Network Visualizations Reflections
Twitter is being used as a form of resistance in many ways. Twitter has given access to individuals to speak their minds and connect with others that feel as they do. These individuals are able to build a community on Twitter, the community is what becomes most powerful. Everyone can start their own movements and tweets their own thoughts. However, it is when a community of individuals comes together to hashtags and create conversation about an issue that you see the power Twitter has given users. Before twitter is was difficult for individuals to gain the attention and bring followers along with their movements Zufekci talks about the activists having to spend so much time and energy n gin mass media attention. With twitter, social movements can gain attention exponentially faster than before. One tweet can turn into thousands of retweets, add a hashtag in the tweet and it can go to the trending page and gain more traffic.
Zufekci also talks about disrupting a culture that is used to a specific type of media from a particular group of people. This disruption is more prevalent on twitter because of Twitters algorithm, live stream, video sharing and hashtags. Disrupting others is not as easy as grabbing their attention, disrupting pushes people to change and push others to change. When issues occur people are able to use hashtags as a way to connect with others who a part of the movement. Live stream allows for individuals who may be at a rally or in the midst of shooting show exactly what is going on in real time. Seeing something happening has always affected people more than just hearing about it. Likewise, twitters media allows for people to post on sight pictures or memes that add to the conversation. Twitter’s algorithm however may be the leading reason for it to be a space of resistance. Unlike Facebook an Instagram twitter shows you the most recent tweets and does not filter them based off of what they feel you should see. If someone tweets two seconds before you long on it will be the first tweet you see. This means that people can’t hide from what is currently going on, if a user you follow is tweeting about an issue you will see it in real time of your feed.
Considering bots place on twitter and what they add in terms of resistance is important. Despite the bots not being from human users they add to the resistance and the social movements that take place on twitter. I have personally found myself retweeting bots. At the time, I didn’t realize because the tweets had so many retweets and it seemed like a person had created the tweet. Most of these tweets were anti-trump tweets or opinions. When looking at my hashtag map I saw how prevalent bots were in my times up hashtag. There was a hole subgroup dedicated to the Trump administration and hopeful impeachment or change.
Some of the hashtags were #trumpsamerikka # #impeach45 #theresistance
As we have learned in class these bots tweet about our current administration in order to push a certain narrative and gain certain followers who would like/agree with the tweets. They put out numerous tweets, tweets that are too abundant for a human to compose every day. These tweets however add to a specific narrative. The Trump administration has given bots their power. There are reasons behind every bot and every tweet is meant to stir conversation. It is interesting to note that bots most likely have more twitter accounts than actual users.
- Is what we are seeing in your visualizations a representation of participatory culture, as discussed by Jenkins, Ito, and boyd? If so, how exactly? Or, have we moved on from that definition to something else entirely? If so, what would that something else be called and why? Refer to the text and the visualizations. (300 words)
I think our visualization are a representation of participatory culture in terms of their ability to go against the main stream or change the way we think about a certain topic. Participatory culture is a form of social exchange, just like hashtags are. In Boyd, participatory culture is said to take place in a digital age, a digital age that allows or us to looks at these visualizations and decipher their meaning. Boyd also highlights that participatory culture values difference and challenges the norm. The idea in Boyd that the people contributing to participatory culture are aware of their informal community that eventually contributes to their well-being is exactly what our visualizations represent. The visualizations show communities that come together to discuss and educate one another on issues or topics that they value. These communities the give the individuals involved a sense of purpose and they too feel understood which benefits their well-being as well.
I also see what we are seeing in our visualization as participatory culture because of the education and learning that goes on. The individuals in this community not only participate by tweeting and hashtaging but they are able to learn by being a part of the twitter community. With participatory culture, there is an aspect of learning and education. Instead of receiving learning an institutional sense participatory culture can educated individuals in a community. Likewise, a huge part of participatory culture is the idea that things evolve and change. Our visualizations are important because they are just a screen shot of a certain time. Even the hashtags used next week may tell a different narrative than the ones used in our visualizations. What we are seeing is just a part of the conversation, new event, new users and new experiences will change the conversation.
