These are the groups for Peer Review Section 09 Monday 9:10-10:00. If you are not on this list please let me know.
Maya-Karyn
Aracelis-Marissa
Sarah-Valerie
Chanelle-Phil
Jakub- Jessica
Samantha-Lyndsi
Sam Hausner- Natalie
Shauna-Jessica
Katie-Amanda
Student Emails (Link below):
Media On Our Mind 
should we post our essays here?
Yes.
i am Yarun Lin. i am not on the list
I think you requested not to participate. If not email me.
my name is Emma Nutter, im on the email sheet but not on the list.
My name is Maya Shor and this is for Karyn:
Maya Shor
Introduction to Media Studies
Makia Harper
Section 009
My Image and Myself
In homage to Spiderman, with new power comes a new type of responsibility. Likening to an age where books, magazines, television shows and all types of media are accessible at the click of a mouse. At times the endless flow of media and information can become overwhelming and yet many do not stop to realize the profound effect that the media has on them as an individual. Ray Bradbury’s Farenheit 451 is the perfect example of people that are overrun by media, causing individuals to lose sight of the simple things we take for granted; such as the color of the grass and the feel of the raindrops on the tongue. Through both personal experience as well as close observations of others, it is clear that media has the ability to shape our personalities, our thoughts and our sacred individuality; it is within our power to control how the media affects us as beings and how we portray ourselves on the vast media stage.
Due to the fact that all beings are shaped my some form of media, in essence we are all products of the social mediums we enforce by daily use. For example social networking sites such as Facebook have become an important part of many daily routines. Personally, I check Facebook five times or so a day which is nothing compared to some individuals who continuously post new statuses about their every move. My identity is in fact a product of the media that I have absorbed throughout my life. My identity is defined by the music I love, the people I associate myself with, the books I have read and much more. Only now that I have sat down to write this essay do I realize the toll that media has taken on me in both positive and negative respects. I am py with the person that I am today, so I should thank the media that molded me thus far that has helped create the unique individual staring back at me. I love American standards including music from Frank Sinatra and Dina Shore, in fact these songs have become a large part of my repertoire as a singer. I grew up watching black and white movies with my grandparents staring Fred Astaire and to this day find them ever more enchanting than before. The media I grew up with affected the media I concentrate on today. However I did not grow up using the internet, but when it became readily available there was no way to escape its allure. There it was a box that could answer any question, a box of endless information and I was overwhelmed by the possibilities and opportunities that this afforded my generation. When the internet became a huge part of my life, I admit that my personality and actions changed. Instead of going outside on Sundays, I Google’d random things and watched movies on my computer. Outdoor adventures and books were a thing of the past because now I had a shiny screen that showed me anything my heart desired in a matter of seconds. However I have recently learned that media must be a part of our lives, not a consumer of our lives as it did in Farenheit 451. Bradbury painted a dim picture of a society that was engulfed by media, literally consuming every wall of their house. The media controlled their every move until they were dead inside. Their sense of self was erased by the media, which encouraged the conformist wave which fell upon the dreaded society. Although Bradbury’s picture is very intense, it is probably due to the way media found methods to embed thoughts and perceptions into our minds.
