Media Overview

What I've Learned

Tuesday, April 7th, 2015

Throughout this assignment my major media contacts have included Facebook, Netflix, YouTube, and The New York Times. Then there are the lesser used sources like television, Pinterest, Twitter, and Imgur. I love the availability of these media. They provide me with most of my entertainment, news, and social interactions (as sad as that is). Because of this blog, I've come to notice that, yes, I probably spend way too much time on my computer, but I've also seen that the media I choose to consume may not be the media that influences me most.

As previously explored, advertisements and product placements take up a huge space in the media produced in American culture. This blog has led me to be more observant of my surroundings and attempt to control the background media I consume. I enjoy doing this observing, so I believe I will continue with this media journal even though my assignment is complete. 

Thanks for reading.

Day Five

A Relaxing Weekend

Sunday, April 5th, 2015

It's pretty late, but I hope everyone who celebrates has had a great Easter! I missed going to church with my family, but, thanks to the mass social media consumption I took part in today, I was able to see many of their celebrations and live vicariously through them. Often, I do not enjoy this. It seems a sad life to live, only living through the words and pictures of others. However, when you're far away and missing your loved ones it can help ease some of the pain.

My media consumption this weekend consisted of checking Facebook an embarrassing amount of times, beginning to watch Parenthood on Netflix, and browsing through images on my favorite image-sharing website, Imgur. Shamefully, I did nothing productive this weekend besides bake Easter treats. I did spend most of my time on my computer, though, staying checked out of the world. Although this behavior would be exhausting if done everyday, it is nice to take time off from responsibility and binge watch a new show every once in awhile. 

Day Four

The Most Boring Spring Break in the History of the Universe

Thursday, April 2nd, 2015

Amid the stories of exciting Spring Break trips to Panama City Beach, Salt Lake City, or Cancun, there are the more tame stories of students everywhere who just wanted a break from school. This will be one of those stories, only much more boring.

Last week I departed the University of Arkansas for my hometown of Paragould, Arkansas. When I did this, I knew exactly what kind of Spring Break I was looking forward to; there would be tons of time spent on the couch, little wearing of anything other than sweatpants and t-shirts, and hours spent playing with my adorable puppy Shadow (seen below). But what I didn't expect was the amount of time I would be watching television, something I never do at the University.

To be frank, television is not entertaining to me unless it is one of three shows: Pretty Little Liars, Jeopardy!, and, my guilty pleasure, 19 Kids and Counting. I haven't watched a TV series on actual television since The Office was airing regularly (I use Netflix way too often). However, I watched more television over this break than I have in years. Let me tell you two things I noticed.

1. What is quality anymore?

It seems that whatever station you turn into, there is a poorly scripted sitcom or reality show full of inconsistencies. Whenever I watch television now, I feel like the only demographic any television producer is attempting to aim toward is "uneducated." I cannot seem to understand how it is that anyone could be entertained by something that doesn't make you think while you're watching it, and even the crime shows aired recently seem to have lost their psychological thriller edge. In my opinion, the quality of television content has decreased greatly in the past 5-10 years.

2. Commercials

I'll keep this one simple. There are too many advertisements. TOO MANY. About a quarter of the air time allotted for a show is spent on commercials. They are just a waste of my time.

So, there you have it. My Spring Break was pretty wild. I'm glad that I'm back at the University so that I can watch my Netflix and no longer have to be subjected to watching television.



Shadow:

Day Three

Paper Towns 

Thursday, March 19th, 2015

Essentially the only media that I have consumed today has been the official trailer for the movie inspired by the John Green novel Paper Towns. This movie, set to release on July 24th of this year, has been in the works for many years. For awhile it appeared that it would not become a reality, but finally my dreams are coming true. Paper Towns is real!

I woke up this morning with the intention of watching the Today show. I had been planning on doing this for a week, because that is how long I had known that John Green was going to be debuting the trailer for Paper Towns on the show. I waited patiently for the trailer to finally come, and I am so glad I did. The trailer provided me with a small glimpse into a movie based on one of my favorite novels, and I felt an immense sense of joy when I realized that a world I care so much about was finally real. So I watched it again. I essentially stalked John Green's twitter page for two hours while waiting for it to become available on YouTube. I shared in on Facebook and commanded my mother and sister to come see it with me this summer. At this point, anyone who cares enough to know knows that I am in love with Paper Towns. 

It excites me that I can help introduce others to the excellent experience that is Paper Towns simply by sharing the trailer on social media. The availability and ease of conversation about the things one cares about can be quite relieving when you have no one to physically speak to. Sharing your excitement with the world is good, because it allows people to see who you really are and imagine you complexly (the goal of Paper Towns). That being said, I LOVE PAPER TOWNS, AND I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE NOVEL. If anyone is interested in watching the movie with me this summer, let me know. I'll probably be viewing it one thousand times. 

