Physical: This weeks On The Media, Munchausen By Internet takes place online on various social media sites. Such as, Facebook pages, message boards, and blogs.
Psychological: Individuals are trying to take advantage of the public through the means of social media. They are trying to lure people in by getting their sympathy, by making them think that these individuals are going through tragic trials and tribulations. When in fact most are truly suffering from depression, and are trying to reach out for help.
Social: One day when Taryn Harper Wright was at home recovering from a hip injury she read a tragic story on Facebook. Feeling sympathy for the family that was experiencing major tragedy in their lives, she researched because she wanted to know more. As she began to research, she was shocked to learn that it was all a hoax. Some of the story was true, but severely twisted from actual truth. After the shock of learning the truth, she has now made this a hobby. Taryn checks out stories on social media and ousts those individuals who are faking online illnesses. The most interesting fact about this story, is that Taryn has actually befriended some of the individuals with social illnesses.
Cultural: How can we relate to this? The only thing I can think of is, how many of us as children, or adults for that matter have embellished the truth? Just changing a few of the details, to make the story better! Wow! Who would have thought that there could be an internet disease. It sounds funny, but unfortunately is a real thing. Munchausen syndrome is a disorder where individuals are obsessed with illnesses, or disease. They literally think they are sick, or create symptoms to get sympathy from others. Those who have the Munchausen By Internet Syndrome, create fake pages, stories, blogs, lies, and many other things to get sympathy from others online. Sometimes this is to get "Likes", comments, and money. Many people deceive even close family and friends using this method of social media.
Temporal: This syndrome is happening everyday, all around us. Due to the fact that social media is global, these people can reach out to countless individuals to gain their sympathy.
I like reading the news, reading Facebook pages, and blogs, but this segment from On The Media makes you really stop and think. Listening to this has definitely opened my eyes, and I don't think I will be able to read stories on Facebook without questioning whether or not it is true. I think that it is so sad that people have to create social illnesses in order to gain the sympathy of others. This is a great reminder to us all, to not believe everything we hear. With that said, it is also a good reminder to do some research, and find out for ourselves whether the things we read are true or not.
What is Democracy? By definition it is a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives. Basically it is government by the people: the rule of the majority.
In a scholarly journal, Goals without Demands it states, "People do not feel unrepresented. They feel that they cannot be represented." How sad is it that we supposedly live in a free country, where our voices can be heard, but no one is listening. I have had the opportunity of participating in several elections. On more than one occasion I have heard others voice their opinions, some saying there is no point in voting. Some saying it doesn't matter what they think, that the representatives will make the decisions how they see fit.
In listened to a TED Talk by Pia Mancini from October 2014 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She suggests that we need to speak up, and talk about democracy. Rather than living by rules that were developed 200 years ago, we need to make changes that fit into our day in age. Pia asks that question, "If the internet is the new printing press, then what is democracy for the internet era?" Due to technological advances in society, we can no longer ignore it. Why are we trying to solve problems today, with tools from the past? Pia indicated that she doesn't have the answers to these questions, but urges everyone to get involved and let their voices be heard.
Pia and a group of friends came together to see if they could create a way to solve todays problems using tools from today. They created the software democracyos.org to create a bridge that would help inform citizens of issues that were being presented to Congress. They learned that by just knowing this information was not enough to make change. The change needed to come from taking the information learned and by doing something about it. Their goal was to get representatives involved that were willing to listen to the citizens, and let the citizens voice become part of the conversation.
A question on the blog by Sally Hardy said, "If more people felt as though their voice was heard, how many more would speak out?" I think that Pia Mancini is helping by voicing her opinion. If more and more people will continue to voice their opinions, then many others will also. I think that Pia is right. We need to embrace the technology that we have at our finger tips, and let it lead us into a new way of thinking. It will provide the way to hear the voice of many.
Physical: This weeks OnThe Media story takes place Vienna's train station in Westbahnof. Refugees are there waiting to travel to Germany, and other countries.