There are some people who claim that their social networking profiles are a perfect representation of who they are but I beg to differ. My profile is not based on lies but then again it’s not all based on truths either. I put down my favorite television shows and my favorite songs and my birthday and relationship status but in comparison with my real self, there are clear distinctions. In reality I use profanity in my daily speech, just out of habit but when writing online I stay away from profanity at all cost because those words are embedded within the machine forever. I, in a way, censor myself or portray myself as more exciting and more adventurous than I really am. Many people depict a more ideal version of themselves simply for the reason that they can. Social media allows us to create an ideal version of ourselves that others can see and hopefully judge favorably. Facebook is a daily competition. Who can get the most likes on their profile picture? Who will come up with the wittiest status? Who can create a Facebook movement? Who will receive the most birthday wishes? And the biggest question of all, who will have the most friends? There are some people who have 4000 friends on Facebook but I highly doubt they know all of them or even half of them. However it is an objective for many to be well liked on the online community, even if that is not their goal outside the confines of their computer walls. Through my interactions with other people, it is clear that most people are not twins with their Facebook identity. Online I am myself but I portray myself in an ideal way, without the use of profanity and with constant cheeriness and excitement. Notice that most people speak with exclamation marks and smiley faces, not sad faces. Offline I am more aware of my emotions and am able to exude them without a million comments asking “Are you alright?”, “=( Sorry” and “Don’t Worry” from people I barely talk to. The real question is, do these two identities conflict with one another? And the answer is, yes and no. In my experience, my alternate Facebook identity does not usually conflict with my true identity because I do not let it. I attempt to separate the two because when I am embodying my Facebook identity I am usually alone, however my true identity is exposed when I am free from my computer or interacting with others face to face. Having different facets of your identity is not problematic unless you do not know when and how to reveal them. Constantly focusing on pictures and likes and statuses and pokes and news feed and security changes will drive a person to only possess a Facebook identity which is allowing media to consume that individual, which is the sad case for society in Bradbury’s novel.
At this point society has a major responsibility in the face of overwhelming media in the form of billboards, television, newspapers and the internet. We must find a way to coexist with media without losing our sense of self or one day our society will be doomed to the same fate as that described within Farenheit 451. It is clear that social networking sites and other forms of media have shaped us all but it is in our power to control how much or how little. We must retain the elements of what makes each of us unique and not all become a singular Facebook profile. I admit that media has molded me into the person I have become but in a positive light, only I can prevent media from overcoming me and changing me into something I am not. I hope that everybody has the ability to find balance like I have in my life, and continue to flourish in a society where media can be a friend rather than a foe.
Samantha Catapano this is for Lyndsi
Samantha Catapano
Media 180 – Section 009
Makia Harper
February 15, 2012
My Image and Myself
Looking back on my life, though it hasn’t been that long, I think that my image has changed drastically. When I was young and didn’t know any better, I didn’t really care how I dressed, or what people thought of me. I grew up on Long Island, in a town with all different kinds of people, from all different backgrounds. There was no separation of high school and middle school where I went to school. I graduated sixth grade, and moved to the high school with kids that were much older than me. I always liked to look at magazines, I had interest in what was trendy and what all the “popular” older girls wore at school, but I still had no interest in waking up extra early to actually get ready like the other girls at school.
It was around the start of ninth grade when I began to do my hair and make up, but I was still just wearing jeans and hooded sweatshirts every day. I wasn’t a part of the “in crowd” of my grade, but I had my friends that were similar to me. At that stage in my life, I wasn’t worried about what I looked like, because I was going to school to learn and to prepare for college.
But, once senior year rolled around I decided that it was time to start looking and acting more mature. I had to go on interviews for colleges and I was working, tutoring and babysitting, so I wanted my employers to take me seriously. I started to care more about how people perceived me by outward appearance. I also found that this feeling grew more when I entered college. I was more conscious of what I looked like when I was out in public, I began keeping up with what was “in” and what the celebrities in magazines were wearing.
Coming from a middle class background, with three siblings, my parents couldn’t afford the clothes that I was beginning to want as I grew up. They told me that if I wanted to dress like the celebrities, then I had to find a way to pay for it on my own. This prompted me to start looking for an actual part time job, babysitting just wasn’t going to be enough. I got my self a part time job at Victoria’s Secret, and now that is where I get my spending money. Using my own money to buy the things that I want also impacted my style. I, now look for the cheaper version of what they are showing in magazines.
I think that I have become much more conscious of what how people view me based on my outward appearance as I have grown up. To me, looking “put together”, and having a sense of style become more important later on in your life. I find my self caring what I look like more, but not to please others, or to achieve acceptance into certain circles of people. I have adapted a more conscious effort to look presentable when I am going out because it makes me feel good. I think that it gives me an extra boost of confidence when I know that I look good.
