Monday, April 19, 2010

Object Lessons by Deborah L. Tolman

I always get excited in this class when we study issues that are as ground-breaking as the subject matter of Tolman's piece.
I found Tolman's article to be perhaps one of the most profound of this class. I think she has happened upon some unexplored territory.
Female sexuality, in dominant American culture (and Western thought as a whole) is often seen as deviant and taboo which makes the issue controversial and virtually unspoken of.
Tolman explains in her article that the image of a "good girl" isn't in fact good. The idea of being good is accompanied by assumptions of asexuality, lack of desire, and need for romance. Thus, there is a blatant double standard. Men are seen as animalistic and sex-crazed and that is accepted as 'normal' male behavior in our patriarchal society. If man desires sexual pleasure he is refered to as a 'player' where as woman who desires sexual pleasure is called a "slut".

I enjoyed her interview of Isabel, especially taking into account Isabels being white and of middle class standing. Teenagers are of course consciously familiar with the idea that Raby called "the storm" or the explosion into adolescence and angst that young people experience. A huge aspect of the "the storm" is the experimentation and often the discovery of sex. Isabel was struggling to find her sexuality in the world and kept speaking about not being attracted to men and saying things like "I don't fantasize about having sex". I have to say that I think Tolman's perspective was a bit harsh on Isabel, essentially assuming that the girl hadn't been truely freed within herself sexually. I definitely believe that a prevailing vision of women as only objectified women is in fact internationalized by much women in the American population. But asexuality isn't a bad thing and is just as natural as being extremely sexual. Check out this site on asexuality, it is very imformative. Asexual

Isabel, amongst young girls in popular culture, isn't expected to masturbate or at least not discuss it publicly in the way men are allowed. Male masturbation is humorous right? There is every term in the world for it; beating your meat, flogging the dolphin, etc. Off hand I can't think of any terminology for female masturbation because NO ONE WANTS TO TALK ABOUT IT! I heard open conversation about it for the first time a performance of The Vagina Monologues when I saw it at RIC a few years back. No adults ever discussed it with me in high school.

I think this is an exceptional version of the 'good girl' and man, are her teeth white.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Miller and Teens and Social Media Findings

I found Vincent Miller's article New Media, Networking and Phatic Culture very challenging and hard to understand. After reading it through a few times I think I have a better understanding but overall his writing was dense.

Things I Understand:
Miller began his article with a description of phatic culture or "namely a flattening of social bonds as we move into ‘networked sociality’ and a similar ‘flattening’ of communication in these networks towards the non-dialogic and non-informational". I think Miller is describing how the use of internet as a source of sustaining relationships has changed the form and foundation of relationships. I don't understand his use of 'dialogic' in his explanation of phatic culture, maybe we can discuss that in class.
Miller also divided his article in to for distinct sections:
1) Firstly, he expalined "blogging culture and its relationship to the social contexts of individualization". He writes about the power of individualization and the separatedness of American culture and how the internet support the individual nature of people allowing relationships online to become fleeting and even temporary. At the same time, these relationships can be extremely open and trusting yet often through rapid and continuous communication.

2)Secondly, Miller discussed "the social networking profile within the contexts of ‘network sociality’ and the rise of database culture". The idea is that relationships have become ""informational" and not "narative". This is seen in profile on MySpace in which a person describes "likes or dislikes" or maybe "single or in a relationships". Photos have also become a strong component in formulation of relations between to people and even commenting on thoose photos on sites like Facebook.

3)The third section on Miller articles was concerned with "microblogging, connected presence and the ascendancy of phatic culture". The online world using "objects" such as Facebook to fulfill easy access to communication in a "postsocial" environment.

4)Lastly, Miller explains "the usefulness of phatic media". I think that it was extremely important that he cover this subject considering the information in the article wasn't exactly a positive analysis of current mass media culture. In a way, this fast information highway is a successful marketing tool, a way to bring succinct messages to the public. I understand that these new platforms of communication are speedy but I don't exactly understand the value behind it besides the gains made by capitalism and consumerism.

