October Blog Post

Impression management is how we see and present ourselves. It is the way we communicate and the artifacts that we choose to express our self image. I would say it is a lot like using social media. One is completely in control of their own appearance and actions but not of the other users. How you choose to move forward with your image is a lot like the actions that you choose in life. You can control almost everything about yourself but nothing about how others see you. You can change things about yourself in hopes that people will see you a certain way. I think in social media the biggest part of impression management is the control people have over it. You can put things up to make your life look a certain way. Also, you can delete things and people or their interactions that you feel take away from your overall "image". I feel like our need to use impression management with social media comes from the emphasis on image in society. There are so many ads focused on image and so many celebrities that are constantly sharing their image and artifacts.

Blog #3

The topic that I chose for this week’s blog post is the concept of rituals. Rituals are recognizable patterns that inform/guide our interactions. We see these rituals in family relationships, friendships and romantic relationships in our everyday lives. For example, with the holidays coming up there are many rituals that take place within relationships. Things as small as baking cookies or eating holiday dinner together are rituals. We act out these rituals because it is a part of our culture, and every culture for that matter. Communication is a type of ritual, whether it is talking, sign language, body language or even signals. These are rituals in everyday life. However, let’s talk about rituals in media. I chose a movie called “A Quiet Place” which is a horror movie about a family of five who need to stay quiet their whole lives. They stay quiet to avoid the monsters due to an apocalypse. Their family ritual is to stay quiet and use sign language and signals as a form of communication in order to survive. They do that to stay together and have learned it over time. This is because some rituals take time to learn and some come about right away.

October blog post #3

Autoethnography

Definition:

The use of personal experience to categorize, critique, and examine cultural experiences.

Elements of Autoethnography:

1. Purposefully communicating your opinion or thoughts about a culture or culture practices.
2. Making contributions of your personal findings to existing research made about a culture.
3. Practicing vulnerability in order to have a open mind with all culture in order to expand your knowledge and understanding about a particular culture.
4. Creating and achieving a relationship with your audience in order to encourage others responses and opinions about your findings or about another culture.

Importance of Autoethnography:

Autoethnography I consider to be a good thing as long it is practiced appropriately and with caution because there is a close line to stereotyping that can arise if one doesn’t practice having a open mind with this skill. For example, someone may have had a bad experience with a certain culture and they begin to personally dislike that culture and close their mind to any other possibilities about them and begins to hate and slander that culture to others in society. However, autoethnography is beneficial to society  because a lot of facts we have about cultures is based off of people’s findings and opinions on cultures. It also allows us to have a wider understanding of a culture through a wide range of people’s attributions about cultures.

I consider this a lot like politics. People’s opinion and suggestions play a heavy impact of others in society throughout the public. That is why we must fact check everything you read and choose to believe to make sure following information is factual based or personal based. As long as you follow the elements of autoethnography and practice this skill appropriately you will succeed in developing this skill.

Mediate Cultures- October Blog Post

     It is vital to analyze the relationship between media and culture so that we can check the influence that media has over our own perception. As we were taught in class, "media shapes our ideas in culture"(Ivey, 2018). This happens through two avenues, co-construction and representation. Co-construction is the idea that "we use and create media even as media uses and creates us" (Ivey, 2018). Co-construction is about the symbiotic relationship between us and the media; we create media for the public to consume, we consume that media, and it informs our ideas, which then forms our society. The media that we take in molds our view of the world around us, which makes the media extremely powerful. The second way that media influences culture is through representation. The people or groups of people we see represented in media, and the way that they are represented, determines the way that we view people in real life. Seeing all kinds of people represented in the media in all different ways reduces prejudices and increases empowerment. When people are exposed to lots of different representation in media, their perception is shaped from that media and they treat people better. If representation is low in the media, and they only show one kind of person, people will be less tolerant of anyone that isn't the same as what they see in media. This shows the sheer power of media on the way that we see the world. 

     My grandparents are baby boomers. Being a part of that generation, they did not grow up with the wide expansion of technology that we have now. Their perception was shaped by the limited media they had growing up, which was radio, limited television, and the newspaper. Being from rural Wyoming, their geographical positioning in the world limited the representation that they saw in the media growing up. So, the media that they were exposed to until their late 50s and now into their 60s has been very consistently homogenous. Now, they have an iPad and my grandmother has an iPhone. They use Facebook and Twitter. Since they did not grow up with technology that allows for the spread of all kinds of ideas from any person at all, and because their ideas have already been shaped by their lack of exposure to representation, they are susceptible to misleading information from the internet. They never learned the skills they need to vet information before they believe it, and they already have preconceived notions about any group of people that doesn't look or think like them from lack of exposure to anyone "different". This inability to fact check information, along with previously developed prejudices has turned their lives on social media into an echo chamber of conspiracy theories. The media that they consumed has shaped their perception of the world in a big way, and there is no way to really fix that because they won't believe anyone outside of their idea of trust worth media. 