In the same way that I grew into style and fashion, I grew up on my social networking profiles as well. When I was in junior high school, I had a Myspace. I was like other young girls on the website, posting what ever I wanted, and not thinking twice about it. Once Facebook came out, I deleted my Myspace account and switched over. Again, I was constantly on my page, making statuses about anything that I wanted to, still not really caring. As I grew up, everyone would warn me about colleges looking at my social networking accounts, and that it could change their decision to accept me if they didn’t like what they saw. I took that advice very seriously because I knew that I how important college was to both myself, and my family. That was when I went through my account, and started “cleaning it up.” I deleted pictures, and “friends” that really weren’t my friends. Even though I have many different accounts on different sites, like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Tumblr, I am much more aware of what I post on these sites for people to see. I have made my life more private, and have become more modest as I got older.
As much as I value who I am, and I am confident with my personality and how I present my self, I will admit that my identity changes when I am interacting with different people. When I am with my family and close friends, I am very relaxed and carefree, I know that they will be there for me no matter what and I don’t have to be worried about them judging me. When I am at work, I act with caution, and act in the most professional way possible. I take my job very seriously, and wouldn’t want to put my reputation in danger in any way. When I am at school, I am a serious, focused student, working hard to earn the respect of my teachers and peers. I value what others think of me, and its not that I change who I am when I am in different contexts, but I just change my attitude when in certain atmospheres.
The media has had a huge effect on my life and everything that I do. I think that it is an important part of my life, and has shaped me into the person that I am today!
I’m Vanessa Rodriguez. I’m also not on the list.
This is Sarah Moliski’s essay for Valerie…sorry if its bad haha
Sarah Renae Moliski
Media 180
Section 009
14 February 2012
My Image and Myself
The thought of expressing one’s true identity is quite a task to accomplish. You are always aware of yourself, and know your identity better than anyone else, but putting your entire self into words is a difficult thing to do. This is mainly because humans are complicated, and summing yourself up into a few pages does not seem like an adequate way to do it. Some people are born knowing exactly who they are and what their purpose is, while others face the struggle of being able to identify themselves and what they are meant to do. There are even some people who have the privilege of knowing who they are, but wish they were a certain way. People like this go through their every day lives dressing and acting in certain ways, hoping that others will perceive them in a way they would like to be viewed. Social media sites, such as facebook and twitter, are tools that allow people to control the way they are viewed and create an identity for themselves that they are proud to show. Throughout history the media has had a monumental influence on who we want to be or what we want to be perceived as. Society, products, technology, and gossip create a mold that people are programmed to want to conform to.
When looking at my own self-image, I find certain measurable factors to be true in identifying my inner and outer persona. For instance, In this day and age most people judge others solely on social media. Facebook, and Instagram being prime examples. I feel that people might distinguish someone like me as a typical “dumb blonde” when I actually have a lot more to offer than how I look. What most people might not affiliate with my outer image would be my passion for art. Art has influenced my personality in a creative sense, which allows me to view life and all it has to offer through my own original lens. The amalgamation of dramatic arts, photography, painting, and drawing has evolved my spirit into a well-rounded artist (and person, for that matter). This especially deems true when it comes to my love for the dramatic arts. Since the young age of eight, I knew that I wanted to be a performer. With that being said, I tend to ignore that passion when I am not fully exposed. I feel that the main reason behind my lack of openness about my talent is because I don’t want rub people the wrong way. Once again stereotypes come into play, because I would rather people judge me based on personality and my hobbies rather than what is “thought” to be true. This is a prime illustration of how social media can be misleading, and can cause a lot of confusion.
Another way the media plays a role in how we perceive people is by our society and what is expected of us. I have had many first hand experiences in dealing with this. One being, my roommate loves to wear clothing that represents a specific genre of music, she has a bit of a grungy-chic style and never leaves the house without her headphones. Though people would look at her as if she was a downtown music junkie they would not notice what’s behind her facade and realize that she might be open to different types of music. The way people dress plays a major role in their outer image and this can result in a negative or positive way. For example, if a person goes in for a job interview and isn’t dressed correctly it will most likely cost them the job. Or if someone has visible tattoos right there they are being stereotyped as a certain person, therefore our outer image plays a huge role in our everyday lives.