Social: Refugees traveling from Syria, and Iraq are trying to make their way to Germany. Brooke Gladstone interviewed a man that was there waiting. She asked him why he was trying to get to Germany. His reply was that someone had told him that Germany was a good place to live. Political officials in Austria fear that there may be terrorists among the refugees. For this reason they are refusing to continue to help them. Austrian citizens are coming forward to help these individuals. They are disgusted with their political leaders for refusing to help. Journalism is heavily regulated by the Austrian government, so the information that is being published regarding this situation is being dictated. Because of social media, more and more of the truth of the matter is coming out. Another issue that is coming to light because of the situation is that the younger generations from Germany and Austria are tired of people associating them to what their ancestors did. For this reason they are stepping forward to help the refugees, in a hope to change their image around the world.
Cultural: Germans have been compassionate, helpful, and very empathetic to the refugees. They are welcoming them into their country. They are hoping that this will help to stimulate their economy.
Temporal: This is taking place now, and is a continuation of the refugee/migrant crisis that has been ongoing.
Due to social media we are able to see how refugees are being affected by this crisis. Refugees of all ages are suffering from this. Many are stuck here at the train station, just waiting to reach their final destinations for a better life. These people are exhausted, and hungry. There are many volunteers that have stepped up and are helping these people. They are doing this because the political leaders are refusing to help.
I think that the people, the volunteers, the sympathetic are going to be the ones that help to solve this refugee issue. A Vienna journalist indicated that only one tabloid in Austria was truly expressing how the Austrian people feel. The Austrians want to help, they do not want to see these people suffer anymore. It is sad that only one tabloid is recognizing this. Fortunately with social media we are able see and help these individuals during their time of crisis.
About a year ago I had a Professor suggest to the students to try and connect the courses we were taking with other courses. He said that the school work we were creating should relate to our personal lives in some way. He suggested that rather than just learn the information to pass the test, we connect the information in a meaningful way so that we could retain it. This has changed the way I look at school. Ever since then, I have tried to apply the things I learn to real life experiences. This gives meaning to the things I am learning. It is amazing when you can actually see the connection, and have it make sense to you.
I am currently taking a marketing class and the professor for that class is constantly telling students that it is important to have a love of learning. He has also suggested some of the same ideas as my other professor had. I am continually learning, and love the fact that I am able to take the college courses I have. So many doors have been opened to me because of the opportunity of learning. Learning and apply the things you learn, can only happen if you learn to love learning.
Aresearch project completed by Patricia Thibautfocuses on thelearning, literacy, and exploring purposes in regards to social media was conducted in Australia. The results of the study were published in the Australian Journal of Language and Literacy. Students who participated in this study were taught how to self-direct themselves through an online learning process. The
students were given rules that they needed to abide by. Subjects that
were discussed with the students were, digital foot-printing, staying
safe in cyber space, security, trust, interaction, information, and
reputation in an online setting. The teacher discussed the importance of
netiquette, and prepared the students by teaching them communication
technology practices. One of the conclusions that came from this study showed that preparing young children for this type of learning placed a lot of demands on the teacher. The study also showed
that teaching these skills was more time intensive. Not only was there
the time to teach each the various aspects of safe online learning, it
also required time to follow-up with the students to ensure they were putting the lessons into practice.
Although the initial teach time may be high, I
think this type of teaching is a necessity. This is where technology
and learning are headed. It needs to be embraced rather than ignored. If
we can start these children out young and teach them the correct ways
rather than let them figure it out on their own, it will potentially
save them from jeopardizing their futures. It is extremely important that kids today learn how to function in a highly technological workforce and culture.
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is rapidly growing. The leading publisher for eLearning, Focus On Education Foundation has
published a book called Good Practice in ICT For Education. The book
suggests three main reasons for having good social media practices. They
include: national perspective, education sector perspective, and
education institution and school perspectives. It discusses how ICT can contribute to economic growth by helping to enhance education, increase education levels of the poor, and how it can serve as a long-term solution to reducing the number of people living in poverty.
ICT is an important component in social and economic development. ICT can help strengthen education by helping to “bridge the knowledge gap”. Social media, technology, and advancements in online education can help improve the quality of education. The advancements in technology and social media are bringing quality educational opportunities to populations in remote areas. Teaching and learning through this means will help to expand knowledge and resources to all groups throughout society. Using these tools, ICT is accomplishing its goal of improvingthe competency and skills of all people, helping them to succeed in today’s world.
Claude M. Bristol, author of the book, The Magic of Believing, wrote “"To win you've got to stay in the game”. Technology
is all around us and is going to continue to advance. In order to stay
in the game, we are going to need to advance with it. If we choose to
ignore this, we are essentially taking ourselves out of the game. We need to become an active participant in order to succeed. If we are proactive and become involved in new and upcoming advancements in technology there will be no need to fear the future.
