Why you should stick to Netflix and not watch live TV

Just kidding, I won't be persuading you to watch Netflix rather than live television. But I will tell you why election season is so annoying to the public, most specifically, CAMPAIGN ADS.
In my philosophy and communications classes, we talked about logical fallacies that are often present in persuasion speeches: ad hominems and straw man fallacies, in particular.

Ad hominems are when arguments attack the individual personally, rather than their argument or what they stand for.
Straw man fallacies are when people take the weakest form of their opponents argument to make their's appear superior.

Something I found interesting was the contrast between candidate-sponsored ads and ads by special interest groups. The candidate sponsored ads want to appear as positive messages, emphasizing the good the candidate is doing for the community and government (talking to children, making passionate speeches, caring about future, etc.). The ads ran by special interest groups were more negative, attacking the person as a whole (ad hominem) or by turning their arguments into a negative thing. One in particular was called "An Imperial Presidency" on the Washington Post website. At first, I thought it would be downgrading President Obama alone, using Hillary Clinton to attack him. However, it took a turn of events when it called Clinton a hypocrite. It's a very personal and aggressive attack. While many politicians take advantage of passive aggression, the ads used by special interest groups are just plain out aggressive.

I'm afraid that these videos will discourage viewers from having hope in America's future. They will always remember the negative things said about the person elected or running. Often times, this may deter people from voting. I have trouble voting and hate election season because I feel like I can't choose a good candidate either way. The negatives are worked up over the positives. Then again, it may promote voting with a passionate response.

Either way, I think it's sad to avoid watching live TV around Election time. Things shouldn't be that way.

Wiki Leaks: War on Journalists

On the topic of Wiki Leaks, I did what every college student does to understand something: turn to the internet, specifically YouTube. I browsed a simple question: Is Wiki Leaks considered journalism? And I was honestly surprised with the results on YouTube. The titles of videos were like:

"Wiki Leaks Video: War on Journalists, War on Civilians"
"The War on Journalism"
"Wiki Leaks: US trying to "criminalize' journalism..."

I was thinking it was, but is it? It is an anonymous, non-profit website made for whistle blowers. But if it is like Wikipedia, is it reliable? That's what I want to know. Does journalism meet conspiracies? Furthermore, in a way it sounds like civilian journalism. There is that idea of the public's right to know. Both are controversial. I would still conclude that Wiki Leaks is journalism, just it's own form entirely.

Cookies...and not the kind you eat

I have an old AspireOne netbook. I got it in high school to take notes and it often moves rather slow these days. Every now and then my dad cleans it out for me and always, and I mean ALWAYS, comments on the amount of useless storage and "cookies" he had to clean out using programs like C Cleaner. I always assumed cookies were associated with internet page use but I didn't know the actual definition until this year.

I looked at the cookies currently on my internet browser I use: google chrome. What surprised me  most was that the websites that left cookies on my computer were ones I don't remember accessing! A couple I recognized but the majority I don't. So in my shock I changed my settings to block cookies. I swear, almost every website wanted to set cookies. It was so annoying it makes me want to just keep it on automatic.

But the annoyance doesn't change my initial shock. I know websites use cookies to track my digital path online, and from a technological standpoint it's clever and useful. However, as an internet user it's creepy. Even when I delete my cookies or internet history, there is still a digital trail. Good for them, bad for me. Is it ethical? Honestly, I think by using the worldweb, social networking sites, etc, you are putting your life out there. If you want something to stay private, look it up at a public computer or library book. Companies are getting clever and productive by taking advantage of the situation, especially when many users don't even know what is happening.

For my own situation, the cookies will have a short life-span on my computer since I delete them and my history to free up space on my computer. (What's annoying is that blogger just put 10 cookies on my computer)

Gamer Gate

One of my brothers is a huge gamer and I have always been used to watching him play the hottest, newest games. I have also always remembered being shocked at some of the content on them. Video games have never been appealing to me, because of the cinematography, content, and context. When I used to watch my guy friends play Grand Theft Auto, I would be shocked because of how females were treated on that. The men could rape prostitutes or kill them. LIKE WHAT?

