Research Symposium

Today was the research symposium and before I say anything else great job everyone! I loved hearing everyone’s presentation; I think they were really put together. It is an honor for Bridgewater students to be able to do a small research people and be able to present their findings to an auditorium of people. I myself was a bit nervous, but hopefully people understood what I was trying to say. The Symposium serves as a showcase of faculty-mentored research, scholarly, creative and artistic work conducted by undergraduate students in all disciplines at Bridgewater State College. All BSC undergraduate students, regardless of year or major, are encouraged to participate. The entire college community is invited, and faculty is encouraged to invite their classes to attend all or part of the Symposium. It is a wonderful event I think every student at Bridgewater State College should be a part of because it gives you more public speaking skills, encourages you to improve your research skills, and for some people allows you to challenge your nerves. Once again, great job everyone. I think the health presentations were all great! Were any of you nervous today? What presentation did you enjoy the most?

"Don't believe the hype"

Lately I've wanted to find better skin care products and makeup. I just recently got a good job so I think it’s time to treat myself right. The problem is I don't know where to look. Now of days everything seems to have some kind of media ad trying to get your attention to buy it. I bought Bareminerials a few months ago, and what the company says about its product is almost 100% true. It gives great coverage and makes your skin look natural. However, it seems to be drying my skin out. After I talked to some of my friends who own bareminerals most of them agree that it is drying their skin out. I did some research and found out that mineral makeup is not good for the majority of people’s skin. I wish the ad said something like that! I'm beginning to lose trust in ads run on TV. I think if a product is that great word of mouth would be the best marketing it could have. I am not sure how other people are feelings towards ads on tv, but I myself am tired of them. Every time I try new mascara I am let down. It never ends up looking like it does on the commercial. So I wonder how they get away with such exaggerations. I guess the term, “results may vary,” has something to do with it. I think if a product is not doing what it says it can do for more than 75% of people who test it out, then it should not be able to claim that it has worked because it most likely only worked for one person! Ahhh…any suggestions on how to shop for products true to their “advertising”.

Coming to an end..

As our Media Studies class comes to an end I just want to go over some of the things I've learned. Not the technical things you can only learn the book, but the common sense I've gained. After taking this class I've realized I watch movies and television differently, more subjectively now. I begin thinking about the process of the show or movie and how hard it was to actually get broadcasted. I also think of what they are trying to sell to the audience; do they use specific language for a reason, are they doing a lot of product placement...etc. I wonder what their goals are and try to figure out the tactics they use to accomplish them. I have now become less naïve and have opened my eyes to the fact that almost everything in the media has a goal. I have also learned that the media is not always honest. The media has biases and can even enforce stereotypes of people. Has anyone else noticed they have started analyzing the media more than before? I am happy I have taken this class because now I am more aware of the media's purpose, but I think it may have taken away from its authenticity ...to me personally.

Reality TV

I enjoy many reality shows, why they are called “reality” shows I do not know. The irony in these shows is that they are supposed to portray real life captured on film, but instead, everything is exaggerated and scripted. Everything seems so over scripted now of days I do not even want to give any new reality shows a chance. When reality shows first appeared on TV I was fooled into thinking that these people are really who they describe themselves to be. Obviously, money is probably what persuaded them to act in the manner as they do on TV. Tool Academy on MTV for example is perhaps the worse show, yet I'll watch it from time to time just to see the guys cry. This is a great example of writers scripting too much in reality shows. The whole show seems completely mismatched. Reality seems to have some parts scripted and other parts not… and then they change the narration, so I don't know what to believe. Are reality shows partly scripted or completely? Is anyone else a fan of reality TV shows and why? Sitcoms are probably my favorite type of show, but with all these new reality shows like 16 and Pregnant I’m beginning to worry what will happen to other genres.
I found a great article in The Washington Post about reality shows. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53032-2004Aug9.html

My Recent Research

For my Communication Studies Research class I have decided to do my research paper on what motivates professors to go to work. Since I have only done the literature review I cannot testify to how hard it is doing a full research paper, but I can say the literature review was no piece of cake. A literature review aims at reviewing “the critical points of current knowledge and or methodological approaches on a particular topic.” I was surprised to find a lot of studies suggesting that appreciation is a main motivator for a professor. Although, it does makes sense because most of my professors tell me they do not have a good salary. After finding a number of articles on appreciation being a main motivator I began wondering what other questions can I argue through previous studies. Research can be exciting if you are doing it on something you are interested in. I think doing research on targeted audiences would be an interesting topic. Even doing a study on commercials and who they target would be fascinating (to me at least). I am nervous about the method part of this paper…but hopefully I get the hang of it once my class goes over that section. I know there are all kinds of methods to gain data, like surveying (which I’ve been known to do in my spare time) and interviews. With knowledge about how research is conducted it gives you an understanding about how credible the data is. (Very useful I think!)

