Free # 3 The Beauty Standard

Mark Andrejevic focuses his book on certain ideologies. He is aware of the desires and needs of our society and states the actual solution to any problem is often replaced with an easy way out or simply a “quick fix.” This relates to society’s beauty standards. Our economy tries to sell us on diets, surgeries and make-up, while ignoring the real matter of the problem. Beauty advertisements often have the capability to give an audience misrepresentations and distortions of what beauty actually consists of. The media message is that if you try hard enough, spend enough, or suffer enough, you will have the look you want, and that being beautiful somehow brings you happiness and success. The average beauty product claims that when you buy their merchandise; you will instantly look tighter, younger, firmer, softer, smaller, thinner, and overall more beautiful. This is clearly not entirely true. Our society has the ability to affect a young girl or woman’s self esteem negatively or positively. This all depends on how well she rejects society’s demands for what they see as beautiful. People desire a solution, yet the only way to fix the weight problem or get healthy is to diet and exercise. Because this is extremely hard work and time consuming, consumers often desire a “quick fix” solution or an easy way out. This is because advertisements are constantly telling us not to fix America’s weight problem the “healthy” way, but the “fastest” way.

Free # 2 My Career Goal

The Cult of the Amateur reiterated my dream of obtaining a career, rather than a job, following graduation. I am a Media and Communications major and hope to one day achieve a career in the radio industry. My main goal is to become a sports newscaster, preferably for the one and only Washington Redskins. Not only do I love sports, but I am also highly interested in all aspects of the radio business. I have had the opportunity to be exposed to the full range of Media and Communication courses, all of which tend to reinforce and solidify my intense interest in my major. Each course pertaining to my major have been enjoyable and enlightening, providing me with a new and different perspective on the world in which we live. Working at different radio stations has educated me on the many different components of the industry, as a whole. The knowledge and experience I have acquired has given me the devotion and ambition I need to achieve my ultimate career goal.

Free # 1 "The Kindle"

Being a Media and Communications major, I have become aware of the large influence technology has on our society. Many people are unaware of the fact that new forms of media are only made possible with help from the old forms. For example, the yearbook can be seen as the major contribution to the evolution of Facebook. With technology continuing to advance, one might wonder if/when old forms of media will ever die out. The Amazon device, the Kindle is a “wireless reading device,” that is a remediation of the written word. Creators state it is the “future of book reading.” The Kindle “borrows” concepts from other forms of media which has contributed to its creation. The device is a remediation of the book, magazine, newspaper, internet and the library. It is a 10.3 ounce device which is lighter than most paperback books. It performs the same tasks done with a computer, in a faster, less demanding way. Purchasing a Kindle is essentially the same as purchasing 200 different books, magazines or newspapers. Although there are certain limitations, the Kindle has the capability to replace any medium that applies the written word to communicate information. The device separates the user and the desired reading material with another technology based medium in between. As technology continues to advance, more people tend to ignore the old, more time consuming forms of media. Can these advanced creations of technology ever turn old forms of media such as books, newspapers and magazines to totally technology based devices?

Blog # 6 The Internet as the Enemy?

Along with Keen, I believe that people should force themselves to think critically and intellectually, without the help from the internet. Even though the internet has errors and flaws, it often has the ability to educate people if used properly. If people are thinking critically while using the internet, they should be able to filter out certain information that seems to be imprecise. In other words, as long as people are using internet sources to enhance some of their previous knowledge, students can often benefit from these sources. I agree with Lessig that some websites should be seen as a “social benefit.” People should be able to learn from one another, even if it does come from an online source. Many professors even enforce their students to educate themselves from different online sources. On the other hand, I can see how the strong demands from professors often temp students to “plagiarize.” Websites such as Wiki, can teach users the significance of the technique to filter out certain false or inaccurate information.

Keen states that if we don’t give credit to the creators, than soon a large part of our culture will die out. Yet, as Lessig states, Keen seems uneducated about the economic issues that would cause this to happen. I think the internet has the ability to spread art and culture around to an extremely diverse group of people. I believe that if the public enjoys the creation enough, the talent, artist, or creator will make money either way. As long as people use the internet merely to educate themselves, rather than “steal” information, certain online sources can be seen as very beneficial.

Blog # 5 Passion Versus Pressure

I was on the Cross Country team during high school and my first year of college. Yet, my desire to run developed only after I quit the team. After a 2 year injury, I started back up again. My love for running began when I started to do it for myself and there were no “external motivations” involved. No one forces me to run and I do it for no reason other than the fact that it relieves my stress and gives me the opportunity to enjoy some “alone time.” I could say that I am an amateur at shopping or singing, but neither of the two give me the passion and “high” I get before, during, and after my run. Although, running rewards me with health and fitness, I can honestly say that I run merely because I get pleasure out of it. The health and fitness are just perks. I often wake up extremely early to guarantee myself a 2 hour time period for my run. I am lucky enough to have a passion that keeps me healthy and stress-free. Whether it’s cold or hot outside, my run is my only “escape” from school work and the other stresses that often have the ability to take over my mind. After my run, I become more motivated with energy to complete other necessary tasks. I would never combine something I enjoy to anything complicated such as a career because it would only add stress and pressure to my passion.

Blog # 4 The "Nurtured Generation"

Millennial Makeover uses significant cultural artifacts to categorize certain generations. For instance, the Baby Boom generation is given this name because of the huge significance the Baby Boom had on American history. I agree with most of the authors ideas on why my generation is referred to as the millennial generation. We grew up in a society where technology was constantly filled with advancement, especially with the huge influence the invention of the internet has had on our society. I agree with the idea that the millennial generation is generalized to be optimistic and realistic, while at the same time showing extreme individualism. I think there are obviously some exceptions to our authors’ generalizations, yet for the most part, the assumptions seem to be realistic. For example, our generation has been taught the significance of diversity and education. The name, millennial generation fits well, but we can also be referred to as the “Invention Generation,” or even the “Fortunate or Nurtured Generation.” Technology has given us the luxury and convenience to help live our lives much easier than before, which we are often seen to take advantage of. Television shows such as Saved by the Bell, 90210, Spice Girls, and even Britney Spears, are certain cultural touchstones that have the possibility to help better understand our generation. On the other hand, the best way to identify with our generation, as a whole, is an overview of the advances in technology that have helped shaped our generation to what it is today.

Blog # 3 Reality of Elections

Most of the 2008 election and presidential candidates shown on YouTube resemble ads. Although, the “ads” look extremely polished, they still come across as rehearsed. The candidates often say what the public expects them to say, while ignoring the more “touchy” subjects. Some of the videos look more organic than others. For example, Obama has a very calm and collective way of speaking, which has the potential to make the public feel that he is actually speaking directly to them. His speeches are clearly spoken and can be easily understood by a non-intellectual audience. I came across a video, which was put together by the band, Incubus. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZt4EdbidGA Although, the goal of this video was to persuade people to vote, the band didn’t hesitate to add their personal opinion. I found the band to be extremely convincing and authentic in their video because they were simply standing around discussing the significance of voting as well as why they were Obama “fans.” There weren’t any special effects; it was just a straightforward video stating how they felt about the 2008 election. They also added humor which emphasized the authenticity of the video. Another video that had the intention to encourage youth to vote, was extremely fascinating. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4kg514DcTA The video states the importance of why the millennial generation, should vote. It was clearly done by a professional, yet gave me the ability to question exactly why and how important it is for the later generations to become involved in the political campaign. The videos are good representations, explaining the significance of why Americans should have a say in who runs our country.