I grew up with the internet and as a an "internet native (as Morrison and McMillan would call me) much of my communication between friends and even family is through email, Facebook, and MySpace. Although I am an avid internet user I sat in shock when I read in Teens and Social Media that "93% of teenagers are online". Is that only shocking to me? Only seven percent of the teen population isn't involved? I am also blown away that a landline is still the most common way teens communicate. I figured that since cell phones have become so popular landlines could be almost obsolete. I wonder what the reasons of this are. Maybe there is a comfort in using a family line from the house or the fact that a landline almost always has service?

Before I entered this class, I also had no idea how popular blogging was/is. "Half of all online teens (49%) now read the online journals or blogs of others, up from 38% in 2004". Holy cow!
I also love how the article took into account that the most active teens online are often the most active offline. Perhaps a stereotype of "the teen online" has entered my mind in some way, picturing a kid who has no life outside of the internet.

Sometimes when I'm online, I find myself thinking about what I would have be doing with my time if I was a teen in the 1980's. I don't have any time to be bored because I can always log on and be entertained by a video, a conversation, or a song someone uploaded to a music site.

I didn't know how much money people can make on blogs. This video was very informative!
click here

Monday, March 22, 2010

Fast Forward by Lauren Greenfield

This project was so much fun. I have been reminded how wonderful, horrible, honest, decetful, photography is. A photo can say whatever the photographer wants it to say. In the end pictures are truly worth a thousand words.

What I Understand:
Greenfield's project must have been so fascinating to undertake. Everything I know about L.A. I have seen in film and heard first hand from friends who live and visit there. Her subjects were diverse enough to give a pretty good idea about what the life or a teen in LA is like but I also liked that she explained "This work in no way aims to present a definitive picture either of growing up in LA or of any particular individual". I think it's important that she stated she wasn't speaking for an entire culture, she was speaking from her personal experience.


Our culture is filled with all sorts of disturbing dominant ideologies and Greenfield pointed out that one such ideal for youth in L.A. is "the importance of image and celebrity. Magazines, TV, and any sort of mass are filled to the brim with pictures of Photoshoped celebrities. L.A. is where Hollywood lives, where everything media is filmed, and where kids growing up in that community learn to follow by example. Greenfield points out that socio-economic status has little to do the fact that teens growing up surrounded by an superficial and image driven community "are preoccupied with becoming other than than they are".

Connections:
I think that Greenfield would most definitely agree with Rebecca Raby's five discourses. In fact, Greenfield essentially put Raby's principle's into action by finding evidence and examples in the real world. For example Greenfield gave countless examples of how kids are subjects of pleasureable consumption in that teens are a target group for corporations and kids tend to buy what they are told to buy if it's cool. Capitolism takes advantage of the vulnerability of young buyers through product placement or advertising using a celebrity to sell products.
Greenfield points to the growth in popularity of hiphop in the 90's and it's effects on youth. As we spoke about last class, popular forms of hiphop have become something quite different than the art form began as. Greenfield describes "affluent kids dressed and talked like gangsters; inner city kids simulated the trapping of wealth". These same kids are not only extremely image conscious, they are also acting older and wanting to be older. I found a video of some teen girls talking about the negative aspects of kids acting like adults; check it out.



Questions:
I feel as if the terms teenager spans beyond 19. Maybe its just me but I constantly feel teen-like. I'm not saying that I think I'm inmature, I just think that Raby's five discourses and Greenfields field research are apparent in "kids" in there 20's and beyond. As we discussed in this classes contextual framework, teens are so often seen as an alien life form. I don't think we're all that different, we just see things through a new set of eyes that allow better perspectives of the world. Am I alone?


