jenan's blog

I would say I consume a fair amount of media. It is hard to escape interactions with media in this day and age, especially when one is privileged enough to access technology. This media has influenced my awareness of the world, my interactions with the world, and my own view of myself within this world. Instagram is currently my biggest source for news, and it is constantly showing me videos and articles about different events happening all around the world. This aspect of media is very positive in my life, because it allows me to know what is going on, and to be socially aware. Even though Instagram isn’t the most scholarly source, regular news channels fall under the umbrella term of media. Media allows many people to gain knowledge of what is happening around them. I grew up watching TV shows and movies, and they greatly impacted my view of life, and my expectations for it. High School was not portrayed realistically on TV if you ask me. TV influenced/influences my social habits...

The other day my mom and I were listening to Radio Lab on NPR, and the episode was called Plant Parade. It discussed one of the most fascinating science experiments I have heard about. This experiment started with dogs and their food. Right before the dogs were fed, a bell would be rung. This pattern of bell then food carried on for a bit of time. Then, they started ringing the bell without feeding the dogs. This experiment trained the dogs to expect the food with the ring of the bell, so they began to salivate and whine even though there was no food presented. This immediately reminded me of The Office, when Jim gave Dwight a mint every time he restarted his computer, so that he would start to salivate at the sound of his computer restarting. Our brains use association to build expectations, through associating certain happenings with others. They wanted to test if plants were able to remember patterns and associate things as we do, despite them not having neurons or a brain. They s...

Recently, I noticed many things about the original Spy Kids movie, and the Spy Kids series in general. With MissRepresentation on my mind, I have been paying closer attention to the portrayal of women in the media. So, I began contemplating this while watching Spy Kids two days ago. This movie series was pretty prominent in my childhood, and I am sure it has influenced my perception of the world in one way or another.  The first thing I noticed was that the 2 main female characters are both dominant in their character relations, and take charge of situations. The mother is shown having a great amount of control over her husband, and she is able to convince him to make many decisions. She is also the one who figured out how to escape the first time, while her husband didn't know what to do. I feel their relationship is equal overall, which contrasts many other movies of this time. Carmen, the daughter of the family, is very intelligent and creative. She is pretty stubborn and r...

The moments that stood out most to me during this documentary were the comments made by male newscasters. I was absolutely appalled by their fundamental perception of women. They truly believe women are nothing more than their faces, their bodies, their boobs. They take any little thing a woman does and completely belittles them, despite the fact that not even themselves are perfect. Women in media have to be literally perfect to escape the undeserved and unreasonable criticism from men in the news. There can't be too much leg, but she can't be wearing pants. There can't be too much cleavage, but if there isn't enough she is a prude. She can't be too dumb, but if she is too smart she will be seen as a threat. If she shows passion and emotion for an issue, she is delusional and unfit for a leadership role. But, if a man shows passion and emotion, he is driven and truly cares about his work. The amount of hypocrisy and sexism in this is infuriating. I cannot expres...

In in the film Merchants of Cool, they touched on how the media can shape our lifestyles, with the example of the "mook" and "midriff" way of living. The "mook" appeals to teenage boys, and encourages inappropriate and honestly gross behavior. The "midriff" is aimed at teenage girls, and portrays women only as a sexual object, making girls feel they must act this way. Today, I can still find TV shows and media portraying similar norms to teenagers. Even though it has improved, women are still very sexualized, and our appearances are still vital when being judged on the media. I feel the "mook" way of life has died down a bit, but many forms of advertising and TV shows still show men and boys acting in generally inappropriate ways. I feel that a lot of awareness has spread as a result of media, which has led the over-sexualization of women to become less common. Many women have taken to social media to stand up against the stereotypes ...

The title is a bit dramatic, but recently the 19 year old beauty guru has been put under a lot of heat from Tati and some other Youtubers in the YouTube community. He has lost nearly 3 million subscribers in the past 3 days, and the numbers are dropping every second. This all started when Tati, a beauty guru, came out with a video stating he sponsored her rival despite them being good friends, and further went on to share his manipulative tendencies and immoral actions. He released an apology video saying he is always trying to learn and grow, and that he had made many mistakes in the past (for the record that video is obviously bad acting). It is crazy to me how this young celebrity who seemed to be constantly gaining more and more fame has lost so much so quickly.   I have found this phenomena especially present on YouTube. One day you are extremely popular and famous, and the next day you are either hated or no one remembers who you are. With YouTube, it has become progre...

     Recently, I have started to contemplate how the use of comedy in news casting influences our interpretation of the news. Shows like Last Week Tonight and The Daily Show are perfect examples. They present the news to us through jokes and comedy tactics, which is far more entertaining than usual casting. These individuals are not inherently ignorant about the news, and are most likely well aware of the seriousness of situations. But, this entertainment aspect may effect our own emotions to these actual events happening in the world around us.      I have definitely found myself laughing at jokes about Trump's border wall or conflicts with other countries, which, now that I think about it, are matters that should be taken a bit more seriously. These are conflicts concerning racist ideologies and dangerous conflicts. I am not going to lie, I love these shows a lot. But, if these are your only constant source of news, it may make issues seem less pressi...

