Chap 5 Analysis

Chapter 5 was a good chaptetr to read. It helped give me some hope for this research paper. It will still be very challenging, and writing a 2500 word essay is something i am not good at. The first thing i found helpful was there are two types of sources of information, the primary sources, which are original texts, and articles or photos or other things that have come because of the primary source which are called the secondary sources. Both kinds of sources complement eachother, and it is interesting that when i finish this paper it will technically become a seconary source for others. Another helpful thing in this chapter was the description of solid or unusable sources, and how who their author is makes a big difference on if the source is credible or not. That is something i really have to look out for, because of my topic. My topic is interesting i just hope i can find alot of "credible" sources because its all about a hoax and not on a proven historical or scientific event. Lastly it gave a good idea to go for real people's opinions like in the form of a interview or survey. I could possibly do that, and see what percentage of students believe in the lochness monster and big foot. Overall this chapter was a big help and i will use it as a guide in the production of my paper.

The Possitives of Avatars.

This was a very interesting article. From the beginning of the reading I thought we would be reading about super-nerd gamers that have no life but the life they have on the computer. Which i was very wrong about, actually i felt glad for some of the poeple and their avatars. The most impressed i was with one of the gamers was the section about Jason Rowe, the handicapped boy. He explained how on gaming sites its got nothing to do with what you look like, in actuality there is no way for people to know what you actually look like. On gaming websites the friends you make are all about the personality you have, because your avatar represents you and your personality. I also felt very good when Jason said how he was welcomed with open arms at the Gaming Conference he attended. He explained how everyone was treated equally there and he didnt feel like he was judged or looked down on at all for being handicapped. This example of being a gamer is indeed a very powerful one. The next example i thought was interesting was the bio of Rebecca Glasure, and how she changed her avatar to be the complete opposite of her, and how it actually worked really well for her. She made her avatar a large man, and she said she can lead and no one will question her, it makes her feel powerful. Another thing i found interesting was that if she was a girl she would be treated alot different. Lastly it was funny how the friends she met online would tell her about her girl problems, and they didnt even know she was a girl. Overall all the avatar/avatar creaters had interesting stories, and i liked all of them.

The differences of Facebook and Myspace

The article on 293-295 of the textbook contained an article. This article was mainly about the differences between two of the premier social-networking sites. These two sites are myspace and facebook. I personally have a facebook and never really got into the whole myspace thing. I thought it was very interesting what was said in the article about how either site is the more popular with different groups of people. In my highschool there was alot of poeple that had facebook, but there were still groups that more supported myspace even though it was the least popular and older of the two. I also find that facebook and myspace DO show a division in race and culture. I cannot remember how many times iv heard someone say: "facebook is so much better, myspace is just ghetto." Now whether i agreed with that or not it did influence me to get a facebook over a myspace. I did ask around my highschool and noticed that it was indeed true that myspace seemed to be what many of my black friends had. Also some people in my school that werent black but was deep into the black culture of rap music and being from the "hood." this was very interesting to me and that is also why i find this article so interesting because it prooved something i have witnessed in my own life. The main differences with myspace and facebook is on myspace you control he background, where on facebook everyone has the standard layout. I did find that whatever was someones background was the main reflection of what people would think of you when they saw your profile, and thats one item to identify yourself with. So i thought it wasnt exactly the best way to present yourself because people will judge that very critically.

What i think about the essay..

I like the fact we are assessing ads and other forms of media. I'm very interested in that and would like to possibly make commercials as a job. The only thing I'm worried about is the length. 1500 words is a lot of words, and I'm even more worried about the 2000 or so word essay that is later in the class. I think it will be a real challenge writing that much, even though that is probably the average amount of words in a typical college paper.

Susie Orbach Article

Wow. The article written by Susie Orbach is a very good one. As i was reading it it almost gave me the chills. Its a pretty powerful thing that they are trying to do. I personally agree with it one hundred percent. I have seen some of the Dove commercials where the talk about "true beauty." They are all great and really powerful, every one of them iv seen has been creative enough and also compelling enough to really stick into my mind. My mom explained to me what kind of pressure girls are under now of days. Its just sick when you see shows like "extreme makeover" where it shows women getting major plastic surgeries, now here is a secret to all ladies: that isnt sexy. You may be able to get away with something small or not something easily visible, but atleast for me if i find out someone im interested in has had a lot of those sergeries, it is a turnoff to me. It is almost like the girl is willing to be fake in order to get something. Thats not a very appealing thing. Another thing that is "believed" sexy in todays time is being skinny. Like very skinny, i hate that about the fashion industry. I personally think that once you get to a certain skinniness it is unattractive. Being able to easily see your ribs and backbone is not pleasant. Believe me ladies that an adverage sized body can be the sexiest thing out there. Now, enough of that, Dove has begun this campaign in a really smart way. I like this article because it is written from someone that is behind the sceens, and directly influenced these commercials. The whole history behind how this campaign began is interesting too. I like that a common business believes they can take on and change a large cultural phenomenon in todays time. Its an empowering thought to think that anyone can make a difference. Also, because these problems hit close to home with me, because i have a family member who has gone through stages of very rough self image prolems and self esteem. Overall, props to Dove for doing these campaigns and i cant wait to see what the other companies that are getting involved with do to help this one larger ideal.

Chap 14 reading

Chapter 14 was a very interesting chapter. It took a lot of time to read because the chapter was a bunch of historical stories about photography and how it affected the world and America. My favorite story in the chapter was have photography and "snapshots" were invented. It was very interesting to me that the first "snapshot" photo actually took 8 hours to develop. Also how snapshot cameras were not the first pictures ever taken because there have been pictures from as far back as the Civil War. Also, it was interesting how the first snapshot camera was made. Also how it only cost $25 which today would be very cheap but back then was quite pricey. Nevertheless, the article describes how now there has been several billion snapshots taken since that day and how the world relies so much on photographs. I also liked the article named America: 24/7. It described a lot on how America relies on photography and how it can deeply affect our culture.