Monday, March 8, 2010

Notes on Glee

Where to begin.
Well, I honestly am confused after watching Glee. I'm a bit bewildered because I can't decide if the show is funny or not or whether it is attempting to be ironic. It is of course a comedy on my least favorite channel FOX (although the Simpson's have always rocked) so it already has a few points going against it in my opinion. The stereotypes are obviously suppose to be entertaining and characters an audience could potentially identify with. I think we have all seen these same themes in countless teen movies; Mean Girls, The Breakfast Club, Clueless, 10 Things I Hate About You, and the list goes on.
As for the content within the show, I found it all very predictable, dull, and offensive.
The discussion of the hierarchy of the social status's within the school sounded and looked a lot like this clip to me. It's a scene from Mean Girls in which the new girl befriends two of the schools "freaks" who tell her about the social order of the school.

As for the characters on Glee, I don't think this show could be any more politically incorrect and stereotypical.
Quinn is the quintessential bitchy cheerleader who torments everyone around her. She is beautiful in every fake and mass produced way.
Kurt is "the gay guy". He loves fashion, singing, dancing...is there anything new or original about this character? Hopefully in class we can discuss the large amounts of encouragement of stereotypes this show includes.
Rachel is the perfect, sort of preppy-nerd, who has a crush on the hot guy, who has a hot girlfriend, therefore Rachel doesn't stand a chance. I knew everything about Rachel the second she came on screen. I can't tell if the show wants you to assume things about these characters or if there is suppose to be more mystery.

This show is a clear example of just how much media matters. Each individual character represents someone that everyone in modern mass media culture can identify with. Many of these characters were made by cinema and TV shows and have been shoved down our throats in teen related entertainment for years. I am sick of all of it. I can only see this show as one in a million because there are so many others just like it. Is is just me or do all of these stereotypes seem to be invading our actual reality? It is as if our culture has normalized and institutionalized these ideas about self image. Sometimes I feel that teens are acting out parts they are told to play through the media.





Monday, March 1, 2010

Hip Hop Media Matters by Jared A. Ball, Ph.D.

I am often a bit scared or even terrified when realizing the powerful effects of mass media on the world. Unfortunately, the effects of media pressures are felt quite strongly by youth who are impressionable and searching for identity in a world of advertising and white capitalism.

Things I Understand:
I found these articles a bit dense but overall all easy to read and comprehend. Bell's article was very clear in that the production of hip hop and the consumption of it's sales and selling point are due to several factors. Rappers essentially make the music and white males run the labels and businesses that sell the records. I found it interesting that Bell refers to the audience as "victims". Is he wrong? I think he is entirely correct. Big businesses obviously want to sell as much as possible and the most impressionable of young people fall weakly to what is seen as popular and cool by attractive looking (at least according to the social construct). As we talked about in class, many advertisements for things like cigarettes seem to be strangely targeted toward young people that are not of age to by the cigarettes and can't afford to keep up a habit of nicotine. Nevertheless, teens by cigarettes in whatever way they can and develop addictions. In this same way, labels and hip hop artists know that the messages in their songs are not the most appropriate for youth to hear. Yet, young people buy albums and contribute to the success of the music industry. Yet at the same time, restricting lyrical content from rappers is to some artists ruining their art.
Also, Bells analysis of why songs such as "Fuck the Police" are restricted from the public was particularly thought provoking. Of course lyrics that undermine American authority would be deemed "Parental Advisory" because what kind of message would that be sending the little ones? What fails to be seen is that the lyrics of the songs reveal the inequality in society and the racism many people in lower income community face from the police and society at large.

Connections:
These articles connect to the concept of media matters that we so often discuss in class. The media controls what is seen on TV, what hip hop artists become popular, what is popular, and what kids accept as fashionable and praised.

