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[mksubrai]

Media Regulations

The process for regulation in today’s media has become a little more relaxed as to what we see on television. In the early days, like the 50s and 60s, we did not see atrocities so publicly. It wasn’t until the Vietnam War when the atrocities happening oversees was shown on television which resulted in protests against the war. Before that, things were filtered out. We would never see someone being so brutally murdered or murdering someone. However, it is what we see nowadays on television. Body cams on police officers show the world what they have done. Artists saying vulgar things on live tv would not have been shown back in the 50s. 

The FCC has censored a lot in regards to what can be shown but it still is very open to what we see. They keep in mind that television is for families so nudity and swear words are bleeped out or pixilated. Yet, violence is not. Especially if the violence shows the US as patriotic. When I mention this, it is in regards to the broadcasting of 9/11. We like to keep children away from violence and terror but when it comes to 9/11, we let them see so they know how patriotic we are and how cruel the rest of the world is. Even though relagulations of media have changed a lot and for the better, there are still concerns to it becoming limited with our current political state. So, there is a chance we will see more drastic changes coming in the future within the FCC.

[mksubrai]

Disney’s Mandate

Once upon a time, Disney was about happiness. Now, it is about business. I decided to talk about Disney. I have always been a Disney girl so it made sense that I wanted to dive deeper into the business aspect of Disney. Disney is a commercial company. The company makes quite a bit in profits because of what they sell; Dreams. Well, not really. They market towards little kids who like the classic stories but now, they have a new audience consisting of men. Disney owns Marvel and Star Wars which drew in a whole new crowd to Disney’s empire.

Besides princesses and evil queens, Disney now has superheroes and super villains. Because of the aspirations young kids have, Disney is now making a profit of these kids’ dreams and desires. Their mandate does reflect in their content because of the dual market product aspect of Disney.  They sell to their audience this dream but also Disney is selling the audience to their sponsors or advertisers. Disney does a fairly good job with creating content that will be consumed by not just young kids but their parents as well. Parents think they are buying their kids some sort of happiness by bringing home a piece of Disney. However, the advertisers and Disney are instead profiting off these parents and running their “dream” factory.

[mksubrai]

Revisit: The Message is the Medium

In my last post, I discussed Facebook as a platform for mass customization. After reading McLuhan once more, I was able to understand how content on Facebook and social media in general is perceived differently than content on a different platform like radio or television.

Facebook is content based but it is also reaction based. How your friends react and how you interact with them has more value than the content that has been posted. Facebook allows these interactions to occur but so does almost any other social media website. Twitter and Instagram also allow reactions from others. The only difference is that Facebook has more than just a like button. If I post something on Facebook, I would get more reactions and thoughts from people instantly. If I was to put the same message in print, I would have to wait to get reactions. There are more people to network with and interact with on Facebook.

Branding is also a big deal with Facebook. It is easier to promote and get instant reactions on social media. Artists can interact with their listeners and figure out what it is that they want to hear. This way, the audience actually feel like they are being heard. It becomes a win-win situation for everyone involved.

The message is important but the medium used to express that message holds more significance these days. As a society, we focus more on how we are getting our information rather than what the information itself is. Social media is how most people get their information so we hold that to a higher stand than journalists on tv or in print.

[mksubrai]

Mass Customization and Facebook

When it comes to media consumption, I tend to use social media like Facebook, Instagram or even Snapchat. However, I have always used Facebook more to get news and updates. With Facebook, I can see updates from around the globe. Mostly it comes from friends but lately, there have been sponsored ads and pages that tell me what is going on. I am able to connect ad network through Facebook. Also, being away from home, I use this platform to stay in touch. Many news outlets use Facebook as well to have an online presence and interact with their audience in a virtual space. Unfortunately, Facebook has become more unreliable because of fake news and click bait articles. I never trusted everything I read on Facebook but now I have to check my sources when some person shares a link about a current event.

I think Facebook is a great example of mass customization because we can choose to see what we want to see or who we want to see and block the things that are irrelevant including people. Advertisers use Facebook’s mass customization aspect to their advantage by showing things that then user has expressed interest in even if it was on another website (i.e. Amazon). Th8is benefits Facebook, Amazon and even the consumer. Everything is in one spot for the consumer and both amazon and Facebook make a profit from our lack of self control. This is a little creepy to me though. I just feel like I’m being watched.

[mksubrai]

Gender Roles and Feminism: Disney Edition

Women have been fighting for equal representation, and equality overall. It has not been achieved even in 2017. Even though the issue remains in society, films have been changing or challenging the patriarchy and masculinity. The film that did a great job in breaking gender roles and presenting feminism was Disney’s The Princess and The Frog.

