Media And Me - One Sunny Day Being Aware Of Media

Hi, this is my smiling face

I would like to introduce you to my life. My name is Sabrina, I'm from Germany and staying in the USA for one year as an Au Pair. Back in Germany my television set was always on, like my computer. In my new life in America, things are different. Since I take the Media And Society class at Champlain College I'm more aware of the eight forms of mass media that surround me. “We are witnessing media convergence, in which satellites dishes, TV screens, cable or computer modems, and cell phones easily access new and old forms of mass communication. (See p. 27 MEDIA & CULTURE) To illustrate this I would like to talk about yesterday.

My alarm clock

7:30 AM: I woke up by the sound of my RADIO. I like the way I get carried from my dreams into real life. Music and local gossip surrounded me while I got dressed. I'm very glad that James Maxwell noticed the existence of radio waves in the mid 1860s (see p. 109 in MEDIA & CULTURE). Otherwise my limbic brain couldn't be that stimulated in the morning. Nevertheless the advertisements are very annoying by trying to bribe me with a little something extra.

Song out of the soundtrack of Forrest Gump

At 8:40 AM I sat in my car ready to go. On my ride to college I listened to the soundtrack of Forrest Gump. I like the music from the 1050's and 60's and this CD gave me exactly the right Rock'n'Roll that I needed this morning to get ready for the day. “As with the term jazz, rock and roll was a blues slang term for “sex”, lending it instant controversy.” (See p. 81 in MEDIA & CULTURE) Considering this sentence you might get the wrong impression of my ride to school, I just enjoyed the music.... nothing else.

Do iPhone users really have more sex?

I arrived in my classroom around 9:15 AM and prepared myself for my MAGAZINE presentation. The magazine Glamour represents the lifestyle of a young female audience with interests in fashion, sex, health and glamor. Among other things, I talked about the poll that iPhone users have more sex than any other smartphone-users. In the 1950's and 1960's women became a target group for the magazine industry. Garden and household magazines were published (differently from today's topics). In the late 1960's and 1970's “women's magazines grew more contemporary and sophisticated” (See p.297 MEDIA & CULTURE).

My father and my rabbit via Skype

On my way home I thought about my last couple days and what I will tell my parents via Skype. I prepared my lunch and launched in my Skype-account. Then I could eat with my parents, although they were thousands of miles away. We chat about my class presentation and about my life as an Au Pair. It is so easy to stay in touch by using the INTERNET. There is Skype, MSN-Messenger, Facebook, Twitter and some German networks. I have a blog and a homepage, which I always update with the recent events and pictures. “A 2006 study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that more than twelve million U.S. adults have created blogs, and 39 percent on Internet users report that they read blogs.” (See p. 52 MEDIA & CULTURE).

Partnership between Germany and Columbia: flags.de

I finished my chat with my parents and checked my emails. I received an email from my teacher from Germany. I was in a Columbia-group, where we supported a town in Columbia with a variety of projects. My old school has it's 100 years anniversary and prints a special edition of our school-NEWSPAPER. I felt so connected to those Columbia-projects that I started writing an article for the newspaper that afternoon. “Throughout the mid-1800's, the more a newspaper appeared not to take sides on its front page, the more its readership base could be extended.” I think, that objectivity is good for an uneducated audiences. As long as the readers are aware of the subjectivity, I think that's a great way for journalists to express themselves. I wrote my article with feeling and how I experienced the time in this group. It was a personal article and that wasn't a secret.

About the language of The Sims

After such a busy day I deserved a little playtime. I started my favorite GAME: The Sims 3. But I had to beware of the time, because this game is time-consuming! You think that you played only for an half an hour, but you played for 3 hours!! Luckily this time I put my watch directly next to my desktop so that I had an eye at the time. I admit that some people can't control themselves, but I can't say that the following statement is true: “[T]here seems to be a fear that video games are somehow nudging out other art forms, and that we're encouraging a generation of screenglazed androids with no social skills, poetical sensitivity, or entrepreneurial ambition.” (See p. 40 MEDIA & CULTURE) A few of my friends are playing video games very intensely, but their social lives are not different from mine.