I have no personal issue with people using data about me or data that I have put out. Morally, I see where individuals are bothered by their personal information being used and is it “right” per say no. However, most of the data collected on us is due to our own internet use or information we put out. The information or data that is found through tapping into our phone calls or message is frustrating to think about. However, if I wanted to be away from the internet and my phone and devices like Alexa then I could make that decision. Most people are willing to complain about the collection of data but won’t make changes in their lives to protect their safety. I also do not want to become a victim to the internet and data collection. If anyone educates themselves on these issues and begins to think about themselves as just a piece of data than that is what you truly become. I would rather be educated enough to know what is going on and go about my life without thinking about it too much. There is no simple fix or answer and it doesn’t seem to be stopping any time soon. Being a college student I already have enough to focus on and worrying about who and where my data is going is not ideal. Again, signing up for social media account I am giving permission, those who are not educated on the fact that their data is being analyzed are the ones that may face consequences. I truly believe being educated about data use is the best possible fix or solution. Every individual must make their own decision in terms of what they want to share and how they feel about data collection. Personally, I do see where individuals are bothered and want to evoke change. However, the issue is growing and those in power just keep gaining more power, Facebook for example. In terms of what can be done, individuals must make their own changes in my opinion. Hoping that the data collection will stop with law suits and protests will only get so far, data collection is inevitable in this digital age.
- In Gephi when using the filters I began by using the giant component and then the degree change as well. I used degree range 5 -> 5610 which allowed me to create a better visualization. The Times up hashtag has a lot of traffic, specifically from retweets so it was important to adjust the degrees correctly. In the statistics tab my network diameter was 15 and my modularity was at 0.468. When I ran the modularity statists I had 7 communities. The bulk of the content in Times Up comes from tweets therefore the communities are large in size. Continually, my visualization show that the archive is large and continues to grow. There were over fifty thousands tweets in the archive when I created the visualizations. TheJaniceTemple is the most frequent user of the hashtag. She is an activist and curator who dedicates her time to woman right and black empowerment. The visual show the power behind retweets and how a community can be built by highlighting an issue that many people relate with. Celebrities have made a great impact with the Times up movement. Celebrities will tweet in relationship to times up and s the hashtag to add to the conversation. Despite it just being one tweet, the times up hashtag continues to gain steam with retweets and mentions. Through the visualizations you can see that there are two large communities, both of these communities have a lot of retweets which began with celebrity or poplar twitter users. The times up movement is always prevalent on twitter. However, at certain times the tweets spike, like the golden globes for example. The visualizations needed tone filtered out, meaning that the tweets were very much overlapping. Using the no overlap button I was able to see individual users more clearly. However, this overlapping show that there is a lot of retweeting going on and the Times Up hashtag involves adding to the conversation by retweeting more so that creating individual tweets.
2. Subgroups
There are 27 usernames in this subgroup some of them are: Endnjustice, powerinnos, a_jutscause, kaseytyndall, lindonk, springsdapper, wme, pbr, fightinjustic33, ashbrsun, terrycrews, phodges7, lynette858.
This group appears to have a few bots, but most of the users seem to be connected through discussion of justice. These users in particular tweet about social injustices and seeking justice at local and national levels. The times up movement is a hashtag that is used to shine light ton mistreatment of women, these users used the hash tag but also seem to be focused on seeking justice for various things. The times up movement is specifically fighting aslant gender injustice. All users who use the hashtag have other various tweets that aren’t directly related to times up. With this subgroup , they seem to be advocators. Not ever tweet is directly related to justice per say but throughout their feeds there is mention of justice and rights frequently. Even the bots continually retweet and tweet about justice. A few users in his group also work for or were featured on WME which is a an entertainment agency. This part of the subgroup is interesting because WME magazine and the agency purpose is to reduce entertainment and media. Time up has become so prevent in the media and entertainers are beaching part of this issue and conversation. I think it is important to see how times up has reached the entertainment world and individuals who produce media have to address and educate themselves on Times Up, hence the tweets from WME workers.
In this subgroup there are 8 users. The 8 users are: savepl2174455, pennandvirginia, Fredjoh57935135,voiceless_child, novicleftbehind, now_aust, wgarnews, photoandgrime.
In this subgroup, there a few users but they are grouped together because of their tweets about abuse. These users are tweeting about child abuse, domestic abuse and abuse against women in general. Abuse is a major part of the times up movement, women are being mistreated emotionally, mentally and physically. Women have been silenced due to fear, some women have been threatened and some have been been abused. This sub group is grouped together because of their mentions of abuse. This users also use other hashtags like #sexualharrasment and #childabuse. The times up movement is so broad and it continues to expand, the hashtag has started conversation and has given people a voice. This subgroup highlights speaking up and against abuse.
