3 Questions

1. It's sometimes hard to teach people about media, either because they don't understand what you're trying to say, or they don't want to understand it. I would like to know the most efficient way of getting through to people that it is better to be media literate than media illiterate.
2. Will media ever be regulated so the audience will know whether what they are watching/reading is the truth or not? It would be great to know if the media has a brighter future, and I feel like the only way to make sure this happens is if more people take classes like this one.
3. Lastly, and this question is almost impossible to answer, but how long will it take for corporations and any other advertiser trying to sell people things to realize that they are only making the world a worse place by not educating people on why they do the things they do?
Writing these questions makes me want to find the answers and use the information I've learned to educate people on the importance of media literacy.

Week 14 Responses

1. The corporation was a very informative view of the business world and had some interesting points in it that I hadn't known before. These included the facts that a corporation has most of the legal rights that a person would have, and that the greediness and pursuit of power of corporations is like that of a clinical psychopath.
2. Consuming Kids does a great job of exploiting the exploiters, the brand name corporations that realize children are the next generation of consumers and spend billions to advertise to them. It should be illegal to influence kids without them knowing what is happening to their lives.
3. Toxic Sludge is Good For You was a great way to expose the truth about what public relations firms really do. I learned that I shouldn't trust things that seem too good to be true without doing my own research on the topic first, because chances are a PR firm is behind it.
4. Disney is a beast that's only beautiful to the untrained eye (or brain). It's shocking that they own so many movie studios, TV channels, adventure parks, and countless other things that are legally protected and can influence children in countless ways they see fit.
5. Monsanto was brought up during many topics during the course of the class and not once did I hear a good thing about it. Just about every non organic food product available to consumers has some sort of connection with Monsanto, which goes back to how scary corporate power is.
6. The readings and short movie about how women are made out to be objects was disturbing to say the least, and although I have noticed this on TV and the internet my whole life, I learned some interesting new facts to go along with it.
7. The books we read were fun and educational at the same time. Feed was an easy read and keeps my brain out of the feed network indefinitely. Culture Jam and Ad Nauseam were great activist books with tons of revealing facts and information. They were all great.
8. The environmental art project was a good way to see how media effected everyone in the class a different way, and making my stick laptop has actually kept me from just browsing the internet from time to time.
9. The internet in general is also a big part of this class and was technically a good and bad thing. During my responses each week I would browse the internet and keep up with my facebook profile, but it can also be a tool to help educate others.
10. Educating others, last but not least, has been one of the main points of the class and I enjoy every opportunity I get to tell others about media rights and wrongs. I myself was educated a great deal during the course of this class and although I still go everywhere with an open mind, I remember that the media is out to influence me in one way or another, so I stay on guard.

Week 13 Response

Our PSA was more interesting to plan that it was to film, considering we only had to film for about ten seconds. I went in as the lead editor without knowing much about editing, but I'm glad I did because I now know how much work has to go into a well edited movie. I was able to tell friends and family members about why I was making a public service announcement about turning off lights, electronics, and water when you're not using them and it seems like I got my message through to most of them. Our group worked very well together once we actually had time to meet up and get work done. Colin provided most of the facts and figures we used, and James helped with the final editing cut since he's the most media savvy of the 3 of us. The only thing left to do is to find the perfect piece of music to use in the background and to complete our credits scene.

Week 12 Responses

If this isn't the biggest example of greenwashing a product or company, I don't know what is. I don't understand how you could possibly make concrete more environmentally friendly, and I don't think people even know what the term going green means anymore. To begin deconstructing this brilliant spectacle, I would love to start off with the fact that a cement company advertisement uses grass to exemplify their attempt to go green. They clearly know the only way to go green is to abolish the use of cement and let grass grow, but they chose to use it to advertise their product anyway. In a way, it's funny that the average consumer wouldn't even notice this, but it's sad at the same time because now that consumer thinks that they will be helping the environment when they rip out trees and grass to put in their new concrete backyard. One of the bonus features that makes TCL's new concrete more environmentally friendly is the fact that it has increase impermeability. That's great, now rainwater won't be cleansed by grass, dirt, and other natural occurrences as it rushes to the nearest lake or river, collecting chemicals, trash, and toxins all the way. One last thing that caught my eye was the line, "acting as a responsible corporate citizen", proving the fact that corporations truly have the same rights as those of a human being.