The movie is the story of a young, African-American woman, named Tiana, who lives in New Orleans. Ever since she was a child, she dreamed about one day owning her own restaurant named Tiana’s Palace. Tiana works multiple jobs and saves money in cans so that she can buy the old sugar mill in her neighborhood and turn it into her beloved restaurant. Tiana is filled with joy when she comes up with all the money she needs to purchase the sugar mill. Unfortunately, she is told that another gentleman has put in a higher bid and she is given only a couple more days to come up with extra money to outbid the unknown gentleman. Through a twist of events, the now depressed Tiana ends up kissing a talking frog that claims to be Prince Naveen, a young Prince who is turned into a frog by an evil voodoo man. Instead of turning the frog back into the Prince, Tiana is turned into a frog herself. The rest of the movie chronicles Tiana and Prince Naveen’s journey to visit a powerful voodoo woman so they can be transformed back into human beings. At the beginning of the movie, Tiana is an only child. The audience is introduced to her mother, Eudora, who works as a seamstress for a wealthy sugar mill owner named Eli “Big daddy” LaBouff. Eudora is described as the best “seamstress in New Orleans” by Mr. LaBouff and is very successful in her job. Tiana’s father, James, is also introduced. While it is portrayed that her father works multiple jobs, the audience is never told what exactly it is he does. However, what is apparent is his love for cooking. In the first scene in which he is introduced, he is standing at the stove with Tiana cooking gumbo while his wife sits at the table working and sewing. Tiana’s mother is never shown doing any kind of domestic work. Here, the gender roles are completely reversed. Tiana’s father is shown performing the more feminine role and her mother, even though she is a seamstress, a feminine job, is shown performing the more masculine role. It is also James who shares his passion for cooking and dream of owning a restaurant with Tiana. In other words, her father, the only important male in Tiana’s life at that point, is the one who inspires her and motivates her dream of owning a quality and fine dining restaurant. Tiana’s feminist ideas are shown from a very early age. At six years old, Tiana shows her dislike for fairy tales and stories where a man saves the woman. While working on a dress for Eli LaBouff’s daughter, Charlotte “Lottie” LaBouff, Eudora tells her daughter and Charlotte the story of a frog prince. Tiana is in complete shock when she hears that the princess has to kiss the frog to transform it into the prince and live happily ever after. She exclaims, “There is no way in this whole wide world I would ever, ever, ever, I mean, never kiss a frog. Yuck.” In the story “The Frog Prince,” the frog is associated with a prince and the prince is associated with a happy ending for the princess. Through Tiana’s disgust and rejection of the “kissing a frog to get a prince” idea, she is also rejecting the idea of needing a prince to save her. She is a strong believer that she can reach a happily ever after through her own hard work and dedication. Tiana is presented as a strong working woman, not a woman who stays at home taking care of a husband and family. In fact, marriage and family are the last things on her mind. Her mother expresses that she wants Tiana to get married: “all I want for you, sweetheart, is to meet your Prince charming and dance off into your happily ever after.” Tiana responds, “Mama! I don’t have time for dancing. That’s just going to have to wait a while.” When Tiana states that she does not have “time for dancing,” she is equating dancing to a marriage. Tiana sees her goal as important as some women see marriage. Tiana is demonstrating a very feminist idea that marriage is not something a woman has to do. She has a choice to marry or not and she should not be judged on her decision. Tiana is also aware that society does not believe that she will succeed in owning her own restaurant. During one of the songs that Tiana sings, “Almost There,” she states, “People down here think I’m crazy but I don’t care.” Buford, one of Tiana’s coworkers, tells her that she’ll never be able to buy her own place. In addition to this, when Tiana finds out that a gentleman has outbid her, the real estate agents, both male, try to comfort her by saying that “a little woman” would have had her hands much too busy trying to run a business. In other words, she would not be able to succeed. Everyone around her sees her incapable of accomplishing her dream because she is only a woman. Her gender is used as a way to oppress her and keep her from trying to do something that is supposedly inherently male

Prince Naveen, the male leading role, is a handsome, young man from Maldonia that young women find irresistible. From the moment that he arrives, young girls swoon at the sight of him. Tiana, however, does not pay him any attention and recognizes him for what he is, a spoiled brat. Even after she finds out that he is a Prince, she continues to think of him as an annoying man. When she meets Naveen as a frog, he convinces her to kiss him and turn him back into a prince using the excuse that he will give her money to buy the sugar mill. Unlike the princess in “The Frog Prince” story, Tiana does not kiss the frog because she wants to be a princess and marry him. She kisses him because she wants her restaurant. She does it for her benefit and not for the happily ever after that apparently comes from marrying a prince. While in frog form, Prince Naveen is constantly shown to be much weaker than Tiana. The gender roles are once again reversed. It is Tiana who saves Prince Naveen from being eaten by the alligators. It is Tiana who makes a raft for them to get down the river. It is also Tiana that rows the raft while Prince Naveen simply lies down and plays his ukulele. There also times when Tiana is shown to be in a position of power over Prince Naveen. In one of the scenes, Tiana, as a frog, decides to make gumbo for dinner. She makes Prince Naveen mince mushrooms. A conversation takes place which goes like this: Tiana: “You got the makings of a decent mushroom mincer.” Naveen: “Really?” Tiana: “Keep practicing and I just might hire you.”

