Thats so (stereo)typical of me.

Stereotypes. Theres so many of them out there, right? How many blonde jokes have you heard in the last 12 months? Im sure that small-minded person knew someone who was blonde and was nothing like what that joke portrayed them to be.

So heres a blonde. From her portrait style picture you may believe she is infact a ditsy model or of that mould. Maybe she lived most of her life getting through with her assets, so to speak. Blushing, pulling on her hair softky and stroking it behind her hair before flipping it behind her shoulder, just to get her own way. There are many ideas you could get from this one photo. But this is infact Ellie Goulding. A British songwriter and performer. Miss Goulding here actually has a degree from a College and University in England before being advised to take a break from her strenuous education schedule to pursue with her musical talent. Shes been nominated for 15 awards in 2010 alone. She has written and produced over 26 songs at the age of 24. An amazingly talented young woman. Didn't see that coming did you?




Lets see this guy right here:

Judging by his choice in tattoes, he clearly does not mind marking his skin with utter garbage. His obvious obsession with "bling" determines that he does not have a problem with spending money. By the backdrop, we can guess he is in the city. And he seems to be enjoying a drop top car of some sort. Now all this screams to me Rapper/Hip Hop artist. Im sure you all had the same idea. I know of it.

Now this guy. Well apart from his obvious loss of his shirt, he does seem to have some interesting clothing. That boot and drop pants combo is really an experimental choice, I must say. This huy clearly lacks in grooming. He seems to be the type of guy who, when he does shower, would do so in a wooden shed. Shaving must be extremely alien also. I would go as far to guess that dental health is not exactly first on his list aswell. His beverage choice there could make me believe he would become heavily inhebriated on a regular occasion. Im sure if you head further north of Waleska you may find someone who would be similar to this.

Ok. Wow. Alot to take in here. What would you think brings this girl (I think its a girl) to dress like this. You would assume she had a strange or abnormal upbringing. But then you would question what is a normal childhood in your eyes? The pale face, obviously done from make-up, would suggest she wants to be different. That in itself is an obvious statement. We can gather that she tries to do everything to be different.
I would say her choice in music is very dark, as would her favourite movies be too. I don't see a lot of sunshine in her life.

There is alot of stereotypes thrown around. We all have done it. We all have assumed that guy or girl is X or Y. Its how our brains seem to work in modern society. Although we are slowly improving, it still isn't right that there is stereotyping in the world and it affects people in various ways.

I saw this great video made by students in 2007. Its an example of racial stereotyping and I am sure we can think of someone who does this.

What picture would you put in your mind when you were asked to think about poverty? Wealth? Creativity? Anger? When you think if these people/places are you stereotyping? Maybe in this time, we need to think about ourselves first. So i ask you to look in a mirror and tell me what you see.

Next Gen Native

So I am apparently a Digital native. Something i just learned. What would you think Digital Native meant if you saw it? Would you think that you are a digital native? Native of digital world. A media infested world. As far as being a Native, well yes technically I grew up with a computer and was taught to use it from a young age. I learnt the basics of Using mouse skills and keyboard skills and i looked at software by 8 years old. So as i grow up, my experience grows with my hunger for knowledge and i become extremely literate in using a laptop and connecting the internet. Now though, you must know how to consume and contribute on the internet.

How do i feel about being a digital native? Im glad. I know how to use a variety of technologies and in most situations. Think how much cell phones and GPS machines help in emergencies. I would much rather be confident on how to use it in case I found myself in this situatuion.

We are leaving behind another generation however. As we move forward with our Iphones and Laptops, our parents and grandparents are being left to their own devices in an everchanging society. For example, sending a text is something I do nearly 30 times a day but my grandma would be lucky if she knew how to answer a phone call. We, as natives, are helping the former generation understand the very core basics and for this, they are reffered to as "Digital Immigrants." They are coming into our world of technology and trying to understand. They are immigrating. The way my Dad puts how he feels about Media moving is with this... "How many remotes did i have in my house in 1972? One. Thats all. Now for some reason, we have 8 in this house. Ridiculous."
Well of course we have 8. We have a TV, DVD player, Cable box, Blu-Ray player, Stereo surround sound and more. Our houses are slowly becoming more and more technologically advanced too. Automatic garage doors seem a distant idea compared to voice activated house controls or self cleaning carpets.

Whether we like it or not, Technology is becoming a much as our life as our right arm is. Its changing.

We are different. We can change. We are Digital Natives. We were Born Digital.

Media Literacy? What?

Media literacy was just two words to me. Not now.
Internet was always a useful tool to me. As to many young adults it served as a social media tool. And quite recently with this class it is a production tool. The videos of Michael Welsch opened my eyes to how information is changing. Not only that, the way we use information is changing. So it brings me to the question of why we must be media literate and what exactly is media literacy. The modern world moves so fast and technology is changing by the second with new Iphone applications or developments in 3D movies. The knowledge of how to utilise and function this technology is becoming increasingly important. Companies run from Facebook and have "viral" advertisement strategies in this age. It is more and more popular to see a movie being advertised on YouTube rather than the television. With this being said, shouldn't us as citizens or the public be able to at least use these sites and respond to the companies?

Here is a popular Viral advertisement for Sprite Zero.

Athletes lives are no longer as private, neither are celebrities. They can update the world with what they are doing or thinking with a "tweet" and anyone who is anyone can see that. Invasion of privacy or media revolution? Surely it is just good publicity? The NY times did an article on the current climate with Celebrities being Media Literate. They point out how times have changed in regards to the accessability of our celebrities.

In 2006, Time Maazine voted YOU as Person of the Year. They explained that us, the medie literate generation, with our user generated content was accredited as the biggest thing to happen that year. It can be seen here.

Media literacy can be defined as the ability to understand and function all the relative things in current media. We not only recieve information but we must make sense of it and consume it. But in current times, we can use that information, spread it and make our own.

On a site that focuses on media development, they have a page dedicated to investagating the definition of Media Literacy. It can be seen here.

I'll leave on this. I will always worry that the media and technology could move too fast, maybe even take us over. Then what?

Introducing.....

Hello Blog followers, especially those of COM 103.

So what do you know about Colchester? Never heard of it, right? Its in England and its where I came from. So, how did this boy end up in Waleska? Well i have played soccer for 16 years now. Kicked a ball for as long as i can remember. The chance came up to have a scholarship here at Reinhardt and i took it. So here i am. I'm pursuing an education here with the rest if you locals from all of 4000 miles away. I'm a Sports major and i hope to go down the coaching route and run my own College soccer program or i would like to go into Sports rehabilitation and Psychology in Sports.
From this Media Literacies class i hope to gain a greater understanding of the subject and also become a lot more literate in this field.

An interesting fact about me is that I have both played professional soccer and performed in professional stage plays. I'm also known as a "miracle child" or a "medical mystery" as i was born even though my Mother was told that she absolutely could never have children.

I look forward to moving forward with the class and getting to know you all. I cannot wait to read all of your blogs and hope they are a good bit better than mine!