2. Common sense media is a website designed to give parents an accurate opinion on what media they should be letting their children experience. They have a rating system that goes by age and judges movies, TV shows, music, video games, and websites. The problem is that kids happen to be maturing at much younger ages as they experience new age media and therefore might consider this kind of website as biased, or representing old ideals. The site seems to be aimed at younger children, those younger than 15, and is very reasonable in the reviews that say no children should be allowed to watch a certain movie/show. I think this is a great site for concerned parents but I don't believe kids will support the safety the site is trying to give, especially if parents flat out tell them they can't visit a website or see a movie. Online activism is definitely apparent on Common Sense Media because the creators are trying to repress the illusion that kids today can view anything without being influenced in the wrong way. Children of any age can flip through TV channels and see violence, sex, cursing, and many other bad examples, and they should know what all of this means.

3. Our PSA hasn't had much progress this week, but the addition of James to our group is good because he has some knowledge of editing, so I am not worried about running out of time when we put all of our pictures/clips together with music. We are doing good in terms of content to use in our PSA, while James and Colin have been working on getting facts about energy and water use to put as subtitles. Editing is all we have left to do.

PSA Status

Over the weekend, Colin and I got some great shots of the lake, a bunch of different electric meters, running water, electronics that use a lot of power, and buildings lit up at night. Although some of our PSA might contain video, the majority of it will consist of still images and facts about our topic. We haven't decided whether to narrate it or not, but we can always add that in later. Once we get a few more good pictures/videos, our focus will be mastering the basics of iMovie editing. I have high hopes that it will come together well.

Week 11 Responses

1. As Toxic Sludge Is Good For You says, real democracy must be the common work and invention of all of us acting together. However, this statement and democracy don't account for how small grassroots organizations and citizens pose a greater threat to PR industries than environmental protection agencies do. The PR industry is constantly working to keep the public in the dark as long as we continue consuming blindly. A true democratic society is governed by the people, for the people. I wouldn't necessarily say that we are governing ourselves anymore if all we are doing is listening to what the PR industries tell us to do. It's good that democracy can sometimes be hard to predict, because this throws the PR industry off balance. Thinking back to Feed, a corporation won't be able to classify you as the average consumer because your actually using your mind and not letting other people's examples influence you. It's sad that money=power in our current political system, because corporations can now control policies that are in their favor, continuously sweeping democracy under the rug. I feel as if we no longer make our own decisions, and even though I haven't had much experience with politics, I've never felt further out of the loop with my own government. If the only way to hear about political news is through PR influenced TV, internet, and radio, I don't have high hopes for democracy.

2. I spent closer to an hour down by the waterfront today, and I just have to reiterate that I love being outdoors. I am lucky enough to live in a rural part of New Jersey, so while outside when I'm at home, I don't have to listen to the drone of highway noise or loud neighbors. Being next to the water gave me this same sense of satisfaction because the cool breeze and splashing waves drowned out any noise from cars and other people. I was able to clear my mind for the first time in a while, and the warm sun mixed with the breeze made for a very calming sensation. Some find the calls of seagulls to be annoying, but I didn't mind them one bit as I sat there. I admit that I should have left my cell phone at home because I found myself answering texts from time to time, but it was otherwise a very refreshing media free experience.
My half an hour of media was spent watching Hulu on my computer since I don't have a TV in my room. The show I decided on is called Modern Family, one of the only shows on TV I find remotely funny, and the first commercial that comes up is the World's First Reality Hair Star. What is the world coming to? Women in the ad describe their hair as "the most important part of their body and their daily routine". I laugh out loud because I find this more funny than anything that happened on the show so far. As the show continues, besides the occasional funny lines, I find myself growing restless, and I realize I haven't blinked in minutes. I also realize that not once do they show a scene outdoors or people doing anything active. I don't necessarily feel as if I've wasted a half an hour of my life, but I definitely would have rather spent it outside doing something fun.