3. Co-Hashtag Map
Modularity Community
Hashtags:#Trumpsamerikka #neveragain #theresistance #enough #votethemallout #athiest #impeach45
I focused on this community because it appears to be hashtags from bots or users who are strictly tweeting about our current political situation. We have learned a little bit about bots in class and from what I see these tweets appear to not be from actual users. Bots have been used frequently to push political agenda and add to conversation. Their official purpose is not really defined but it would be ignorant to ignore their place on twitter. These tweets are grouped together because they all are being used to resistant or speak out against the American government. Our current political situation can relate to the times up movement because of Trump’s disrespect towards women and his policies which ultimately affect women’s rights. The times up movement is meant to empower women and start a open conversation about women’s issues. These other hashtags associated with my own hashtag seek overcoming obstacles that the world is facing under Trump’s rule. Women are a group that has been directly affected by Trump’s rule and Trumps personal life has shown that he disrespects women and has allegedly harassed and assaulted women. These tweets tell a similar story with that of times up, when will enough be enough? The Trump administration has angered people and the times up movement is a way in which people who are angry can voice their frustration. Th epitomes up movement is related specifically to women, but they hashtags show an overall stance of wanting change in America. Yes, with how women are treated, but always with how runs our country and when will humanity no longer tolerate injustice.
Topic Proposal
The social justice issue I plan to further pursue this semester is sexism and gender issues. Sexism is one of the longest lasting social issues, its rooted in the Neolithic revolution when societies became more permanent and agriculture based. This shift resulted in a need for physical labor which men were genetically stronger than females which resulted in their role as caretaker of children and upkeep in the home. This issue is deeply rooted in our society today and I believe this social justice issue will only continue to appear in the media as women find their voice in a male dominated society.
I feel as though I am a part of this issue because as a woman I feel at times ostracized and quieted my male individuals. In class, in my jobs and in my social life. I am more so passionate about this issue because I believe sexism in women has resulted in mistreatment of women and silencing of women. In studying it more I hope I can help bring power back to women and can educate other of sexism and its consequences.
Sexism and gender roles has changed as a social justice topic because the apparent effect sexism has had on women. In the news and popular culture sexism appeared more so in relation to the workforce. Now, sexism and gender roles has led to women not being listened to or trusted when they come out with sexual assault claims. Sexism has allowed men to be inappropriate with women with little or no consequence, leading to the me too movement being heavily present in the media right now.
Gender Hashtags
#everydaysexism
#metoo
#HEforShe
#QuestionsforMen
#YesAllWomen
#Hokkolorob
#ITSonUS
#ALLINFORHER
#girlscharge
#girlscount
To begin, the 1960 and 1970s with the baby boom generation, females were finally entering the paid workforce. This entrance into the workplace sadly came with gender disparities in pay and sexual harassment at the workplace. Women began using contraception after the decision by the government to approve a birth control pill in 1960. Women were granted choice for the first time in their personal lives. Relationships between the genders began to change as women began coming together to form their own powerful organizations.
During the 1970’s, women were expected to marry in her early 20s, start a family, and devote their life to their home. Therefore, feminism in the 1970’s focused on fixing workplace inequality. Representation of feminists in the 1970’s was stereotypical because of their push for power in a stubborn society. Women were either depicted in sexual way or in an unwelcoming and angry. In advertisements women were portrayed as beautiful when based on unattainable flawlessness. or compared to objects like cigarettes or beer. Moreover, women began providing examples of women who did not fit the negative stereotypes of humorless and ugly in order to change the narrative. This began with ordinary women expanding the movement and bringing awareness to labor movements. Women began to organize and build groups that would fight for equal rights.