Thus, how a person decides to dress, act or look can set a certain image or stereotype. What a lot of people forget is what else lye’s beneath the surface, what someone’s true colors are. Trying to identify other peoples inner image is a difficult task. But it is an even harder job when identifying yourself and what draws the line of inner and outer images. We live in a world that judges people on their outside appearance and this makes majority of people afraid to let their entire personality take a stand. Social media is the main culprit of this and something needs to be changed.
Are we supposed to be emailing our peer reviwers our essays or should we post them here?
Shauna
Hey this is Shauna-Kaye Beecher and my essay is being posted for Jessica Andrews.
I already emailed it to you, but here it is again:
Shauna-Kaye Beecher
February 15, 2012
Media 180 Section 009
Makia Harper
My Image and Myself
Identity is said to be defined as, “the set of behavioral or personal characteristics by which an individual is recognizable as a member of a group” (thefreedictionary.com). In my opinion, this definition leaves room for error. Identity is far more than what is reflected in your personality or how you behave; your identity should also be defined by: your physical attributes, your place of birth or origin, the environment you live in, the experiences you have gone through, your mentality, and your religion. I understand why all of these attributes can be lumped into two different categories, but once again, I feel these terms are far too general to define anyone’s identity. As I’ve mentioned before, your identity is your own personal flavor; it’s in the way you present yourself, the way you walk, the way you talk, the way dress, the way think. The definition I have provided makes no mention of individuality. This definition suggests that if two people behave the same way and have the same set of personal characteristics, they are in essence, the same person. It is hard to come up with a concrete definition of what identity is, so how about I just show you. I’m pretty sure that by the end of this piece, you’ll have a clear picture of who I am and will see that I am far more than just a “set of behavioral or personal characteristics.”
I was born in Spanishtown, Jamaica in September of 1990. I came to New York when I was four years old and have lived in the same two bedroom, three floor family house with my parents and sisters ever since. Our rent is very, very cheap and sometimes the pipes leak and the power goes out when you use the washing machine, the toaster oven, and the microwave at the same time; but this is me and I love it. This house represents a huge part of me and continues to play an active role with how I identify myself today. The leaks, the power outages, living in the same room with my three sisters for over seven years, growing up wearing the same pair of sneakers for years and only going shopping for new clothes twice a year (to return to school after summer break and to go back after winter recess) has definitely helped me in remaining a humble person.
When I was younger I was very ashamed of revealing to people that I was a Jamaican immigrant. Whenever I told any of my friends or schoolmates, they would mock me or put on a phony Jamaican accent, which made no sense, being that my accent had already been stripped away within my first few years in this country. In 2nd grade, I had a Library teacher, Ms. Rosen. I was seven years old and had only been in the US for three years and still had a heavy Jamaican accent. I remember there being times when I would raise my hand to answer a question and when I began to speak, Ms. Rosen would tell me that I wouldn’t be able to answer questions unless I could speak properly. I’m not sure if she was referring to my grammar, pronunciation, or accent, but I took it as a combination of all three. My accent was completely gone within the next few years, thus shedding a piece of my identity, attempting to be more socially accepted. When I was younger, I didn’t understand what was going on. I just knew that I was tired of being mocked or called out because of my roots.
In the following years, with the rise of Reggae music, artists such as Sean Paul and Elephant Man became iconic figures in the media. Everywhere you looked, left and right were men wearing fitted pants and the ever-famous Clark shoes. Everyone wanted to belong to Caribbean culture in someway or another. Phony accents could be heard all throughout Brooklyn and Reggae music blasted from every summer barbecues and party. No one made fun of me anymore; all of a sudden it was cool to be an immigrant. This was due to the portrayal of Reggae and Jamaican culture throughout the media.
With that being said, it is crucial to note that technology and the media affects how we all present ourselves. Nowadays, as non-celebrities and individuals who are not the living papparzzi-filled lifestyles, even we are given our own means of creating an image through the media; thanks to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and all of the other crafty social websites that allow us to portray ourselves the way we want to be viewed. On Facebook, you can filter who you want to view your pictures, posts, or comments. You control who has access to your innermost thoughts and cherished moments. Even though we live in a society where there is no true sense of privacy, technology still finds a way to create barriers for the public and private spheres; well as private as you choose to be.