     I think awareness of how media shapes culture is vital. If we don't know this, we can allow media outlets to influence our culture without anyone to check if what they are saying or doing is right. My grandparents aren't equipped with the skills they need to ensure that their media consumption is ethical, but my generation doesn't get that excuse. 

Ivey, C. (2018). Mediated Cultures [Prezi presentation]. Retrieved from https://prezi.com/sq-j4vjhd2ks/mediated-cultures/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy 

October post

The most important thing that stood to me during the month of October was the lesson and video about Disney.  It really made me reflect on the movies and shows I grew up watching. I personally never noticed the racism that was portrayed in Disney movies, but after it was pointed out in the film I knew what they were talking about.  The point in the film that stuck out to me the most was the little boy who was scared by children because their voices sounded like the monkeys from a movie. I do not remember exactly what the situation was. I was surprised that a child picked up on that because it was is not something that ever crossed my mind as a child.  I think it is important to know that these movies can shape the way kids view people. With that said, I think Disney has done a great job with their newer movies. For one, not all their movies revolve around princesses. They have other plots other than falling in love. Also, Princess Tiana made a change in the media. She was the first princess to not be white, which made a huge statement.  Moana was also a princess of color, and she did not fall in love in the end. Instead, she got to be the hero and save her whole tribe. Another newer movie is Frozen. This is the only Disney movie to state that you can not fall in love with a man you just met and it is about sisterly love. These movies have helped children be more educated and accepting of other races. Disney is headed in a good direction to become more inclusive.  

October Blog Post

            The concept I have chosen for this month is related to chapter 11, Mediated Culture(s). I wanted to focus more specifically on advertisements and the messages they contain. The reason I chose this is because of the vast number of ads that every person in our culture is inundated with daily. Advertisements are everywhere and we are so used to seeing them everywhere we look that we sometimes don’t consider the social context behind the product. People unconsciously absorb ads and they in turn have an influence on our worldly perspective. They impact what we consider societal norms, they help shape our ideas about gender roles, body image, they often reinforce stereotypes and inadvertently promote things like sexual violence. Often ads are run that just shouldn’t be and while this issue is starting to gain more attention than it has had in the past, it still widely goes unnoticed. 

            I had a professor at a community college years ago who had us do an exercise where she brought hundreds of magazines to class. The magazines were all diverse in type from fashion, to outdoors, to gardening and homecare. She told us to pick 10 out and cut out any articles that we think may have a social message that goes deeper than the product the company was selling. This exercise stuck with me because we found all kinds of crazy ads, particularly in the fashion magazines that pretty clearly promoted things like sexual violence. There was a great example in a 2015 Bloomingdales Christmas ad, where there is a man creepily staring at a woman while she is looking in a different direction smiling and laughing with a caption between them that says, “SPIKE YOUR BESTFRIEND’S EGGNOG WHEN THEY’RE NOT LOOKING”. http://www.bandt.com.au/media/bloomingdales-christmas-ad-accused-of-promoting-date-rape . The ad was withdrawn and an apology statement was issued by the company for unintentionally promoting date rape. This is one of many examples that can be found, and unlike this one that was so obvious, many of these ads get overlooked.

            With ads being so prevalent an unavoidable in our society, it is important that we are aware of the impact they have and the messages they convey. With better understanding we can hold companies more accountable for the content they put out, and we can even use these ads as a learning tool of what not to do. I believe it is important to teach people about the impact media has on our culture because we live in a diverse culture and we should be putting out the right kind of messages to all.

Fallon Falore

Christina Ivey

COMM 160

6 November 2018

“The Most Important Sentence”

The focus for my blog post this month is going to revolve around media and its effects on society. Specifically, through Disney movies and their effect on children as they grow up. When you are young, you don’t realize that these movies are teaching us lessons of all kinds. Although not all lessons in Disney movies are necessarily bad, there is definitely an imbalance of positive to negative lessons that children grow up learning. This is due to the overwhelming amount of discrimination throughout each one of Disney’s movies. A few of the discriminatory aspects that the movies cover are racism in Dumbo and sexism within Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid.

