Disney bad? No way!

Ok, so why’d you have to go and pop my Disney bubble? I was perfectly happy watching Disney movies for the story, but now am going to have to analyze every second of the next Snow White or Little Mermaid film I watch? I never once thought to look at the undertones of each film, looking for racist or misogynist messages. I never thought to because I was young and saw the story for what it was, not an outlet for ideology and prejudices. Now that I think about it, one certainly can find abuse in Beauty in the Beast, an anti-feminist message in Snow White and a general Women-need-to-be-saved-by-a-strong-handsome-man message in about every other movie. Of course, you have to be looking for these messages to find them.

Despite all this, my allegiance still rests with the Disney Corporation. Lets just look at the first layer in each film. Lets see Mulan as a coming of age story, where a young girl, through courage and compassion saves her country and hey! brings home a man as a bonus. Lets not say that her progress of shucking female stereotypes is negated by the fact she finds a man. You know what? We all want someone to love and to love us, and yes, Mulan is included in this. The story would most definitely be missing something if she came home without handsome Shang. Granted, Mulan would have been a great film without him, but without a doubt, he completes the picture and makes the “And they lived happily ever after” possible.

So say what you will, but I remain a Disney supporter with dreams of princess dresses and handsome prince charmings.

Spot.us: The future of Journalism or just a really cool idea?

I believe David Cohn’s Spot.us to be quite innovative. The idea of people financially supporting the investigation of news that interests them interests me. I really believe David has stumbled upon something that could reinvent the news industry entirely. Who would have thought that journalism could be more than newspapers force-feeding subscribers what they considered to be news?

It was interesting to hear David’s opinions on the news institutions of today. NPR, National Public Radio is a non-profit, just like Spot.us, and relies on donations to function. Unlike NPR, a donor has a say in where his money is used at Spot.us. Like David said, NPR could use your money for a $100 stapler and you wouldn’t know it. With Spot.us the viewer can have a voice in what is reported. I like that idea, and I think others will too.

I asked David what his plans for the future were because I wanted to know his thoughts on the site’s current and future success. At the same time, I couldn’t help but picture a company, much like Spot.us, that covers national and international news. Wouldn’t that be the neatest thing? Our nation could actually play a part in the news industry. We could demand certain things of our news providers and instead of reading/watching what was deemed “news worthy”, we’d decide. I bet subjects currently ignored by the media, like the genocide in the Congo and the poor state of Haiti, would be exposed because citizens around the world would want to be informed.

David Cohn’s lecture last Thursday got me excited for the future of journalism. The future that, lucky enough, I’m going to be a part of.

Are We Puppets of the Recording Industry?

This week’s discussion centered on the recording and music industry—a topic I knew nothing about. I always figured that the music I listened to was made in a glamorous studio, and the company then distributed that music to the public on iTunes and the radio. I thought that in our supposedly “capitalistic” economy, listeners decided what become popular and what was aired on the radio. I figured (wrongly) that what was demanded, was provided. Little did I know that the recording industry has us fooled—we listen to what they decide we want to hear. I didn’t realize that music is screened and tested on a ‘test’ audience before it’s released. I also didn’t know that the majority of song compositions occur with in a limited range—only written in the several keys that have been proven “appealing” to the human ear. Was it naïve of me to think that the recording industry would want to give all artists, all genres, a chance to impress the public? There are so many listeners out there to buy music, so why doesn’t the industry support all talented artists?

The story of Kenna made me realize just how limited music production is. Why wouldn’t this new, progressive, funky artist make it in the music world? Sure his music is new, an indefinable rap/pop/reggae/folk fusion, but just because Kenna doesn’t fall under current music genres doesn’t mean that audiences won’t love him. The only thing constant in life is change. Consider rap, for instance. In the 1960’s rap was probably something very foreign and confusing, as it did not fit in with the music of the day. But now, 40 years later, rap is one of the biggest genres of music with a HUGE following. It doesn’t take a business major to realize that limiting the type of music produced isn’t an intelligent fiscal move. Imagine if Hip-hop and rap producers had dismissed the genre. We’d be missing a great addition to our music libraries, and (for you music companies desiring nothing but profit) there certainly would be a lot less millionaires in the world. So give artists like Kenna a chance. We want to hear them!

My Frenemy Facebook

There should be a warning when one signs up for a facebook account.

CAUTION: may cause severe addiction, loss of sleep, and obsession.

Facebook, I have learned, is difficult to resist or take in small doses, because once you start, it’s difficult to stop. If there were Facebook Rehab, I would most definitely be a candidate for admittance.

It all started in10th grade, after the Myspace had lost its allure. After much persuasion, I was allowed to create a Facebook page—little did I know that Facebook would become something I relied heavily on to be social, and would consume my time like nothing else. Facebook is myspace squared, as it remains somewhat classy while allowing you to stalk people.

I will neither take a positive or negative position towards Facebook, for I see both arguments to the social networking debate. Certainly online communication is changing the way we interact, redefining our relationships with others. Facebook is simplifying social interactions. Sure people use facebook to depersonalize and avoid the stickieness of a break up, yet at the same time facebook allows old childhood friends to reunite. It’s difficult to determine whether social networks are harmful or helpful. I’m pretty sure they’re both.

Communication is a crucial element to human relationships. Our relationships define us as individuals and as a species. Are we losing something in our lives, then, when we converse in texts, AIM, profile posts, video chats, and emails? I believe so. True communication involves facial expression, and body language on top of the verbal component. Facebook and other 21^st century communication methods make socializing simple. Socializing, true socializing, definitely isn’t. Having a conversation with someone is requires effort—both people have to contribute and help their partner by asking questions, commenting, and avoiding the social awkwardness that can arise. Social interactions online eliminate those things, and when it comes to actual face-to-face conversations, some avid facebook users might struggle. Social networking is only 80% communication, not the real thing.

Despite this, I enjoy my lacking form of communication. Facebook is heroin in the form of a social networking site, and the masses are hooked—myself included.

The Power of the Blog

Before J201, I never gave much credit to blogs. Blogging was something for the computer-savvy, technoholics that could figure out the World Wide Web. Now that I’m a blogger and have further explored the medium, I can see why some people claim it to be the future of mass media, as the web now plays such a prevalent part in all our lives.

This week I read an article on Blogging as a channel for commercial advertising titled Ad Shift Throws Blogs a Business Lifeline. I have no doubt companies will continue finding new and different ways to promote their products online. Marketing on Blogs, an up-and-coming, go-to resource makes total sense. Perhaps blog advertisement will become what television commercials are today.

Advertising I can understand, but to think Blogging could be the future of journalism makes me cringe a little. I won’t venture to say that current journalistic work is without bias, but the Blog format invites people to spew personal opinions. The simplicity of blogging permits more people to contribute to conversation, yet at the same time, share their prejudices.

So can we be convinced that blogging is the answer to our journalistic problems? I don’t think so because being a blogger does not automatically make you as a journalist. Maybe a wannabe journalist, but not a legitimate, truth-seeking, neutral journalist (Do those even exist? Idk.). An uninformed reader might trust an article written on the North Pole by Joe Schmoe, a firm Santa believer, and become convinced St. Nick resides in the cold snows of the Arctic.

With that said, I think blogging will have a future in the media—whether we like it or not. The Internet is now vital to media and our daily lives. It would be extremely naïve to say that blogging, an open forum for the entire world to participate in, isn’t going to catch on. It already has.