In the 1980’s and 1990’s, feminists focused on: reproductive rights, domestic violence, maternity leave, equal pay, woman’s suffrage, sexual harassment and violence. It was no longer out of the ordinary to see women working and earning respectful amounts of money in the workplace. Magazines and advertisements even started showing women working alongside men. Despite women still working in low-payed jobs some women were given professional and managerial jobs. Women also began to see huge strides in entertainment. Shows like “The Golden girls” showed groups of women working together and gave viewers realistic expectations. However, sexist jokes and themes appeared on reality TV and family shows along with women being slammed in the media for their appearance. An example being Marcia Clark, the prosecutor in the O.J. Simpson trial. She was hounded by the media who questioned both her appearance and her motherly qualities. As women began to find their place in entertainment and in the spotlight, they found that it came with public ridicule and unwanted opinions. Advertisements also joked about women and showed them as powerless.
During the time from 2000’s to the present, women have made gains in transformation of power, abortion rights and their social identities. As of the present, Time named, “The silence breakers” of the widely successful me too movement the people of the year. As of now, women are choosing to speak up against sexual harassment. Society has known about men’s mistreatment of women, but it wasn’t until now that people began to call out those who are doing the mistreatment. The hashtag #MeToo provided an outlet for people to come forward with their stories. Social media has become an outlet for women, a place where they can connect with others who have similar issues and have suffered, until now, alone. For years, even decades, women have dealt with sexual harassment by men in the workplace. Being that it happens at work women have remained silent out of fear of losing their jobs. Now as the #MeToo movement continues to gain strength it has has brought this issue to pop culture and the media. Bringing this issue to the media has resulted in immediate results, finally bosses are being fired and even celebrities are disgraced along with pending criminal charges against them. Women have stopped being silent and are now using their voices to insist change. As of now the world is not only recognizing this issue but confronting and acting on it.
Zine Reflection
At the start of the zine project I was excited to be focusing on gender issues and inequality; the topic itself is very important to me and I was excited to highlight the issue in an alternative way. When I first began composing my zine I was approaching it with more of a cut and paste approach like in a scrapbook. Whereas throughout the composition of my zine I realized it wasn’t as important to see the zine clear cut and neat, but more important to create interesting visual content and disperse the content in different ways on the pages. When the two zine creators came into our class I left thinking the zine would not be too difficult to create. However, I realized how much work and planning goes into creating a zine. The content and focus of the zine i impotent, but how you display your message in a concise effective way is key. When I was creating the zine I needed to step away from the pages and come back later in order to get a clear perspective on how well they were communicating my message. At first I had too much content and the clarity was weak. When I began my revisions of my zine I wanted to focus my direction of my zine and capture the viewers eye is a more visual way. Using a typewriter was difficult. It became easier as I would use it over a period of time, but the next time I would go back to it it was like learning how to use it all over again. I used it to write small quotes and my about me, I can not imagine using it to type a full report or essay for class today. That opened my eyes to ellie production of papers and journalism, it took time and publication was not as immediate as it is today. That is something that was really cook about the zines, you could tell how much time people put into zines like Riot Grrrl. The passion and desire to share the message the zine hold sis apparent because of the time it takes to create and publish a zine.
On place in my zine where I see the use of radical communication is on my second page. On this page I used caution tape and a large stop sign to communicate to the viewer. First, the caution/stop sign communicate that what is coming next is important and second that if you go against what is coming next be ready. The stop sign is used as well on page 47 in the Riot Grrrl zine. In that particular part of the Riott Grrrl scene the stop sign is used in a similar way to which I used it in mine. After the stop sign there is a list or steps about what to do, in my zine I used it to communicate what not to do. Additionally, in my first page of my zine I displayed a hand coming strongly at the viewer from the right side of the page over a white scale. I wanted the hand to appear powerful and like it was stopping someone from stepping on the sale. In riot Grrl on page 45 there is an image of a woman holding a gun which I think has the same effect as the hand on my zine. The gun symbolizes power for women and that in the zine women are in control, unlike in society. Licona on page 55 states the power behind breaking regularly practices, for women, that practice may be stepping on a scale every day;” The goal is to break from the tyranny of the practices zinesters have experienced as alienating over time. “In putting a hand on the right side of the page coming at the viewer I wanted to symbolize the same thing; Raising a hand to inequality and stopping the mistreatment. I also think that my writing portion on the left side of my first page below symbolizes radical communication. I wanted to write on the muscle because I wanted the persons eye to be drawn across the muscle as they read my personal content, my personal struggle with this issue is extremely important to the fictiveness of the sine. Duncombe on Pg 11 highlights that what the zine publishers personally believe is what makes the zine;”Zine publishers are identified less by who they are, then, and more about what they believe..” I also wanted to put the definition of feminism on the page in order to make fun at those who say women aren’t feminine. The definition of feminine is literally the female sex or gender. I want to communicate the irony behind those who say women are not feminine enough or not feminine at all.