I am a very private person and I don’t like to put all of my business out into the air for just anyone to know. I try to keep my public and private lives very separate. So separate, that I’ve managed to construct two different identities for each sphere. Publicly, I choose to carry myself a certain way, with a reserved manner. It is very important what you do and say publicly because one ill spoken word or activity and the image you’ve been working so hard to portray can be crushed. Privately, amongst friends and family I am more relaxed and my guard is not up as high. But even amongst family, you must always remain aware of what you are saying and doing at all times. No matter who you are around, words and actions can never be erased, unless you’re placing these words or actions on Facebook or Twitter, and even then, once that “Share” button is pressed, at least one person in this world is aware of your mistakes.
I hope I was properly able to convey my idea of what identity entails. There is so much more behind the idea of identity than a few traits attributed to someone’s character. Identity is far more complex than that. Your identity is engrained with your background and past experience and is also composed of how you choose to represent yourself in the present and future.
Hey this is Jessica Andrews and my essay is being posted for Shauna-Kaye Beecher.
Jessica Andrews
Prof. Makia Harper
Section 009
Due February 15, 2012
“My Image and Myself”
Growing up in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York, became a weird inspiration for me. Life was far from being perfect, my parents were not rich but they did have enough money to take care of their bills and do other things as well. I call it the three stages of my life that changed as I got older and the three stages are pre-teen years, teenage years, and forming adulthood/ college life. The media, society, and technology all played big roles as in who I see myself as today.
I went to an elementary school just three or four blocks away from my house, so I was still close to my neighborhood and knew almost all the kids at school. Being that everyone knew everyone, they enjoyed hanging out more than actually doing school work. The young kids cursed, sang, and danced as what they saw the older kids doing. Everyone dressed in the latest clothing, even me due to my mother choose of style, my hair was also always done because she thought that ever young lady should have their hair done nicely. A lot of people around my neighborhood were bad influence; there was a lot of drug dealer around and drug users. All the kid was more interested in hanging outside then in the house meanwhile I was a house bird. But all I ever cared about was being the teacher’s pet, doing all my work and being the favorite student. So being that I always got good grade my mother rewarded me with dolls I would ask for. So later when I went junior high school is when I started really using my rewards for my good grades to my advantage, I asked for a cell phone because everyone else had one, I got the new game boy that came out then before everyone so that the other kids don’t just look at me as the teacher’s pet, but more as the coolest teacher’s pet. Been that my mom was already into fashion, I still wore the latest things.
When I reached high school, in tenth grade is when I started to take advantage of me getting what I want. My average dropped to about 79% GPA, I wanted to hang out more with the other cool kids around the block. I didn’t even bother with homework or even studying anymore, until two big things happened that made me think twice about where I wanted to be in life. One of the girls got pregnant and I just thought that wasn’t cool, I notice that she had to learn how to do everything on her own, she became uncool. The second was when this boy that liked me started talking about nothing other than sex, and that was a major turn off, as if he didn’t learn anything from our other experience. I notice I was hurting my mother when I started falling behind so I got myself together, got my GPA back up to a 90% before the end of tenth grade. I still followed the fashion trends from the magazine and the TVs but felt much better about it because I started earning it again. Everyone still wanted to be my friend so I didn’t lose anything.
After graduating from high school I learned that there was more to life. I mean I still don’t understand why it was so important to follow fashion trends, the only thing that I remember was that it was cool when I was young and what you wore and the things you said is what made you cool. But now I wear what makes me comfortable, I do still throw in a few of today’s trend so I don’t be that out dated, but I make sure that its comfortable for and it’s in my budget. Now I’m in my 4th semester in college and the only thing that’s important to me now is graduating with a B.A in Nursing.
