Forum Week 5

Topic #1

I would like to apologize in advance, but this is somewhat of a rant. Enjoy!

Isn’t is bewildering how we all have the same rights until someone has an opposing view?We can say what want, do what we want, or wear what we want… Until it offends someone.

The First Amendment has been rewritten time and time again to best suit the beliefs of those in higher authority. It is said to be a national right to all citizens of America, but where exactly is the line drawn?

With the 2016 President Elections being all over the media, politicians are regurgitating their campaigns in hopes of catching the attention of America.

Freedom of Speech may be a right, but respect is something that can be lost due to this amendment being taken advantage of. The first person that come to my mind is Mr. Donald Trump.

There have been a plethora of incidences where I felt as of Trump was abusing this amendment. He get up in front of the camera and barfs up the first thought that sparks. For example, his sexist, racist, and vulgar

comments.

Whenever a female reporter has a negative outlook on his tactics, he comes back with, “She must be on her period.”

When asked about women being raped on the Mexico, America border, all he had to say on the matter was, “Well, someone is doing the raping.”

At a campaign announcement, he referred to all Hispanic immigrants as drug dealers, rapists, and criminals.

He also said that if his daughter was not his daughter, he would date her. Um, ew. Mr. Trump, you’re a pig.

With media being live access to watching debates or interviews instantly, it can be tricky to not offend anyone when being handed so much pressure, but Mr. Trump is hands down abusing his freedom of speech.

He uses this as a ploy to get himself out of sticky situations. Often times people of higher authority use their right to freedom of speech as an excuse to say hateful or distasteful comments.

By no means is Trump the only politician or human being pushing the limits of their freedom of speech, but he was just the first person to come to mind. I do believe that my view upon his actions have been made fairly clear. 

RIP! A remix Manifesto

This documentary was eye opening and educational.

YouTube is so popular with remixes, mashups, and just people using music in their videos in general. I was completely unaware that this was illegal. 

This can also relate back to the first amendment. Not only do people use it to just say whatever they want, they also use it to shut down the creativity of others.

In this documentary, they did not approve of Girl Talk making the music that he was due to the fact that he was using bits and pieces of other songs to create a new sound. This was a violation of copyright laws.

While that may have been true, this engineering major was creating a whole new beat. He was using old songs to make a new, more modern, styled sound.

The fact that people did not want him to being doing this was putting a road block on his, very own, freedom of speech. He was unable to express himself openly. 

You see, freedom of speech is a complicated topic. Some people, like Donald Trump, us it to hurt people and gain access to higher expenses. While others, like Girl Talk, are being punished for using the first amendment express creativity. 

What a pickle we are in here, America. 

Topic # 2

BLOG POST COMMENT.

I commented on Kate's blog because her topic really spoke to me. I enjoyed reading, and she used images and multiple videos, which kept the reader engaged and interested. Below is the comment that I posted.

Marina BrazealOctober 27, 2015 at 6:40 PM

It is truly heart breaking to see the negative impact that the media has on our generations. Women are suffering from this huge weight of expectations being thrown at them from magazines, TV, and social media. The fact that dove has been taking a stand against this bologna brings me hope for the future. 

Kate, you did a great job with this post. Such a challenging topic to embrace, but you did it well. I liked your use of images and media. Big thumbs up to you, girl!

I'm not sure if you have heard of the YouTube channel called College Humor, but they have this video about photoshopping, and it is mind boggling the amount of changes they can do to make women look totally different. This video is hilarious as well, so I would highly recommend giving it a watch :) link below!

blob:https%3A//www.youtube.com/41ed37c0-5b4e-4b8f-a533-43de5d4ce064

Blog Project #1

EXTRA! EXTRA!

Two people, a piece of gum, and an epic love.

Ladies, grab a tissue box. Gentlemen, take notes. This sappy, yet satisfying, two minute Extra Gum ad has gone viral since its first airing on Oct. 7.  

 The advertisement was shared by a few of my friends on Facebook a few days back. They were sharing it with comments like, “Right in the feels!” and, “I demand a movie!”