Tigers Return

On April 8th Tiger Woods will be back playing golf at the first major of the year. The Masters is a significant tournament rewarding the winner with a green jacket. Tiger has won this tournament four times, the last being in 2005. I am looking forward to watching him play because he brings a lot to the golf course and to the sport in general. Just recently I started getting into golf; mostly because I am a fan of Tigers performance and the ambiance he brings to golf. Not many players have his skill and athletic ability. Tiger has won fourteen majors and is only four behind Jack Nickalaus who’s won eighteen. I am hoping that what has happened in his private life does not affect his game. This tournament will either show Tigers fans that he is back with vengeance or that the media may have beaten his spirits. I personally do not think Tiger would not return unless he felt ready. Maybe in the meantime between rehab and rebuilding his family Tiger was practicing and getting ready to win back the love of his fans. Only time will tell if Tiger’s negative media experience has had lasting affects on him as it does for many actors and actresses.

Brand Yourself

Boston University held a PRSSA (Public Relations Student Society of America) meeting with Penelope Trunk (BrazenCareerist.com) and other interesting people on this past Saturday. The main topic of discussion was how to "Brand Yourself." I was very excited to know that one man, Jacob Cass, has gain all kinds of success for his graphic designs simple by branding himself on the web through blogging/twitter/facebook etc. With such new ways of networking and communicating with all kinds of people you now have the responsibility of portraying yourself in a certain light. Facebook may be a great way to stay connected to friends and family, but to get a good job I say hook yourself up with other social media like Twitter. At first I did not see the sense in tweets, but as I gain more PR experience I am realizing it is a very good way to gain new contacts. Branding yourself is in other words making a name for yourself and getting your ideas out there. After attending this meeting on Saturday my whole view on social media has changed. Though it can be tiresome to sit in front of the computer everday, it is important to blog/tweet/etc on a daily basis otherwise you may get lost in the mail aka media that is everywhere.

Shutter Island..not a spoiler

So after waiting at the movie theater for two hours I was finally able to buy tickets to Shutter Island at 10:25pm. Everyone in the cinema who obviously hadn't seen the movie yet was saying how scared they were to see it. I too was frightened and excited at the same time because I thought for once a good terrifying ghost story was going to be directed by one of the greatest directors of all time, Martin Scorsese. I was wrong. I really enjoyed the movie, but it was a thriller, not a horror flick. For some reason everyone I knew including myself was confused about the plot…I think partially due to the trailers that were played and how they completely avoided the real scheme of the story. I am glad they did it that way because if the trailer gave away any info. the movie would have been ruined for me. If anyone has seen this film were you disappointed by the fact that it has a misleading genre in the trailer? Another thing I was shocked about was the reviews. Before heading to the cinema I checked out some reviews on rottentomatoes.com, which gave the movie 68/100pts. I was a little stunned that people wrote Scorsese was due for a dud. I think this movie was good, I think they wanted it to look like a ghost/horror film to mess your head up and believe me that’s exactly what the movie did. I give it thumbs up.

WARNING: EXTREMELY DISTASTEFUL

I am still in shock to have seen what I did on Friday night. While watching the news with my mother NBC announced the death of 21 year old Nodar Kumaritashvili, after a practice run went wrong at the 2010 Olympics. The graphic video showed an already nervous Nodar preparing his luge and taking off throughout the track. If I had any idea the video would end in such a violent death I would have changed the channel. There was no disclaimer or anything preparing me for what I was about to witness. I think to show this video over and over again on air was distasteful and insensitive. Who wants to see a 21 year old die? Not me. And I can only image what the family is going through. This incident has got me questioning the morals of NBC. How far will the news go to gain viewers? If anyone saw the footage you can see Nodar’s body which was traveling at a speed of 90mph+ fling off the luge into exposed concrete or metal beams. I could not believe what I saw and to go even further they showed still pictures of Nodar bleeding from his face/head. I can only assume he died instantly, I mean some people don’t even survive 50mph car crashes and that’s with protection of the car. I am also furious to hear they are blaming Nodar for his death; however since then they have reconstructed the track. Pssh, just a bad call for everyone!

What the *Tweet* is Twitter?!

I want to know how everyone’s feels about Twitter. I have recently signed up because it was part of a class requirement. The only thing is, I have no idea what I'm doing and honestly I don't know how I am supposed to use it. With so many social networks out there I am curious if anyone knows what their favorite/best one is. Mine would have to be facebook because it's easy to navigate. After MySpace changed for the millionth time I cancelled my account and moved on. Now that facebook is finally updating itself, I am concerned if I will soon be leaving that behind as well. I like this blogger site, but I find myself checking out other social network sites more.
The thing I don't like about Twitter is that it's mostly news articles and what not being passed around. I guess it's great to find out info, but how good is it to use for just saying hello to a friend? I think one website should combined these features altogether, not change its layout often, and we’ll be all set. I hate having to sign up for a new site just because some of my friends chose it over the other sites I enjoy. Does anyone have twitter and love it, if so why? Maybe if someone can tell me about the great things it does I will change my opinion, but for now I will be forced to play around with it and confuse myself.

try to nap with your phone off...

