I recently spent time trying to stay away from mass media. This sounds like is may not be that difficult, but it actually was. Staying away from mass media essentially means staying away from modern technology. So, I wanted to write a bit about my experience with this.

I found that the most difficult aspect of doing this was giving up "Ike." In case you are wondering this is my iPhone. My life tends to revolve around this piece of technology. My calender, alarm clock, phone book, music as well as many other pieces of my life are stored here. So by avoiding this I felt a bit lost.

However, once I spent time removed from this device I found things to be much more peaceful. The quickened pace of the modern world seemed to fall way. I could take the time to appreciate the small things like the sounds of nature as I walked or even more face-to-face communication. I grew to appreciate the removal of this technology from my life. Once it was replaced I learned to use Ike with more care. I learned just how amazing this technology is, and how it is so easy to take advantage of it all.

Blogging: My Experience

A blog (a contraction of the term "web log") is a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order.

This is the wikipedia definition of "blog." When I began blogging I was completely new to the idea. I knew little more than what this definition explains. To be completely honest, the concept of maintaining my own blog seemed a bit beyond my reach.

I had never thought that writing out my thoughts on the Internet was something that I would enjoy doing. I guess I was wrong about that. Through this experience I found that blogging can be fun and even a bit liberating. My blog became an outlet for self expression. If I felt a certain way on a subject I could express these emotions.

Keeping my blog was not always an easy task. I admit I ran into some trouble when trying to add pictures and links, but after working with it a bit, it got easier. It was not always practical to write a blog every week, sometimes I had to skip weeks and double up on others. But all in all it was a good way to keep track of my thoughts on mass media and the different issues I encountered pertaining to this subject. I'm not sure if it is something that I will continue to do, but it was a fun experiment. The sense of accomplishment I felt after I posted a blog was amazing.

When I heard in class that the film makers of the Glocal Scene documentary had found some of our blogs, it was the first time that I realized that my blog was out on the Internet, open to the public. This was a fascinating concept to me. The people that I wrote about could possibly see my views. This helped to completely change what I believed about the way our media system works in relation the the audiences. Before this point I had never thought that the average person could reach other media creators. But now I can see that this is in fact possible.

Today's Lesbians

Katy Perry's song "I Kissed a Girl" is about easist way to define the way that today's youth views Lesbianism. In the music video for this song the idea of the over sexualized woman is portrayed. This is the view that what empowers a women is her choice in sexuality, or rather her freedom to flexible in her sexuality.

Like in the article "Hot Lesbians" by Sue Jackson, Lesbianism is viewed as nothing more than a fad. However this is a double standard when taken in the context of men's sexuality. When on youtube you find parodies of Katy Perry's video which deal with men. It is almost as if bisexuality for men is nothing more than a joke.

Media Representation of Women

"Women's magazines of the 1950s and 1960s were 'crammed full of food, clothing, cosmetics, furniture, and the physical bodies of young women' , with limiting portrayals of women as mothers, housewives, and sex objects. The representation of these "happy housewife heroines" had replaced the "spirited career girls" of the 1930s and 1940s" (MODELING WORK: Occupational Messages in Seventeen Magazine, Kelley Masson).

It seems that nowadays women seem to sit back and wait for a "Prince Charming" to come and sweep them off of their feet. Is this the way we where raised? If were to ask my eight year old cousin what she wants to be when she grows up she will answer "a princess." How can this be a normal response to a question about a future career.

Disney movies put this idea in our head when we were children. We learned that men will rescue us from our normal lives, and take us to a better place. Now, chick flicks tend to further cultivate this idea. Women are fully capable of relying on themselves. Yet the media consistently drives in the point that the man is the protector, the superior.

I was recently asked the question "can men and women become equal". At that point I had answered that I didn't think that our society has the capability to achieve equality until the men make changes to their thoughts. However, after more consideration I believe that it is not until we stop teach out children (both boys and girls) or the damsel in distress that we can reach a more equal state. As of now the men rule the world. They believe that this is the job of the males as the masculine figure. It has been that way through out history and it will continue to be this way until media changes the messages that it produces.

Televisions Lack of Creativity

Why is it that television programs constantly represent the same situations? This question has a simple answer: profits. The same three profit driven television networks dominate the industry. Because of this, television has become nothing more than repetitive nonsense that lacks creativity. A great example of this is the CBS show CSI. The original series, taking place in Las Vegas, became a quick hit. This brought in large amounts of profits for the network. Soon CSI: Miami and CSI: New York came to fallow. Keeping in line with the original program the sequels, so to speak, followed the same format of an intelligent yet quirky male leader. The "team" is made up of an array of character both male and female, usually stereotyping the city in which the show is set in.

This seems to be nothing more than a simple format followed in order to create a successful show. And that is exactly what it is. Program development is costly and programmers try to avoid risk. Producers tend to stick to the tried-and-true methods which are most likely to produce success. Because of this audiences are left with second rate television shows.

Privacy and Facebook

When we go on sites like Facebook, our information is on display. This idea may dictate the things that we write, the groups that we join and the causes we support. It is easy to support a cause that a friend invites you to, but do we truly back these causes?

Monica Hesse's article in the Washington Post about "Click Through Activism" focuses on the ways that many social networkers join activist groups without the intention of further supporting the cause. Some of the reasons for joining could be guilt or simply fallowing friends. Few of the people joining truly support the cause. Sometimes people do not even know anything about the group that they are joining. An example of this is the "No to Demolition of Stork Fountain" group, which was fictitiously created for the purposes of a psychological study, yet reached over 27,000 members.

When it comes down to it the numbers that join these causes show a public outcry and support, but do little else. It is easy to join a cause on Facebook, however it takes more of an effort to fallow through and act on that issue. Because of this many of these causes loose support and fail fairly quickly. Instead of this "click-through activism," taking a more proactive approach is the best way to give support to a cause you believe in.

Media Mover

When I took the quiz to determine what kind of media user I am, I found out:

[I am] a Media Mover, so [I] have a wide range of online and mobile habits, and [I am] bound to find or create an information nugget, such as a digital photo, and pass it on. These social exchanges are central to [my] use of information and communication technology. Cyberspace, as a path to personal productivity or an outlet for creativity, is less important to [me].

I somewhat agree with this description. I definitely tend to use technology for social purposes. My phone is often used for texting and Facebook. However, this does not paint a completely correct picture of the way I use technology. Most of the time that I am on the Internet, I am doing work other things having to do with school.

If I were to pick a different description I believe that I may fit better as a Roving Node. Although I have had a number of cell phones in the past, I never was reliant on my phone until I got my iPhone. This piece of technology completely changed my perspective. It allowed me to be more mobile and reliant on just my phone. So now besides my phone, and laptop, I rarely use other devices.