GamerGate is an online battle going on involving feminists and gamers. Gamers are getting upset because they feel like their identity as gamers is being confused. Gamers are being grouped together, feminists are upset about womens image in video games, and everyone is lashing out at eachother. Many people refuse to define what GamerGate is because it has so many interpretations and people involved. I see it as cyber bullying. This whole idea of media ethics is being argued and woman designers, journalists, and gamers are being black balled. They are being accused of sleeping around to get specific games more publicity, but this is a practice many businesses do-just look at politics. Gamers get offended because they feel like the good and bad games are being misrated. No one is winning right now. It's an all out war. If everyone just stepped back and talked calmly, many of this could be solved.

Learning and Doing in Entertainment

I googled "Recording Industry in Louisville, KY" and the first link that came up was this:
http://www.recordingconnection.com/school-locations/louisville/

I clicked on the link and was immediately attacked by bright graphics and visuals. There was almost no negative space on the page, it was all being used. (Sorry, that just really stuck out to me). This is a school that trains its students and pairs them up with actual mentors and teachers who are extremely credible. It emphasizes affordable tuition, valuable experience, the hands-on classroom, and its many locations.

On the left side, it gives some credible sources: "Learn at the studio where John Mayor records", "Michael Jackson's audio engineer...", Kanye West producer, Eminem's producer....I was convinced and I'm not even interested in working in entertainment.

"I'm a Visual Learner" so I love magazines these days

Visuals are everything. I have a subscription to many magazines, Teen Vogue being one of them. I've had this subscription since I was in middle school: and I remember why...PICTURES. The part in magazines that I enjoyed the most was looking at the photography and the models and thinking "wow I want to look like that". It was easier to connect to than words on a page and usually I didn't read the words. I liked Teen Vogue because it was dominantly pictures. The amount of photo shoots they did had to be enormous. 

From a PR or advertising point of view, it is so easy to advertise a product. "(insert celebrity) is using (insert product) so you should too because they can't live without it!" I mean look at these examples of the inside pages of Teen Vogue:

I got so many ideas from within the pages of Teen Vogue, many of which I could never dream of affording. But the pictures are definitely a defining factor.

The Magical World of Disney

After doing some serious research on the Columbia Journalism Review, I looked up The Walt Disney company and its holdings, synergies, and subsidiaries.

It's as follows...

Film and Theater

Disneynature

Disney Theatrical Productions

Touchstone Pictures

Marvel Entertainment

LucasFilm

Walt Disney Pictures

DisneyToon Studios

Walt Disney Animation Studios

Pixar Animation Studios

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International (Distribution)

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

Music

Disney Music Group

Hollywood Records

Walt Disney Records

Television

ABC-Owned Television Stations Group

WLS (Chicago, IL)

KFSN (Fresno, CA)

KTRK (Houston, TX)

KABC (Los Angeles, CA)

WABC (New York, NY)

WPVI (Philadelphia, PA)

WTVD (Raleigh-Durham, NC)

KGO (San Francisco, CA)

Disney ABC Television Group

ABC Television Network (ABC Daytime, ABC Entertainment, and ABC News)

ABC Family

ABC Studios

A&E Television Networks (50%)

The Biography Channel (50%)

Disney ABC Domestic Television

Disney ABC International Television

Disney-ABC-ESPN Television

Disney Channel Worldwide (Disney XD, Playhouse Disney, Jetix, and ABC Kids)

History (formerly The History Channel) (50%)

H2 (50%)

Hungama

Lifetime Entertainment Services (50%)

SOAPnet

Disney Junior (Flanders and the Netherlands)

ESPN, Inc. (80%)

ESPN (and ESPN.com and ESPN360.com)

ESPN2

ESPN 3D

ESPN Classic

ESPN Deportes

ESPNEWS

ESPNU

ESPN Enterprises

ESPN Interactive

ESPN International

ESPN Mobile Properties

ESPN on Demand

ESPN PPV

ESPN Regional Television

Longhorn Network

Radio

WDDY AM (Albany, NY)

WDWD AM (Atlanta, GA)

WMKI AM (Boston, MA)

WGFY AM (Charlotte, NC)

WRDZ AM (Chicago, IL)

WWMK AM (Cleveland, OH)

KMKI AM (Dallas-Fort Worth, TX)

KDDZ AM (Denver, CO)

WFDF AM (Detroit, MI)

KMIC AM (Houston, TX)

WRDZ FM (Indianapolis, IN)

KPHN AM (Kansas City, MO)

KDIS FM (Little Rock, AR)

KDIS AM (Los Angeles, CA)