Scene from Harry Potter 7: screencrave.com

Right after I shut down my computer my hostkids came into my room and picked me up for our ride to the movie theater. Today's MOVIE: Harry Potter And The Deathly Hollows Part 1. By the way my hostchildren are 5, 9 and 11 and this movie is rated PG-13. This code was invented because of “concerns that the movie business was lowering the moral standards of America”. (See p. 236 MEDIA & CULTURE) Unfortunately I haven't read the books, YET. But this film was amazing! I could have cried so many times in these 2 hours, but I was strong. When we were outside of the theater, I just wanted to go back and watch it again. I think I will shorten the time to the second part by reading the books.

TV trailer for the next episode of The Vampire Diaries

When I got home I was still overwhelmed by the movie. We don't have a television set, so I missed the TV show The Vampire Diaries. So I started my laptop again and went online to the webpage of the CW. There I could watch the newest episode of my favorite show. It was great and thrilling like always. I think it is a great opportunity for people without a television set or those who just missed their show. You can watch the latest episodes whenever and wherever you like to. “Shows are available through iPods and cell phones – for fees ranging from 99 cents to $ 1,99 per episode. Or, on some sites like NBC and Fox's Hulu.com, you can watch full episodes for free (with advertisements)”. (See p. 169 MEDIA & CULTURE)

Book cover of The Secret Life Of Bees: amazon.com

After so much watching on screen, my eyes needed something stable. So I took my BOOK, The Secret Life Of Bees, and snuggled up in my cozy bed. It's fantastic how you can be captivated by a book, which becomes a part of your daily life. Sometimes when I stop reading, I feel like the room became so quiet, although I was alone all the time and nothing had changed. The new generation uses those e-books. I can't warm towards them. “The publishing industry sees a future for e-books, but that market will develop slowly as engineers try to figure out how to make digital books an improvement on printed books.” (See p. 329 MEDIA & CULTURE)

This was my day. I hope you enjoyed to spend time with me and to travel through the depths of the media.

"Champlain College In 59 Seconds" Presented By Rubber Duck Parade Productions

A. What specific contributions did YOU make to your team's production of your video?

→ I had the role of the camerawoman.

B. What grade do you feel YOU earned for your work and participation in your team's video?

→ An A. We worked perfectly together, everyone had her individual job and fulfilled it wonderfully.

C. What was the hardest aspect of making your video?

→ The weather wasn't always on our site. So we had to plan the shooting days very carefully, but when the weather was great, we couldn't get all team members together. So it took us a while to find the perfect day to film

D. Other than finishing the VIDEO, what was the most rewarding aspect of making your video?

→ It was wonderful to see how team members with individual strengths fit together and can create something great.

Media Meditation #04: The Ultimate Challenge: Book vs. Film

Book cover: jccc.libguides.com

Last month I read the book In The Time Of The Butterflies by Julia Alvarez. It was a good book. The Liberian recommended it to me. I would have never chose this book to read, but I'm glad that I read it. It's about 4 sisters who lived in the Dominican Republic in the time of the dictatorship of Trujillo. 3 of the sisters were revolutionaries and died. The story is told by all sisters. This makes it so interesting to read. There a four different point of views that are talking about the same situation.

Film cover: ceulluloidfilmreview.com

“The film industry gets many of it's story ideas from books, which results in enormous movie rights revenues for the book industry and its authors. Michael Crichton's Jurassic Parc and Ian McEwens's Atonement, for instance, became highly successful motion pictures.” (p. 328, MEDIA & CULTURE) And also In The Time Of The Butterflies. Last week I saw the movie based on the book. Again, I would have never watched this film, if I haven't read the book. I was kind of disappointed of the movie. There is only one main character instead of four. Some facts are changed, that are quiet important for the story.