So, out of curiosity, I clicked, watched, and to my surprise, wiped away a tear or two.

It began by playing the soft, love melody, “I Can’t Help Falling in Love With You” by Haley Reinhart. Two high school students, Sarah and Juan, lock eyes from across the hallway, the girl drops her books, cutie-patootie-guy comes over, and what does she hand him? A piece of gum.

The symbolism of this gum stays with us for the rest of the story. From their first kiss, picnics, prom night, fights, and lone-distance there was always one thing that remained consistent with Sarah and Juan, a piece of Extra gum. Juan saves these gum wrappers, drawing doodles of their most cherished moments on each individual one, and saves them for a special moment. A freaking wedding proposal.

This romantic fellow, sets up a gallery of gum wrapper doodles, and pops the question. He sets the ultimate bar for all proposals to follow.

By using non-famous actresses, it helps the viewer feel comparable to the ad, it’s more relatable. It takes us through the story of these two love birds, letting join them as they fall in love.

Extra was trying something new and different, and the succeeded. Everyone is obsessing over this    gum-dorable couple. Sarah and Juan are a one of a kind. There has never been an ad that I didn’t anticipate the skip button to pop up at the bottom of my YouTube video.

Extra is targeting those in their mid-20s, and those in relationships. It is all the hype right now to have an extravagant proposal and post it on the Internet.  I wouldn’t say that this is targeting a specific gender, but it is definitely directed to those of us out there who are suckers for a good love story.

As much as I would like to say that this as has no flaws, it does. It’s cheesy, it’s sappy, and it’s stereotypical. For example, love at first sight. This is such a romantic comedy move. The couple locks eyes, fall in love, struggle with distance, and make it back together in the end. Stereotypical and predictable.

While some people, like my Media and Society instructor, may think that this ad is "lame." In a way, I can agree, but I can't help but fall in love with Juan along with Sarah. 

Society loves love. A while back there was a commercial from Post It, where a man uses sticky notes to propose to his significant other. A good love story, always wins. It may be excessively cheesy, but it's working for me.  

This ad is memorable. It tugs on those heart strings, and catches your attention. It connects with all ages. It may be targeting the younger demographic, but it can catch the attention of any age range. 

Social media has been raving over "The Story of Sarah and Juan." Huffington Post said, "There's just something about this gum commercial that is really sticking." They were as surprised as I am that in just two minutes, we can capture such a rush of emotions.

Now, just because Extra caught my attention with this advertisement, I don't think I'll be only buying Extra gum from now on. Mint is mint no matter what brand, to me at least. On the other hand, I am curious to what other advertising Extra has up their sleeve.

Perhaps it is the Haley Reinhart tune playing in the background, the chemistry of the characters, the witnessing of a real love, or a combination of them all. Whatever it is, "The Story of Sarah and Juan" shows us that love has the strength to move many. Love always wins.




Links:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/watch-the-extra-gum-ad-that-is-bringing-everyone-to-tears_561c1adfe4b028dd7ea4c49a
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLpDiIVX0Wo

Forum #3

Topic #1

There is no denying that social media is the perfect way to spread news fast. Companies, campaigns, and foundations across the globe are signing up left and right to social media accounts to use for advertising.

YouTube is probably one of the sneakiest, yet most successful, ways for a brand to get attention. Companies will pay YouTubers to wear, sell, or just talk about their products in their videos.

A perfect example of this is beauty channels. Not all of these women are being honest. Believe it or not, not all advertisements are true, even the advertisements in disguise.

I had no idea that makeup companies and clothing brands were paying beauty channels a substantial amount of money to talk up their products until I watched a YouTuber rant about it. She went off about how wrong it is to lie in a video about the quality of a product just to obtain money.

She said that if she thinks a product is garbage, she wants to be able to say how she feels. If she wants to drop the F-bomb, then she’s going to drop it. She continued by saying that she has let down offers from companies to do ads for certain products in her videos because she dislikes the quality.

