6/25-7/1 Post 3: Community Media

In the article, Community Media,” the author goes into detail about what community media is, and where it is headed. I found this article to be very interesting once I had a better concept of what it was about. I had to come back to this article because I had no clue what it was about at first. There were a couple of points that struck me. The first is the quote, “Don’t hate the media, make the media,” (3). I wish that society believed this and followed through with this motto. People could stop caring about what others think of them and their views and focus on furthering their selves as individuals and politically. The second thing that intrigued me was the quote, ”It is not about having a gripe with the establishment necessarily, but it is about asserting difference – either from other aspects of the media or just in general.” If people knew how to debate or take constructive criticism, society would be able to have open discussions about anything and everything. Unfortunately people are afraid to disagree. Lastly, the quote, “Whatever I say, whatever I do, I can’t influence the government,” (8) definitely tugged at me. What most of society doesn’t realize, which makes me sad, is that they don’t realize they run this country and that the government simply is just there to represent them. Meaning, they have much more power than they allow themselves to have.

6/25-7/1 Post 2: Just Like Me Only Better

While reading, "Just Like Me Only Better" I found myself drifting off because of the stale language used to write it. The topic is extremely interesting and intriguing though. There was definitely a lot of material that was covered and I had to reread some parts to make sure I understood it. The concept of this Second Life just amazes me. It is so funny that people focus more on the appearance of their avatar than actual communication. Today, social media is all about how people look so it makes sense that people would focus on that rather than communication. Not only the appearance of their avatar, but its genitalia to be specific. And stereotyping the avatars, Caucasians to have straight hair for instance if female also amazes me. I would have never thought to research or study this subject at all but it definitely helps us get a better understanding of humans and social media.

6/25-7/1 Post 1: Uses and Gratification

I found this article, "Explaining Why Young Adults Use MySpace and Facebook Through Uses and Gratifications Theory," by Mark A. Urista, Qingwen Dong, and Kenneth D. Day to be interesting, informative and a refresher. At times I found myself having to reread some parts because I would lose my train of thought since already knew that information. First off, when they talk about needs and wants are satisfied instantaneously and constantly through the internet that made me think that is the reason why younger generations are impatient. Since the internet is instant, they think that everything else should be as well. I found the two categories that media gratification were sorted by to be intriguing: process and content. Process gratifications arise from the performance of the activity where as content is chosen according to his or her needs and synthesizes that content to satisfy those needs. I also found that the selection and usage of media being a goal-directed, purposive and motivated action to be an interesting concept. The desires for internet are said to be "relaxation, fun, encouragement, and status" according to Burkitt. Today, I feel like school and work has also taken over the function of the internet. Finally, I would like to know what the results would be of all these studies and researches if they were done today.

6/18-6/24 Post 3: Textbook Chapter 2 (Dialogue and the Social Self)

Chapter 2 of Burkitt's text, "Dialogue and the Social Self" I found to be extremely interesting just like chapter one. Again there was a lot to digest and I found some parts rather challenging. There are a couple of points I would like to touch base on that I furthered my thoughts upon and found thought provoking. The first is that I think that consciousness can be a second look at something we are about to do. For instance, it helps us rethink our temptations, wants and desires which would fall under morality. To further this thought, it is creative in the sense that we branch out from the typical right/wrong notion and "survival of the fittest." I really liked Darwin's take that it, "evolved in activity as a means for humans to better adapt to the environment," (33). I can definitely see how this is true because as a human race we keep advancing and having to restructure our society. For instance, cameras are video recorders are not allowed in court rooms. But what are they to say about smart phones that have both? Later in the chapter, Burkitt talks about choice to act, which made me think that our consciousness makes us think twice about what others will think of us when we want to say or do something (on Facebook or Twitter for example). A lot to think about in this chapter!

6/18-6/24 Post 2 - Medium is the Message

The article, "The Medium is the Message" by Marshall McLuhan was interesting and difficult to comprehend at times. I can see how people may misinterpret or disagree with his reasoning's. Surprisingly I have found myself agreeing with the basis of what McLuhan explains as the medium is the message. McLuhan says, "Positively, automation creates roles for people, which is to say depth of involvement in their work and human association that our preceding mechanical technology had destroyed." I find that in result of this, automation has isolated humans from face-to-face interaction with other humans. I also like how he used the electric light as a constant example throughout the article. The electric light is something that we all take for granted I think and don't realize how important it really is. Just like the verse he chose from Romeo and Juliet. Another idea that caught my attention was the idea that more and more medium, technology and things are created as an escape. I can agree with this to an extent. I think some things are made to hide from a problem. But I think that many things were made for solution and to be helpful for society. A question I thought of from this was, when will it ever be enough? The answer is never, because this is how we advance and evolve. The last intriguing aspect of this article is that it seems like a lot of these "messages" that McLuhan talks about get buried over with new messages and may be the reason why we don't see them as message anymore.

