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[natashakothare]

Week 12

This week we watched a video that spoke about the activist group "anonymous". Recently, "Anonymous" has been very busy. Their new project is to shut down Iggy Azalea's concert. The link the article is listed below:

https://celebrity.yahoo.com/news/anonymous-threatens-shut-down-iggy-azaleas-usc-concert-010100249.html

Anonymous is targeting new as their newest target and although they will probably not prevail in their attempts, they have enough power to make the news highlight them in an article.

[natashakothare]

Analytical Response 2

          Analytical Response 2

  As a new member in the gaming world, an essay stood out to me in particular this semester. The essay based on female gamers touches upon the subject that although society has advanced in many ways, the perception still exists that individuals who play video games are mainly males. The stereotype of males being the only gamers is slowly diminishing. Women today “are more visible in the gaming culture and the number of female gamers is increasing (Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies 324) thus challenging the older perception that males are the only ones that play video games. Today more than 50 per cent of the population in the western world plays digital games (Juul, 2010). Women can however still be considered the odd one out (Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies 324). Many males feel as though the video game world is their world and women are “viewed as casual Facebook- game players (Juul, 2010). However, in reality, Juul shows that most real gamers do not match these stereotypes, players change preferences and habits over time and casual players often play as many hours each day as hardcore gamers. (Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies 324). Many females will choose to turn their avatars into males when playing video games because all men do not feel comfortable playing a video game with a girl. Men also do not see women as equals in the video game world so several women choose to play as an anonymous player or a male player so that their gender does not come into play; only their video game skills do. As seen in popular shows like “The Big Bang Theory” that capture female gamers as well as male gamers, the over-sexualization of the female avatars is made as well. Females are seen primarily as a symbol of sex, not as a video game player. Video games are predominantly seen as a male dominated area but as more and more females are challenging the stereotypes, males are slowly opening up to the idea. Although many men are not open to the idea of women playing videogames, as more and more women play and take a stand on their gender, and equality of female gamers, the male’s perception of the gaming world is readily being challenged. Males are slowly starting to accept that the gaming world is not going to remain a male dominated realm. Women are making a stand and are changing the perception of gaming stereotypes.

When I was younger I was very close with a girl who idolized many celebrities. When Justin Beiber became a superstar she owned every shirt, every poster, and every cardboard cutout she could find. As she grew older, she started shifting her obsessions to other celebrities. Recently she has fixated on Demi Lovato. Demi Lovato regularly advocates for loving oneself and self-acceptance. This “identification with a media figure may form initially through actual social relationships (e.g. one listens to a star’s music because a friend does), but then develops emotional and patterned behaviors, including intense and repeated media consumption, collecting, and fantasizing (Making Monsters: Lady Gaga, Fan Identification, and Social Media 362) which is what happened to my friend. I believe that she felt so infatuated with the celebrity and the trend of celebrities that she became consumed with her obsession. I believe that this act of idolizing celebrities is unhealthy because this media figure is only a well-constructed image created by publicists and other members of the celebrity’s team. This overdependence can be unhealthy but can also aid an individual to connect with the celebrity and the values that they are showing. Over time “fans identify more deeply and incorporate “the media figure’s values and plans” (59) into their own attitudes and behaviors. Although the intense identification developed in imaginary relationships is frequently pathologized, Caughey stresses that such relationships can, and do, have important individual and social benefits, ranging from self-reflection to the adoption of pro-social values and behaviors (Making Monsters: Lady Gaga, Fan Identification, and Social Media 362). For my friend, she struggled greatly with her weight. By finding a celebrity who preached values that promoted her self-esteem she is slowly able to accept her body and love herself more. All in all, celebrities and the impact they have on individuals can be healthy and unhealthy. They can help lead to an obsession that controls many aspects of a persons life, but can also act as a beacon of light for individuals who are struggling with an issue. Certain issues that celebrities stand for can help individuals find support with areas that they need support in.

[natashakothare]

Week 11

Today we discussed bronies in class and about a little boy named Michael who tried to kill himself for enjoying bronies. The link is posted below:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/04/14/boy-suicide-attempt-my-little-pony-bullying/7712843/

  Michael suffered severe brain damage and is currently in a vegetative state. He tried to hang himself because he was picked on for liking My Little Pony. The harmless tv show for young children caused an uproar of male viewers and thus the bronies population was born. The liking of my little pony seemed like an out of character thing for men to enjoy so when there was a male following the males were perceived as gay. The bronies fandom became a place for other males who liked my little pony to associate themselves with.