Unfortunately, not everyone is this honest.

These companies are fully aware that teens are watching these videos. They are targeting young women, like myself.

They know we want to feel beautiful. They know we want to have perfect skin. They know we want to have the latest fashion trends. That’s the very reason they ask beauty channels to display their products in their videos.

If a YouTuber can perfect her smoky eye and have big luscious lips using a special brand of makeup, then it must work like that for the rest of us. Or, at least that’s what they hope we will think.

In a way, it works. I would be lying if I said I had never watched a YouTube video and thought to myself, “Yep, I’m trying that!” The flip side of that though, is that I can usually tell when a person is being fake on YouTube. When a person goes out of their way to talk about a product or brand, that’s a dead giveaway they are most likely being paid to say those things.

Jeff Jarvis likes to call this kind of advertising to the band wagon affect. Companies want us to hop on their wagon and take their products for ride around the park. Beauty channels just happen to be part time chauffeurs of these wagons.

Youtubers aren’t always 100 percent honest, but what advertiser is? All companies care about in the end is selling the product. As Jeff Jarvis says, “Your customers are your brand.” That’s why makeup channels rave about makeup, fitness channels talk up protein bars, and the list goes on.

Without advertising, a company’s brand just gets forgotten like last night’s leftovers. 

Here is the video that opened my eyes to the lies on YouTube. It's quite lengthy, but you can skip to the important parts.

JN 201 Forum # 2

TOPIC 1

I wouldn’t call myself a social media addict, but I mean, I can’t go a whole day without peeking into the realm of the internet world.

I am always tapping back and forth between Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Snapchat, Pinterest, and Twitter. I enjoy being on the inside of an international web.

While people may think that social media is a waste of time, or all about self-promotion and posting pointless status updates, I believe it is meant to be so much more.  It is a global connection, a way for us to share and interact on another level.

Instagram is, hands down, my place to procrastinate. Instagram is more than just selfies with Starbucks cups and cats. It may be self-promotion, but self-promotion doesn’t have to be negative. Feeling confident sharing pictures and life events goes beyond just wanting attention. It is place to be creative and share piece of yourself.

The other place I tend to spend a large chunk of my time is YouTube. It is my happy place. A place where I can dive into the life of a far more adventurous soul, learn how to perfect my eyeliner, keep up with current events, or just laugh until I cry with a Jimmy Fallon video.

A few of the pages that I follow on my plethora of apps are Jimmy Fallon, host of “Late Night”, Hannah Hart, a YouTuber and master mind behind “My Drunk Kitchen”, miscellaneous musicians and cover bands, actors from a few of my favorite TV series, and a bazillion others. I get a thrill out of being a part of their lives in a sense.

Social media has taken the world by storm in both good and bad ways. Musicians, artists, and activists are getting noticed in the blink of an eye.  Businesses have a new, more creative, way to advertise. It may involve a little self-promotion, but, to me, self-promotion and self-confidence go hand in hand.

In the video, “How Social Media Can Make History,” Clay Shirky makes valid and accurate statements. The technology, and advancement of media, has set off international innovation. A cultural change in the way society expresses one’s talents and differences. Even though, the media has control over what we see, if we can control the balance, then our feeds might have a chance of staying neutral, resulting in more understanding across the web.

Despite my closet addiction to social media, it can have its not-so-great aspects. Such as, the slander that gets tossed about, the narrow minded comments on politics, and the a-holes that set out destroy the perks of social media.

We all think in a different way, that’s what makes a person unique, but when person intends to discriminate over an opinion, that is when it becomes an issue.

Being behind a computer screen, a person can type, or say, anything. The internet can be a shield to the reality of hurtful comments. The mask that people put on before speaking words of hate does not hide who they, it amplifies them. Being anonymous on the internet allows some to face their true colors.

While for some this can be a mile stone to self-confidence, others are using it to wrong those with opposing views.

The internet and social media was intended to be a global connection, a place for creativity and renovation. Not a place for hate. Be kind, be creative.

#RealTalk