Often people are disappointed of a movie if they have read the book before. But that is understandable, because the directors aren't able to put every impression, that the books give, into a 90 minute film. Everybody has his or her own image of the main characters and the setting. It's difficult to compete with the power of fantasy and imagination.

There is a big discussion about the Harry Potter series. Whether or not the films are good enough to represent the fantastic work of J.K. Rowling.

FIVE MINUTE ORAL PRESENTATION: Spread Your Glamour In The World

THESIS:

• Translates style and trends for real American women

• Content spreads form beauty, fashion and health to politics, Hollywood and relationships
  

• They're often optimistic, always inclusive and can always separate the Dos from the Don'ts

• Their readers live for fashion, live for beauty and most of all, live for Glamour

  
  

FIVE FACTS:

• 79 % of Glamour readers say that friending a crush on Facebook is okay

• Many Hollywood stars wear a pixie cut again

• Eating a variety of vegetables may decrease your risk of lung cancer

• Drink up two 8-oz. Glasses of water before meals helped dieters shed more pounds

• iPhone owners have more sex than Blackberry or Android owners

Pixie haircut: 67pics.com

TRIUNE BRAIN:

• First pages only ads: Limbic Brain

• Some not beauty-related articles: Neocortex

8 TRENDS:

• Many poll-results and comments by readers: Personal Shift, from mass to participatory

• There is an iPhone-app available: Aesthetic Shift, from discrete to convergence

7 PRINCIPLES:

• High-quality pictures: Production Techniques

• Attracts young, female readers: Value Messages

• By reading the articles and looking at the “girl next door pictures”, you feel connected and understood: Emotional Transfer

Hot boy: aaronandandy.com

29 PERSUASIVE TECHNIQUES:

• Hey, it's okay – page: Flattery

• “Clothes for cool girls ( that would be you): Flattery

• “Enjoy 2 great magazines for one low prize: Just $19.97”: Bribery

• “Everyone's a Readhead Now”: Bandwagon

• Using famous women, such as Taylor Swift, on the front cover, who are talking about private things and “women stuff”: Testimonial

• Telling stories about the girl/boy next door: Plain Folks

• Using pictures of pretty girls and hot boys: Beautiful People

• “Eating a variety of vegetables may decrease your risk of lung cancer”: Maybe

• Presenting the former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice: Strong Leadership

• “58 % of readers polled on glamour.com have been in a friendship with benefits relationship”: Scientific Evidence

Media Meditation #03: Do you remember a time when books were made out of paper?

Last week I started a new book “The Book Of Tomorrow” by Cecelia Ahem. So far it's about a girl who lost her dad and moved to the countryside to her aunt and uncle's house. She is very unhappy and bored. One day a traveling library came into town and there she found a strange book that she had to have. It was locked and neither author nor title was known. A few days later a nun helped her to open the mysterious book, it was empty. So she decided to start a diary, but as she began, the entry of tomorrow was already written down.

Book cover: popular.com.sg

I didn't finish it yet, but it won't take me long. It has so much tension and keeps me reading. Last night I sat in front of the burning stove and read for a while. It was so cozy and I couldn't stop reading. I can't imagine how to read with a Nook or a Kindle. It's great to listen to the sound of turning over the pages and I carry a book with me almost everywhere I go. I would feel weird to sit on a bench in a park with my iPod reading an e-book. I like the picture of myself holding a “real” book. It makes the impression that I'm educated and not addicted to technology. In our book “ MEDIA AND CULTURE” on page 329, it says that I can store 200 books at a time on a kindle. Who need that many books at a time? I only read one book at a time and I'm frustrated when there are more books I want to read, but can't do it, because I'm already reading a book. Nook uses a different way to allure us. Barnes and Nobles offers reading one hour for free in their stores (Persuasive Techniques, Bribery).