Physical: This is a situation that is taking place in the Mediterranean Sea.
Psychological: This horrible situation is stirring a lot of emotions across the world. It is basically a choice of who gets to stay and who doesn't because of the reason why they have fled their homeland.
Social: The circumstances surrounding this situation is that migrants can be turned away by countries, and refugees cannot. Due to international laws, countries are legally bound to help refugees that are fleeing their homelands due to civil wars.
Cultural: This is a tough situation that countries are having to face. By law they are bound to help refugees, yet with migrants they are not. So here is where the "value of life" comes into question. Is a migrant less important than a refugee? The principle of life, is to protect human life and to not cause harm. Are we not causing harm, by not helping migrants? If we don't help them, they have no where else to go.
Temporal: Although this migrant situation is not the first. The most recent European migrant crisis began in November 2014, and is still happening with no end in sight.
The issue in this weeks podcast for On The Media seems to be focused towards the migrant crisis, or the refugee crisis.
That is the big question, whether to refer to the situation as migrant, or refugee, or both.
Over 380,000 people have fled their homes to other countries in an attempt to have a better life. In this attempt approximately 2800 people have either drowned or suffocated. Even though individuals know the risks associated with fleeing, they are willing to take that risk. They have two choices, stay and risk dying because of poverty, or civil wars, or take the risk of drowning in hope of a better life.
It seems that the answer is simple. But, for some it is not that simple. Depending on if they are a migrant, or a refugee, will determine their fate.
Here are the definitions for both:
noun | mi.grant |
: a person who goes from one place to another especially to find work
noun | ref.u.gee |
: someone who has been forced to leave a country because of war or for religious or political reasons
Some countries are using these words as political tools, due to each word having specific legal obligations associated with them. Migrants aren't welcome, and can be turned away if they are fleeing their homeland due to poverty. Refugees on the other hand are protected by an international law that was put in place in 1951.
Online editor Al Jazeera English suggests to use both together, migrant/refugee. By differentiating between them it says that refugees are important, and migrants are not. If the two are used together it shows that they are both human and seeking a better life. It doesn't matter whether they are migrants or refugees if they drown, in the end they are human. Al Jazeera said that the reality of the matter is that it is a "horrible situation" and that everyone needs to take notice. I think that this situation is far from over. It creates a lot of questions, but few answers. The sad part of this is who decides who gets asylum and who doesn't.
I decided to take a different approach for my research on Racism. I wanted to explore the most popular website to get an idea of what is being said regarding racism.
Mashable:
On Mashable! the article I came across was about MTV's 'Look Different' campaign. This is a documentary that was created to show how race matters. A white person will take the place of someone from a different race in instances where the color of their skin might put them at a disadvantage, or as the trailer says, for "lifes racially unbalanced situations". MTV has taken some heat, yet also receiving praise for tackling the problem of racial discrimination.
I watched the trailer for White Squad on you tube, and am including it in my post. It made me laugh, but it really made me stop and think. Is this really happening? Why does it have to be this way? Everyone should watch this to make them more aware of their surroundings.
A website, Twitter account, and toll-free help line were created that are actually legitimate. These accounts, and phone number direct viewers to a variety of resources regarding racism. I feel that this is an excellent way to educate the public, and get everyone involved to solve the problem of racial inequality.
Wired.com
The article, It's Time To Get Real About Racial Diversity in Comics, was published on July 25, 2015. This article discusses whether or not there is enough minority diversity being seen in comics. C. Spike Trotman said, "Diversity of every sort - racial diversity, gender diversity, acknowledging minority sexualities - is experiencing an explosion of recognition and representation in comics." The fact of the matter is, that someone, somewhere is going to be offended.
Writer for BOOM! Studios, Mark Waid said, "We're in a social media era where there are so many people who didn't have a voice for a long, long time, and suddenly they have a voice, and they're eager to use it." Basically, all aspects of social media are facing these kinds of issues. This is something that is going to require them to listen and integrate diversity into everything they do. Everyone needs to accept the change, and embrace it.