In this conversation, Tiana is put in the position of boss and Naveen in the position of employee. The woman here, holds more power than the man, breaking the oppression that is put on women. Prince Naveen also shows pride in the fact that he is a “decent mushroom mincer.” The fact that he shows excitement in being able to do that adds femininity to his character. Through Prince Naveen and Tiana’s father, however, the movie highlights the idea that men and women are not as different as society expects them to be. The male characters are also portrayed as being less wise than the female characters. For example, the character of Louis, a friendly alligator who dreams of playing his trumpet in a jazz band, leads Tiana and Naveen in the wrong direction when they’re looking for Mama Odie’s home. Ray, a firefly, is in love with what he believes to be a bright firefly named Evangeline but in reality, it is the evening star, and Prince Naveen is not wise enough to know not to get involved with the “Shadow Man”. Unlike previous Disney movies that present a damsel in distress, The Princess and the Frog presents women characters that are capable of success on their own. It can only be hoped that more children’s movies that portray strong, female characters be created. If women want to be treated equally in all aspects then it must be taught at a young age. Disney films are the one thing that little girls love watching. If there are more female characters like Tiana, more young girls will understand that they are not just meant to follow orders and live a fairy tale life.

  The Princess and the Frog. Dir. Ron Clements and John Musker. 2009. 

[mksubrai]

The Social Construction of Race

“Race must be viewed as a social construct” (p.968). I have heard this many times and I always agree with it. No one is born a racist. They are taught by the actions of those around them. Ian Lopez discusses how race is formed. One of his points is that “Racial formation includes both the rise of racial groups and their constant reification” (p.969).

An example of how race is used in media would be how people accused or suspected of doing a crime are labelled in the media. One example I saw recently was the Daily Mail and their headline for the man who shot up a mosque in Quebec, Canada. The headline read “Student accused of shooting dead six people at a Quebec mosque…” Huffington Post actually called out the Daily Mail in one of their articles when they called the shooter a “lone wolf” instead of a terrorist which he was. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the shooter, Alexandre Bissonnette, a terrorist as well. Bissonette is a white man who supported Trump and had an anti-Muslim view.

Compared to the “lone-wolf” or “student”, when the Daily Mail covered the story of the San Bernardino shooting, the headline read like this “San Bernardino terrorist Syed Farook…”. Not only does the Daily Mail say he is a terrorist, they also give his name in the headline. They call him a terrorist, instead of his occupation. In the first example, they do not even mention his skin color. The fact that when we think of the word terrorist, we automatically assume it is a Muslim. We never question that it could be another person. Just because someone is Middle Eastern does not mean they are a terrorist. It is just a social construction to make people fear people who do not look like them; white.

[mksubrai]

Race, Racism and Representation

Race, Racism, and Ethnic Studies “The first thing to insist on in discussions of ‘race’ is that there is just one human race. Human biology does not divide people into different ‘races’; it is racism (and sometimes its counter arguments) that insists on this division. In other words, ‘race’ is a cultural and historical category, a way of making difference signify between people of a variety of skin tones.” (p. 175). 

My focus is on the section about Orientalism. The official definition of orientalism from Merriam Webster is “something (as a style or manner) associated with or characteristic of Asia or Asians”. However, in the chapter “Orientalism, a ‘system of ideological fiction’ (321), is a matter of power. It is one of the mechanisms by which the West maintained its hegemony over the Orient. This is in part achieved by an insistence on an absolute difference between the West and the Orient, in which ‘the West . . . is rational, developed, humane, superior, and the Orient . . . is aberrant, undeveloped, inferior’ “. As an Asian, this pisses me off but I have seen the stereotypes Hollywood has created about Asians or Orients.  This chapter discusses orientalism only in terms of films about the Vietnam war. Hollywood cannot let go of the defeat in Vietnam so they use it to incite the people by creating their versions of Vietnam. Some of the examples of the films were Rambo: First Blood Part II (1984) and Uncommon Valor (1983). However, I will be discussing Indians in Hollywood because we are considered Orients. 

The show The Big Bang Theory has a character named Rajesh “Raj” Koothrappali who is played by Kunal Nayyar. He is shown to be very awkward around women which I found funny because Nayyar is married to former Miss India Neha Kapur. I found his character to be believable but a little odd. This may be because I have not been around awkward smart Indian men. They always thought they were the best possible. It is believable because most Indian men aspire to become doctors, engineers, or anything with a PhD. Well most Indians do. I am an oddball. Then there is Kal Penn who I only knew from the Harold and Kumar movies. Do not judge me. He is shown to be the opposite of Raj. Fearless but still smart. Indian men are always shown to be smart which is a stereotype detrimental to young Indian Americans because somehow this is what becomes expected of them. 