In class, we discussed how zine writing is a form of participatory culture engagement. I’d like you to discuss 2 places in your zine where you see yourself as engaging in the practices of participatory culture. In your discussion, reference the reading by Jenkins, Ito, and boyd, and include photos of those two places. (400 – 500 words)
In my zine when I used Serena Williams and Ronda Rousey as examples of powerful and strong women I wanted to create content that represented women athletes accurately. In participatory culture, especially on the internet, male generate content dominates. Body image issues stem from men creating idealized ideas of women which are usually shown in the media. I wanted to display pictures of Serena and Ronda to show realistic representations of women and highlight their own struggles they have faced as celebrity athletes. I also used quotes form Serena and Ronda to highlight their female perspective of their own body struggles. Content in the media tends to be from the male perspective, therefore I wanted to make sure to highlight the female perspective in my zine. Additionally, I used the what not to say list as a way to improve how people speak to women in the media. The check list gives direction to exactly what not to say. In the media, people may think that saying certain things are okay but in my list I highlighted that women do not like being told to do certain things or look a certain way.
Blog post 2
For my topic I am focusing on body image issues and societies influence on the way women perceive themselves. This topic is prevalent through pop culture and its prevalence in the media is why the issue continues to grow. On television, in movies and on social media women are shown idealistic representations of how women should look and what is considered beautiful. Recent movements like All Size models and brands for plus size women have changed the narrative of what is beautiful. However, body image issues have been deeply rooted in society and continue to be a part of popular culture.
Early representation of a certain type of women being beautiful and desirable began as early at the 1970’s. For example, on June 16, 1978 Grease a movie about a group of high school kinds in the 1950’s hit the theaters and became the most successful musical of all time(Wikipedia). An exchange student name Sandy played by Olivia Newton and Danny played by John Travolta become romantically involved despite their difference personalities. In the beginning of the movie Sandy is quaint and quiet and wore conservative clothing in mostly whites and yellows. At this time in the movie Sandy was desired by Danny because she was pure whereas other girls laughed at her because she was prissy or uptight. As the movie progresses Sandy feels pressured by Danny and her classmates to fit into his group the Firebirds and decides to take on the identity she thinks Danny wants. Below I have a picture of the transformation, before Sandy had straight hair which was pulled back off her face with conservative clothes covering up body. After her transformation Sandy is wearing all black, showing more skin with tights curls in her hair. This transformation shows what in the 1950’s was considered desirable and sexy. Despite Sandy being a nice conservative girl in the beginning, the movie highlights what a girl should look and act like if she wants to get “THE” guy. You’re the one that I want became a hit song when the movie released, the song is played during the scene where Sandy makes her transformation. Little did Sandy know, Danny also decided to change his appearance to please Sandy. Both transformations represent the idea that you have to change how you look, or act a certain way in order to be wanted.
Image “Google images”
As time progressed, television shows grabbed the attention of viewers, especially the hit Tv show Friends in the 1994. Friends starred Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer. The show is based in Manhattan and shows the lives of these 20-30 years old as they move through life(Wikipedia). Monica, played by Courtney Cox is known as once being the “Fat girl” in high school and has since made a major transformation Throughout the show they have flashbacks to Monica and Rachel’s high school years and pick fun at Monica’s weight. Despite the show trying to joke about embarrassing high school times and make light of Monica’s obsession with food it highlights a bigger issue. Additionally, they joke about Rachel’s big nose in high school and highlight her choice to get plastic surgery in order to be beautiful. Women watching the show may be facing their own body image issues, just because Monica was once overweight and Rachel had a larger nose does not mean they were not beautiful. In the flashbacks they show Monica as undesirable and congratulate her for being skinny now and now wanted by other men.
In March of 1990 Trump, our current president, then business mogul, appeared on the cover of Playboy. Playboy is a mens lifestyle/entertainment magazine that is famous for its nude photos, specially of models or “Playmates” This magazine is an example of women being sexualized for mens entertainment. It is sad to also see that Trump, our president was on the cover of playboy, foreshadowing his opinion of women and their bodies. While also establishing an acceptance of mistreatment and sexualization of women at the highest level of authority in our country.