Relating back to the text, a young man Damian P. was a kid that followed trend of baggy-pants look of hip hop in his days, but was stilling being judge and looked down on. I think the reason of is people and the media judges everyone whether you’re in or out. Because even though my family wasn’t rich everyone thought I was a rich spoiled kid, and still had bad things to say about me or my family either way. I personally think that we live in a world of just jealously. My mom and step father just worked really hard to make us look good and keep the bills up. So if Damian didn’t dress the baggy-pants of hip hop he still will be judge because he wasn’t cool because he didn’t have it. So I came to realize that people judge you no matter what, you’re still going to be put into a category base on your society and background. So I personally don’t care what people think or say I wear what I want and how I want.
This is Aracelis Torres and this is being poster for Marissa.
Aracelis Torres
February 15, 2012
Makia Harper Section 009
“My Image and Myself”
Identity can be defined as the condition of living oneself or itself and not another. In other words, it is to accept who you are as a person and living out your everyday life as that person. When discussing and observing my own identity I believe that I do have different identities for different situations that can occur. By different situations I am referring to things such as a job interview, a class room setting, or even around my family and friends. I believe behavior changes with every situation because of the need to adapt to different surroundings. That also goes for identity online versus offline considering the idea that it is easier to communicate online and I feel I do have a different online identity versus offline.
Society has its influence on my identity due to the fact that different situations call for different identities. For example if I am in an interview with a potential employer I would conduct myself in a more professional matter. I would not use my “social” identity as if the interviewer and I were friends or family. Once I know that I am going to be in a more professional surrounding my behavior changes so I can conduct myself properly, which comes from my identity. Society helps to create my identity because of its expectations on how I should conduct my behavior in every different situation. It may seem like the typical cliché statement that we are affected and influenced by our society but that is usually very accurate. It is not difficult to conduct myself in certain matters when called for but what can be difficult for me is showing my true identity when I am in a class room setting.
When I am surrounded by family or friends I am usually very friendly, outspoken and very sociable. But my identity becomes conflicted when I am in the presence of a classroom. I become very shy and choose not to speak or participate in class quit often. This causes a constant conflict for me because I do not understand why my behavior suddenly changes and it can sometimes affect my overall grade in a class. College courses sometimes require a decent amount of class participation in order to get the highest grade possible but by me becoming to shy I loose out on this benefit. I do enjoy the fact that I am very sociable and enjoy meeting new people but it seems when I am in class I feel the pressures of conducting myself properly in a class room. I know I need to be polite to my teachers and other classmates but I feel it would be better to keep to myself to avoid becoming to friendly with a teacher or with a classmate I know nothing about. I feel society expects a certain behavior in the classroom as well but my two different behaviors conflict with each other and sometimes make it difficult to open up to my real personality.
Online and Offline worlds are very different especially in today’s society where there is so much developing technology. Social media sites can make it easier or harder to show ones true identity which I think is my situation. I do not express many thoughts on my Facebook page versus many other pages on the site. If I am going to write something I try to keep it short and simple. For example if I wanted to post something about my opinion on the Grammys I would write only a few simple words. But if I were to say the same thing in my offline world I would have no problem going into a full conversation or expressing it with more interest. When a friend of mine on Facebook chooses to have a conversation with me on the site I choose to keep the conversation short because I would rather talk in person or even on the telephone. I think it is important to establish a different between the two worlds and not give so much effort or importance to the online world. I seem to come off as someone who is either shy or uninterested through the social site but in reality that is not part of my identity at all.
In this situation of being around family and friends my identity is almost about the same except for different levels of respect. If I am talking to my mother I would not use the same tone or dialect that I use with my friends. I would be more respectful towards my family because that is how my identity was formed to do. If I am with my friends I still maintain a level of respect but my attitude is more relaxed. I use not only my surroundings but also what I was taught through out my child hood to decided which personality that is apart of my identity is best to use at the moment. Society does not expect a person to use the same personality in every different situation in their lives and that is exactly how I choose to view my identity and the personalities that make it up.
Identity defines who a person is and the acceptance of who they are. Identities have different personalities that can change during every different situation. My identity is someone who is friendly, sociable, and outspoken but also shy and professional when needed. I know that society had influenced my identity but this is a good benefit for me in my everyday life.