the Bible is the book that has the most influence and impact on my life, but I wanted to describe another text that would be more exciting to talk about- one that not many people have heard of. The first idea that came to mind was that books have most certainly impacted me in more ways than TV shows, magazines, the Internet, or any other media text. I didn't really enjoy reading for pleasure until a few years ago. I mean, I read when I was little and all- (the books from the Book Fair that you pay a fortune for and never end up reading), but I never really found meaning in the books I read. In the beginning of my senior year in high school, on a college visit, I remember picking up a Christian Romance Novel called "Ever After," by Karen Kingsbury. My Aunt had given me the book a few weeks earlier and I just didn't think I would have interest in reading it, but the trip to the University of New Mexico turned out to be a disaster, so I needed something to pull my mind away from it. I began reading and was instantly hooked. I have read many of Karen Kingsbury’s books since I touched "Ever After." "Ever After" had a huge impact on me and helped shape my life. My reasoning is probably going to sound corny and cliché to many, but this is the way it affected me. "Ever After" is mainly about a relationships- “two couples are torn apart-one by war between countries, one by a way within.” Through the characters lives, Karen Kingsbury showed realistic life situations. She showed the collapse of relationships and showed that nothing is impossible to handle with God in our hearts and His wisdom in our minds. I was struggling with a relationship of my own; at the time I was reading this book. I was getting ready to decide where I wanted to go to college- facing the fact that I wasn’t going to be able to continue relationships on the same level when I went off to college. “Ever After,” reminded me, in the midst of my doubt and fear of the future, that God has a plan and that I need to be faithful in His plans. This book, along with many others, is one that has had a great influence and has helped shape my life and attitude today.

Problems with Mass Media in Society

The first thing that comes to mind when I think of problems with mass media is distraction. I talked about this in my last blog about Facebook as well, but I have truly come to the realization that so many more media texts are a distraction as well. Internet, TV, magazines, all these things and more, have such an influence on our lives. They are a blessing to us in some ways. I mean, after all they connect us to others that we sometimes wouldn't communicate with. Not only are these media texts a distraction to me and pull me away from other things and face to face interaction, but they also have a huge influence on me. Sometimes we don't even realize the influence that media has on us. As I look back on my high school years, I am disappointed with how I let it influence me sometimes. I had an obsession with Teen Vogue magazines in high school, which most certainly had an impact on me. For the most part, these magazines had good intentions, trying to persuade teens to be confident in who they are and that sort of thing, but I didn't always read the articles. It is crazy how just flipping through a magazine can have such an influence on me and send ridiculous thoughts through my mind. I often caught myself comparing myself to "skinny and pretty" girls. I intended to open this magazine and be influenced in a positive way, but sometimes media manipulates us-causing us to think in ways we don't want to. I also think media obviously is very bias. Many times, for example on news channels, we only hear one side. As I look back on the way that media has influenced me throughout the past few years, I mainly see that it has influenced me in bad ways, more so than good. Now, don't get me wrong, I do believe that it can have good influences as well, but I think right now, I am learning how to appropriately expose myself to this media. I do think that media is a blessing in many ways as well, allowing us to open up our minds to different opinions and views.

First impression on mass media

Mass media-to be honest, I didn't even know exactly what this meant until the first day of class. I am still not sure I understand completely what it means, but I do know that I have a connection with mass media in society in many ways. I love to read, listen to music, and use the internet, among other media texts. I am excited to learn more about these media texts and other views on them.
Currently, the big media text that comes to mind for me is, of course, Facebook. I do think Facebook is a good way to interact with others, but I do think that sometimes, it isn't necessary. It is a distraction to me, at many times, as I'm sure it is for others too. Of course, lots of things distract me. As much as I like being able to talk and connect with those that I am not around often, Facebook isn't necessary. It takes up too much time that I could be using to do other things, such as study and interact with those who are around me.
At times, I have thought about getting rid of my Facebook account. I feel like I get too caught up in other people's lives. I can view pictures of "my facebook friends" which some, I hardly even know or have never talked to before. I feel like through these pictures, people's status' and other wall writing and comments, I am getting to know people that I have never talked with! That is pretty weird, when I stop and think about it, but I still get on it daily- many times a day, actually. I am interested to learn other people's opinions and views on Facebook and other media texts this semester.

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