           There has been a substantial shift from paper to electronics in media. Whether it is switching from newspapers to news websites, books to eBooks, magazines to online sites, and the list goes on. There tends to be a good amount of controversy surrounding this topic; it mainly being a generational issue. Older adults thinking back to the days they delivered papers themselves (cough cough my mom), and younger people either preferring the convenience or being environmentally aware.      I agree with the latter half of this argument. I am not going to lie, I prefer reading a paper book to accessing it electronically, but when I think about the environmental impact paper production has, I create a priority list. As I just told my dear mother, "We can't enjoy the little things if there aren't things to enjoy at all."       But, aside from these personal opinions, I wonder how this switch has impacted our interpr...

             (If you are interested in seeing this show, know there may be very minor spoilers here.)      On my recent trip to New York, I attended the Broadway musical The Prom. This show centered around a lesbian couple in Indiana who was banned by the PTA from attending their school's prom together. The plot consists of a couple of Broadway stars deciding to come to Indiana to change the ban. I really enjoyed this show because of the way it tackled homophobia, and made the homophobic characters see the faults in their reasoning.      There has been a rise in inclusion and diversity in the media recently, and this show is one of the many examples. Having this huge Broadway show focus on a lesbian couple normlaizes the existence and validity of the LGBTQ community, and greater integrates it into our society. I bet one person saw this show and reexamined their own ideas about LGBT people.      Broadway...

     The 1975 is an English pop-rock band from Manchester, England. I have been listening to their music for a very long time, and they have become one of my favourite bands. Recently, they won the British Group Award at the BRIT Awards, which they had also won two years before.      This year, Mattie, the lead singer, decided to quote his friend Laura Snapes in his acceptance speech. This quote involved ideas about misogyny in the music industry, and how it is excused as part of some artistic process. His speech consisted solely of this quote and some thanks to his fans.      I was very moved by his speech, and its stark simplicity. He used this award show as platform to speak out about an issue he cares about, which I deeply admire. It got me thinking about celebrities and how they influence the beliefs of their fans. Mattie has very present views on society and general conflicts, and I think media has allowed his beliefs to reach a great...

     There are many ways advertising has infiltrated our day to day lives. One tactic that is often used mixes advertisements with movies and TV shows, having our favourite characters work in a Subway or use the brand new Lamborghini .      Just today, when I was watching Endgame, I noticed many ads positioned throughout the course of the movie. You could see Tony Stark riding down to Captain America in his fancy Mercedes, or watch Hulk eating Ben & Jerry's. It is very common to encounter this type of ad, because they are very effective for companies.    When we have an established emotional connection to these characters, it make s us inclined to want to purchase the products they use. So, by placing their products within big movies, companies are able to emotionally connect themselves to us, making us more susceptiblele to buy from them.       I remember when I was little I would always want to do what my favourite ch...

     On my recent trip to New York, I spent a good amount of time in Time Square. When I first walked into that vibrant, loud, chaotic space, there was so much that hit me all at once. Ads for clothing brands, the Disney store, and TV shows all incessantly competing for my attention, hoping that I will buy into their brand.      But once that initial awe settled in, I took a good look around, and I came to notice many things.  I realized that they were all subconsciously placing their brands in the back of our minds, trying to plant a seed that will continue to grow until we remember their name the next time we want to buy a purse. They are searching for ways to be remembered, to stand out from the muddled noise and blurred colors of the endless amount of signs.       I had never seen so many ads all concentrated in such a way. This caused me to wonder which type of advertising is most effective: a heavily concentrated gr...

     The words which we use when describing things come with the connotations our society has attributed to these words. Take, for example, "scent" or "odor." When I think of "scent," I think of light smells of lavender or vanilla. When I think of "odor," I think of rotting banana peels or moldy yogurt.       Certain words can paint negative or positive pictures in our minds, and this effect is often used by news outlets when describing current events. These words can negatively or positively frame a situation, whether or not the connotations are factually supported.       I examined the language used by The Huffington Post and Fox News in articles concerning the impending release of undocumented immigrants into sanctuary cities. The first contrast I could immediately see was the difference in describing the actions of President Trump. The Huffington Post used words like "declared" when describing Trump's announcement, while...

    We all have those songs that instantly transport us back to early childhood. Those shows that remind us of Saturday afternoons with the whole family. Those books that bring us back to leisurely summers with no summer homework.      Just yesterday, I was almost brought to tears by a song called "Upside Down" (mind you, I was running on very little sleep). This song is from the Curious George movie. I hadn't heard it in quite possibly 10 years, yet it still has such an emotional attachment to my mind.    It got me thinking about the fundamental impact the songs and shows we were surrounded by in childhood have on us, especially in this age where this type of media is very apparent in our lives. These episodes and lyrics all shaped the unique way I view the world, and were a big part in the development of my personality.     It intrigues me how this song, and many others that I have rediscovered recently, bring back a sense of ...

        As a kid of the early 2000s, I have had my fair share of exposure to the media. Since childhood, I have been constantly surrounded by TV shows, music videos, news outlets, and more recently, social media. These all have had a great influence on how I view the world, and how I act within it.        Despite this, I believe I have kept myself from becoming too reliant on these forms of entertainment and news-sharing. I have easily gone days without checking my phone, and the vast majority of my friends are constantly annoyed by the fact I never see their texts. This is something I would like to maintain, because I see how phones and social media are heavily impacting my friends and peers. Many of my friends have shared that they cannot envision themselves living without social media, which is not a reality I myself would like to partake in.        Beyond these negative effects of media, I have found it is a great platfor...