jenan's blog

           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 ...