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Rumination week 12

This week we had gone over chapter 8 in our text book, which discussed post modernism, irony, parody, and pastiche. Designers have looked into postmodernity to establish an idea for nothing will change. Technology is constantly changing and has changed our perspectives so much. No one can create original ideas anymore and due to the changes in our perspectives and everyday lives. Artists have worked/working on creating those different perspectives.

This photo take by Denise Scott Brown in Las Vegas, 1968 is the best way to represent postmodernism and showing the cities that introduce cultures from around the world. A lot of cities have taken interest in doing this approach while others have started a new or have wanted to do their own architect philosophies. Another small example of this would be Helen, GA. If you've ever been to there the architect is the same as being in a small German town.

Postmodernists believe that there will never be new content and everything else has already become skeptical and has even become a jaded tone. While on the other hand modernity believes that an idea for innovation is exciting and is seen in a positive way. The irony is referring to opposite of the meaning. Remixes, mash-ups, parodies are immensely popular to the belief that originality is impossible to come by in today's time. Social media influencers and content creators have resorted to making content that is a reaction based content from other people or their viewers. Pastiche is a term to describe imitation and parodies. Its a very interesting concept to learn and see how remixes are playing a bigger role in our society as well as being accepted as a form of art

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Rumination week 11

During this week we discussed chapter 7 in our book about brand culture. Personally I thought it was interesting to really see how advertisements have changed due to technology advancing. In today's time technology has come so far and we see it advancing more each year. Social media is another one of those things that has technology for companies to track you through what is called "cookies". I'm sure many of you have seen it when you have clicked onto a website or social media account. There has also been numerous times where I have felt like my phone has been "listening" to me. For example, I mention that I would like a pair of shoes from Nike or something like that and I see the shoes I had previously talked about it and see an ad pop up on my phone on a social media outlet. In today's world everything is being advertised or eventually will be advertised on any platform you can think of.

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Culture Jamming P2P#10

This week during our lecture we talked about culture jamming. I have heard and seen this concept plenty of times over the years but something to me always seemed off about it. The reason why I say this is due to the fact that Starbucks is global known as the biggest coffee chain in America, however, people spend around 6-7 dollars on one cup of coffee or beverage they provide. This does not include add ons to your drink that you want, so in reality its more than what you actually think you're paying and in reality you can find the exact something at a local cafe or other place like that for a cheaper price. This company fits perfectly with culture jamming due to how mainstream it is and as well as the fact of everyone knowing how expensive it is for a cup of coffee at Starbucks. My frustration with this company is the fact that it could be so much cheaper and the owner would still be making money but not as much as they would like to have. Since my iPad is currently not working :( my process for this P2P would have been to go on my procreate app and draw an outline of the Starbucks logo and create a culture jam something among the lines of how this image is!

Murphy, S.G. (2022). Culture Jamming with Six dollar Coffee on Sites.Psu.edu (3)

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Week 10 Rumination

During class this week we discussed the topic of green/pink/rainbow washing. I have never heard this topic before but it was very interesting to me after learning about it. Green washing is when companies make claims about saving the planet and using less plastic or whatever it may be and do not donate to this cause and do not take this action seriously at all. Pink washing is kinda similar to green washing basically pink washing is when companies create merchandise about breast cancer but they never donate that money to the cause of breast cancer. Rainbow washing is different but not really than the last two, it is when companies make and release products as well as advertising LGBTQ+ community when in reality they don't support it at all. The P2P activity I did for this week was really enjoyable for me due to being able to express a concern I've always had since I was little about companies not helping out our planet. After going into further research about this it brought more awareness to me that there are so many more companies that do the same thing.

We also talked about how media controls our everyday lives and that couldn't be more truthful for todays time. Media is the plural form of medium and the medium of technology for today would be an iPhone or any smart phone. I found it very interesting about how the topic of media is correlates with the majority of what we had discussed this week in class.

Citation: Victoria shepherd. (2021, October 21).Search Engine Journal. Google. Retrieved October 23, 2022

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P2P #9

The Trailer I have provided for this P2P activity is not about the company of seas piracy but about companies who brand on their labels "Dolphin Safe". If you have ever seen this label, it mostly is seen on tuna packets or any sea wildlife food that is sold in your local grocery store. A lot of the time this is not the case, the documentary goes into detail about boats in France or anywhere in the world that have caught tuna, or any fish have caught dolphins in their nets, and they still label their products as dolphin safe. The guy who directed the documentary tried to talk to many of the big-time companies and none of them took him up on his offer, only a few talked to him but hid their identities. The brand for Seaspiracy has shed so much light into this situation of big-time companies still labeling their products falsely. Their website, which I will link it below, says that "300,000 DOLPHINS, WHALES & PORPOISES ARE KILLED BY FISHING OPERATIONS PER YEAR." The reason this ad is effective is because the movement for a better ecosystem in our oceans is quite simple, hold big time fishing companies accountable for their actions as well as to put a stop to mindless killings of dolphins, whales, and porpoises.  

