Pros and Cons of Social Media

Social media is a relatively new form of technology that turns out to have a bigger impact on our lives than we may think. www.briansolis.com states that "70% of adult social networking users visit the sites to connect with friends and family." This is a statistic that shows how amazing and beneficial social media can be, millions of people use it to connect with people they know and communicate with people across the world. I believe this statistic to be true, Brian Solis appears to be a very successful award-winning writer and blogger. He seems very legitimate, he is a well-known public speaker and has a very professional website. One con of social media is that is has been reported to cause people to spend less time interacting face-to-face. According to www.mashable.com "32% of people reported using social media or texting during meals." This statistic seems legit as well, mashable appears to be a very good source of reliable news and media updates. I would not be surprised at all if 32% of Americans use their phones while eating meals. We learned that people become so wrapped up in social media because they want to be in constant contact of being entertained. It is very common today to walk into restaurants and see people using their phones, technology is changing us!

Celebrities and Normal People

Celebrities are seen by common people constantly whether it is on T.V., in magazines, or ad endorsements they are in direct view of the public a lot. This is one of the reasons why they live different lives than us, they are seen as symbolic or as a person we should look up to when it comes to style, looks. or personality. They also have a huge impact on what we buy, and example would be how Kylie Jenner's lip-kits for women sell like crazy! Just because she endorses a lipstick it becomes widely popular and sells out in minutes, but everyday people see her as beautiful and think that buying her makeup makes them special just like her. Our love for these specific people has made them famous and they will soon be stalked by the very watchful eyes of the media. This differs celebrities from normal people because as soon as they get media coverage they will forever be scrutinized for every decision they make. Normal people do not have to keep up an image because we are not constantly getting looked at and evaluated, whereas celebrities always have to look good to keep relevant and true to their "celeb status."

Different Types Of Social Currency

One thing that is rather hot right now is a T.V. show entitled "The Walking Dead." It is on AMC's network and is the most viewed television series currently. It uses the Social Currency of Remark-ability simply because most of America watches it, with that may people viewing the television show each week, it can't help but spark people's interests to try it out.

http://www.amc.com/shows/the-walking-dead

Another popular brand is Jordan, they release clothing and very limited shoe releases almost every 2 months. Its signature "Retro" line is available in very limited quantities and can resale for hundreds more than you spent on the shoes. It uses the Insider social currency because only the people who know when the next shoe is going to come out will get them in the very limited quantities they have making them feel exclusive to the people who buy them.

http://sneakernews.com/air-jordan-release-dates/

The last piece of social currency is one of the latest forms of technology to hit the video gaming market. It is known as VR or virtual reality, it uses all 3 forms of social currency, Remark-ability because the producers of the product are using the newest and best tech to create a new product for playing video games. It grabs people's attention it is something totally new and different. It also uses Game Mechanics because it is literally used to play video games so the player earns rewards or perks while they participate in a game. You can also argue that it uses Insider social currency as well, this new tech is expensive and currently back ordered because they can not produce enough to keep up with the demand. This is leaving people frustrated because they have no idea when they will get their VR set and is being reported as "one of the worst release weeks for a piece of video gaming tech."

https://www.oculus.com/en-us/

Mixed Message Tattoos

In the reading "Secret Ink: Tattoos in American Culture" explains why people get tattoos but still yet feel the need to hide or conceal them. The people who choose to mark their bodies feel the need to express themselves in that way but still may require it to be hidden by clothing. This is the mixed message that tattoos give, people may want to get tattoos but chose to hide them. This is usually because of the persons career goals, and do not want to endanger their future or social life. Another mixed message tattoos give is how people get them to represent important things in their life, or to tell a specific story. Tattoos also send a fear into the people who get inked up, the constant reminder of pain and the unknown culture of tattoos can completely turn people off to it because they are not very familiarized with tattoos.