[natashakothare]

Week 10

This week we discussed the Wii Fit console. My family got the console when it first came out and my brother started to become reliant on the Wii Fit as his main and only form of exercise. Instead of going outside to play he would choose to use the Wii Fit and exercise while watching the screen.

This Wii article describes the pro's and con's of the Wii Fit. http://www.myfit.ca/archives/wiifit_review.asp

  I recall that my favorite activity on the Wii Fit was sitting on the board and trying to be as still as possible so that the candle on the screen would not blow out. The Wii BMI Standings can be purposefully altered because the Wii games can be done sitting down but give the Wii console the perception that the game is being done while standing and doing it correctly. Because of the different loopholes that exist in this Wii Fit console, there are a lot of ways to cheat their system and individuals get lazy and don't actually go outside to play. By using video games to exercise you take away an individuals motivation to go out and be outside and to play and exercise outdoors.

[natashakothare]

Week 9

This week we discussed about how there is this girl who is walking around everywhere with her mattress to raise awareness for sexual assault. That reminded me of how I recently saw a story about how some individuals are branded for life as a sexual predator but celebrities often get a free pass. I came across an article which stated that Bill Cosby had sexually assaulted this woman. The article is listed below: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/bill-cosby-accused-of-sexual-abuse-again-9822752.html 

and it made me think about how celebrities occasionally get away with sexual abuse and how unfair that is. Regardless of their social status, what they did was not fair or just and celebrities should not get special treatment. The girl who is walking around with her mattress is trying to raise awareness for sexual assault.

  I also came across this article: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/teenage-boy-gang-raped-at-party-is-left-in-critical-condition-by-attackers-9804752.html 

where a young 15 year old boy was gang raped by 3 older guys. Sexual assault is becoming a larger part of today's society and I support the campaigns to promote awareness and to look for a change. The video we watched in class with the woman who is promoting her new app that spread worldwide stated how we can make a difference because we can get the word out about abuse in a better way.

[natashakothare]

Week 8

This week we watched the life of Pseudo. In the video he made this underground cult like world and it reminded me of George Orwell's 1984. There was always someone watching. Josh was always watching them and using them as human test subjects. The individuals who took part in the experiment could watch only themselves and others on tv and there was always someone monitoring them which is the way that Big Brother operates.

[natashakothare]

Analytical Response 1

                Social media is a term that has been incorporated into every individual’s vocabulary. In this new age media society we are programmed into constantly having the urge to update our profiles and post online any and every activity that we are participating in. There have been many different types of social media networks, such as Xanga, and Myspace, but the most commonly used website today is Facebook. Facebook is an online social networking service that allows individuals of all ages to connect and share their lives on the internet. I too have a Facebook account. The most alluring part of Facebook is the ability to connect with many different types of people. I have moved seven different times in my life so far. The only real way I get to communicate with people from my childhood is through Facebook because I do not live by these individuals any more. The Rutgers Class of 2017 is a huge class, and the Facebook group “Rutgers Class of 2017” allows me to get to know many of the individuals who I am graduating with. As individuals in an electronic and technological world, we “frequently use social media as additional channels of communication to get to know classmates and turn acquaintances into friendships” (Boyd Friendship) which is what I do through the Rutgers group.

On Facebook it is common to write on each-others walls to communicate with your friends as opposed to having a private messages. Wall to wall conversations are popular because individuals want others to indirectly know what’s going on in their life.  Boyd believes that “one of the ways in which social media alter friendship practices is through the forced—and often public—articulation of social connections. From instant messaging “buddy lists” to the public listing of “Friends” on social network sites, teens are regularly forced to list their connections as part of social media participation” (Boyd Friendship) and through that participation we learn about others without directly seeking this information.

Another social media site that was very popular was Myspace. On Myspace, there was a feature that Facebook does not have called the “Top Friends List” where Myspace users could rate their close friends from 1-8 and make that rating public where everyone could see. This Friends List was your tool to finding out if your friend was mad at you or who someone’s best friend was. This “feature quickly became a social battleground as participants struggled over who should make the list and, more important, who should be in the first position” (Boyd Friendship) and thus caused many rifts in friendships based on the Top Friend ratings. When I was an avid Myspace user I would regularly check my friends Top Friends to see if I was part of their list and if my number changed or if I wasn’t on the list anymore it implied that my friend was upset or mad at me or there was another issue in the friendship. Myspace Top Friends became such an issue that I would make mine private so that no one would know who my top friends would be but I would still  update my Top Friends List so that I would know how I felt about my friends. Although that seems silly, I would use my private Top Friends List to express my feelings about my friends and where they stood in my life.