According to Dictionary.com, Racism is when “prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior”. As much as we hate to see it, Disney movies are covered in racist themes in the characters that easily go over any child's head. According to ScreenRant, a youtube film, the 1941 film Dumbo showed racist themes in the characters. The black crows resembled members of the African American culture and the stereotypes around the culture. They resembled the stereotypes in this culture by giving the crows heavy accents, making them jazz singers, and having them smoke. Moreover, the main crow was named “Jim Crow,” after the state and local laws that reinforce segregation. As you start watching disney movies when you get older or looking back on them, these motifs were hidden behind the joy and song. Often times media gets a reaction from the people, but you wouldn’t expect such negative reactions from a children's movies that made us so happy growing up. Since, children are unaware of these life lessons, they see them as normal.

One aspect of Disney movies that has become a completely normal thought within children's minds are they sexist remarks and values. Girls and boys grow up seeing how they should act through the media that they watch. In movies like Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid, gender roles are shown in a completely harsh way. In Beauty and the Beast we see Gaston as they ideal man. We see girls flaunting at him and he is expected to be the strongest, smartest, manliest man there is. This is teaching young boys that they cannot be vulnerable or weak, they have to be one way in order to be wanted by the ladies. This is reinforced again in the music, as well as through his sidekick, Lefou, who wants to be just like him. Lefou is also short, chunky, ugly, and just the assistant to the man. In The Little Mermaid we see Ariel giving up her voice in exchange for legs, so that she will be able to fall in love with this guy. This is teaching young girls that they should give up everything for a guy and do what it takes to get the guy. This is reinforced in a majority of the songs that play throughout The Little Mermaid. This teaches our children to grow up stressing over how they should act and what gender roles they should follow. However our children should not be thinking of these things, they should be living life to the fullest and wondering who their next play date is going to be with.

This is the most important concept to me because I find it insanely crazy that we can have adults making movies and tv shows for children and not realizing the pressure they are putting on them or the thoughts they are putting in their heads. Where kids see lessons of love, adults see racism and sexism. These aspects easily go over the children's head, but they don’t realize that the constant viewing of these stereotypes is being normalized in their brain. With that kind of power, I would hope that directors of all kind would use it to spread lessons on compassion, kindness, respect, and all the other amazing qualities that the human race has to offer.

October Blog Post

One aspect of this month that stood out and intrigued me, was the idea that highlights the role media plays in society and varying cultures. Many aspects of the way media influences the younger generation and how they act out, is due to easy access to technology and online media at an early age.
When the children see these "internet stars" & figures on twitter, Instagram, etc., they are seeing this as inspiration to fuel their actions online, as well as in real life. For example, the "Catch me Outside girl," Danielle Bregoli, was first seen on the show, Dr. Phil, in which she disrespected the host, as well as the audience, and her mother. She stormed out of the show after having a negative reaction given to her, and quickly found herself rising to fame, through twitter retweets, and many shares on the internet. Due to this, she maintained her figure and attitude in which she constantly shared on the internet with new found successes, such as song deals and more. The children seeing her disrespectful attitude and actions constantly being practiced, quickly followed in them repeating the same actions day after day online and in real life. They think that this is okay for them to do, because they are given the access to the online world very easily.

October post

For this blog post, I chose advocacy as my concept and more specifically advocacy through alliance building. Advocacy itself means supporting something or someone. Advocacy through alliance building means building a connection in between different groups, which will help getting to the objective in a faster and easier way.  

One of the examples in which I feel this concept is very clear is in politics. When it comes to this topic, there is always going to be people with similar ideas and people with entirely opposite ideas. When elections are close, you can see how groups of people who think in the same way, and want to make the same or at least a similar decision, become really close. It is almost like if  their objective is to proof that their group is right and that everyone should vote for the one person that they think is the best. Another example can be protests, when people are doing this type of activities is because they have the same ideology and want to show it to everyone else. I am sure most of the protests start with different groups of people who have a topic in common and who want to make a change regarding that. The concept can be reflected like this: different people with the same ideas gather together, then different groups with some ideas in common gather together, and by means of doing that, they can obtain whatever they are hoping for in a faster way. Finally, I have experienced this concept myself, it is very hard for me to be close to people who have ideologies that are extremely different than mine, and even more if I have to make a decision regarding that matter. When I was in High School, every year we had a debate to discuss international matter (more specific wars in Asia). I was always against the intervention of the United States in those wars. While having the debates, I would always try to find people who felt the same way and then we created sort of a group in order to make our idea be the right one. This examples for me shows that I liked building connections and supporting ideas because they were similar to the ones I had.

