Aha!

Three Aha! moments I had this class:
1. Watching This Film Is Not Yet Rated gave me a whole new view of the movie industry, especially the rating system. It really amazed me how much they just lied about the standards they used. The MPAA told the public things that were far from true.

2. The first time in class when Mrs. Deck said we would play Jeopardy for chocolate, I thought: Aha! This is a cool teacher!

3. I absolutely loved the chapter about advertisements, especially talking about subliminal advertisements and sex appeal.

In a recent case, Google executives were found guilty of violating Italian Privacy laws, when a widely watched video of teenagers harassing an autistic boy stayed on YouTube for two months, which, prosecutors claimed, violated Italian Privacy laws. Italy also holds executives responsible for the deeds of the companies that they control, so three executives were charged with the crime in this highly controversial ruling.

PR campaign.

If I had the opportunity, I would start a PR campaign about the destructive activities that teenagers and young adults engage in constantly. It would start with shots of teenagers doing things that teenagers do, like setting things on fire, TPing someone's house, egging a car, all looking like a lot of fun. Then it would switch to what the scene looks like the next day, burnt grass and scorched cement, soggy toilet paper draped across someone's lawn, and a ruined paint job. Then we would see teenagers helping each other to clean up the messes that were made, some coming to replace the sod, cleaning up the toilet paper, and scrubbing the egg off the car. "Build, don't destroy" would appear on the screen, and then a website or something. Essentially the message of the ad would be that everyone is better off if we use our energy to create, rather than destroy.

Baby TV

My topic is on the effects of television on very young children, those under or around the age of two. Often these children sleep for twelve hours a day, and then wake up and spend 40% of their time watching television. Programs geared towards young children have been shown to be ineffective, and babies that watch televisions for grown-ups actually have a reduced attention span and perform poorly in school.

Internet

Wikipeida has a vast database of the different social networking sites, and it can easily be believed that there are far more than have made it onto that page. I chose OneClimate.net to look into, because I was interested in the tagline it had on the wikipedia page. A social networking site for environmental issues? This was something I had to see. OneClimate operates a lot like a news site, with many links to different articles and news sources. It is an excellent way to gather information and discuss important issues with those concerned with the same things you are. If you are a strong supporter of the environment, I would definitely recommend this site to you.
Facebook is the only social networking site that I use, and it has definitely gotten me into trouble in the past. I went out late one night to TP a friend's house, even though my parents had expressly forbidden it, and I was discovered when another friend messaged me about the incident in the presence of my parents, and I was subsequently caught and grounded.

Back in Black Product Placement.

Link

Length: 3:44

Description: A hilarious video about the impacts of product placement on various sports and reality tv shows.
Chapter 8 Chapter 9: Product placement.
Quiz Question: What tv show has even more product placement than American Idol?
Answer: The Biggest Loser.

Favorite Movie

The best movie I saw this year was Avatar. I first saw it in theater, but not in 3-D, and the graphics blew me away. The imaginative world that was created for the movie was full of detail and precision, overall I was very impressed.
Perhaps my favorite movie of all time is much less well known. The Man Who Knew Too Little, starring Bill Murray, is a thrilling spy movie and a hilarious comedy at the same time.

Magazine

Alternative Altruism
Alternative Altruism is a magazine about giving, but not in the ordinary way that it has been presented. It's about the small things and changes we can make in our lives in order to make the world a better place for other people. It focuses on a different problem each week and provides easy-to-implement solutions for normal people. It would also be a non-profit company.
Most people who would read Alternative Altruism would be middle-class and up, and the age range would vary wildly, from idealistic college students to elderly couples with little else to do. The readership would be defined much more by the psychographics; it would appeal to people who feel the need to make a difference.
While most mainstream magazines have occasional articles, and specific organizations will put out magazines, there isn't really a magazine devoted to impartially and specifically gathering data and supporting ideas.
Companies who would want to advertise would mostly be altruistic in nature, such as The Salvation Army, or Habitat for Humanity, Disney, with its project to encourage volunteering, The Red Cross, or World Wildlife Fund.
The premier issue would include the following articles:
Change for Change (How your quarters can impact more than just your couch)
Beef: Cows aren't the only Casualties
Really? Too much talk, too little trust
Water water everywhere... but how much do we really need?
Quiz: Are you an altruist?

Cover: I will bring the cover to class.

A trio of influential literature.

Easily the book that has influenced me the most is The Bible. I am a follower of Jesus, so without the Bible I would be quite lost. But even for those who don't believe in a God, the Bible is still an influential book, simply because of how much it has shaped our culture. Currently I'm reading through the whole Bible in 90 days, so I'm getting quite a lot of exposure to this book right now.

Another book that shaped my life is To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. which I have read upwards of seven times. This book really spoke to me because it is a story of how life is. The story as told by Scout is full of imagery and power, because the author has gone through these experiences. Every new disclosure is like a punch to the gut, because by the time you are halfway through the book you care as much about these characters as you do about yourself.

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas is another book which I find myself comparing my life to at times. The depth and breadth of the characters and situation in that novel means that no matter what situation you are in, there is a comparable one in the book. The plot is unbelievably complex, which can be hard to follow, but it is definitely a book worth seeing through to the end.

Media Impact

The fake news source "The Onion" is popular even though it does not report actual news. But what effect does fake news have even though the audience knows that it is false? Flow theories show that the way the mass media is transmitted to the audience is a complex issue, so I suggest that a study is done in which popular media figures, like Oprah or Katie Couric, present fake news stories similar to The Onion. The randomly chosen testers will be told that the news is fake, but afterwards will fill out surveys that border on some of the issues covered by the fake news. Despite their prior knowledge that the news is fake, my hypothesis is that selective exposure, perception and retention will allow them to agree with the portions of the news that appeal to their bias, while rejecting that which counters it.

Media Autobiography

Books are for me the most important form of media. While many would claim to be incapable of living without the internet, life without books would be hellish, at least for me. I read at least a book a week, sometimes more, and occasionally more than one book per day. I am what you would call a ravenous reader, or a bookworm if you felt the need to be derogatory. There are books that I don't like, but they are few and far between, the vast majority I will read and enjoy, however much the genres differ.

The Internet follows behind books in importance, I find it extremely useful, and could probably get little done without it, but books are as necessary as breathing. I am on the internet very often, checking my facebook and following whatever webcomic I happen to be reading at the time, or just surfing and wasting time, although I have little to waste.

Recordings, especially those of music, are also a big priority for me. I love listening to all kinds of music, whether quietly on my headphones or loudly on my computer speakers.

Television is often easily replaced by the Internet, most of the shows I watch can be easily viewed online. Some of my favorite TV shows include Glee, House, and Scrubs. I hate waiting through advertisements, so the internet is often a better option when watching a lot of Television shows.

Unfortunately for movie producers everywhere, I am not much of a movie person. I enjoy a good movie as much as the next person, but I rarely go to the theaters and own few movies of my own. I love old classic movies and borrowing movies from my friends.

Radio to me is like grabbing a random person's ipod and setting it on shuffle then adding commercials. In short, I don't like it. I'd much rather just use headphones or connect my phone to the speakers.

Magazines and Newspaper feature content I mostly just look up online rather than read the print version.

Of all of these, the only one I did much of during my formative years was reading, so that one continues to have the greatest impact on the person I am now. All forms of media are good in their own way, and we would be much worse off if any of these were removed from our society, and my personal preferences are simply minor allocations.