Week 10 Responses

Chapter 8
-I thought it was funny how the WEF marketed its new biosolids to be used on farms and orchards, because most of the general public doesn't know that farms already use a fertilizer that contains human waste and remains from the industrial sewage industry.
-Sludge contains most of the things you would think it consists of like many types of bacteria and chemical compounds, but I had no idea of all the other harmful things that could turn up in sewage such as arsenic, lead, mercury, and asbestos.
-It is amazing that the selective use of government money to research toxins and sewage goes only to the EPA to find new uses for the sludge, and not to toxicologists and public health officials that would use the research money to find out how bad these chemicals actually are.
-The part about how stealth is New York City's new weapon against the war on sludge is somewhat ridiculous because it's basically just like sweeping dust and dirt under a rug. New York now keeps all information about where they dump their trash very private even to the point where the townspeople of the town they decide to dump in don't know it.
-It's scary to imagine that current science and technology can't even uncover the truth about the dangers of most chemicals in sludge and waste. Sure, they can assess the risk of common things like pesticides, chemicals, and radioactivity, but the evolving microbes of new pathogens are developing immunities to our antibiotics and becoming whole new threats we don't even know how to gauge.
-My question is how do I know if my town harbors these sludge dumpings from big cities and if it really is legal to deceive whole towns and even states with private dumping?
Chapter 9
-Public relations experts who work for companies who's sales would take a blow from new pesticidal information like the Velsicol employees should not be able to lie to the public like they did when Silent Spring was published. Instead of spending budgeted money to cover up what people write about their products, they should be investing in safer chemicals to use.
-Greenwashing and environmental public relations are all around us, trying to tell us that anyone who stands up to their companies for polluting or not being as green as they could be is an eco-terrorist fear monger. When a company announces how they are becoming greener, further research should be done to make sure they're actually doing anything about it at all.
-"EDF assists McDonald's in fooling the public into believing that something significant has occurred". This type of lying should not be legal in the slightest, and now McDonald's can go on polluting and selling pesticide covered foods while the public believes that they're trying to be more environmentally conscious by using recycled materials for their bags one day out of the year.
-Some popular PR campaigns that corporations use now try to make it seem as if you are the one at fault for spoiling the environment instead of them. I hardly believe that pollution percentages are more greatly affected by my everyday actions rather than a corporation pumping CO2 out of it's smokestacks 24/7.
-Changing your name doesn't make you a different person. Changing a corporation's name doesn't change the fact that they pollute more now than they did under the previous name. It is shocking what some people will believe just by changing their surroundings.
-My question is when is government going to step in and lay down some laws for the legality of public relations, because as I see it, they lie their way out of every corner.

Week 9 Responses

1.
Dear Kalle Lasn,
After reading your book Culture Jam, my eyes have been opened to a whole new world of activism and things of the sort. As a child that had grown up for many years without the influence of television, my youth wasn't shaped by brands like others' were. I had my own relative sense of cool, and until I had taken a media literacy & environment class in college, I didn't understand how corporations and brand names could control a person's life so acutely. Here at college, I have realized that everyone subconsciously follows trends and that it actually is very difficult to be different and fight the system. For instance, during a walk down a busy block or college campus, you would be hard pressed to find a t-shirt or jacket that didn't have the brand clearly printed somewhere on it, and there are almost no shoes you would see without the classic swoosh or UGG logo's screaming out at you. As an environmental studies major at the University of Vermont, I share many views with my classmates about the problems about consumer culture nowadays. I had heard of the things activists do to protest politics and corporations they believe are harming the environment, but I wasn't as keen as they were to join rallies and those sort of things. Culture Jam explained a whole new way of protesting to me, and I particularly enjoyed the chapter titled The New Activism. Unadvertising and educating yourself on how to battle the effects of advertisements are important to today's culture jammer, and I now have the tools to do just that. Every time an advertisement comes in front of me now, I find myself analyzing it and realizing how powerful they can be to the uneducated mind. Being a college student has definitely put a dent in my checking account balance, but even before school I had never been the type of individual that went and shopped/consumed just for the hell of it. At a young age I realized the devastating effects modern consumerism had the the environment, which was what got me interested in environmental studies in the first place.Your book has helped elevate my knowledge of how to unlearn these types of lifestyles and to make it known to others that they can change too. I have even shared your views with people close to me, and without even reading your book, they are making changes in their lives because the reality of it all scared them so much. Thank you for sharing your insights in this wonderful book.

2.
The end of the corporation was one of hope for the future, which was impressive seeing that the previous 2 hours of the movie was just bad news stacked sky high. One thing that was most surprising to me was the fact that corporations have basically the same legal rights as a person as made clear by the 14th amendment of the United States Constitution. When a corporation does something illegal, how do you punish something that has the rights of a human being but is just a name on paper? Something that aroused agitation was the suppression of an investigation of Bovine Growth Hormones by FOX news company. With the power of expensive legal advisers, FOX basically got away with many illegal things such as forcing employees to avoid the truth but at the same time not lie to the public. This shows how much power corporations have when it comes to politics and legality. A significant new item of learning is that the CEOs of most major corporations have no idea of the atrocities they're committing in the countries in which they manufacture their goods.The interview between Michael Moore and Paul Knight was an eye opener. One question I have after viewing the film is; what can the public do to help speed up the deconstruction of corporate America? What can people besides movie makers like Michael Moore do to get the attention of these corporations and get them to change their ways?