Next up is how Indian women are shown in Hollywood. From the films I have watched with a Bollywood actress in Hollywood, she is shown to be cunning or shrewd or secretive intentionally or unintentionally. Aishwariya Rai as Sonia in the Pink Panther 2 is an Indian woman who cunningly attempted to steal the Pink Panther. Priyanka Chopra in ABC’s Quantico as Alex Parrish is framed as a terrorist who shrewdly plans the attack and then escapes from the FBI. She will also be seen as the antagonist in the new film Baywatch. Both actresses were former Miss Universe. The film Bend it like Beckham is about a Punjabi girl wanting to play soccer but hides it from her strict family. She tricks her family into thinking she quit and lies about her whereabouts. 

Even though Indian men and women are shown to be smart or shrewd, they are still considered inferior to white people. They are given standards that make sure they will not achieve the stardom white people achieve in Hollywood. Priyanka Chopra, however, is changing that. She is becoming more popular as the show Quantico continues and working with actors like Zac Efron and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will help her move up in Hollywood. Maybe one day, there will be more Indians in Hollywood and create diversity in different roles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ul2iNPfVsYQ

1. What can Hollywood do to break these stereotypes?

2. Would it be easier to educate society about Indians through popular culture? Why or why not?

3.  How can we improve the lack of diversity in Hollywood? 

[mksubrai]

Prospectus

For my final, I want to analyze gender and ethnic studies in Disney films. I actually am hoping to analyze one of three Disney films which would be Pocahontas, Aladdin, and The Princess and The Frog. The reason why I chose these three films is because they are who I can relate closely based on appearance. They are not the traditional looking Disney princesses. I will analyze how Disney characters who are of color are shown differently compared to the original Disney Princess who were white. The princesses of color are shown to have a temper, less ladylike, and more strong willed than the original Disney princesses. I will also analyze how each main character was characterized due to their gender. The opportunities these women had were restricted by a male figure in their lives. The male characters were free to do as they wished. I could also bring in feminism into my paper by discussing how these women of color embodied feminism by making their own choices or not allowing a male character to show them their worth. Tiana created her own business without the help of a man. Jasmine stood up to her father and did not allow him to choose her husband (which is a bit of big deal in Asian/Middle Eastern cultures). Pocahontas went against her father’s will to help a white man. By discussing gender roles, ethnic studies, and feminism, I hope to educate the class about the difference between white Disney princesses and Disney princesses of color.

[mksubrai]

I am a Feminist

I am a feminist. I believe in equal rights. I do not think women are superior to men because apparently, that is what everyone else seems to think feminism means. bell hooks’ article, Feminism is for Everybody” discusses feminism in a manner that I agree with. Not only does the article discuss the struggles women who identify as feminists, but it also discusses how men are involved with the movement. I had actually posted something on Facebook that said something along the lines that feminists don’t hate men. They hate the patriarchy. It was an excerpt from “ If I Admit That 'Hating Men' Is a Thing, Will You Stop Turning It Into a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy?" by Lindy West. Anyways, hooks makes the argument that sexism can be eradicated if both men and women believe it is possible At the beginning of the article, hooks gave a definition of feminism which was “Feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression.” The reason why she gave this definition was because it did not show that men are who we are against. Men are not the problem basically. I agree with this definition because I am not a man hating woman. I do not believe men are why there is sexism.

However, I believe that our enemy is the patriarchy. The structure of patriarchy shows that men must be dominant while women must be submissive. This empowers men to believe that they are higher up than women. Feminists think the patriarchy is destructive not just to women but to men as well. It forces them to mold into something that may not be what they want. If we truly want equal rights where women=men and not women>men, we must educate people how the patriarchal system is destroying both men and women. I believe everybody should be a feminist because, even though the issues do not affect you directly right now, it will affect you later.

[mksubrai]

Blog Post #4: Psycho

I will start off by saying that I enjoy a good slasher film and Psycho has been one of my all-time favorites. Until this post, the last time I watched Psycho was a month ago, and I had already learned about the “male gaze” in previous classes. In Laura Mulvey’s article “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema”, she described how women are presented in film by saying

“In a world ordered by sexual imbalance, pleasure in looking has been split between active/male and passive/female. The determining male gaze projects its phantasy on to the female form which is styled accordingly. In their traditional exhibitionist role women are simultaneously looked at and displayed, with their appearance coded for strong visual and erotic impact so that they can be said to connote to-be-looked-at-ness. Woman displayed as sexual object is the leit-motif of erotic spectacle: from pin-ups to striptease, from Ziegfeld to Busby Berkeley, she holds the look, plays to and signifies male desire.”

Basically, the woman is meant to look pretty and arise sexual desire in the audience while the man is the main focus and the one to carry the story forward.