            A very large part of social media is your image. The “profile picture becomes the most important because that image is repeated in the News Feed whenever an action is taken; it functions as a visual symbol of your online life” (Sarachan 55 Profile Picture Right Here Right Now) and it is seen by everyone who comes into contact with your online profile(s). The image that is portrayed through your profile picture is a depiction of the person you want others to see you as. As the woman who came in as a guest speaker in class showed, her profile picture was her sitting on the couch with her dog. She wanted others to see her as an easy going woman who loves her dog. Other individual, such as Trevor Martin the YouTube Apple Store dancing sensation, like to make their profile pictures more dramatically staged. My photo is a posed photo of me smiling at the camera. Other individuals who I am friends with have candid photos they had taken by others, or photos that they took with their webcam, or photos that were just taken in their bathroom with their iPhone. The image that is portrayed through your profile picture is the first impression you give to others.

            Social Media has taken over the population and more and more individuals are logging on. This trend seems to be picking up at a very rapid rate.

    Works Cited:

Boyd 2008 Friendship

Sarachan 2010 Profile Picture Right Here Right Now

[natashakothare]

Week 7

This week we discussed feminism in class. Over the summer I took a class on Beyoncé as a political figure in the current society. In this class, my professor spoke very highly of the celebrity, and stated how Beyoncé was a black feminist who was trying to make an impact in the feminist community.

A well known slogan of women and women empowerment is the slogan of "We can do it", portrayed through Rosie the Riveter. Beyoncé also recreated this iconic picture  (the link is posted below) http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2014/7/23/1406123652247/dd5e6866-83cc-4960-8e2f-d48b79f7509a-540x540.png.

This recreation created an uproar within many females, giving a new age spin to the dated slogan. In her On The Run Tour, Beyoncé had the word feminist flashing on the big screen and had the whole crowd chanting the word. Many years ago, feminism was seen as a negative idea. In more recent times there is still confusion as to what feminism truly is, as seen in the clip you had shown us in class illustrating how many females did not believe in feminism because "they loved men".

Feminism is still a complicated topic and there isn't truly a set definition for the term. The understanding of the word will come with time, and many celebrities, such as Beyoncé, are going out of their way to show that they want equal rights for women. Celebrities have a strong influence on many individuals, and the promotion of feminism through celebrities will raise awareness for the cause and the topic.

[natashakothare]

Week 6

During our online class today we watched a clip from a movie where 2 girls became zombies and fought each other. This clip showed the sexualized nature of showing two females fighting with one another. In comparison, a man to man fight is shown more graphic and filled with violence and power whereas a girl on girl fight is shown as a "catfight" type of concept where the women are dressed in a sexual way and are fighting in a more playful way. It made me think about the changes of a man to man fight as opposed to a woman to woman fight.

[natashakothare]

Week 5

The whole idea of catfishing intrigues me. The idea that a person can create an elaborate fictitious persona on the internet seems like a difficult task. Angela carried out the role as megan and several other individuals quite well. There was this girl named Kelly from my highschool who took another girls picture off her facebook and pretended to be her. She had everyone fooled until we found out that the girl behind the picture was actually a model who lived many states away. The ability to create a false persona and actively keep up with it seems like a difficult task and I don't think I would be able to do it.

[natashakothare]

Week 4

When I first got a Facebook account roughly 6 or so years ago, I distinctly remember wanting to have more friends than anyone else. Because of that, I accepted anyone who sent me a friend request. Looking back now, I realize that it wasn't probably the best idea. Yes, I do now have over 1200 friends, but I do not know a majority of the people I am Facebook friends with. The main issue with that is the risk of allowing strangers or even predators into your personal world. As shown in the articles discussed in class, there are two different types of friends; online friends and offline friends. Offline friends can be risky only because on the internet you can be anything you want and the information that you put up on your online profile doesn't necessarily have to be accurate or real. The girl in class stated that her best friend was someone she found on the internet so there are benefits of finding friends online as well.

[natashakothare]

Week 2

This week in class we watched a short screening about cyberbulling, predators, and the impact of the internet on society today. There was a film that came out called Cyberbully and in that movie the main actress was cyberbullied by students in her grade. Similarly, the young boy in the video we watched today was also bullied by his peers. The young boy committed suicide, and the girl from the movie Cyberbully had made an attempt to kill herself by overdosing on prescription medicine. Bullying online is very harmful, and many individuals do not know of the severity of their actions when saying hurtful things to an individual online.