WMYM AM (Miami, FL)

WKSH AM (Milwaukee, WI)

KDIZ AM (Minneapolis, MN)

WQEW AM (New York, NY)

WDYZ AM (Orlando, FL)

WWJZ AM (Philadelphia, PA)

KMIK AM (Phoenix, AZ)

KDZR AM (Portland, OR)

WDZY AM (Richmond, VA)

KIID AM (Sacramento, CA)

KWDZ AM (Salt Lake City, UT)

KRDY AM (San Antonio, TX)

KMKY AM (San Francisco, CA)

KKDZ AM (Seattle, WA)

WSDZ AM (St. Louis, MO)

WWMI AM (Tampa, FL)

ESPN Radio

WMVP (Chicago, IL)

KESN (Dallas-Fort Worth, TX)

KSPN (Los Angeles, CA)

WEPN (New York, NY)

WDDZ AM (Pittsburgh, PA)

Publishing

Hyperion Books

ABC Daytime Press

Hyperion

Jump At The Sun

Mirimax Books

Voice

Disney Publishing Worldwide

Disney Digital Books

Disney English

Disney Global Book Group

Global Children's Magazines

U.S. Magazines

ESPN The Magazine (50% with Hearst)

ESPN Books

Parks and Resorts

Adventures by Disney

Disney Cruise Line

Disneyland Resort

Disneyland Resort Paris (51%)

Disney Vacation Club

Hong Kong Disneyland (48%)

Shanghai Disney Resort (43%)

Tokyo Disney Resort (Owned and operated the Oriental Land Company)

Walt Disney Imagineering

Walt Disney World Resort

Other

The Baby Einstein Company

Club Penguin

Disney Consumer Products

The Disney Store

Disney Apparel

Disney Accessories & Footwear

Disney Fashion & Home

Disney Food

Disney Health & Beauty

Disney Stationery

Disney Toys

Disney Interactive Media Group

Disney Interactive Studios

Disney Online (Disney.com)

Disney Online Studios

Disney Mobile

El Capitan Theatre

The Muppets Studio

Playdom

Rocket Pack

UTV Software Communications

THIS IS CRAZY. I honestly did not know that some of these were owned by the Walt Disney company, like Baby Einsteins??? Personally, I am addicted to Disney movies but until recently I never noticed how over-exposed they were. After Frozen came out, Elsa and Anna were pasted EVERYWHERE. I did a finance report last year about how the costumes for children were selling for hundreds of dollars on e-bay because they were on back order in the Disney stores. Overkill? Maybe. But Disney is probably in the best position out of any company I can think of to take advantage of sales, advertising, and social media. They have every outlet covered: radio, books, film, TV, and parks. If you think about it, journalism is a huge part of Disney's business. That is what they thrive off of...and they are doing well. 

Check out this website to see the list: http://www.cjr.org/resources/?c=disney

Teen Vogue vs. Seventeen (fight to the death for subscribers)

I can personally say that once upon a time I was an avid reader of both Teen Vogue and Seventeen magazine. I loved magazines and felt so regal sitting down and flipping through the pages. I was in awe of the colors and smells of the testers within the pages. It's funny though, even then I noticed subtle differences between the two magazines, of which was mostly who advertised what.

Teen Vogue was obviously the teen edition of Vogue magazine. All the advertisements were very high class, featuring Louis Vuitton and Michael Kors (way over my budget). The first ten pages it would seem like would just be full page advertisements, and the magazine wasn't very big in the first place. I loved Teen Vogue because it made me feel apart of the higher class, but it was all just pretty pictures, not real substance with words.



Seventeen, on the other hand, had more middle class advertisements. You saw Candies ads through Kohls and the ads where celebrities represented a brand, not a supermodel. They appealed to US, who the viewer would know right off the bat. Within the pages, you found plenty of advice on life: friendships, love, work, philosophy, etc. It advertised things within, like celebrities favorite moisturizer, but never let it blatantly take over.

Television and Cable News from a generation ahead

I interviewed two people, one of which I know personally. But if you take out names (which I will) you really get to focus on the actual information. So, let me introduce Subject #1 and Subject #2.

Subject #1 said he watches cable TV and discovery channel a lot. He especially likes watching Fox News and random documentaries, like on Bigfoot.  He really watches news for serious weather events (while I won't say who this is, he called me 20 times to make sure I was safe in my dorm Monday during the storm).