Another thing I love about real books, are the bookstores. I can't stand the online bookstores. I need the smell of books and I want to touch them, turn over pages and read a little bit in them. In Germany there is one big bookstore chain called Mayersche. It is comparable to Borders or Barnes and Nobles. I could spend hours in those stores. But I like the small independent bookstores, too. I just love to be around books.

MID-SEMESTER REFLECTION: First College Experience At All

1.) After studying 21st century media for eight weeks in this class, what have you learned? Please be specific.

I've learned about the backgrounds of television, newspapers, radio, music- and movie industry. I can use the power tools in daily life and think more deeply about what I see on TV and hear on the radio.

2.) What is the most important thing you have learned about yourself as a critical reader, a writer, and a thinker in this class so far?

There are some hidden aspects and hints in every commercial on television, radio, newspaper and magazine. I knew that before, but now I can identify them specifically and now how to deal with them.


3.) What's one thing you would do differently this first half of the semester if you were to take this class again?

I would/ could learn more for the quizzes and class. I could spend more time with homework and the things we learned in class.


4.) What's one thing you would like me to do differently this first half of the semester if you were to take this class again?

You did a great job! I have to write something, so maybe if we have the time in class, you could talk more about our class blog comments and our personal blog entries.


5.) Please comment on the usefulness of the power tools, our course blog, your personal blog, our in-class quizzes, our films, and our book(s) as learning tools.

Power tools: Now I can identify the tricks which are used by companies to persuasive us to buy their products.

Our course blog: I don't have to write down what we have to do for next class. If I forget something I just can look it up on the blog. Additionally I can read about other's personal stories with the topics and get to know them better. Furthermore I can test and improve my knwoledge by reading the comments by the other class members.

Our personal blogs: I think this is a good way of testing the knowledge of us. I like to share moments, ideas and things with other people. The freedom with choice of topics is great. The only difficulty for me is, that I would prefer to write in German, because when I write in English I can't express myself in a way I want to present my thoughts.

Our in-class quizzes: I like them, because only by repetion our brain can remember and internalize the things we've learned. It pressures us to study the power tools and to use them.

Our films: I liked the film " The Vision Of Students Today". It was kind of scary how college could be. I'm glad that not every university must be this way. I sent the link to some of my friends and family members.

Our book: Sometimes it's kind of "boring" to read every single detail about one topic. But in the end everything fits together and I have the feeling that I know more than before and can use this knowledge outside of the classroom, too.

Camp Champ Radio Spot: Not Another Cinderella Story!

St: Welcome!

L: Bienvenue!

Sa: Willkommen!

M: Benvenuto!

St: Once upon a time, at Champlain College, freshman frolicked on our sprawling Aiken lawn. Whether you know it or not, this is the place where dreams come true.

L: Champlain College is right out of a fairy tale, with a picturesque campus located in the heart of Burlington’s residential neighborhood.

Sa: Your escorts to and from each class can be cheerful squirrels and chirping birds!

M: Multiply the 7 dwarves by 3 and you have the average class size for Champlain College!

St: Champlain offers you an intimate community where we appreciate you for the prince or princess that you are. Let’s hear from one of our prospective students, Cinderella.

L: I just couldn’t wait to take part in the Equestrian club and Muggle Quidditch! It’s much more fun to ride a broom then to clean with one! And the possibility of living in one of Champlain’s renovated Victorian era mansion would be just like living in Prince Charming’s castle!

Sa: But life on campus never gets boring! There is lots of adventure waiting for you at Church Street and the waterfront, both a short stroll from campus!

M: You don’t have to be a prince or princess to attend Champlain College! We can help you go from rags to riches or pumpkin to carriage with our BYOBiz program or study abroad opportunities!

St: 96.7 % of Champlain alum enjoyed this broadcast!

L: So come find your happily ever after at Champlain College!

ADEAMUS - LET US DARE!