America Has Lost the War Against Guns, written August 27, 2015. This article is regarding the tragic story in Roanoke, Virginia of the two journalist that were killed by a former co-worker. Gizmoda indicates that this story will inspire more headlines than all the other gun deaths. This is because of how the killer shared his view on social media. You ask what this has to do with racism, well it is unfortunate that the killer, Vester Flanagan felt that he had been racially discriminated against, and this was his reasoning for taking their lives.
The article mostly discusses the issues of guns, and gun control. I am hoping that this story will spark more articles to be written regarding the issues of racism, rather than pointing more towards gun control.
GigaOM
The most recent article I could find on GigaOM was on August 21, 2014. The article titled, Eight Charts that put tech companies' diversity stats into perspective, compares gender and ethnicity demographics for top companies. Pinterest engineer, Tracy Chou suggested that there should be a "state of the union" for companies yearly that would show the demographic information within the company. It is all about implementing diversity in the work place.
I found this brief article interesting. I can't help wondering if we are becoming more concerned about whether or not there is enough diversity within the workplace, than the quality of workers within the workplace. I know this is a delicate subject, but it is sad that companies are having to worry about something like this.
On CQ Researcher I found the article, Fighting Urban Poverty. This article indicates that racism is one of the reasons amongst many that is the cause for poverty. Although, Socialists Karl Alexander, and Linda Olson of Johns Hopkins University said that, "poverty is colorblind" indicating that regardless of race all are affected by poverty. In light of all of the riots happening experts are blaming
the underlying cause of poverty with racism listed first followed by crime, unemployment, and poor schools to name a few.
Alan Greenblatt wrote Millennial Generation in June 2015. He said that millennials ages 18-34 year olds is the largest generation ever in the United States. He indicates that there are more millennials in the workforce than any other age group, and is the most diverse. He also said that they are the most educated of all other age groups. Greenblatt said that millennials are going to re-shape the way Americans shop, how they consume news, and how they communicate. They are leading the way in social media. The unique thing about millennials, is because of their diversity, they will help America to become a more tolerant society. Due to the diversity within this group, they are around people of all different races seeing them as people, not someone who is racially different.
The founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, designed Facebook to bring people together. People need to use social media to create communities based on their interests. The best part of this, is you get to choose what you are apart of.
As with all social issues, the answers need to begin with us. We need to be the ones to educate our children, we need to show through our actions and lead by example. Racial equality has to start somewhere. Whether is be on YouTube, through comics, social media, or the workplace, let us be the ones to help it. Let us not only be tolerant, let us be patient and all work together. It shouldn't matter what age group we fall into, because all lives matter.
Physical: This is the story of three year old Aylan Kurdi, from Kobani, Syria. Images of his drowned body along with that of his mother and brother on a beach in Turkey on September 2, 2015.
Psychological: This photograph has inspired others to help. It gives everyone the feeling of reality, a real sense of the struggles in other parts of the world. It brings feelings of sadness, and heartache. Social: In an attempt for a better life, the Kurdi family left their home in Syria to flee the violence that is taking place there. The father of this family only wanted what everyone else wants, a safe place to call home, a life of happiness, a life of freedom. The husband and father of this family no longer can live his dream. His dream has been washed away. He is the only surviving member of his family.
Cultural: Although this tragedy is only one of many, this specific image is causing the world to step back and take notice. Why is it that a single photograph can cause the world to see the value of life, when other images don't? Regardless of race, religion, gender, or age it has brought heartfelt emotion to the world, and finally countries are stepping in to help.
Temporal: This image and this tragedy are having a huge impact on the world as a whole. Human Rights Watch's director, Peter Bouckaert told TIME Magazine that he feels that the public is reacting because they are saying, "This could have been my child". The interesting part of the story is that Peter reminded TIME that last week images of dozens of African children were shown on social media that had been washed up on the beaches in Libya.
So why the image of Aylan? Why has the world ignored the public outcries, the images, and the stories before now? Regardless of why, it fortunately has had an impact and we all need to take notice, and try to help in some way.
Brooke Gladstone's On The Media reporter expresses that this image should be circulated on social media for the world to see. I have to agree. It is an image that shows the truth and reality of what is going on in Syria. It is a harsh truth that is very blunt in its message.
This image creates an empathy in all of us. We are facing a new era in social media where images such as the one of Aylan Kurdi was not being shown because of its graphic nature is now being shown. It is something that is real and is happening and can no longer be ignored.