He emphasized highly that his views on TV news has changed drastically. Whatever was being reported had an effect on his thinking because they broadcast the news, whether negative or positive, He reported that he noticed a trend of bias in cable and print news which he thinks is because of the editors and owners views. He also believes network TV is more heartfelt and for the viewers.

Subject #2 doesn't watch network or cable news but instead gets things off the internet. When at work he browses his phone and can see weather, news, and other info. Since he doesn't really watch cable or network TV, he doesn't really have an attitude towards it. It's just kind of unnecessary to him. 

It's funny to me how these two subjects are a generation ahead and both respond differently. Subject 1 watches TV more frequently but it isn't what someone in my generation would say. I have personally watched him watch the news and he responds to controversial issues that seem propagandized. 

Movie propaganda?

I personally believe the movie industry in American-controlled. The U.S. is the world's largest film market. Yale Global online referred to America as the "cultural gate keepers" of the industry. Basically the United States decides what goes on the big screen and what is portrayed on it.

Diversity is a big deal nowadays and everyone wants to be politically correct. But genres like comedies fuel off the opposite. They play off of stereotypes, especially regarding race, class, and culture. Look at the 2013 comedy We're the Millers: in the MTV Movie Awards it won Best Breakthrough Performance and Best Kiss and was nominated for Best Female Performance, Best Shirtless Performance, Best Musical Moment, and Best Comedic Performance. Let me emphasize BEST COMEDIC PERFORMANCE. People react to stereotypes of cultures and races, especially when an RV of a suburban family rolls into a Mexico drug trafficking community. People enjoy that, I thought it was a hilarious movie. Nonetheless, it adds to a certain culture we have about stereotyping others.

Let me take a stance on the opposite end of comedies: dramas. Take Lone Survivor for example: it is based off a real story with real history and is emotionally compelling. I cried, I'll admit it. But can we say it adds to the nature of Americans to kind of group all foreigners under the group of "terrorists"? That's a huge problem we have in America currently, everyone thinks everyone is a terrorist. Nonetheless, these movies sell. They grab at your emotions: whether laughter, sadness, fear, or simple enjoyment. American movies have a purpose and often that purpose undergoes in encouraging the stereotyping of another culture (whether intentional or not).

"Stop, Collaborate and Listen"

On the topic of radio, let me tell you what stations I tune into when I'm back at home in good ole Bardstown, KY:

W246AT (WBRT) 97.1 FM Bardstown, KY Country

WAMZ 95.7 FM Louisville, Kentucky Country

WNRW 98.9 FM Prospect, KY Top-40

WKMO 99.3 FM Lebanon Junction, KY Country

WLGX 100.5 FM Louisville, KY Hot AC

WLSK 100.9 FM Lebanon, KY country

Okay so the weird number/letters starting with "w" is the stations call sign. My personal favorite station that I like to listen to when I'm driving is 98.9 which plays the top 40 hits. It's called Radio Now and no suprise: it's owned by iHeart Radio. Honestly, Radio Now is keeping up with the pack of alternatives. It provides internet radio to tune in on (great for needing references on what a song is) and has podcasts and visuals. They understand that they have to adapt to what their listeners expect, so their internet availability is there. The website even has gossip news on it. Talk about convergence in media. And hey, it's Louisville's (the city closest to my small town) #1 station for hit music.

The only downside for me personally as a listener is the morning shows which put a hold on my music. That was when I would turn on Pandora, which is definitely a competitor with the basic FM stations. 

But hey, check it out for yourself: here's the link. 

 http://www.989radionow.com/main.html

A Dying Breed

I remember the days when newspapers were delivered to my house every week. Or I at least have seen that picture enough time in movies with the cute, little paper boy throwing the rolled up paper onto the cute, little front lawn of a suburban household. But is that reality? Not today. First of all, people would find some reason to lash out on the process...like it's bad for the environment. Is this where newspapers are at? I can't tell you the last time I read a newspaper. Frankly, I think holding them is awkward and somewhat difficult with its flappy pages.

But hey, let's look at my local newspaper which I honestly hope stays in good standing on the market. The Kentucky Standard (according to wikipedia, which while isn't exactly reliable I think does the trick for this blog) was started December 15, 1900 by Jack Wilson and sold to the circuit county clerk Wallace Brown in 1901. They publish three times a week (something I should have known but didn't) and have a local TV station called PLG 13, 3 websites, and a classified magazine about real estate. I grew up with PLG 13 broadcasting student events and updates (I was on it one time btw).

