Newspaper

My newspaper lecture taught me a lot of things about the newspaper that I didn't know. Who knew that it would be so difficult to produce a paper. I think only a minority of us would actually appreciate how the paper is made.

The journalists goes out to get information for their stories, writes them, hands it in to be edited by the editor. When all the stories are in, it is arranged in the layout before it is sent to the press to be printed and then only distributed to the news vendors. All this, just for a days paper and it gets read once by a person or numerous people before it is chucked away to be forgotten. All that for a one time use. Is it worth it?

Newspapers are not very popular among youths today. I personally do not read the paper anymore. It seems like an old thing to do. With all the new technology and flashy gadgets we are able to get news just a click away. It's free, easy, time saving and eco-friendly (no wasted papers) provided that you have internet access.

 Gone are the days where someone's elbow is in your face while you are on the bus or LRT home just because he/she is reading the newspaper or waking up in the morning to find that your paper was ruined by the rain while it was laying on the floor of your porch. Newspapers are now on the go, or shall i say e-news. Whip out your smartphones and download apps or surf the internet for an online news update.

Be it citizen journalists speaking or professional journalist speaking in cyberspace, you get your news from all types of sources. It allows you to make your own perceptions of situations instead of sugar coated news from just one source.

Genre

We all know genre means a kind of music. The very word itself means 'kind' in French. There are many genres such as country, jazz, pop, hip hop and so on.

A genre of music that I am a huge fan of which is written by Coldplay is alternative rock. I have never listened to Coldplay music in my life but one day, I walked into my apartment after getting home for the university to the song "Gravity". Instantly, a sense of calmness washed over me. I felt so relaxed. I think it is great music to play when you are just laying down after a long day of work or when you are on a road trip. It's slow pace makes you feel, floaty and dreamy. This type of music is the best for when you're at home alone and need something to fill up the silence in the house.

The main stream music now, is mostly club songs and dubstep music, which in my opinion should only be played in clubs. There is a time and place for each type of music. Music influences how you do things. For example, when you're working out in the gym it would be easier when you listen to upbeat music. The fast beat influence the way you do things. It is proven in research that people who listen to upbeat music tend to drive faster while listening to it. We tend to keep up with the pace of the music. If we are working out, it increases the intensity and speed of your work out.

Baraka.

This blog is dedicated to my Media Appreciation class. We are required to blog about our classes every week. This week, we have watched a non-narrative film called Baraka. It was amazing how you could understand what they were trying to imply without any narration. That is if, you paid close enough attention. 

Picture taken from  http://www.dvdloc8.com/images/dvdcover/14048.jpg

You had to pay really close attention to the film, to understand what they were trying to show you. If your eyes left the screen for a slight moment, you wouldn't have the slightest hint of what they were showing you. The first part of the film was about the world when it was pure and untouched by men. Then, gradually it shows all the destruction done by mankind to nature. Finally, the film shows what is left of our world and it's beliefs.

The one scene which will stay etched in my mind, is the scene where they filmed the concentration camp. The sound effect was so eerie and spooky, it made the scene so real. It sent chills down my spine. It's as if you could still hear their screams as they were being tortured. It was disturbing for me to watch it, but some how i got so absorbed into the film.

That's all for now.
Cheers xx

Media Literacy

I was out the other day with my housemates. We couldn't help but over hear a conversation between two children not more than ten years of age talking about how their hand phones work and how much it costed. When I was their age, I used to be young and innocent. I was running around playing catch or hide and seek.

After further thought about this, I have come to think that the media plays a big role in forming the personalities of people. As children, we have watched cartoons and we imitate their behavior. Even now, we use catchy phrases we hear from films. Those children talking about hand phones, have watch so many Disney films showing young teenagers with hand phones talking to their friends. My guess is that they want hand phones because they want to be like the teenagers they watch on tv.

Media has such a big influence on society today. All the advertisements we see, actually influences our decisions even in the slightest way. Maybe one day you are and you see a huge McDonald's billboard while driving and immediately, you start craving the McSpicy Deluxe meal. Or, when you're watch the famous series How I Met Your Mother. A lot of people use phrases and try to reflect a character from the series.

To understand the media is a simple thing, but to actually perceive the messages the media is trying to convey is another whole perspective. What the media shows us is like an onion, it has many layers. It could bring so many different meanings, all depending on what someone has been through. Think about it, maybe the media isn't just trying to show you what it's literally showing you. Maybe it's trying to show you something more.