Motivations Post

In the article "Why We Play Games" the author uses storytelling as a motivation that brings people together who share common beliefs. It is often interpreted as entertainment, aka video games and film. Jane Mcgonigal's TED talk she explains how she is a game dev and created a game entitled "SuperBetter." She created the game because it helped her through a very difficult brain injury she was facing at the time. So instead of feeling crappy during a rough time in her life the game SuperBetter helps get her mind off of things by simply interacting with people, it encourages those with disabilities to get up and start moving to keep them preoccupied. SuperBetter spread through Jane and has gone on to help many people with disabilities such as cancer and depression.
The second motivation Jane talks about is self-empowerment, this is defined as when people feel like they have control in the world they live in. A lot of people have problems with self-empowerment and feel the exact opposite. Jane has helped solve this with the creation of SuperBetter, the game has helped people feel better about themselves and helps them release their better qualities. This is amazing because it is helping change how people act in life in a very positive way. It helps people in pain during hard times of their life ignore it and feel more concerned for the world around them.

Compare/Contrast of Male and Women's Bodies In Media

The media has proven to stretch the truth and set unreal expectations for women. but men too? Yes, the media markets men as strong, muscular, manly, tough guys. But their bodies have been proven to be unrealistic, in order to achieve the perfect "rock hard" bod you would have to choose working out as a career. It is very hard to achieve a body like that, but the media has controlled the male body to define a symbol of manliness. This is also true for women when you see the size of runway and fashion models, their petite size is almost unrealistic to reach, but women will still try to achieve the perfect "runway" model waistline. One thing that is different about the media setting unreal expectations for men is that is is not thought about as frequently and can be overlooked when compared to women's sometimes overly flashy sexually objectified advertisements

The True Costs of Participating in High School Football

After watching the video "Football High", it brought up a lot of issues that high school football players deal with. The main problem is the players safety, and brain damage that can occur later in life due to participating in the sport. At one point in the video a player named "Garrett" gets hit very hard in the head during a play, he is slow to get up but when he runs off the field to the athletic trainer the first thing he says is "I remember everything." Garrett saying that is a great example of CORFing, he is trying to avoid that fact that he is concusst which is a REAL injury. All the player cares about it playing the sport he loves, all he is focused on is the next play which he should not be participating in since he is injured.
You could also argue that Garrett is showing BIRGing by his drive and enthusiasm to play when he is injured. He see's his team almost like a family, if he is injured and cannot play he feels like he is letting everyone down. He feels the need for the team to succeed, and if they win Garrett will feel a sense of success. Another great example of CORFing comes from the coach of Garrett's team (Shilo.) When the team goes all the way to the championship round they are crushed when they lose to the better team. The coach of Shilo's team gathers the team in a huddle after the game, he goes on to basically say how the other team wanted the win more. During this post-game huddle speech he refers to the team as "they" as in every single person as a whole, blaming everyone for the lack of success during such an important game.

The Purpose of Sports

Early on in life everyone in introduced to sports, for example some kids are born into households whose parents are Hawkeye fans. Eventually when kids grow older they become interested in participating in sports. This stage of childhood is very interesting because you find out what sports you may be good at, and some you may just be terrible at. Sports are made for people who enjoy competition and pushing themselves very hard to reach goals. In the U.S. sports are huge and it seems like every parent wants to see their kid go pro in whatever sport they are good at.
This has lead to parents and coaches pushing athletes too hard, or expecting too much. Sometimes this can turn athletes off to a sport altogether, our current system with sports provides great athletes; but with a cost. There needs to be additional protection for athletes and resources like an athletic trainer. Additional safety precautions should be enacted, but fans and coaches would disagree.

Can the Ideal Fairy-tale Wedding be a Fantasy?

The big day you get married is supposed to be one the the greatest days of your life. These days however tying the knot may leave newly-weds wallet's dry. Every couple dreams of having a perfect story book wedding, it has become very expensive to have weddings due to the large up-mark on items the bride and groom are expected to purchase. Items like renting venues, food, flowers, and photos prices are all increased because it is all for the fairy tale wedding atmosphere. In the article "The Rise of the Lavish Wedding" describes that Cinderella is the prototype of romantic fairy-tale heroines, and that Cinderella is the expression of dominant belief in success. Most people tend to have a vision of the perfect storybook wedding, but really it has become so expensive and almost unnecessary. 