The scene I want to discuss in particular is the shower scene. I felt like such a creep watching Marion Crane in the shower because I grew up watching Bollywood and they used to keep the curtain closed. The scene begins in the bedroom but I will not discuss that part. We go straight to the part where Marion is about to step into the shower. Marion takes off her robe and, without really exposing anything, she exposes everything. The reason I say this is because the shot of her removing her robe to the shot of the robe falling on the ground gives the audience a sense of checking her out without doing so. We know she is naked. When Marion takes off her clothes, she is creating both sexuality and helplessness. Clearly this is a scene made from a masculine point of view. Her taking a shower represents two things; vulnerability and voyeurism. Vulnerability because she literally has nothing to protect her. Her clothes are removed and she is completely bare. Voyeurism because we, as the audience, and Norman Bates are intruding in on her privacy. He did worse than just intruding, he brutally murdered her.

Another thing I noticed while watching the film was how the scene was shot when Marion was being killed. The focus is on her expressions and body parts rather than where she is being stabbed. Her whole body is not shown in one shot. There are pieces of her body being shown. This encourages the male gaze because it shows that a woman is not whole. She is better when she is shown in pieces like the way people look at meat. She is a piece of meat in the eyes of the audience.

[mksubrai]

Blog Post 2: Shameless

Shameless is the American remake of a popular British show of the same name. The American verstion features Emmy Rosum (Fiona), William H. Macy (Frank), Jeremy Allen White Philip “Lip”), Cameron Monoghan (Ian), Emma Kenney (Debbie), Ethan Kutkowsky )Carl), and many more. These actors make up the Gallagher family including various actors playing Liam Gallagher. The family lives in southside Chicago and the show depicts their lives as well as the lives of their neighbors, Veronica and Kevin played by Shanola Hampton and Steve Howey. The episode I am discussing is the pilot episode. This episode gives a glipse into the lives of the Gallaghers. FRank is an alocholic who is never really home for his 6 children. Th mother is out of the picture for now. Fiona is the eldest daughter and also like the mother to her younger siblings. She is constantly working to make ends meet. Lip is the oldest son. He is also the smartest out of the Gallaghers but also a troublemaker. Ian is a boy who wants to join the military and is very serious. It is discivered that he may be gay by his brother Lip. Debbie is a sweet little angel but not really. Carl is a clown and always acts like a rebel. Liam is a baby and in a weird genetic scenario, black in an all white family. The episode begins Fiona getting all the kids uo and ready for school. They pass around a box at breakfast in which they collect money to pay for bills. Lip is a tutor for a girl named Karen who is a nymphomaniac basically. A few minutes into the show, Lip discivers a manila folder and assumes it is Ian’s “porn” collection but discivers ot to be pictures of men. He does confront Ian about it when he arrives home from Jr ROTC practice. Later on in the night, Fiona and Veronica are at a club when some guy snatches Fiona’s purse. A man named Jimmy who has been watching Fiona attempts to impress her by catching the guy but hurts himself instead. Fiona takes him home and they begin to have sex until the cops bring home the alcoholic father. The next day, Lip has Karen “go down” on Ian so he can see f he is gay or not. Her dad discivers her under the table doing this and chases madly after Lip and Ian. Lip hurts his foot in the process when he jumps barefoot out of the second floor. Towards the end of the episode, we see that Jimmy really wants to be with Fiona and goes to many lengths to help he and her dysfunctional family. The episode ends with everyone at the breakfast table minus Frank plus Jimmy.

The reason why I chose this show was because it shows the issues common people face on a daily basis. It is relatable and comedic. The episode does a great job with showing how the typical family in southside Chicago gets through every day. It has a mix of every emotion. You see laughter, sadness, anger, lust, and love. 

https://www.netflix.com/watch/70249326?trackId=14277283&tctx=0%2C0%2C75357919-bcee-40ea-af4a-829a753c828c-231065515

[mksubrai]

Media Reflection #2

How has your relationship with the media you use changed as a result of this class?

This class has taught me so much about the way I see the media world. When I started this class, I knew a little bit about sexism and race issues that were happening with media. However, I did not know actually focus on the things I saw on a daily basis. Every little piece of news I encountered was not stuck to me. I would see advertisements without knowing it was an advertisement. The most recent news of a Trump presidency shocked me more than anything. I would see his propaganda on news channels and think no one would vote for a man like that. The power of his advertisements was so profound that people believed him and now women, people of color and members of the LGBTQ community fear for their rights. I learned to pay more attention to what I see and how I process the news. This class was the best thing to take during this election season because I learned how to tell if something was biased.

Another thing has changed my relationship with media is how I view the people in media. We had discussed that the majority of people in media are straight, cis, white, old, upper middle class men. A woman would be there as eye candy and a gay man is very rarely seen. The people who fit that majority are also called privileged and I have had those same people tell me that they are oppressed by the media.  They have told me that the media is more like me rather than them and I have to show them how incorrect they are. You barely see a woman of color with any power in media. She is eye candy. I have become more aware of the media and that has changed my relationship with the way I view media.

What will you take away from this class as a media consumer, and what do you think its lasting impression on you will be?