This concept is important because it shows how groups act when they find others who have similar ideas. It is also important because I feel that nowadays we only try to find people who have ideas that are close to the ones we have and based on that a bigger decisions is made and different plans are created in order to make that happen. For me, we still are in a society that is scared of the unknown so it is easier just to get closer to the things that are common to the person and then creating groups that follow the same beliefs. I just think this is a concept everyone has experimented at least once in their lives.

November Post

Recently we talked about family and the structures, values, and behaviors. We talked in class about the typical American family with two parents and 2.5 children. When we think about a typical family we think about dinners together, celebrating holidays, middle class and white picket fence. The difference is that not all families are like this but we still see a typical family as so. Throughout the years we have been told that strong families of the foundation of a society and that bad parents are to blame for social ills. How else are we supposed to think about a family? We’re told time and time again that we need to have a strong family in order to be emotionally mature. Therefore of course we believe that a typical family should be this way. Step parents and same sex parents are not talked about as much because it wasn’t traditional and it is modern. It is crazy to believe that these are not considered typical families. Even those couples without kids are putting up an argument cause people say they are not considered a family.

This topic took my interest because from my experience I have not seen a perfect typical family almost ever. I just think that it is so interesting that I still believe the same of a typical family. Another thing I found interesting was the culture of different families. For example a girl in our class said she was of the Hawaiian culture and her family is huge. Also my best friend is Mexican and her family is also huge and always together. From family to family it can be so different and that’s what I loved learning about.

October blog

October:

       

         This month, one of the most prominent subjects of discussion within class was food culture and its connection to identity. Amongst American culture, it is common for our culture to combine different country’s food with American food and label it “authentic” despite our own take on the other country’s food culture. In this blog post, I will be describing the discussion that was held about food and culture from class, as well as connecting advocacy through education and distinction of taste within two countries. 

As an artifact for this subject we watched an episode of Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservations” series which exhibited an American’s take on exotic/foreign food. Through his perspective, it become more apparent that American society sometimes has the wrong idea of authentic food, as well as opposing views on delicacy and customs used to serve/sell/cook food.

Within the episode we see a variation of ways that authentic Chinese food differs from American’s version of Chinese food. In China, they do not have strict health codes and standards that they have to meet like American restaurants do. Rarely do we ever see food lying around in the open-air containers being sold to people who pick it up with their bare hands and call it “fresh.” China on the other hand (no pun intended), as we saw in the episode, sold pickled goods by the barrel with little to no worry or constraint to keep them fresh and stowed away for only the employees to hand to the customer. 

Another idea we discussed was the way that food is cooked within Chinese culture and how different it is from our culture. We can trace this back to ancient customs that belong to Chinese culture and their definition of good taste and tradition. Hannah Park, a lifestyle writer for Spoon University, wrote about the distinction of flavors and preferences within Chinese and American cultures. Park describes why we choose to create our own versions of Chinese food that caters to the definition of delicious in America by comparing tastes of both cultures. “Take one bite of shrimp Shumai in Shanghai, and you’ll be floored by an entirely different flavor than the sweet and sour dish that you're used to. American-Chinese food tends to take on sweeter, heavier tones (sweet and sour pork, anyone?) than traditional Chinese food, such as Pào mó (otherwise known as mutton stew), which opt for lighter, more savory flavors. This distinction in flavor can be traced back to the fact that American-Chinese food had to cater to a different audience, and as a result the flavors that we see in fusion dishes today say a lot about our food palate as a country.” Separating one’s view or opinion, while expanding their knowledge of food culture can really open the eyes of individuals who are too afraid to try different or new types of cuisine. That is exactly why I enjoyed watching Bourdain explore a country he had never been to yet still having an open mind about a traditional Chinese delicacy that can be compared to pig slop. (Which of course he enjoyed thoroughly.)

Living in America, diversity of cultures is increasing within our population. Luckily for us, we can experience great differences in taste and culture while still carrying an identity of our own favorite local dishes that remind us of where we originate. Being aware of our differences in taste as well as what is “Americanized” and what is truly “authentic” is a great example of advocacy through education. The more we know about American food along with what our taste preferences are, the more we can learn as a population about the difference in other country’s taste and history. This is so important to teach within a population that might not be as diverse or carry a negative view about a specific country’s food because it is different than our own. Education can open the eyes of those individuals more easily than traveling could. 