So after getting only four hours of sleep last night I thought I'd take a vacation from the world and nap in between classes. I shut my phone off and left my computer off. After taking one forty-five minute nap I woke up to 4 new notifcations on facebook and 3 missed calls/1 text. Technology can be a pain sometimes. My mother was worried about me since I didn't respond to her text. My boyfriend thought I was ignoring him and I never got a chance to reply on facebook. Sometimes I wish I could travel back in time when tings were less complicated, I had more privacy, and nobody needed a 24/7 reply. I can only imagine what the next ten years has in store for us..technology wise. I mean I guess it's good I can contact anyone whenever I want and expect a quick response..but what about the days you want to unwind,relax,and be left alone...like today. It seems as if you just can't get away. I remember when I was 15 without a cell phone though, and I cannot imagine how my life would be without it now. I guess you have to take the good with the bad...Facebook allows us to meet new people so thats a good thing, however, if you don't want to run into old friends/enemies..having an online profile makes it easy to be spotted [i guess thats why their privacy tabs] Ok enough with this rambling...I am still exhausted. This time I am going to put as my status I am asleep so no one will have to call/text me to find out why I am not returning calls/texts/wall posts..etc

Communcation between generations

I think the semiotic lens works well with dealing with intergenerational misunderstandings and communication in general because it allows both the young and the old to predict what is understandable to those of different generations. The semiotic point of view could help every generation by identifying which symbols may or may not have the same connotations as they once did. For example, if a man around the age of 70 were speaking to a young woman about sexist issues he should expect that certain words that use to be acceptable to say are now unacceptable and therefore he should change his choice of words to keep the conversation from going sour. Even the way the man spoke to the woman should be planned just in case it was a sensitive subject to her. Planning every bit of communication can in fact help a person become a good communicator. As well, it is important to know that although some words may never change their meaning to some people, they can be interpreted differently no matter what so it is best to try and read the person before saying anything at all. This lens creates a broader perspective in caring about other’s feelings as well as your own. If you take both people into account then there is less of a chance of any miscommunication to take place. [so many this is why parents sometimes don't "get" their kids]
I believe that general-semantics and intergenerational communication go hand-in-hand because I always try and read a person before saying anything that might offend them even if it is unintentional. Though thoughtful planning communication may have fewer misunderstandings that require repairing not every interaction will be successful unless the message is interpreted as hoped. It has long been said to think before you speak because without proper preparation the way you want the interaction to go may not be the result if you are either unwise with your words or even your tone. Anyone feel that they just aren’t understood sometimes…maybe semiotics can help! :)

Avatar

Ok, so I got around seeing Avatar sooner than I thought. I figured I'd just wait to see it at home because I'm a bum when it comes to going the movies. However, I do love watching movies on crappy days...and wasn't yesterday one of them. SO yeah I was pretty excited that it was going to be in 3D, with my luck though, I ended up going to a theatre that doesn’t have the technology to play 3D films, so I saw it in 2D. It’s strange to think but I am curious if in 5 years all movies will be 3D or however long it takes for theaters to upgrade. I am not sure I’d like to wear those glasses at every movie I go to see so I am hopeful that maybe one day we won’t need them to see 3D.
Honestly the only reason I really wanted to see Avatar was to experience a 3D film, who doesn’t enjoy those every once in a while. I was bummed out, but to tell you the truth, the movie wasn’t a letdown either way. I like the main character Sam Worthington I think that’s his name… he was good in the Terminator movie with Christian Bale. I love the idea that a fantasy world like Pandora exists even though it’s a scary thought that aliens or what not could easily kill us or be the greater species somehow. Movies are perfect for striking fear or imagination into people. Avatar was definitely a movie that made me question the motives behind the person who thought of it. I get so angry when innocent people are killed or attacked due to greed. For those who saw this movie how did you feel about the general? To me he was a macho-head whose ego stood in the way of his eyes and heart.

the world wide web

So today I started my online class, so far so good. I enjoy a challenge so having a quiz already this week excites me even though it is only 5 questions. I've gotten all A's the last two semesters so every point counts to me...Hopefully I do well. The reading about technology & media is interesting because my friends and I enjoy fantasizing about how technology will change in the future and how the media is greatly affected by its advancements. [Let's hope it's not like the movies...where computers takeover, but who knows] Anyways, I am a new blogger and just want to welcome those who have nothing better to do than to read my foolishness ;] just kidding, but I'll try to keep it entertaining.