Day Two

My Obsession with YouTube

March 17th, 2015

As previously discussed, we are all continually surrounded by many different forms of media that we do not necessarily choose to be influenced by. And although these are important influences in our lives, I have found that, personally, I notice the influences of the types of media I consciously choose to consume more than the subliminal messages coming from advertisements, music, movies, etc. For this reason, I think a lot about YouTube.

 "But isn't that just the place to watch cute cat videos and listen to music, Andrea?" 

No.

Sure, several years ago YouTube contained mostly inappropriate videos and shoddy vlogs, but in the ten years since its creation it has evolved into something beautiful. The channels I am most interested in come from the minds of John and Hank Green. Beginning in 2007, John and Hank became part of the internet community by starting one of those terrible vlogs, Brotherhood 2.0. It was a project the brothers created to bring themselves closer together. It was only supposed to be one year long, but, much to the surprise of the viewers, the brothers still vlog twice a week, every week on their very popular YouTube channel Vlogbrothers. The brothers have also helped craft 26 other YouTube channels such as CrashCourse and SciSchow (educational programs free to everyone), The Lizzie Bennet Diaries (a modern-day vlog style interpretation of Pride and Prejudice), and How to Adult (a series for young adults struggling to make it). This is the type of media that I choose to let influence me. 

I spend multiple hours a day watching videos on topics ranging from astronomy to Boko Haram. Yes, I must admit that occasionally I indulge in a silly video (right now it's The Narwhal Song). I entertain and educate myself through this one site that I am obsessed with. Despite the literal billions of people who love and support knowledge through YouTube, its use is often illegitimized. For example, when three well-known Youtubers were able to interview President Obama via YouTube this year, many people from the "real news" on television dismissed these interviews as silly and beneath the office of Presidency. Yes, the content creators often do silly things in their personal vlogs, but these Vloggers interviewed the President with respect and asked important questions about immigration, college education, and net neutrality. If you ask me, the use of YouTube isn't childish or outlandish, it's smart. The YouTubers who interviewed the President have a total of 18,581,069 subscribers, while the top five cable news networks only have a total of 2.9 million viewers during prime time. 

YouTube has become a place where the world can see the President in a more personal light, where content can be shared freely to educate the public, and where the internet can raise over 2 million dollars in two days (via the Project for Awesome). As a mass consumer of YouTube's content for about six years, I have seen the evolution the platform has undergone, and I am convinced that its media prevalence is only going to continue to grow in size and in influence. And it better. Otherwise, how would I watch all those cat videos?

Links to mentioned channels 

Vlogbrothers: www.youtube.com/vlogbrothers

SciShow: www.youtube.com/scishow

CrashCourse: www.youtube.com/crashcourse

The Lizzie Bennet Diaries: https://www.youtube.com/user/LizzieBennet

How to Adult: www.youtube.com/learnhowtoadult

Day One

The Inevitability of Media Consumption

Saturday, March 14th, 2015

I woke up this morning without the thought of checking my e-mail. I didn't want to check my grades, browse Facebook, or watch any of my favorite Vloggers. I just wanted to read, clean, and relax on my Saturday. It seems like an easy enough idea, but I've found out that being disconnected from the media and the world is a difficult feat. 

My morning seemed to be going along uninterrupted by the media. I had done my laundry and swept the floors already without being bothered, but while beginning to read Paper Towns by John Green, my phone buzzed. Without thinking, I picked it up and checked my Facebook notifications. A picture, a message, and three hundred posts later, I realized what I was doing. I had broken my supposed time of seclusion for social media so easily. It was like second nature to remove myself from the real world and consume the media that was literally in my hand.

While pondering the idea that I had failed so easily, it came to my attention that I failed at my goal of secluded relaxation long before the Facebook notification. On my desk sat products with brand names that serve as advertisements. I had picked up my Elle magazine and flipped through a few pages. My roommate listened to music and an inappropriately loud volume, and I had heard it and the Pandora advertisements. I had even read the morning paper, for crying out loud! At this moment it really struck me that I could not avoid media stimulation just by staying off of my phone and computer. It is everywhere. 

I think that many people make the same assumption that I made today: media pervasiveness only applies to social media. But we couldn't be more wrong. It's not just Twitter and Instagram that influence our lives. Papers, emails, text messages, music, clothing, and products of all kinds contain media that are designed to influence us into buying something, thinking a certain way, or feeling something. I think it's important for us to remember that. We aren't alone just because we are alone. It's nearly impossible to escape the media.