Week 8 Responses

1. One of the first sections I read sparked a realization for me about new vs. used cars, a debate I have argued with friends and family about for as long as I've been able to drive. My 98' civic gives me more of a sense of security and trustworthiness than any other car I have driven, presumably because it's the car I've spent the most time in and tending to. The fact that cars change in style and design every year is only to gain advantages in sales over other car brands, and only a few minor things change in performance adjustments every few years.
The section on dieting, calories, and eating disorders interested me as well. It's true that food companies have promoted convenience and good taste instead of nutrition and healthiness, making our conscious food-purchasing no longer enjoyable or free. Why go to the grocery store and prepare the food you buy yourself when you can take the easy car ride down the street to McDonalds and pick up a hot pre-made meal.
Thirdly, ecological economics is a worldview that I myself have studied, from classes in college to books explaining the movement, and I really believe that this is what we need to change the direction the United States and the world are heading in. The expansionists, or classical economists, put their trust in technology to save us in the future from depletion of resources and such disasters, but they don't realize that we are already consuming at a rate faster than the earth can handle.
The section about the evolving definition of the word "cool" is interesting because the people who may believe they're cool are in fact the ones that are controlled by corporations and taught to follow trends. The people who are legitimately "cool" nowadays are the ones who rebel against these corporate giants and their tag lines. Americans are now lazy and can do things with the push of a button, unlike the old definition of cool, where people actually had to have physical talent in a certain area to excel in it. Cool is no longer a part of knowledge or academia, it's how well we can coincide with consumer culture.
Finally, an observation of the section on memes led me to realize that I support every one of the culture jammers' arsenal of metamemes. Although I haven't joined rallies and marched to city halls to debate these views, it feels good to be a part of the movement to fix the global economy.
My question to the media conglomerates is whether or not they realize they're destroying the world as we have known it and do they have a backup plan if their work comes crashing down on them?
2. The movie has opened my eyes to how much wrong can be done in the world without anyone noticing it. The fact that companies would rather pollute and pay the fines when they get caught as opposed to not polluting and greening their companies astonishes me. There is also the fact that there are countless numbers of companies that do this, and the large name brands we have heard of only scratch the surface of the list. The section which reveals that Phil Knight, the Nike CEO, has never even visited the factories he has built in developing countries, let alone visit those countries, should be a crime. The worst part is that the developing countries actually view these sweatshops as opportunities to enrich their lives, because even the meager pay they receive is more than they would have gotten without the factory work.

Week 7 Response

The drudgery of life in America is easy to see wherever you go. Advertisements for things you don't have are always smiling down at you from billboards with their perfect and beautiful spokespeople. A majority of the time someone poses for an advertisement, they don't even know what brand they will be representing. Being short on money makes you realize these things more often than not, because you can only dream about what you would do or buy if you actually had the money. On the other hand, if you were wealthy, would consuming more brand name goods make you happier? Apparently not, according to Culture Jam. As society becomes more modern with new advancements in technology and lifestyles, more and more people become affected by depression. Asian countries that adopt the American culture have been studied and reportedly rise in depression rates, and I'm sure they're not the only developing countries that are afflicted by this "plague".
A few lines about the typical American really intrigued me and made such good sense it was frightening. They included the facts that we watch nature programs instead of going out to experience it for ourselves, we laugh at sitcoms' bland jokes but not at our families' similar comical moments, and we watch more shows that include sex than we actually perform ourselves. When I moved into my room at the beginning of this school year, I was all set to have my own TV to watch cable on, but for some reason, my room was the only one without the proper cable hookup. My TV has sat lifeless on my dresser for this whole year, and now that I have witnessed the dull reality of what could have been, I couldn't be more pleased that it never worked. There have been many instances during my free time where I can just relax to music or escape with my own thoughts. It is sad that our cultural freedom has been lost to the slavery of technology and work.
Our idea of comedy is not our own anymore. It belongs to the studio audience that laughs every time a punchline is blurted out on your regularly scheduled late night cable rotation. Is there ever a time when you would laugh and the studio audience doesn't? Not likely. I find this very annoying and my mind drifts to this angry spot whenever I hear that studio audience begin to crack up at the lamest of jokes. This is just another example of how we are being programmed as a culture.
The unofficial history of America section of Culture Jam had me asking myself many questions. the first was what they are going to be writing in the history books of the future. The stories of the wars that allowed us to be our own patriotic nation as we broke free from British rule are undeniable, but what is going to fill the books during times of peace, or as close as we will ever be to it. America no longer battles its' "enemies" overseas, but rather itself and the consumer culture we are trapped in. We are prisoners of war with our own country. I can't wait to read the chapter about the 300 companies Microsoft has either bought out or sold. That should hold the attention of future teenagers very raptly...