Image “Google Images”
Now, in popular culture, there are tons of examples of body image issues in television, movies and magazines. For example, photoshop has changed the way women view their bodies and expectations they have for themselves. Women have always looked to magazines and media to see whats trending and what certain celebrities look like. Now, with photoshop, even beautiful women are being distorted to look a certain way, a way that is impossible to obtain. Below is a picture of Audrina Patridge, a reality tv star, on the left side is the non-photoshoped image of Audrina and on the right is the edited version. Despite the knowledge women have that most magazines are photoshopped it still creates and instills an idea or perception of what is beautiful and how our bodies should look!
Image “Google Images”
Due to magazines photoshopping and highlight a specific body type on their covers, Sport Illustrated created theBody Issue to highlight athletes bodies in all shapes and size. The Sports Illustrated Body Issue shows all athletes naked bodies as they recreate a pose they would be in during their sport. Below are two examples of female athletes bodies in the Body issue. The first one is Amanda Bingson a track and field athlete who specializes in hammer throw(Wikipedia). The second issue is a two pictures of Sydney Leroux a professional soccer layer and olympic gold medalist(Wikipedia). Both issues highlight the curves, muscles and various body types of women, all of which are beautiful. This is on positive example of my issue in popular culture, as women we need people on the covers of magazines who resemble our bodies and give us realistic expectations.
Image “Google Images”
Another example of body image issues in popular culture is sexist dialogue on social media. Twitter, Facebook, Instrgram, etc all allow for anyone to speak their mind anonymously. This leads to derogatory comments about women’s body. On the popular show Jimmy Kimmel late night, Kimmel has celebrities read tweets about themselves, most of them being extremely rude and ignorant. Gal Gadot, the actress in the hit movie Wonder woman reads a tweet about herself below… Despite Gal Gadot recent stardom and apparent beauty people comment on her appearance and lack of specific body parts. Not even celebrities are safe from body image issues and comments about their appearance in society today.
Image “Google Images”
Lastly, music has become a place where artists are connecting with their fans when it comes to body image issues. Beyonce, who continually refers her fans though her music created the song pretty hurts, as well as creating a music video that highlights the difficulties of being a women in society today. In the song, Beyonce touches on various difficulties of being a women, but she particularly highlights that the issue is on the inside not the outside when it comes to women body issues.
Song Lyrics “Pretty Hurts”
“Perfection is the disease of a nation
Pretty hurts
Shine the light on whatever’s worse
Tryna fix something
But you can’t fix what you can’t see
It’s the soul that needs the surgery”
Along with the lyrics, Beyonce’s music video for Pretty Hurts highlights an important message as well. The video highlights the beautify in imperfection and at the end of the day the importance of being happy with yourself.
Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 7 Mar. 2018, http://www.wikipedia.org/.
Mash-Up
I was unable to embed my mash-up because of copyright issues. I tried to challenge this by submitting a form that expelling my desire to use the Beyonce song “Pretty Hurts” for a school assignment. I also highlighted the importance of the song for my topic of body image issues.
Mash-Up Reflections
For the Mash-up project I really enjoyed working with video as the medium because it is an important skill to master in my desired field. In broadcast and journalism, it is important to include video in publication which requires skills like editing video and images. I have some experience working with video, specifically IMovie, from last semester in Digital Storytelling so that helped as I began brainstorming. However, with this project, I had to synchronize the video clips with the audio from Beyoncé’s song “Pretty Hurts”. With other projects when I used IMovie clipping and cropping videos was simpler because each audio came directly from the video clips. When I found clips that I wanted to use I then had to adjust the clip to fit where I wanted them too in terms of the audio from the song. It was also difficult to find video clips that showed what I was trying to express without using audio or without the characters in the video spelling it out. To express the point I was tying to get across I had to use video that showed the emotion I was trying to express. In traditional writing, I would come to a conclusion about what I wanted my point to be and then express it directly with words. With video, you hope that your reader understands your point that you express through “hidden” meanings. For the video mash-up the meaning isn’t always as simply put or direct, it may take the viewer a few playbacks to understand what is trying to be said. Also with video, copyright restrictions are more encompassing and sites like YouTube are able to mandate the use of copyrighted video. With traditional writing, there are still rules, but published work of others is less regulated and usually people get away with copyright infringements.