As a media consumer, I learned that sources are a big deal. Where I get my information from can change my perspective on many issues. I had stated in my first post for this class that I stay off of social media. The reason was because I was tired seeing people constantly bickering over things I thought were petty, and some were. However, I am back on social media and more vocal that before. This again had to do with the election. I became curious as to what my friends were saying. I had friends rooting for Clinton, rooting for Trump, not voting at all. The results led to me becoming more vocal. People had told me that I need to stop because this is something I should just deal with. Many of the news articles I was reading that were for Trump were from conservative people. I started telling people to check their sources because you do not want to spread biased information to persuade others. This class taught me to question where I get my news from which changed the way I consume news now. Social media has become a way for me to tell people that they need to learn how to consume news. Do not trust everything a liberal station says and do not listen to what every conservative says.

[mksubrai]

The Future of YouTube

In 2005, the world was introduced to a hot new online video streaming site. It has been 11 years since and it is still has not died out. I am talking about YouTube. The first video posted on the site was posted in April of 2005 titled Me at the Zoo. YouTube was founded by three men: Jawed Karim, Chad Hurley, and Steve Chen. These guys probably did not think there 19 second video was just the start of something massive. With over 1 billion users, YouTube has created the biggest online video streaming website. Because the website has participatory audiences and is very interactive, I do not think YouTube will be going away soon.

In fact, I think YouTube may go on to become a major network of its own within the next 10 years. The reason I say 10 years is because YouTube might have the potential to create an empire in during that span of time. 5 years seems a little too close to forecast right now.  The next 10 years of YouTube could change the way we watch everything.

There are so many possibilities of how YouTube could expand from just video streaming. There is a good chance YouTube will offer live streaming sports. The article also discusses how YouTube could stream more than just American sports because YouTube is used globally.  In my opinion, YouTube has the possibility to grow more and more so live sports streaming is not far-fetched because they already allow users to enable live streaming.

In a way, YouTube is competing with Netflix by creating YouTube Red. This aspect of YouTube has allowed users to subscribe and access much more than just YouTube. However, because there is a lot more content on YouTube Red, the monthly price would be higher than Netflix or Hulu.  I might even subscribe to YouTube Red because my favorite YouTube star, Lily Singh a.k.a. Superwoman, will be exclusive to them. By creating a subscription based network, YouTube has the opportunity to venture out and become better than Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime. I think people would be more likely to invest in this in the future because of the vast variety and content YouTube Red can provide.

Another reason why YouTube would become more powerful in the next 10 years is because of how it helped create stardom. More people would be coming to YouTube to launch themselves as actors, actresses, video producers, musicians, comedians, vloggers and innovators. The population of YouTube users allows people to become famous because more than a few hundred users will have access to their talent. Lily Singh and Tyler Oakley are just some of the popular celebrities on YouTube. They have garnered so many subscribers and this could lead others to stardom. It could possibly lead to more visionaries and YouTube would be the first to showcase that. Those on YouTube would be the first to see it and then it may be showcased during television commercials. This shows the bell curve we discussed in class.

I would not be surprised if in the next 10 years, YouTube becomes the new television. People upload content from television onto YouTube so it is possible that television would be something late adopters and laggards will be using in 2026. Companies will be using YouTube to reach consumers instead of television. YouTube already has ads which is a little annoying but so are commercials.  In Chuck Klosterman’s book But What If We’re Wrong?, a chapter called Don’t Tell Me What Happens. I’m Recording It discusses how television could be replaced just how radio was (pg. 160). I think YouTube would be the thing to replace TV. “The next tier of innovation will affix a third component, and the new component will make the previous iteration obsolete” (pg 160). This third tier could be YouTube because of how different the platform is. It would be more interactive than television.  

For YouTube to become so powerful, there is a glitch that must be addressed and fixed. This annoying glitch is buffering. There are numerous times I have given up on a video because it was taking too long to load. I know I am not alone in this because I have seen people close or kill the YouTube app because it was too slow to load fully. In high school, we had a joke that said full porn videos buffers faster than YouTube videos. I am not a technological wizard so I cannot say how YouTube can fix this problem. However, once this issue is resolved, YouTube would be able to go on without a problem and overpower television in the next decade. Stay tuned!

[mksubrai]

Hello, everyone. I have some news to share with you. I’m not straight. Surprise! (Are you surprised?)

I am a queer woman. I’m attracted to more than one gender. Two or more, actually. The whole lot. I do not care if you think of me as queer, bisexual, or pansexual. All of these labels feel fine to me. I might change my mind later, but I feel pretty fluid about it all right now. Either way, I want people to see that I am existing as a queer person, right now, and always.

