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Entry 8: Working in New Media

This is the first assignment I have done using new media. This assignment has advantages and also disadvantages. An advantage of using Tumblr is that I am able to use many forms of media to convey what I am trying to say since there are so many options to use on Tumblr. 

Tumblr made my posts more personal. I was able to use sources that I am comfortable with and therefore I was able to voice my opinion better and in a more natural speech. Usually when I write an essay or assignment I am only able to show evidence by sourcing, but by using media I was able to make my point more evidence to my audience.

A disadvantage of using Tumblr is even though I am very familiar with most new media platforms, I was unfamiliar with Tumblr. I had to watch a few Youtube videos throughout the process of editing and making my portfolio. Overall, the process of making this assignment was very interesting and fun!

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Entry 7: What Do You Meme?

A meme that has recently circulated is a video of internet personality James Charles singing the song Taste by rap artist Tyga. In the short clip which was originally posted by the 19 year old on his Snapchat story, he sings along to the thumping bass in what appears to be some sort of bar or nightclub. The clip, less than a minute in length, went viral being known as the “womp womp womp” video, aptly named after the sound effects that James is making. Those that follow memes or participate in meme culture frequently saw this video re-posted with no caption or context. Among the captions that were sometimes given to the video, the most common by far was, “my dog at 3am”. As the meme relied on little to no existing format or cultural reference, James himself is the obvious butt of the joke. The obvious humour in the video comes from the fact that despite the unpleasantness of his singing, James appears very confident in his vocal talents. For many though, the humour partly lies in the fact that it is simply James Charles. James being an outspoken, male, openly gay makeup artist is fairly polarizing in the public eye. In the last few years he has amassed a loyal following of millions and become a fairly mainstream celebrity. The meme community mocks what is mainstream and James Charles is no exception. To avid meme participators, his mannerisms and flamboyant behaviour are seen as cringy persona, and the more confident he is in his “cringy” behaviour, the funnier it is.

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Entry 5: Digital Media as a Force for Good?

Don’t let the Abortion Laws in the US Creep Into Canada

The goal of this campaign is to promote Canadians to fight to maintain their abortion rights.The campaigns goal would be to promote that abortions or any form of contraception should only be the choice of the individual it affects and nobody else should be able to control their body. To promote this campaign I would encourage people to tell their personal stories with abortions and make events to talk about these issues which would then lead a protest. 

The target audience for this campaign is future voters. To make sure that the right politicians are put into office to ensure the goal of this campaign is being reached. 

The three platforms I would promote this campaign on Facebook (good for large groups and creating events), Youtube (make a shared Youtube account that people could upload their personal stories to), and Instagram (to promote the campaign)

Advantages of using digital media are that I would be able to communicate with people who live in different places and promote the campaign to as many people as possible. 

A disadvantage is that people who do not agree with us would be able to voice that very easily on our social media platforms. 

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Entry 4: Internet Regulation

I think the Canadian government should introduce new federal laws. These laws should make it clear that if someone posts threatening material on the internet they will be faced with more punishment then what there is right now. The laws should not prevent people from seeing certain information, they should encourage people to not even consider posting them. 

If the government is able to control what people are able to see on the internet, internet users would be provided with information that had been fleshed through by the government. This information could eventually be altered by the government and we could be receiving information that is fake or just what they want us to be exposed to.

In addition, it is part of the charter of rights to have free speech. It is important to respect free speech. However, when people promote violence or hate crimes on the internet, that is when the criminal code should be involved. The criminal code already has laws against hate speech. Currently, the maximum punishment for hate speech is two years. If the punishments were more intense and made public then I think that would encourage people to not even consider posting hateful things. 

Since it is easy and can be anonymous to post something online people usually find it very easy to post something online. If people know that by posting hateful and threatening messages they are entitled to major punishments they will most likely not post those messages. 

Overall, I do not think that the government should have any impact in completely cutting off our access to certain things on the internet, but I do think if there were stricter laws people would not find it as compelling and easy to post something online.

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Entry 3: Analyzing Media Representations

Having silky and shaved legs or other body parts are seen as a necessity when posting a picture online. Most razor blade companies advertise their product as being needed in everyone's life. 

A well-known company is Venus. Venus’s slogan is, “beautiful, luminous skin” and “reveal the goddess in you”. By advertising the product in this way it is making it seem natural and important that one shaves their legs. Most of the companies advertisements display a slim woman who has perfectly shaved legs and is smiling. 

An obvious assumption that can be made about Venus is that in order to be feminine you have to shave to reveal your true form of beauty. This is evident in the advertisements down below which were found on Venus’s website and on Instagram advertisements. 

In researching razors in media, I discovered a brand called Billie. Billie is known for being pro letting women make their own choices about how they deal with their body hair. Billie’s campaign is that they are there for you to shave when you want, where you want or if you ever even want to. This product is interesting since it is not just advertising for everyone to shave, it is saying that you can shave if you want and that this product is safe and there for you if you want it. 

This form of advertising seems more effective since it is advertised to every race and body type. In the years to come, I think this product will change people’s perspectives on body hair. Since Billie is so inclusive people will feel more inclined to buy it and accept how much body hair they have or wish to have.

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Entry 2:“We Shape Our Tools and Afterwards, Our Tools Shape Us”

Since new ways of exploring media and technology are still being invented and discovered, Marshall McLuhan’s quote is still relevant. McLuhan is stating that the “tools” we are exposed to, “shape” what we experience in our lives. New products and different ways of using media are being invented and improved every year. With these new additions to our lives, we are becoming slaves to our products, and relying on them for important things in our lives, like happiness and information. A lot of people would act differently if they did not have their phone or Netflix to support them at the end of a long day.

This is also still relevant since our devices are able to get information about what we are interested in, or have just been looking at recently. We then get advertisements and emails for those specific things. With these constant ads, it makes us constantly look at things and be exposed to new products. Another example is on apps like Instagram and Snapchat we are shown articles about celebrities and news reports that may not be factually correct. Since we are exposed to them through media platforms that we use frequently, we usually believe them and they do not do any further research about that topic. This means that we could be exposed to something that is made up and then if we send it to a friend and then they send it to another, it is becoming real in our minds.

People are becoming addicted to their technologies. A phantom vibration is when someone thinks they hear their phone ring, but it is actually just their imagination tricking them. Most people do not leave their house without their phone and constantly check it. This has made people dependent on their technologies.

A specific example of this being relevant now is with social media. Social media was created as a way for people to share what they are doing with their friends and family and have a way to communicate with them. Social media has now shaped people into phone addicts. Instagram creators have made things like the explore page which are made for people to spend hours looking through videos. This constant reliance on an application changes peoples lives. People are less active and do not get as much sleep since their phones are such an easy distraction.

The new technology makes it easier for people to communicate, which means people do not communicate in person as much anymore. People need human interactions, and by being cut off by that they are losing potential experiences and knowledge growth.

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I spend a normal amount of time on new media compared to the average high school student. However, I communicate with most of my friends through new media, so when I get caught up in a conversation I lose track of time. I have recently started to set time restrictions on my phone to limit the amount of time that I can use certain apps. 

My generation has had access to new media for the entirety of our teenage years, it has become normal to use our new media frequently. We have become dependent on it as a way to distract us from our lives and communicate with people. Since we are so used to it has become a part of our lives.

In ten years I think I will be spending less time on my phone. Currently, new media is still fresh. In ten years I will most likely be bored with what there is in the media, and I will realize that it is more of an  impact to live in real time.