In Kevin Kelly’s “Become Screen Literate,” Kevin highlights the non-stop presence of screens and how we have become so accustomed to their presence in our lives. This presence means that there is more availability and freedom to create any kind of video in any amount of time. An abundance of screens means desire to fill up those screens. Kevin’s point reiterates what I said about my desired field using video to enhance publication. All these screens mean that the new generation have a new place to create. Kevin also highlights the transition from an emphasis on the written word to that of video culture. This video culture comes at a time when devices control and consume our time. We have become “people of the screen,” as Kevin said. This transition has popularized images and moving images like in the video Mash-up. I found it interesting when Kevin talked about people coming to their own truth when watching video, I thought it related to the idea behind our mash-ups. In creating my mash-up I hoped that the viewer came to a certain truth or conclusion after my video. The “truth” is something that we come to on our own, our mash-up hopefully communicates our truth to the viewer.
The Mash-up medium is easily created and is more accessible for viewers. In “Become Screen Literate” Kevin highlights that YouTube had 10 million views in the month of September alone. Creating mashup from existing video is easier because of programs like IMovie which allow you to crop and edit video to change the narrative to your liking. However, mash-up has its obvious limitations. For example, mashups include sources from other places which may lead to the quality of the revision being of less quality. Another limitation is the fact that your video may be accessible in one format on one particular screen, but not in another. Traffic on a site and webpage are two factors that may affect this.
Second Reflection *
During the idea phase and storyboard production I planned to focus my message on body image. Overall, gender issues are a social issue that I feel strongly about and have prided myself on standing up for women’s rights in my life. However, being a student athlete I have seen and personally dealt with body image issues due to ridicule from fans, social media, and commentators. The message I was trying to get across with my mashup was that women have been facing body issues and societal pressure for a long time. Not only have women faced this struggle in the past, now, the issue is only gaining speed with the rise of social media. To begin the video process, I started by choosing the song, “Pretty Hurts” by Beyoncé. This song is directly related to body image issues and pressure women face. I chose the song because I remembered the music video for the song and knew the lyrics fit with my topic. Quite frankly, I could have used all the clips from the music video because of their direct correlation with my topic. The lyrics of the song were powerful, they challenged women to give up achieving physical perfection. Through this song, Beyoncé was communicating that physical perfection is unattainable, the only that can be truly changed is how we perceive and accept ourselves. However, after meeting with you in our conference I tried to use a limited amount from the music video and incorporated other online video that fit with my topic in a more subtle way. I attempted to begin my video with archival footage to show the audience that this issue has been around for quite some time. I wanted to begin the footage with a cartoon female to show that body image was prevalent in early television shows even with animated characters. I then began to transition into using female characters from 1940 television shows who were also concerned with how they looked in order to attract the male gaze. I wanted to communicate that this obsession is an impossible standard of beauty and is not just a problem of this generation, women have faced this issue before. Another deliberate decision I made was ending the video with a young girl smiling as the Beyoncé lyrics “I want to be happy” played. Overall, this clip along with the lyrics ends the video with the solution to the problem. It is not our bodies but our minds that need work. As women, when we transform how we see ourselves that is when we truly become happy. Not when we make alterations and edits to our bodies. There was also a point in my mashup where I used the reverse tool in order to highlight an important aspect of the body image issue. I used the reverse function on the one clip of the “overweight” woman in the mirror at a clothing store. It then transitions to her not liking herself in a bikini and then eating a salad when sitting down with her friends. The video is originally the other way around with her first eating the salad with friends and then going in the dressing room to try on clothes and still she is unsatisfied. This is an important aspect of the issue,, when try all these things to feel better about themselves (eat healthy, exercise, surgery, makeup), but then still feel undesirable . I reserved the clip in order to show that regardless of women habits they will not feel better about themselves unless they stop altering an changing themselves for the eyes of others.
With the final draft finished, I am very satisfied with the mashup I have created. My mash-up, which is a subversive remix, allowed me to deconstruct and challenge media narratives that have been around for too long. The narrative that female women need to look a certain way in order to be desired by men. I also challenged social norms like women needing to be skinning or wear revealing clothing. These are just traditional power structures set by mens standards that need to be eliminated.
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Blog Post 3:
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