Skip to main content

Media Blog Reflection

Looking back on this blog and Critical Thinking as a whole, I can see that I have gained a lot from this assignment, though perhaps not in the expected areas. My understanding of media has not changed too greatly, as much of what I learned about it I already knew to some degree. This may come in part from attending a Waldorf inspired school and having parents who are quite aware of the problems media can pose. I do have a more complete picture of how advertising works than I did before the semester, but I don't think this class has or will cause me to significantly change the way I interact with media. However, I believe this blog was quite important in approving my writing ability. It gave me a chance to practice a style of writing (namely casual persuasive writing) which I have greatly enjoyed reading in the past and frequently employ verbally but have not really tried writing in. Not only that, but it provided an excellent example of how a school assignment can actually be enjoyable (*dramatic gasp*). In fact, I have liked writing these enough that I'm considering continuing to use this blog as a repository of my thoughts on media for future me to view at some point (since I highly doubt anyone else will once they don't get points for commenting). If in the future by some miracle I am somehow working in the field of pedagogy this blog will have taught me a valuable lesson about how to make an assignment engaging: it is vital to allow the student to actually express something of their own choosing. I have enjoyed this assignment because to a significant degree I was able to make it what I wanted it to be. My understanding is that the intent of the blog was primarily that we would write about advertising and the negative effects of media on society, but the directions were open enough that some of the time I could talk about what really interested me: the construction and analysis of fictional narratives. Finally this blog may prove to be invaluable in another manner (which was in fact previously mentioned if you were paying attention). For as long as Google's servers exist (which, let's face it, they probably will until the heat death of the universe) a record will remain of what I thought about media and how I expressed those thoughts through the medium of a blog. I have no doubt that if in middle age I remember to go back and read this blog, it will provide both great insight into my past self and a great deal of hilarity as I laugh at how ridiculous I was when I tried to be funny at the age of sixteen.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Do We Really Want the Trump Administration Censoring the Media?

MissRepresentation was an excellent documentary. Before watching it, I was already aware of many of the problems with the representation of women in media which it illuminates, but I was still impressed at how comprehensive and powerful its argument was. However, I disagree with the film on one major point: I do not think that media content should be further regulated by the government or any other organization, even with the purpose of reducing the objectification of women. To see why this kind of regulation could be so problematic, it is helpful to look at the history of media censorship in the United States. From 1930 to 1968, almost all American movies were produced under the  Motion Picture Production Code , a set of rules governing what could be shown onscreen. The rules were intended to safeguard public virtue by eliminating immoral content from the media and were created by the film industry itself to preempt government regulation. While the idea of such a code may seem l...
5 comments
Read more

Why You Should Watch Steven Universe

(Originally written for the McClatchy High School Feminist Coalition zine) In the first episode of Steven Universe , the primary conflict faced by the titular character is that his favorite brand of ice cream sandwich has been discontinued. By the most recent, he and his allies are confronting the ruthless dictator of a galaxy-spanning empire. Along the way, the show demonstrates creative animation, intricate worldbuilding, deeply complex characters, excellent music, and the best plot twists I have ever encountered. However, Steven Universe may be most innovative in how it approaches gender. The show’s high proportion of female characters is the most obvious manifestation of this, but even its male characters usually invert or critique conventionally gendered expectations. Before delving into those subversions, a summary of the show’s premise: Steven Universe is a Cartoon Network show created by Rebecca Sugar about a group of magical aliens called the Crystal Gems who defend ...
1 comment
Read more

Spring, Herald of Doom

(Note: This was written for school last year, but I figured I might as well put it here.) In winter, all was good and cold. Crisp air made walking nicely brisk. Skies overcast with murky grey, Gave pleasant rain to those below. But spring, a green assassin, creeps, And slays the clouds with sunlight spears. Their corpses fall, and soon are dew, To feed this vile season’s verdant minions. The sun lets loose its baleful gaze, Like a cruel tyrant smiting from on high. Horrific heat weighs down the weary people, No more clouds left to shield them from the rays. But even worse, whenever spring comes along, The dreaded summer will be upon us before long.
Post a Comment
Read more