Work Cited:

Park, Hannah. “6 Ways American-Chinese Food Differs From Authentic Chinese Food.” Spoon   

      University, Spoon Media Inc., 28 Apr. 2017, spoonuniversity.com/lifestyle/6-ways-american-  

      chinese-food-differs-from-authentic-chinese-food.

November blog post

Social penetration theory is the idea that everyone has three levels to their identity. The way that you allow people to gain knowledge of these layers is self-disclosure. The first of which is the surface level or their mask. This level is their outward portrayal towards the public. Anyone that has access to them or their social media can see the surface level of a person. Often this level is rather fake because it is what that person wants you to think about them. The next level is the middle layer. This is where items like ones ideologies and beliefs reside. It is information that isn’t overly personal in nature but you still probably have to have some type of relationship to know these items of their personality. The last level is the core. In the core resides a persons values and secrets. Only people that are in a close interpersonal relationship will generally have access to this layer. Knowledge of these layers is categorized into depth and breadth. To know a lot about a person(s) surface layers is to have breadth and to know a person down to their core is depth.
I think this is an important idea right now because of the elections happening today as well as the age of social media. There is so much breadth concerning surface level information about people readily available but what do we really know about the people we interact with and elect to public office. We love to surf peoples social media and listen to their campaign ads but often don’t make an attempt to break into the middle or core layers. It seems right now that more people put importance in breadth and “knowing” a lot of different people than having deeper interpersonal relationships.
Moving on from personal relationships it is interesting how easily people fall for surface level information in political ads. To use Idaho political ads for example you will often see people mentioning how much they like to ride horses and keep agricultural jobs in state. Now these short ad’s only allow for surface level but even in events like debates it is hard for politicians to take off their mask and show us who they truly are. I understand this is part of the game of politics and usually a smart thing to do, it is frustrating to me. As someone who values the depth of relationships, I find it hard to accept anything politicians or social media accounts say to me. Attached are some of the ads run by Idaho ads in this previous election.

https://youtu.be/RLcOlM1YLP4

Blog # 3_Interpersonal Communication and Relationship Dialectics

Nicole Boyce

Blog Post #3

November 6, 2018

            In reflecting on this class, the thing that most comes to mind is interpersonal relationships and relationship dialectics. Interpersonal relationships according to this class is defined as “the exchange or interaction that occurs between people who are in an interdependent relationship”. The relationship dialectics are as follows: connection vs. separation, predictability vs. novelty and openness vs. closedness. These dialectics play a role in all our interpersonal relationships, whether it be with a partner, a friend or family member. Connection vs separation and predictability vs. novelty especially come into play in romantic relationships. For me, I think about the start of a new relationship. When two people are in the initial stages of dating there is always an element of surprise (novelty) because everything is new. Once committed to the relationship, it’s nice to settle in and get a sense of predictability. It’s nice to plan on seeing your significant other on a regular basis and know you’ll be in regular communication with them throughout the day. Overtime, the surprise wears off and couples get into a routine. Especially when couples are living together, for most relationships, it turns into the “same old same old”. For my relationship, like many others, it can create conflict. I like to be surprised and want to be surprised, while my boyfriend it very much a creature of habit. He values “predictability” and I  “novelty”. Connection vs. separation is also a source of conflict for many relationships. We want to have a sense of autonomy. We all want to have a sense of independence and ‘self’, though when in a serious relationship, it’s easy to lose a part of our independence as we see our identity blend with that of our partner’s. We want to be connected, while also separated. Personally, I think boundaries play a huge roll in managing this conflict. It’s important to maintain a sense of self by setting up clear boundaries (i.e. not feeling the need to be at your partner’s becking call, maintaining relationships outside of the romantic relationship and getting a healthy amount of ‘me’ time) This can be a struggle, especially in a new relationship but it’s invaluable.