 A perfect example of this is in the "Say Yes to the Dress" episode we watched. The first bride aims to seek out perfection in finding the most beautiful princess ball gown of her dreams. But this bride wants feel like a princess to bad that she needs two dresses for her big day! She and her husband have set a $13,000 dollar limit for both of the dresses. Once the woman finally finds the dress of her dreams it is very much over budget..this bride must have two dresses! So the manager decides to cut the bride a deal, she cuts the price of the dress in half from $6,000 - $3,000 dollars. 

That alone is proof that there is such a large kickback for people who sell items or offer services for the wedding industry. These people are thriving off of new couples getting married and making them believe that having a "luxurious and extravagant" fairy-tale wedding is a must. And it is costing these couples many thousands of dollars to have the wedding of their dreams. The article "The Rise of the Lavish Wedding" also emphasizes the importance of the white dress. It is seen to represent sexual purity, and racial superiority, also because it is difficult to keep clean. The second bride in "Say Yes to the Dress" is named Kelly, she defies these norms by fulfilling her dreams of getting married in an all black dress. More specifically this bride seeks a designer dress by Grace Kelly that includes her signature 3/4 sleeve in all black. Through out the episode you can tell the bride is locked on the the "elegance" of this perfect black dress. But ends of pleasing her mother and saying yes to a slimming white one with a similar 3/4 sleeve. The bride aimed to make a fashion statement in all black which is normal for brides, but ended up choosing what made her mother and herself happy.

Examples of Sexual Objectification in Advertisments

The first example of sexual objectification in advertising comes from Axe body spray. According to Caroline Heldman and her 7 steps of identifying sexual objectification, this image suggests that this man's sexual availability is his only defining characteristic. This ad implies that if you use their anti dandruff and dry scalp shampoo, that you will "lose the flakes, and get the girls." This is ridiculous to think about in a real world example, when men apply shampoo while showering they will not instantaneously be swarmed by a group of beautiful women.

The second ad I chose is a billboard for Calvin Klein Jeans. This also applies to Caroline Heldman's 7 steps to identifying sexual objectification, this image presents a sexualized person as a stand-in for an object. The man in this image could simply be modeling the jeans by wearing them normally and have the jeans as the main object. But the woman in the image is pulling his pants down and kissing and or licking his ass. This makes the ad very awkwardly sexual, and has nothing to do with denim or Calvin Klein's jeans.

Can a College Student Be a Porn Performer?

Blog Post #1:

Everyone knows that pursuing a college degree in America can be very expensive, most students apply for numerous scholarships, while others may work full or part time on the side. One Duke University student  however, has found a way to "rake in the dough" to help pay the hefty tuition. Belle Knox, the current Duke student has been earning money to put herself through school by being a porn star. Knox was exposed by local people and peers at the university for being in porn, during all this nearby people had no problem posting information on social media of her private information and location. Knox was angry at the people putting her in danger and slamming her with mean comments online. She posted an article complaining about these particular individuals exposing her true identity as a porn star. In this article she also made a point to be a good example of a woman being in control and proud of her sexuality.
The first news source to take part in this heated debate over this collegiate porn star is CNN. They mainly focused on how great of an example Knox is for women to express their sexuality proudly. They understand that she loves her job and everything she is involved with in the porn industry. CNN saw her as an example for women that they are the ones in control of their sexuality and however frequent it may be.
The second news source comes from The Young Turks, they emphasized on how Knox should realize what she is getting into when she entered the porn business in the first place. When you are a porn actor or actress being posted online everywhere, you have to understand that people will find out and your true identity will be exposed. The Young Turks thought that Knox should understand that people will find out when everything you do in the business is posted publicly. One real issue that Knox deals with is public scrutiny and harassment, it is unfair that she is cursed at over social media because of her career choice. It shows that our culture is vicious and relentless when we get jealous of a woman making so much money in a career that can be harsh and demanding. Everyone needs to realize that it is okay to disagree with peoples personal life choices, and that their should be no need to roast them publicly over messaging or social media.