6/18-6/24 Post 1: Consequences of Online Social Networking

In the article, "Antecedents and Consequences of Online Social Networking Behavior: The Case of Facebook" Adam Acar discusses the impact social networking has on people and their relationships. I found it very interesting that Acar chose to focus on self-esteem, anxiety and body and compare online social networks with face-to-face networks. As I was reading this article I found myself think a bit differently with his hypotheses. For some reason I have always had the notion that people who have low self-esteem and/or are introverts would have bigger social networks because it is something they can (1) hide behind or (2) make themselves to be whoever they'd like. I also noticed that in Acar's article he states that women are likely to have more networks. I think that is very true. When looking at my list of friends on Facebook, I have a ton. And I only really communicated with about 2% of them. From time to time I will sift through my list just to see if I even know that person or really need to be connected with them.

6/11-6/17 Post 3 - Textbook: Ch. 1

I can definitely say this is going to be a challenge for me to read, but a good one. I am not a fan of reading because I think that I can use my time more efficiently. I have definitely been wanting to pick up on reading though. And what better way than a book that will make me think, exactly what I need to grow. Defining who a person is can be one of the most difficult things to do. Today people are seen by what kind of car they drive, the piece of paper called a degree, their job, and what is on their Facebook or Twitter. This is how Durkheim explained it, "modern individuals are selves characterized by their place in the division of labor: by their skills, interest, specialism's, talents, functions, knowledge, jobs, professions and social status. It is these things that create a sense of self-identity..." (pg 19). My mom and dad used to tell me back in their day that people became successful through hard work, and self-thinking. Now it seems that the most successful people are those who are the best at bullshitting (excuse my French). I believe this to an extent. I grew up in a European household where old-fashion norms were practiced. I am conflicted between what I am trying to become, what my parents think I should do and what society thinks. Social media is becoming so heavily used that it may as well be a part of our blood. It can be portrayed as a blessing or as a curse. The challenge for us all, is to find a balance that works for us that creates our self-identity.

6/11-6/17 Post 2: Man-Computer Symbiosis

In the article, “Man-Computer Symbiosis,” J. C. R. Licklider has a good idea and hypothesis about intertwining humankind and computers. Seeing when this article was written, explains the language of the article and its dryness. As I was reading it, my mind often went astray trying to come up with something to say about the material. The first thing I thought of was about the timing of computer to problem solving and Licklider’s example of a battle. Today I think that scientists, engineers and technicians have overcome this obstacle because things can be performed instantly now. The second thing that triggered my interest was that of the computer’s memory and books. Computer’s can now hold ten times more memory and come in all different shapes and sizes. Licklider said, “Books…They will continue to be functionally important within the context of man-computer symbiosis." Books are rapidly decreasing in significance as all the information is on the internet and people are moving to the digital age. The last thing that came across my mind as I was reading this was that I seem to have a fairly negative connotation about all of this. I think that a lot of people do because of what the media has portrayed this topic to be. Movies and T.V. shows corrupt this wonderful idea turning the computer into a killing machine. Perhaps this is the media/government shying us away from the idea of this actually being able to work.

6/11-6/17 Post 1 - Quality of Online Relationships

In, “Quality of Online Social Relationships,” the author’s talk about the significance of Internet use to a work place and to relationships compared with other communicating tools such as face-to-face and the phone. An interesting thing I thought about was how much has changed since the studies done in this article. Studies were conducted in 1991 and 1998 on bankers and college students. In 1991, “eighty-one percent of them used electronic mail in their jobs, sending an average of 15 messages per week.” And in 1998, “students used electronic mail extensively, estimating a mean of 11 messages per day.” Today both of these numbers are blown way out of proportion with both bankers and college students sending above 20 emails a day. I also think that online relationships have increased as technology advances. There are now religious dating sites such as christianmingle.com and jdate.com among the hundreds of regular dating sites. Groups seem to be more popular than single one-on-one interaction and I think that even today, social online interaction is the most popular.

A bit about me :)

Hello everyone!

I am ending my third year here at San Jose State with the intention of graduating next spring. I am a Public Relations major with a focus in Event Planning. I am currently a full time student, work and have an internship. With such a busy schedule I somehow find time to relax, and spend time with family and friends. My favorite colors are green and purple and I love dancing. Dirty Dancing is my all time favorite movie and I love gymnastics. My passion for this sport has allowed me to become a coach and get to where I am today in my life. It has helped me become motivated, determined, manage my time well and be a leader.

The only experience I have with Communication Studies is taking COMM 144F. I am relatively new to this academic subject and am eager to learn. I have been taking online classes since my 1st year here so I am extremely acquainted with the way it works and its routine. If anyone needs help don't hesitate to ask! I am very outgoing, always have a lot to say and am excited for this class! I hope that this tells you a little something about myself and I can't wait to read your stories!