Media Meditation #02: “Pass the driver's license test” or “Another app for my Ipod”

Stupid drivers around the world:

I'm from Germany and have a German driver's license. Now I have to get a Vermont driver's license to drive in the USA legally. So I started to look for practice tests on the Internet... nothing. I asked my organization... nothing, they asked the DMV... nothing. Nowhere were practice tests for me.

(My German driver's license)

Then I finally found something. A few weeks ago I bought my first Ipod Touch and downloaded some apps. By chance I found an application from the DMV with test-questions. This app cost me about 2 or 3 dollars. The aesthetic shift, from discrete to convergence, is accomplished. This shows us again how powerful and important technology has become. I think it's an impudence that I have to have an Ipod or an Iphone to practice for a test. That means that this information isn't accessible to everybody and this is the opposite of what the Internet and technology wanted to build. But unfortunately “Even as the Internet matures and becomes more accessible, wealthy users are still able to buy higher levels of privacy, specialty access, and capability than other users” (MEDIA & CULTURE, p. 66). Richer and more educated people have more opportunities than less educated and not so wealthy people. It has always been like that and it won't change ever; until everyone has the same chance of education and equality.

Media Meditation #01: Raise your voice at The Grind

(Image courtesy of their facebookpage)

Yesterday I went to “The Grind” at Champlain College. It's an open-mic-night. Everybody can sign up and sing, perform, play an instrument or read something. It was fantastic! I love live-music and there were some very good musicians. First I didn't want to stay, but after the first song I changed my mind. I stayed until the end at 11:30pm. I think I will attend every week, if I have the time. I like my hostfamily a lot, but it's nice to see people my age,too. I don't have so much contact to younger people, because I have to work a lot in the evening and night. On Wednesdays I mostly have my day off, so I can use “The Grind” to know more people and build some relationships to the American youth. That was one of the driving forces why I wanted to become an Au Pair and go to an American College. The American youth is not a lot different from the German one, but I think there are some differences. American teenagers listen to the same music than Germans do and through music, people can connect. You don't have to speak the same language to enjoy a concert or a song together. The limbic brain takes over and let you feel the music and the atmosphere. Live-music lifts me up to a different level. I enjoy it so much that everything around me becomes unimportant for this moment. It's fabulous!

Furthermore it's a wonderful way to get to know new people. People like you and me, the boy/girl next door (plain folks, persuasive technique). That's one of the things I like about “The Grind”, I saw some students from my class and met new people, who could be interesting to get to know. It's so important to stay in contact with people in reality. Almost everyone has a Facebook-account, sometimes it's getting too easy to stay in touch. Those nights are necessary to build a place were students can meet. People can come together and share some wonderful time in a nice atmosphere. Additional it's not only a place for listeners, musicians can improve their appearance on stage and practice themselves as artists. This could be an important trial run, if they want to apply for a recording contract at a music label such as Sony BMG and Universal. Those major music labels have an “enormous influence over what types of music gain worldwide distribution and popular acceptance.” (MEDIA & CULTURE, p. 96) Unfortunately as a musicians you are depended on a recording contract at a big label, if you want to have a good start. Some artists gain popularity through small labels or even without a contract (Colbie Caillat at MySpace). But it won't be easy to compete with high-end products of big music companies, which have huge budgets to market their artists. The musicians at “The Grind” are free of ownership, they perform their own music and covers. But nobody stands behind them and controls what they play.

Sabrina who?

1.) I'm from Aachen, Germany. I arrived about a month ago and take care of 3 children as an Au Pair.

2.) This summer I read my first thriller and I'm delighted by the different way to organize a story so as to build suspense.

3.) I like about 21st media that we have access to so much information. The telecomunication technology experienced such a great development, that I can hear and see my family and friends back in Germany.
I dislike about 21st media that we are so dependent, sometimes addicted, to internet, television etc. that we can't live without it anymore.

4.) I want to become a PR-Manager and I'm not sure where I want to work. My apprenticeship will take place in Germany, but then I prefer to work in foreign countries. Maybe I will come back to the States.