Week 4 Responses

1.
The section relating to LA Law personally intrigued me because of a certain case and how it was presented to the jury. A movie of the defendant getting beaten by police was allowed to be shown as evidence, but it had been edited and slowed down to make it seem less violent than it actually was. Something can be edited beyond original recognition these days and it made me think of the Dove evolution PSA. If everything on TV is edited to control how we think, we lose our personality and creativity.
Another topic in the next chapter that got me thinking was the magazine demographic studies. As it turns out, many magazines have devoted readers, and through these readers and their interests, the magazines gain valuable information on who else they can target. For instance, GQ readers are trendsetting men; they are hip, affluent, and above all influential. Maxim readers are men who aren't interested in fashion, they're interested in clothes. "He's a man who has arrived, but is still going places". If magazines can make these bold statements about their readers, can't advertising companies target certain audiences in the same way?
2.
The thesis of the article is that even though our brains are developing at a rate faster than ever before, today's technology is making thinking for yourself a thing of the past.
When Cascio writes about the frightening thought of what life in 2030 will be like, it was as if he had read my mind. If we think of this time incrementally however, it doesn't seem too surprising what new things we will come up with. Take modern discoveries for example. As they are unveiled each year, they are regarded as breakthrough technology, but we become so used to new things that they almost become obsolete in the next year or two. I also agree that as more digital technology we rely on becomes faster and smarter, we do as well. Our brains are adapting to new technologies and this is also true the other way around.
Something I don't agree with in Cascio's article is the use of cognitive-enhancing drugs, and how he says that if you aren't using them, you will fall behind other's intelligence. I believe these drugs are only for people who can't focus their minds in the first place, and in no way is it "cheating".
3.
-Marketing companies have thousands of resources and ways to collect demographic information to better target consumers.
-Corporations are now regarding their products as cultures, specifically Song Airlines' take on providing a brand new experience in flight.
-Product loyalty can be researched and paired up with reasons why people join cults and other organizations.
-Ads can't just be 30 second clips anymore between shows, they have to now be incorporated into the actual shows, to the point where we wouldn't even think twice about their advertising.
-Researchers can now define words such as luxury, and make people think that this is what they need in their life.

Week 5 Responses

1.
During the first section of the reading, subliminal advertising is the topic of most interest to me. I still wonder to myself if this type of advertising is taking a hold of me. Brands are right to admit that today's consumer culture is no longer naive, and they must get our attention in some other way. Something else of interest to me was the way that we as consumers do realize how much we do advertisers' work for them. Yes, we all detest ads for the most part and don't agree with the way they appeal to us, but these same people are wearing logos day in and day out, giving the brands free advertising. Thirdly, I enjoyed the pranks of Joe Garden and his advice on how to disrupt the system with minuscule attacks. In my day, I have seen plenty of fake eBay auctions, most of them hilarious, and this made me think of them. Also, the idea of sending businesses back their business reply envelopes with a ton of garbage in them is very tempting.
My question for section 1 is that alcohol and liquor ads can hide ridiculous pictures and subliminal messages in their ads, how far does this type of marketing go?
My question for section 2 is how did no one realize they were buying foreign groceries twice every week for a year?
2.
Twitter, once thought to be just a new way to tell your friends what you're eating for breakfast, is now on the verge of being one of the most important social networking devices, ready to surpass Google in it's dominance of Internet searching.
I support Johnson's reasoning on why Twitter can now be so helpful not only in the social world but in the business world as well. To be able to ask a list of a 1000 people what they think about a decision in real time can be revolutionary in the way we carry out business. I also agree that Twitter is battling for support throughout the toughest economic times we have ever seen. People are out of jobs but continue to invent ways to keep in touch with each other.
I don't agree with the fact that Johnson sees it as proactive that people can only use 140 characters in their Twitters, causing information transmitted to be more precise. I am a firm believer in explanation, and although sometimes things can be explained in a few short words, it is mostly not the case. I also disagree with the way Twitter is now promoting advertising, the very topic we have been studying for the past few weeks.
I personally don't use Twitter because I don't require instant updates on everyone I know. I rely on the occasional browsing of facebook or texting to find out how people I care about are doing. I otherwise have no bias towards twitter.
3.
-Everything that has to do with advertising has gotten increasingly sexual, especially while children and teens are still developing a knowledge of advertisements.
-Advertising no longer has to be in your face, because it can be subtly everywhere you look, from friends clothes to movie backgrounds.
-The idea of corporations paying people to advertise brands to their friends and family is disgusting.
-The males of TV and advertising become increasingly violent and the women become more sexual.
-Cool Hunting? Enough said.