Questions:
I feel like there must be middle way between artists being able to express themselves through art and the censorship of of mass media. Many rapper artists have lived the harsh reality that they describe in their work, so why shouldn't they be able to articulate those ideas into song? I think this is a good example of a hip hop artist's point of view.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Coming of Age With the Internet by SALLY J. MCMILLAN and MARGARET MORRISON

McMillan and Morrison's article and research is fascinating. I enjoyed reading the article although it was a bit dense and I had to read through it a few times.
I found the discussion of internet dependence particularly interesting. Online communities have changed immensely since the start of the internet. McMillan states "the internet was often used for sustaining real communities" and I loved the way she explains the transition or the original idea of an online community. A few friends of mine use a site called Second Life. The site is used by real people using Avatars in a 3D online community. Thousands of people live pseudo lives in this community making friends, going out dancing, and even getting married. More recently, many people have become concerned with the sexual content offered on Second Life. Check out this video where a news station investigates porn and Second Life:

I personally have no interest in signing up for an account on a site like this. But, it is entirely understood why anyone would. Life is extremely stressful, filled with awkward situations, sadness, and anger. Second Life allows each individual to live life exactly how one wants to too. Life isn't stressful in this new world unless one wants it to be. For every socially awkward person who wants to go on a date but could never ask an actual human being out, this site is perfect.

The relationship between young people and the internet is something that I think about quite often.

I am heavily involved in internet usage because of my work in school and with my band.
For school, I am constantly looking up articles and books for class.
For my band, I promote heavily for our shows online and send mass emails to fans, friends, and family about up-and-coming information.

Sometimes I find myself in another world when using the internet. When I have been working on a paper for hours (or perhaps days) I get confused when going into the real world. It may sound crazy but my eyes may hurt, my fingers may tingle, and it takes me a few minutes to reconnect with reality.

Questions

Yet, have we gone to far as a society that maintaining intimate relationships rely on the internet for communication?

Monday, February 15, 2010

A Tangle of Discourses: Girls Negotiating Adolescence by REBECCA C. RABY

Raby's article is a classic example of dense feminist theory. Her work is fascinating but often hard to fully understand and decipher.
Raby's research surrounded a very interesting topic that I have wanted to dive deeper into recently: the generation gap. Her study is based around interviews with 30 Toronto based teens (13-19) and their relationships with their grandmothers. Teens of the millennium are obviously quite different from people that were teenagers 50 years ago, or are they? The grandmother's religions, backgrounds, and occupations are fascinating. She chose a varied group which makes her findings all the more pertinent to the discussion of discourse.
I understand that Raby breaks down the analysis of adolescence into five parts; the storm, becoming, at-risk, social problem, and pleasurable consumption.

The Storm
: The turbulent, "risk-taking" and "experimental" angst of teens.

Becoming
: "Self-discovery" and finding ones identity.

At-risk
: The inevitable factors that teens are susepable to in teen years do to experimentation "drugs and alcohol, depression, eating disorders, sexual diseases".

Social Problem: Teens and teen issues are often seen as a problem for guardians and society as a whole.

Pleasurable Consumption: Teens are clearly high consumers and much of commericials and product development is targeted to teens who eat it up.

I would like to further research the idea that teens are innately self-centered. This seems to be an idea that popped up alot in this text.
This video by BBC entitled "The Grumpy Guide to Teenagers" is ridiculous. There is quote after quote from adults speaking about teenagers as if they are not human. One man, Stewart Maconie states, "the teenage boy is barely human". I think this video is amusing but also very disconcerting. Its a bit frightening that there is such a disconnect between adults and teens. The teens years form much of what a person becomes and the people in this documentary seem to disassociate from childhood entirely. Kids need to be better understood not just pushed aside as having, for example and 'attitude problem. Maybe as a society we should ask questions like, "Why is that 16 boy so angry at the world?" or "Why does that 15 girls throw up after every meal?" rather than pawn those sorts of issues off as typical teen problems.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Media Literacy

For some reason the internet will never cease to amaze me. As we spoke about in class with our discussion of "Media Matters", the media is something we can't escape. It's in magazines, phones, computers, and all around us in the things people tell us. The internet is essentially a gigantic advertisement and media artifact which bring about all sorts of negative aspects within the vastness of its contents. Yet, it is an extremely useful resource which aided me in exploring and understanding media literacy as a whole.