Cultural critic and poet, David Levi Strauss hopes this image will become a part of history as told to TIME. In agreement with Strauss, Peter Bouckaert said, "My hope is that this image will not just shock us but it will push us to take a personal commitment to try to stop these senseless deaths in the Mediterranean." I too hope that this image will be the turning point.
I designed and created a Facebook page at the beginning of the summer, and would like to be more aggressive in getting my name out there. I have done photography for over 18 years. I have decided to make a career out of photography, and plan to graduate in Spring 2016 with a Bachelor's Degree in Photography. My plan is to start posting photo shoots on Facebook, as well as on Instagram. I would also like to get testimonials of individuals I have taken photographs of. I would like to post all the genres in photography I have done, so viewers can see what I can do.
Mission Statement:
Short Description: My mission is to capture your memories, so you can save that moment forever.
Long Description: One of the greatest things in portrait photography is the uniqueness of each one. Every person is different with their own set
of special characteristics. I enjoy getting to know the individuals
and working to create a setting the matches their personalities. No two
photo shoots are ever the same. Every shot is done with the intent of
freezing a special moment in time. This is what makes photography so
special. It is the opportunity to capture precious moments that only
come once in a lifetime. Facebook Link: Annette Frazier Photography Facebook
Personas:
Kylie is a 17 year old senior in high school. Throughout high school she has been involved in many extra curricular activities. Kylie also loves the outdoors, hiking, 4-wheeling, and camping. Kylie wants to be different than her peers, and have an outside photographer take her senior photos. She wants to showcase all of her accomplishments with her photos. She wants her photographs to tell a story of who she is. Jenilee is a 26 year old. She is the mother of two children, and is due with her third child. She is excited for the arrival of her new baby. All of Jenilee's family live in other parts of the Western United States. She love having the ability to stay connects with them through social media. She is looking forward to sharing photos through social media when her baby makes his debut. Chelsey is 19 years old. She recently became engaged, and is planning on getting married in the near future. She is looking for a photographer to capture her special day. Her and her fiance want someone that has a unique style, and that will help the two of them come up with some creative shots that show their true relationship.
The Story "Who We Are and What We Could Be" is hosted by Brooke Gladstone. Brooke briefly shares her ideas regarding the role of social media in the tragic deaths of two Virginia journalists.
Physical:
This story takes place right on social media. WDBJ Journalists, Alison Parker, and Adam Ward were gunned down by a former employee during a live morning broadcast. The horrifying reality of this selfish act was shown from the killers perspective as it was taking place.
Psychological:
With all the gun violence happening in the world today, this specific incidence adds a new twist to it. With this twist, it also adds a whole new emotional response to it. It is bad enough to hear, and see the aftermath of these types of violent acts, let alone to experience as it unfolds on social media. I cannot begin to image the emotions going through the minds of the other co-workers watching this as it happened.
Social:
The shooter, Vester Flanagan, was a disgruntled former employee at the television station WDBJ. He was simply acting out of rage, because he had been fired, and also felt that that he had been mistreated. After taking the lives of two co-workers, and injuring another, Flanagan took his own life. Flanagan takes breaking the rules to a whole new level by showing this type of violence from his point of view.
Cultural:
In a report from CNN news, it indicates that Flanagan used other means of social media to reach out as well. They say that authorities are trying to piece together all of this information to find a motive for the killings. In a message that he sent to ABC, it reveals that racial discrimination and sexual harassment where among some of the reasons for his actions. It seems that he was adamant about sharing this on social media in a well thought out plan. Temporal:
The impact this story has on social media is huge. It changes the idea of how, what, and where social media can be used. This act was not carried out because of social media, but was unfortunately used as a tool to share it. I believe that this is the message that Brooke Gladstone is trying to get across during this segment of On The Media.
It is easy to know of the truthfulness of this story, because of the nature of how it was shared with the world. Although, I do not agree with how he shared it with the world. Perhaps there is a deeper meaning to his actions. Perhaps it was his way of telling the world exactly how it was, as to not have any details or questions as to what really happened. Maybe he felt that no one was listening, and this was his only way to be heard. However, I in no way support, or condone his actions in any way. I feel that sometimes it is hard to decipher what is true, and what is falsehoods in the news, and on social media. I just hope that this act of violence does not give others that feel this way, a new idea on being heard.