SEASPIRACY DOCUMENTARY

SEASPIRACY is the groundbreaking Netflix Original documentary which highlights the fishing industries plunder of our oceans, and challeneges

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P2P Activity #8 

This is a man by the name of Richard Jewel. He was a volunteer security guard for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia. He was very misinterpreted on the things he did. He was accused of placing a bomb in Centennial Park during a concert one night, and with him finding the bomb and telling other people, he became the number one suspect for the bomb. Richard wanted to be a cop for many many years and wanted to do good for others around him. He was a victim of being misinterpreted of trying to be the good guy and doing the right thing and people from a higher power made him go through the wringer with a whole trial and information trying to make him out to be the bad guy.

His story has been made into a movie and I recommend you watch it, the image I chose has been circulated all around the Internet with the movie that came out about him and feeling his sorrow for what he went through. The interpretation of Turing this image around is people of a higher authority and pointed fingers to a good hearted person instead of trying to figure out who actually placed the bomb there. Even though he went through so much turmoil, Richard eventually got his dream job as being a cop and helping others in trouble.

Wikimedia Foundation. (2022, September 8). Richard Jewell. Wikipedia. Retrieved October 9, 2022, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Jewell 

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P2P Activity #7

For this assignment for week 7, I chose to use this photo of the supreme court I took last year during the summer. As many of you from our class can guess, this photo represents mechanical realism. Furthermore, you should ask yourself what is acceptable and unacceptable in photographic practice or even the truth about those images we see and how they are represented to us as an audience. I feel as though my photo does and does not change the argument in Finnegan’s reading. What I mean by this is, to anyone it just seems like an ordinary photo taken by a tourist, but you can also try to take it in any other direction for example, how there is no perimeter set up around the supreme court and how all that has changed over the last 2 years. I lean towards it changing because it cannot be taken out of that context due to the fact, I simply shot this photo in regards to seeing the actual supreme court in the D.C. or even how the building was built, and I wanted a memorable photo taken and no one could take that out of context. Today, all people want is the story and not the photo that portrays that story, and that is what caused the skull controversy. The media wanted to disregard the work of what the photographer did and do a complete 180 with it and say it was fake. Many people still do this in some respects today and I believe it should change and not have people twist the story with what we want people to visualize. The whole focus point for this is the visual aspect everyone should take into consideration. Even Though people miss spreading tons of information around, you can never take away the visuals that someone is seeing.

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P2P #6

First off I sadly did not have a photo that had perspective photography so this is the next best thing! In my opinion I do believe that this assignment tells us that the myth of photographic realism isn't necessarily a myth but more of an optical illusion to how the mind invasions a certain photo. It's the same way certain people look at life, anyone can interpret how they visualize or even read them but its always a different outcome of how they take it compared to how the artist or author intended it to be or not to be!

Duffy, M. (2020, August 5). Make yourself look tiny, or enormous, with this optical trick. Log in. Retrieved September 25, 2022, from https://www.thegazette.com/kids-articles/make-yourself-look-tiny-or-enormous-with-this-optical-trick/ 

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1.)This image speaks to me in a sentimental way. This mother during the Great Depression is trying to figure out what to do during this horrible time in the Great Depression. How I feel that this is related is the similarities in the mothers look and the Afghan girls look. You can clearly see the anxiety and stress on her face as to what she'll do to provide for her children.

2.)This image represents symbolism, because there are a lot of women who can relate to this photo in an abundance of ways and it gives some people a sense of hope that they can over come this struggle.

3.)This image also represents realism due to this happening not too long ago and this very thing happens to many families everyday. It's a real true photo that many people look at and know what this image is speaking towards the viewer. Just how Afghan girl can speak to many people as well, this mother also relates to her in many similar ways.

Pruitt, S. (2020, May 8). The real story behind the 'migrant mother' in the Great Depression-era photo. History.com. Retrieved September 18, 2022, from https://www.history.com/news/migrant-mother-new-deal-great-depression 

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P2P Activity #4

1.) A situation like panopticon would be when people film YouTube videos. Their behaviors change since they know millions of people will be watching their video on their flatform.  

2.) The situation I am talking about is Influencers. If anyone has watched any videos on YouTube, you know what I am talking about. There are certain vloggers who post certain vlogs and do the most outrageous things. They act differently on camera than they do in person all for the sake of their videos, it is all an act to them, but they must portray that it is real. The concept panopticon falls into place here, with how being on camera changes people's behavior in general whether it be anxiousness, acting out, etc. Being on camera will always change people with the idea that they could gain fame for being on a YouTube video. 

