When one thinks of fake news in reference to television such as The Colbert Report or The Daily Show for example, they may think that what is being said is made up. However I prefer to call it news satire for the reason being that what being said is not necessarily made up, but instead delivered in a comical way. Programs like these, which resemble that of news broadcasts, discuss real events and issues that affect their viewers, but delivered satirically for the purpose of comedy instead of as a hard news story.
Sometimes it’s good to have a laugh and look on the bright side of life…especially in such tough economic times.
--Brendan--
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Buy Nothing Day
First I must confess, that on Buy Nothing Day, I will probably buy something. First off, its my pay day and I think that I deserve a little shopping spree. However I don’t feel bad for doing this. This being because I really don’t see what 24 hours of no spending would do to change how North Americans live. Why not have a Buy a Little Less Year which everyone is asked to commit to spending less money during the year in order to reduce waste. Although I may sound a bit sarcastic, this is only because the whole idea of Buy Nothing Day seems impractical to me. In preparation of Buy Nothing Day, consumers will buy everything they need before or immediately the day after, which completely defeats the proposed purpose. I agree that North Americans consume far too much, however one single day of not buying anything will not stop this problem.
--Brendan--
--Brendan--
Participatory Culture: THE FACEBOOK
We all know about “The Facebook” as it has grown into something of a pandemic in our society, but I use the word pandemic lightly. In my eyes Facebook is the ultimate social networking tool and I find myself wondering what I did to keep in touch with friends, especially distant friends, before I began to use it. Yes you may say that I am simply part if a fad or a corporate scheme to gather consumer information on me in order to increase an already wealthy company’s yearly income, but I would respond by saying…I’m not hurting anyone. I use Facebook solely for the purpose to do what it was created to do, which is network with people. I rarely post pictures of myself intoxicated or describe every detail of myself from my marital status to what books I like to read, television shows I watch or even my political views. And I especially don’t write long sad notes about how hard my life is being adolescent black male. So really what is the big deal if I have a Facebook profile or a Myspace profile or a YouTube channel? It really makes no difference how I choose to display myself via social networking, because in the end as long as I am aware of the implications and the consequences, nothing should go wrong.
--Brendan--
Net Neutrality
What is Net Neutrality? Net Neutrality is about choice. Being able to choose to view whatever you want on the Internet. The Internet should be a place free of restrictions where people can express themselves, share ideas, opinions and talents without unnecessary censorships.
Advocates of Net Neutrality would like to it should be made into law and content providers such as Google, Yahoo!, and Microsoft argue that network neutrality law is necessary because without law the free and open nature of the internet will be destroyed and also create a tiered, dollar-driven net that favours the wealthiest corporations over everyone else. Do we really want corporations dictating what we are able to see on the Internet?
Internet Service Providers want to end Net Neutrality. They intend to set restraints on parts of the Internet by charging website money in order to have access to it. Thus meaning that only wealthy corporations would be able to have websites. There would no longer be a flat level system in the Internet and a majority of users would not be able to have full use of the internet.
I feel that it is up to us, the general public to send our political leaders a message and show what the Internet should be and how it should be used. The Internet must remain accessible and neutral to all who use it to explore or share.
--Brendan--
Advocates of Net Neutrality would like to it should be made into law and content providers such as Google, Yahoo!, and Microsoft argue that network neutrality law is necessary because without law the free and open nature of the internet will be destroyed and also create a tiered, dollar-driven net that favours the wealthiest corporations over everyone else. Do we really want corporations dictating what we are able to see on the Internet?
Internet Service Providers want to end Net Neutrality. They intend to set restraints on parts of the Internet by charging website money in order to have access to it. Thus meaning that only wealthy corporations would be able to have websites. There would no longer be a flat level system in the Internet and a majority of users would not be able to have full use of the internet.
I feel that it is up to us, the general public to send our political leaders a message and show what the Internet should be and how it should be used. The Internet must remain accessible and neutral to all who use it to explore or share.
--Brendan--
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Decoding Black Face…I mean and American Apparel Ad?
American apparel designs, creates and prints it’s own advertisements. The company is known for having very provocative ads in which a female model would be photographed wearing a see-through shirt for a top and just her underwear for bottoms. I understand that this is what sells in the retail industry now-days and that advertising companies will do anything to get their product sold, but to what extent will they go? In my quest to find an interesting advertisement to I stumbled upon an ad by American Apparel that features a white model posing in “Black Face”. I’m not sure what their understanding of “Black Face” is, but to my understanding, it is a stereotypical depiction of black people.
The blackface minstrel act was a very popular form of entertainment in 19th-century America. It was also a highly racist depiction of African Americans The model’s face is covered in dark brown make up her lips are extremely exaggerated to resemble that of a black woman’s. It seems to me that American Apparel is trying to promote a new line of hair wraps, so why not just have real black women in their advertisements…seems very strange and unnecessary to me. For more information on “Black Face” follow the link provided.
http://etext.virginia.edu/railton/huckfinn/minstrl.html
--Brendan--
Works Cited
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_26/b3939108_mz017.htm
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Mass Media
When I think of mass media, I think about what both of the words mean. The definition of mass is: a coherent, typically large body of matter with no definite shape. Media is defined as: 1) the plural of medium 2) the main means of mass communication. Therefore to me mass media is Broadcasting, Film, Internet, Publishing, Video games and even Mobile phones regarded collectively make up mass media. An article written by Robert Caildini depicts mass media in today’s popular culture as the carrier of information. I completely agree with this article because media has become such a big part of our daily routines. Me personally, I wake to music playing from my radio, and then eat breakfast too television. After breakfast I have go on the Internet to check my e-mail and of course my Facebook. Then while driving to school I’m talking to m friend on my mobile phone. Then after a long Mass Communication class, I head home to relac with some video games. It appears that in our everyday lives, we are always pounded with information through mass media that we don’t even realize it anymore.
--Brendan--
Works Cited
Caildini, Robert. "The Media: Carriers of Contagious Information ." Articles Issue 4. 2007.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_media
--Brendan--
Works Cited
Caildini, Robert. "The Media: Carriers of Contagious Information ." Articles Issue 4. 2007.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_media
Monday, October 6, 2008
The Ecology of Media: My Blackberry and Me
The only things I need in life are my family, my friends and my Blackberry Smart phone, which I feel lost if it isn’t in at least arms reach of me. However, it appears that I am not the only one the only one. Here are some fun facts about Blackberry users: %59 uses their Blackberry while using the washroom; %39 uses their Blackberry while driving; %20 uses there Blackberry while eating dinner and %10 admit to using their Blackberry during church. An even more startling statistic is that over %50 per cent of Blackberry users are said to be addicted to e-mail.
Obviously the good people at RIM when they invented their first device, the RIM 850/950, couldn’t have imagined what their simple device would evolve into one of the highest selling mobile devices of all time, a device that was initially made with the businessman in mind. The Blackberry for a long period of time was considered to only for the CEO type consumer. However we now see the Blackberry being used for personal use by everyday people, creating a market for smart phones.
Well with that being said, the Blackberry is in my opinion, the best mobile device on the market. I love my Blackberry. It keeps me connected to everything in my life. To put that into perspective, every time someone thinks about, my Blackberry lets me know. I want leave you with this link: http://www.crackberry.com. To get a real look at the extent of Blackberry mania I suggest you check this out.
Works Cited
http://www.realsoftwaredevelopment.com/fun-blackberry-statistics/
http://www.techradar.com/news/internet/web/53-of-blackberry-users-check-email-on-loo-136877
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