Too Much is Too Much

   In my opinion, The solution to our problems can not be found by increased gaming time. Gamers found across the globe all gather for virtual reality experiences. Though some may claim to be into our great "real world" problems many of them have not participated in any actions to help resolve them. Games are used as an escape or a way to experience worlds/situations we would otherwise never explore. Games created to help the environment or to solve world hunger will not find players or solutions. This is my belief because as I previously stated games are used as a way to explore worlds or situations that are not offered to us in our everyday life.
  Some may argue that the game "SIMS" offers real life situations that we experience daily. My response to that argument is that the individuals that play the game for large amounts of time daily are not experiencing these interactions in real life. I can make this assumption because I did play the game for long hours when I was in middle school. I did not have the normal everyday interactions with non-virtual individuals outside of school because I was too concerned about my "Sim Family". Though I participated in after school events, and clubs I still missed out on many interactions.
  Increasing our game time will not increase our productivity. It will shift our problems from world hunger to obesity, and lack of social skills. The lack of social skills can already be found in the younger generations as talked about in class. Some one stated that when they call home to speak with family their younger siblings rather text then have an actual conversation on the phone with them. The younger generation is a way to look into the future, and for a nation that is already consumed by technology I believe we should not purposely increase it.

KISMET APP!

Hey Everyone!

I just wanted to thank everyone of you that downloaded the Kismet event app that I spoke about during class. If you were not in class on the day of my announcement then you may not be aware of the great news I have received. Our campus is ranked #2 for most users of the Kismet event app! The campus in front of us has 5 ambassadors for their university. These interns and I are trying to spread the word about the app, and so am I.
   SO...spread the word to your friends, create hangouts, check in with the Kismet app, and give me feedback. The feedback will be given to the creators of the app, and revisions will be made to help tailor the Kismet app to college students!
  I chose to blog about the app on our class blog because it does pertain to the class. Popular Culture is an ever-changing element of today's society. We want the latest and greatest thing on the market no matter what it is. Kismet is the latest and greatest app for hosting events in my opinion so I figured it would only make sense to share it with the class.
  I hope that if you haven't  downloaded the app yet that after reading this you will. Kismet makes it easy to find friends nearby, and create hangouts in a quick and easy manner! Thanks again everyone!


                                        Add the app at the iPhone app store for FREE!
                                                              Spread the word!

Media Framing: Shaping Public Perspectives

The perceptions of members of the public can be warped in any way the media sees fit. The ideas that individuals call their own can never truly be organic. Every idea that an individual in our society has is shaped by the media that we choose to consume.
  The stories of Matthew Shepard and Caster Semanya are great examples of the framing techniques utilized by the media to create a specific opinion or idea among the audience members. Matthew Shepard was constructed through the media as a lamb taken by wolves. Caster Semanya was portrayed as "manly" when described among media. Both have been represented in ways that have been set up to benefit the media writing the story. Though both of these stories were examples of how the media can shape our impressions on a topic they had different outcomes.
   The construction of the Matthew Shepard story made the public seem to endure heartache. What if the heartache would of been present if the media would have framed the story in a different light? I believe that the thoughts of the public can be completely altered by the media. The media could have left out the details of his small stature and the use of the word "lamb" when describing the victim. These slight changes to the storyline could completely alter the perceptions of the audience.
   The story of Semanya seemed to be portrayed completely different from the way the story of Shepard. Semanya was attacked by the media for an accomplishment in the Olympics, and was accused of being a man. The idea of her actual gender was a hard concept to grasp after learning what the media had to say. During the last class I found myself swapping her alleged sex with her actual sex due to the corruption of the media. The reports silencing after her "sex test" is a complete testimony that the media is quick to judge others, but when they are wrong they have no course of action other than silence.

Women & Men in Media

MEDIA PERCEPTIONS OF MEN & WOMEN

   The media has a powerful hold on the public’s perception on what should be expected from a specific gender. Women are perceived either as the home keeper that can nag with the best of them or the insensitive businesswomen that has given up everything for her career. Though I do understand that these two ideas of women are portrayed in media I cannot help but wonder if men are facing a similar bias. We have recently discussed the perception of men in media in class. As stated in class previously single men are portrayed as cool, fearless, and a mans man. However, when a man is linked to a family he has lost all hope. 

   The married man is no longer a muscular mans man; he is usually described as having a "beer gut" and the memory that consists of basically nothing. The roles I have just mentioned above can be compared to two similar roles of females in media. Women can also be placed together with the figment of sex where they are viewed as only visually appealing, or they are viewed as the child bearer that has lost her sexual appeal. In my opinion, I believe that the media is falsely portraying both males and females. False perceptions are portrayed in media all the time, but I believe that no one is ever safe from the bias or negativity of the media. 

Princess Culture: Negative or Positive

PRINCESS CULTURE 

   The idea expressed in the discussion today made me think if I was actually a member of the "Princess Culture" myself. After fully evaluating the definition the answer was clear, I Erika Antkowiak, was a member of the culture at a young age. I had a collection of Disney Princess movies , and watched them on a regular basis, trunks of dress-up clothes with explosions of glitter and color that took their place among my toys, and I idealized the princesses. Though I used the word idealize it is not in a negative context. I idealized the adventures and places that the princesses went not the the clothes and material objects they possessed. 
   Watching the Little Mermaid made me curious about the sea. The plants, animals, and colors all caught my eye. As a result, I received books from my parents to further my exploration. However, I do not remember ever wanting the material objects.  I do not see a negative effect of this particular princess on me.
   Beauty and the Beast is probably one of my favorite Princess movies. When I was little I looked up to Belle and saw a lot of myself in her. Belle was smart, brave, and loved to read. All of these attributes were things that I either wanted to be or areas I categorized myself in. Watching these movies I gained confidence, I was given an inside look of places and adventures, and they always seemed to spark my curiosity.