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Rumination 4

During our classes this week, we talked about modernity. In short, this means that you feel that you are constantly being watched by someone of higher power. The actual concept of this comes from panopticon, which is a guard tower in prisons for the guard to watch all move prisoners make, which in turn makes them on their best behavior. With the tower being higher up, this makes it quite easy for guards to see through the prisoners’ cell with ease, however, the prisoners cannot see within the tower, with if there are not guards in the tower, you would not be able to tell the difference, and this brings us to the concept of panopticon. There are thousands of examples like this in real life experiences outside of prisons. People feel as if their computers, phones, or any of their electronic devices are listening and/or watching them. One example that was said in class was if you have ever mentioned something you wanted/needed it would pop up on your phone later from an ad. This in turn makes anyone feel uneasy, especially me because this has happened numerous times to me and my friends. There are numerous conspiracy theories about this that you can watch or read but you never really end up finding the answer as to if someone really is watching you through your electronic devices. This relates to panopticons because people are expected to listen and respect their higher authority and behave to avoid confrontation of any kind, because of this fear it still makes life uneasy for a lot of other people no matter what the case. This also does not mean that this concept only works through surveillance or technology; it also works with spies or private investigators. If there are no cameras to capture a significant event, this can spread through gossip among other people. 

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P2P Activity 3

1.) “For this activity, you will create and post a meme using the #MemeHistory format to explain or comment on an event, person, organization or theoretical trend from visual culture history.” 

2.) For this activity, I chose the meme called “Gun Laws Meme”. The reason why I chose this meme is because it goes straight to the point of “interpellation.” After I analyzed and defined this term it grabs people’s attention due to the fact the rate of school shootings has skyrocketed over the last couple years. The main reason why there is a debate on this is that it creates this fear in new parents or parents who currently have their kids going through grades k-12 and it worries them that one day they might receive a phone call from their child that there is an active shooter at their school. This image or many others like it have become quite popular on social media outlets about the gun law debates. My question in turn for this is, how do you feel that this meme/image has impacted our society? Do you feel like this is impacted from a fearful perspective or a logical perspective?

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Rumination week 3

For the reading this week, I had pointed out a lot of interesting points for how viewers can make meaning behind images. The section in question I am referencing is talking about Kitsch. Kitsch is described as objects or different images that are viewed by people as either being cheap or not elegant. The conversation we had during one of our lectures this week was one of my favorites because it broadened my perspective on how people from class personally view things for their kitsch. After this, this had brought an idea of my own, when I was growing up my family would buy or do certain things that would include everyone together. One thing they had purchased was this game called gotcha. If you have ever heard of this game, you may be thinking it is for older people, but it is also fun when you figure out how to play. When I first played, it was frustrating because I never could get a good hand of cards but after watching and observing my family play it became a little easier. To this day we still play this game whenever we spend time together with family. The image I have listed is remarkably like the one we have, simply assorted colors since you can paint the gotcha board anyway you want. Quality time is especially important to my family, and I feel like that has to do with a lot about who I am today. Now that I am in college, I see why we did quirky things like that together. It brought more of a sentimental value to me, just like how my classmates discussed their kitsch in class and what kind of value they hold to them. The game can be tacky by the name, but it goes to show how my family is and what we hold to value in life together!  

Citation: "Gotcha Board", 2022, Waddle Wood Working Website

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After finishing the chapter about imagery, representation, mimesis as well as discussing these topics in class with how these topics can be brought to life from two specific social media platforms. A lot of people spectate if photos that have been posted are filtered, altered, and photo shopped. This happens all the time when big time celebrities or social media influencers have posted videos or photos to the public. This generation indulges themselves with finding the truth with the before and after shots of the people they look up to. Editing, Face toon, as well as other installments you can download allow everyone to be able to alter our bodies. It leaves us with the question of if these big-time celebrities and social media influencers even remotely look like this in real life. Instagram is one of the most popular social media outlets in the 21st century and represents imagery very well. Anyone who has posted on any social media platform is designing this different image of themselves to fit the narrative of how social media has become. Influencers that have obtained mass followings on Instagram from the success of creating this false reality of theirs that might not be true to what their real lives are like when not on social media. Many of these social media influencers have posted personal videos about their lives and the toll it has taken on their mental health. Instagram in the end is an app used for imagery for anyone to create and show off certain narratives they want to create for viewers.  

Tik Tok is another platform that has taken off with the idea to create short videos whatever they may be. With this platform, you can choose to make three-minute videos or 60 second videos. This app has encouraged people to create their own content, whether it is comedy, news clips, or vlogs. Tik Tok captures a more personal aspect of social media because I feel that viewers can relate to it better. Truthful aspects can be shared among this platform even if it is from influencers or even small-time creators.  

In Conclusion, imagery can always be found on any social media platform. In our generation we must look at both types of imagery as an outsider for these platforms and decide which ones we can relate to more as people and share those ideas with the world.