I have toured the building where they do the newspaper and film PLG13 and it seems like they know what they are doing. It is sponsored by tons of local businesses. Bardstown, Kentucky is extremely small town and is prided on its "Shop local" motto so everything is locally advertised. My parents still buy the paper and I know a lot of other people do too. The Standard and PLG13 have a good presence at local events so they don't exactly fade into the background.

I personally really like my local newspaper. It's nice to see local news and I grew up being on half of the pages with my Christmas list for elementary school, but the problem is, half of it I don't care about and the other half I heard about on Twitter or Facebook a couple days before. I don't see the necessity in newspapers, especially when I was doing this blog off of them and I was looking at the digital edition. I just took the "paper" out of newspapers. It's sad and I hate to admit it.

And yeah, I totally believe that newspapers are adapting. That's today's day and age. But going against popular opinion, I believe people are overlooking the fact that by adapting to digital versions the classic newspaper isn't the same thing it used to be. Is it still a newspaper? Evolutionists say we used to be apes but now we are humans, so if we put newspapers into this idea: if newspapers are the antique version what do they become? Toughie. So now I'm sad because while newspapers are still kicking in my opinion, I don't think they will ever be the same.

"I read that book"

My favorite thing to see at the movies beside the actual movie are the previews. I am that cliche person in the audience who leans over after each one and says, "I wanna see that." Movies are huge in my family, but I am obsessed with books too. Luckily with today's culture, I often see a combination of both. So I will be at the theaters and I love it when I see a trailer for a book I've read. It's like re-experiencing the book. 

Okay so I think many people will agree that seeing a movie that you originally read can be a double-edged sword. You may have loved the book and were really excited about the movie, but the movie might have in reality disappointed you. In retrospect, the movie could have amounted to all expectations-even surpassed them. Look at the movie Holes: although I have not personally read the book, all my teachers and friends said the book was a long mess and the movie put it together. I love the movie Holes. 

Creativity of movie creation is rare. Most nowadays are based off popular books. Just think: The Hunger Games, Harry Potter, The Lovely Bones, Twilight saga, The Giver, The Maze Runner...yada yada. And that is just what is paying in the movie industry. Hunger Games: Catching Fire had a grossing of $424,668,047. So if that's what's paying the bills, I'd say directors and screen writers are in the money. 

The point is that half of the viewers don't even realize the movie is based off a book! It's culture-shaming. Years ago, people would ask "that's a movie?" instead of "that's a book?" How many people read Twilight only because of the movie? I read the books years before the movie and can't go anywhere near either simply because how overworked the movie was. Or Harry Potter, those books turned a corner in fiction. The movies were best-selling and I loved them, but my brother always had an obsession with the books. Everyone always said it was missing some big details. So the problem with book-inspired movies: the beauty is in the details and that is often forgotten.

Okay, go look at this link and tell me which ones are books and out of those how many have you read. Were you surprised? Did it bring up a bad taste in your mouth from a bad book-turned movie? Lemme know. 

 http://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/past365.htm

No Media Day

So I find myself staring at this assignment: no media for twelve hours. Of course I don't want to put myself into the category of "this generation" where we have a dependency on media. So I take it on, putting my smart phone down and turning my TV off. Turns out, when you go home over Labor Day weekend it's actually pretty easy.

There I was at home, avoiding media, and actually enjoying the time with my family. I didn't care what was going on anywhere else- I just missed them. Having taken a step back, I could finally relax from the past crazy weeks of my first semester in college.

I needed to disconnect. I had just started at a new school, which equaled to a lot of overwhelming situations. In fact, the biggest lesson I had learned so far starting off new, was that technology was a detriment to my social life I was building. During sorority recruitment, sorority events, class, going to lunch, and just meeting people in the hall of my dorm, I had to be there. Honestly, college completely stripped me away from social media temporarily. A complete contrast to high school. And it was exhausting. So simply what I learned from this experience from not just the 12 hours without social media but how my life has been going recently: being part of a conversation 24/7 in person is way more exhausting and harder than being in one over social media. And that's kind of sad.

And here I am, blogging about my no media day-talk about irony.