I found a great website out of Canada. Check it out: Media Literacy

Here are there goals of the site:

"MNet focuses its efforts on equipping adults with information and tools to help young people understand how the media work, how the media may affect their lifestyle choices and the extent to which they, as consumers and citizens, are being well informed".

The website is directed toward informing parents and teachers of the media and its' effects on the younger generations. It is also keeping parents up to date on newer technology and issues such as online bullying which is an occurrence that has become more and more prevalent among pre-teens and teens.

I think sites like this one are so important to the guardian/child relationship in the teen years. Technology is developing at such a strong pace it has become almost impossible for parents and guardians to keep up with the texting and chatting of youth. This site is helpful in that it bridges the generational gap, and fills in parents about the dangers of modern media.

I thought this cartoon was hysterical but also very telling.



Doesn't it sometimes seem that the most fierce advertising is directed at young people? More so young girls?
I think there is something very disturbing about this.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us by Linda Christensen

Linda Christensen's article was an absolute joy to read. I found the subject matter eye-opening and extremely disturbing.

I have felt for years that me and few friends of mine were they only people in the US that thought Disney was and continues to be racism, ageist, and sexists among a slew of other horrible things. It has officially taken until 2009 for a black Disney Princess to finally debut on the silver screen in "The Princess in the Frog" which is entirely racist. I can almost picture my self at age 10 watching snow white thinking that even in cartoon, she was the epitome of beauty and femininity. The stepmother on the other hand was meant to be seen as old and mean. What did I learn?
Snow White= Princess= young and beautiful
Stepmother= Queen= old and evil

This is the message that young girls and boys receive daily from cartoons that seem harmless, funny, and entertaining. There is a big difference between jokes and discrimination and prejudice and for some reason the line is consistently crossed. Are we the only people who see it?

I found a clip online from Dumbo which was released in 1941. The movie has very racist aspects, which was normal in the time period it was made. It's strange to me that we continue to watch it today and don't point out these stereotypes to children. Check it out here : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIDl8Wb1va0&feature=related

I have found myself in the past few years feeling the same way Christensen's students felt; "now that they've started analyzing cartoons, they can't stop analyzing the rest of the world". Once you understand the social construct and the rules and regulations of societal norms, it is nearly impossible to go back. The misogyny is exposed in almost every blockbuster movie. The ageism is seen in every sitcom. And the racism is obvious in government propaganda.

We all have taken off the goggles of ridiculous man-made ideologies and can finally see the world for what it truly is. I think this article was a great start to this class in showing us what it will be all about. I'm looking forward to the readings to come.

When I Was 13...

Thirteen was one of the toughest years of my life thus far.

I spent 6th grade at RIC's very own Henry Barnard School and was thrust into an urban public school for 7th (having never attended public school in my life). I came from a safe haven and was exposed to the real world that I was was entirely ignorant to.
My first memories are of riding the bus and how traumatic of an experience it was. I had one friend at the school already who I had known since childhood (and she definitely wasn't one of the coolest girls around compared to the 'popular' crowd). I was awkward and didn't fit in with the socially accepted fashion forward girls that ruled the school.

The first day of classes was frightening. Some kids were friendly, but many made fun of my race with comments like "what you lookin' at white girl". I had never experienced that kind of hatred and it only took me few days to realize I needed to be tough in order to make it through a day. This experience built my character in more ways than I know.

Soon after arriving at my new school, I got my period which made things so much worse.
I was officially in puberty, very awkward, and got braces half way through the school year. Yet, slowly but surely I made good friends that I'm still friends with today.

Besides making life long friends, middle school was also a very positive time. I began playing jazz piano after having only practiced classical pieces for years. I explored all sorts of music which led me to writing songs and performing at clubs and venues in high school. I was able to build up my confidence at a young age which continues to benefit me.