Week 6 Responses

1.
-Facebook, although the most popular social networking site in the world, is very hesitant to let users know it's real purpose; to make money by advertising more specifically than ever before.
-I agree with the fact that facebook indeed separates us from our actual lives instead of "enhancing" our relationships. Quantity is definitely more important to social networking users than quality.
I also agree that facebook is deliberately trying to replace nature and the real world with a virtual world, which facebook's original board member Peter Thiel admits himself. He quotes Thomas Hobbes who said that life was nasty, brutish, and short, saying that the new virtual world of facebook will bring about the conquering of nature. He has also given money to researchers that experiment on artificial ways to make people live longer.
I don't agree with facebook's ridiculous claims of a fake version of privacy. The small print in it's privacy statement is enough to make the strongest stomach quiver with nausea. It essentially tells you that anything you enter into your computer at any point in your life will be saved and even if you decide to change it, an original version will always be kept.
I also don't agree with the way advertisers are exploiting facebook users on a whole new level by targeting them with super-specific ads that they almost can't resist. Facebook quietly sits back and lets users enter all of their interests into the networking site, and then this information is sold to corporations to put ads on specific people's pages.
2.
Williams' article went over almost everything we have focused on in class when it comes to big media controlling the way we see things. From TV to newspapers to video games, ads are subconsciously remodeling society and what we desire from it. Parents can only be "good" parents for so long by not letting their children watch TV for hours on end or submit to their incessant begging for toys/merchandise. At a certain point, schools will be influencing children with ads just as much as if the kids had sat home all day and watched TV. Besides being a total recluse, there is no way around it. The only way to prepare for what's to come is to properly educate those who won't recall a time we didn't have cell phones or internet access 24/7. It takes much practice to realize that when you see an ad something on TV, it is most likely much different in real life, and mush less satisfying as well.
3.
-Younger women are used in ads to target a younger crowd.
-Men are depicted as strong and resilient, while women are seen as vulnerable and quiet.
-Only 5% of the female population of the world could ever look like the ones in advertisements, and it would be genetically rather than because of dieting.
-Girls self esteem is fine before they hit adolescence, but it then drops because they don't look like women on TV.
-Violence towards women has recently been seen as erotic, if not wanted. "No means yes?"

A Little Background Info.

Hey, my name is Casey Moore. I’m from Clinton, New Jersey, a nice town in rural Hunterdon County. One thing to know about people from my part of Jersey is that they love their state but hate the stereotypes that come with living here. I think the majority of people who read this would know what I’m talking about. =)
My favorite media experience over break had to have been seeing Avatar in an IMax theatre in NYC with some friends. The movie itself was great, but the IMax component made it simply amazing. If anyone has yet to see a movie in one, I highly recommend it. I’ve yet yet to figure out how they work as well.
The thing I love most about 21st century media and the devices that go with it is also the thing I hate most. I’m talking about being available to anyone else on the planet at any second of the day, i.e. cell phones, texting, twitter, and any other ripoffs of those mentioned above. There is rarely time to be by one’s self when you’re constantly connected to the rest of the world. I currently use a BlackBerry, and although the availability of internet and other apps is only a click away , I feel that privacy is slowly diminishing! Where and when is the encroachment of cell phone use going to stop?
When people ask me what I’m going to do in the future, either professionally or personally, I prefer not to go into specifics because I enjoy not knowing exactly where my life is going to take me. I’m studying Environmental Studies and I plan to go to law school to integrate the two, but the world might have other plans for me. Only one way to find out...