I’m fully aware this information may alter certain people’s perceptions of me. Should this fact about me manifest negatively in any way with some of you, you can leave. You don’t have to read this. I’m not justifying why I exist to others. If you think I should not have a life partner who is not male, peace out. If you believe there are only two genders, peace out. If you believe that queer folks can only be a gay man or a lesbian woman, you gotta GO. If you deny the validity of trans people’s personhood… girl, bye. Perhaps it’s dramatic to cut people out of my life simply for their opinions. However, as homophobia is a deadly ‘opinion’ to have, particularly in light of recent events like that which took place in Orlando, I’m more than happy to cut people out of my life for their hateful and narrow world views. I am in full support of productive and engaged dialogue, but not with people who literally think that I should not exist. If you have questions about the LGBTQIA community, I am here and eager to have respectful conversations. If you’re reading this to learn more and to expand what you know about queer people, that’s awesome! I adore you! But to the crusty, homophobic folks reading this and thinking mean things - ciao now, ciao forever! I won’t miss you!

For the folks I’ve already come out to, they’ve often responded with an inquiry. They’ve wondered if there was a pivotal moment in which I realized I experienced female to female attraction– when I realized I’m not explicitly heterosexual. The truthful answer is that there isn’t one: this is something which has been dancing around in my brain, denied through the distracting presence of a boy to hold my attention, quickly followed by another, followed by another. It’s not something I repressed, more as I simply didn’t acknowledge it. It didn’t align itself within my history, thus I validated my supposed straightness through what I knew to be true about myself: I’ve only dated boys, so I must only like boys. It was this kind of thinking which allowed me to believe, quite comfortably, that I was straight.

For a very long time, I viewed love and attraction as something directed to a specific, singular gender. That gender was either your own, or it was the opposite. This is partially attributed to the fact that the only queer people I knew growing up identified as either gay or lesbian. I knew bisexual people must have existed, but I didn’t see any, I didn’t know any, and I wasn’t presented with any convincing evidence that I could identify that way. However, if I am to respond to this valid question with an extremely truthful answer, I must admit that there is a specific moment which I remember realizing and fully acknowledging that I am not straight. And I admit this in hopes that you will not use it against me. It was during the finale of The Legend of Korra. It’s no secret that Avatar: the Last Airbender and the Legend of Korra are my favorite shows of all time. I’ve never hid this about myself, for I’m not ashamed of the integral role both of these shows have played in my growth as a person. Both of the shows have a deep place in my heart, but LoK holds a particularly dear one. Warning! For those who are not familiar with Korra, I’m going to spoil the whole show.

I’m going to summarize the plot for those who are not familiar with the show and/or need a refresher. In Legend of Korra, we initially watch Korra, a powerful and brilliant young woman of color, fall deeply in love with Mako. People reserved their own opinions on them as a couple, but there was no denying the fact that they loved each other dearly. In the midst of Korra and Mako’s falling out, Korra found friendship within Asami– a female engineer in the show. In season three, their protectiveness and loyalty for one another became developed, nuanced, and sincere. But nearing the end of season four and the whole show, it was clear Korra and Asami cared deeply, if not romantically, for one another. I recall sitting in my bedroom on a cold December evening, feeling tears stick to my cheeks as I watched the final minutes of LoK. The show ended with a wedding between budding lovebirds Zhu Li and Varrick. It was adorable and befitting. I watched characters say their final words to one another, obviously scripted closing notes, and deliver sentimental hugs. It was adorable and cheesy – it is a kids show, after all.

Then, after Korra was drawn away from Tenzin, her guide and mentor throughout the entire series, she was left with Asami. And then they left together. And then they were together. I watched them fade, staring into each other’s eyes, feeling safe, protected and loved, and I saw a reflection of something I wanted for myself. And I realized that this was a relationship which I could have, if I wanted it. (I wanted it.) And I didn’t have to have it with a boy if I didn’t want to. (I didn’t.)

I watch shows like LoK, and I realize the dire necessity our culture needs for vibrant, complex queer women. I experienced firsthand how easily it can be done: for LoK created a female/female relationship with two smart, kind, and powerful women of color– and it’s a children’s show. It can be done. People simply need to see that there are queer folks all around them, they exist, they thrive, they grow, they change, they hurt, and they deserve to have their stories told.

I struggled with the idea of coming out in such a public manner. I do not want it to appear as if I’m capitalizing upon my sexuality, or using it to flaunt it in people’s faces. However, the pros outweighed the cons. I wanted to come out publicly for the sake of representation. The representation of bisexual/pansexual folks in media and everyday life is held to a dismal standard. Queer character in movies and TV shows either die, never explicitly state that they’re queer, or they DIE.

I myself love studying literature, particularly as an English major. And while I love learning other’s stories, I can’t help but notice how limited the perspectives often are. I am frustrated by the countless men who have expressed a feeling of melancholy, of loneliness, of existential dread, and have been esteemed genius for their inquiries. I do not take offence by their direct questioning; I take offence to our culture which has allowed these people the space and agency to sit in quiet, uninterrupted contemplation. Seldom have I been assigned a coming of age novel and seen myself, either queer or a woman, in it who was written and represented and respected. Seldom do I find texts on a syllabus and felt a sublime kind of solidarity: of pausing while I read and think: “this is exactly how I have felt - how wonderful and special and important it feels to know someone has felt as I do now.”

There are indeed books written about women and for women, there are books written about queer people and for queer people, but these texts are considered inherently deviant and irrelevant in the classroom. How insulting that something might not be considered literary art just because it does not comply to the hegemonic guidelines of the so-called “Great Texts.” Our stories deserve to be heard, we deserve to feel love, and we deserve to feel safe. This is really why representation matters so much: because everyone deserves to hear stories which celebrate the human experience. We should be celebrating every human experience. And despite tragedies like Orlando and countless movies/shows that kill of a token lesbian, members of the LGBTQIA community can indeed live fruitful and happy lives. Queer people of color and trans people of color deserve to know this especially – especially at a time when we see person after person murdered as a result of police brutality. We all deserve to feel hopeful and happy. Let us thrive, let us dance, let us smile, let us have hope. Incredible things happen when we are allowed to love and celebrate ourselves.

I close this piece with a thank you: I deeply thank anyone who has validated and supported me in my coming out process. I particularly thank my friends Maureen, Erica, and Fernanda, and my older sibling Emma for being the first people I came out to. Thank you for modeling what queer relationships can look like. Thank you for sharing your happiness with me. And thank you for pushing me to accept and love myself for exactly how I am. Thank you INFINITELY to my parents for your love, empathy, and exuberance. Thank you for always teaching Emma and I to be inclusive, inquisitive, and kind. I thank you both, especially, for hanging a rainbow Pride flag in front of our house where most people would hang an American one. You two are true allies to the LGBTQIA community, and have modeled how parents can create a safe environment for queer children. Emma and I have experienced a lot of things, but we never once felt that our parents would love us any less if we happened to love someone of the same gender.

You made our home into a safe space for anyone who walked through our doors, and I now know why so many of our friends enjoyed coming to the Manley-Gonella house: no one has to defend their identity. For people aren’t born straight, people aren’t born a man or a woman, people just are. We just are. We are here, we are queer, and we sure as hell aren’t going anywhere. I know I’m not.

[mksubrai]

America 2016

We are living in a world where women are not respected by a pervert who is running to be in a position of power. We are living in a world where people including women want to repeal the 19th amendment which gave women the right to vote. We are living in a world where sexual assault is normalized and rape culture is being promoted. We are living in a world where humanity is lost.

[mksubrai]

Don't discriminate. Educate.

A powerful look at how right-wing calls for profiling hurt real people.

[mksubrai]

Media and Me

Where do you get the majority of your news? Why do you choose the source and medium you do? How do you use it and how often? Do you share this news with others? If so, with whom and how? If not, why not?

Before I had deleted most of my social media, I used to get my news from Facebook and Instagram. After I deleted my accounts from there, I started getting my news from Apple news and now trending on the internet. I use these sources and mediums because it is the easiest way to get news. I do not watch TV or listen to the radio as much anymore. My phone is always with me which makes it easy to just unlock and search. If I see something interesting, I would take a screenshot and send it to those I think would also be interested. I do not have social media so I do not share a link for everyone to see.

What is your favorite source of media entertainment (television show, radio program, podcast, films (theater? streaming online? Netflix?), etc.)? Why do you choose this program/source? How do you use it and how often? Do you use it alone or with others? If so, with whom and how? If not, why not?

My favorite source of media entertainment is Netflix. There is always something interesting to watch and currently it is a show called Shameless. I use Netflix because I do not like to go out much and socialize. I watch Netflix depending on how my day has been. If it is a super busy day, I will not get a chance to watch anything on Netflix until it is bedtime. I have something on while I sleep. If it has been a slow day, I will watch Netflix the entire time. When I have friends over, we put on Netflix. I tend to watch alone though because Netflix has Bollywood movies and no one here on campus watches those.

Tell me about the most significant media event you have experienced (via the media, not in person). Where did you see/hear/otherwise experience it? What was the experience like? Were you alone or with others? Why is it the significant to you? What is its lasting impression on you?

The most significant media event I have experienced was 9/11. I was a first grader when it had happened. I remember coming home and seeing my parents in complete shock. I had to ask many times what happened and turned to the TV screen. My whole family gathered around to see what had happened. It made me sick. This event has been significant to me because I realized how evil the world can be. I had never seen something so horrific be done on purpose. My parents kept me sheltered to the point where I did not really know what death was because they would never tell me. This was the first time I had heard the word death and saw something that would later change how some people saw me. The lasting impression it had one me was that because of my skin color, I was being associated with these terrorists. When I went back to school, some kids would tell me my family caused the attack and I had no clue what they meant. White moms would tell my mom to go back to her Arab country. We are not Arab. I do not think people were really educated about the difference between Muslims and Sikhs and they still are not. This attack had brought me out of my little bubble and made me experience the reality of the world like hate and racism.