            To keep with the Friends theme, like the videos we watched in class, I found this video from friends that is a perfect example of connection vs. separation. In the video, Rachel confronts Ross about attending an activity, questioning on why he was so insistent on joining her. Ross explains how he just wants to be with her and how he feels like Rachel has been so busy with other things and he wants to remain close with her. In this example, Ross is expressing his need for connection. Rachel explains how she likes to do some things individually and sets up a boundary that this is one of the things she perfects to do separate from him. Rachel is expressing her need for separation at times. Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CY9wkrgtGX0

October Blog Post

Well well, goodbye October. How did that happen? Over this last month, we have covered a great deal of information. At the beginning of the month, we discussed the relationship between media and culture. As discussed in class as well as in our textbook media is our primary drive for just about everything in this generation. During class, we watched The Monopoly of Disney, and it opened my eyes to so many important factors that played roles in our childhood lives. We were given examples such as Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast. How women are helpless, fragile and always in despair was a common factor we came across in these movies. We also saw a common theme of body types and the ideal situation of what beauty should be perceived as. In the long run, many of these movies didn’t do us favors in our adolescent years and didn’t assist in shaping us, but we have progressed. We discussed how The Monopoly of Disney could be updated and what movies we would use today. Though none are perfect and still follow some guidelines, we don’t all agree with we see some progression. We are beginning to see body types progress in ways that are relatable such as in the movie Moana. We are also starting to see the progression in powerful female leads such as Frozen, Brave and Tangled. To see progress among these movies is just the start of something big. In the last decade, we have made great strides in feminist acts and to embrace the concept of equality at a young age is essential.

October Blog Post

I have become very interested in Buber's four reasons to study relationships because relationships are a part of everyday life. I personally would like to understand relationships on a deeper level and the small list already says a lot. Something unique and important in relationships, they are fluid and unpredictable, they are an ethnic of responsibility, and a sense that we must meet the other person. These four points show that relationships can be forced and become complicated because people search for them so hard. It is a societal norm to be in a relationship and it seems that so may people want it bad. I believe that learning about relationships on a deeper level will help in building them. I feel as if being informed about them will help in the process to make the couple more successful. It should be encouraged to study these things in order to go about relationships in a healthy way.

Not only was I interested in Buber's four reasons but also very interested in the relational dialectics. It is said that our relational lives are always in flux which by personal experience is very true. While in flux, tension comes out and causes some possible problems. The different types of tension we talked about is openness vs closeness, predictability vs novelty, and connection vs separation. Tension happens in a relationship when both partners want the opposite in the same time period. Some examples would be when one partner wants some space while the other thought they were getting closer or when one partner wants to do new things while the other wants to stick to the things that they always do like pizza night. These dialectics show only some of the tensions that pop up in a relationship but they are very relatable and help with understanding how to move forward.

October 2018 Blog Post

I would say over this last month, I did enjoy the reasons to study relationships that were given by Martin Buber.  I thought it was interesting mainly because I hold personal relationships very dear to myself since there's really a select few that I would say I'm close to on a non-familial level.  Relationships are weird sometimes though as far as I've encountered.  They can change at a moments notice in either a positive, or negative way.  This sort of randomness does make studying how relationships work that more interesting since I feel as though they can help you predict an outcome to better prepare yourself mentally for what may happen.  I do hope the final month before the end of the semester also has something that sparks my interest such as Buber's reasons to study relationships has.

October Blog Post

I wanted to talk about food culture for this blog post because when we did the quiz with this question on it I didn’t have an open mind on the subject. My immediate reaction to food culture was based off of how “overweight” we are as a society. But I feel as though that’s because of my blurred family dynamic around food. Lots of people in my family struggle with their weight their whole lives and are never able to combat it. So when I think about food the first thing that comes to mind is to protect myself from it. I don’t want it to control my life like it has to so many other members of my family.

What changed my mind though were the responses I heard from other people in the class to the question. One that really resonated with me was that “food brings people together.” One thing my family and I don’t do, is eat together. I think eating as a family definitely creates a stronger bond as a whole for the family dynamic. So me, not knowing what it’s like for food to actually bring people together it was hard for me to take off my own lense, and see food culture in a different light.

Another thing that I connected with for food culture in my life was my Dutch heritage. Although I can’t speak Dutch, or see very many family members who are enriched in our Dutch culture, I can eat the food that they either send or make for me. Although seemingly meaningless, when I went to Amsterdam my aunt told me that she made that exact meal for my dad and his twin brother when they lived with her. And it brought me so much closer to my family in just an instance. (And I hadn’t even tried it yet!) It’s small things like this that can bring a family together, and it’s kind of sad that I missed out on that time with my own family growing up.

NOVEMBER POST

For my generation i think that media plays a enormous role in the world. For example back in the day when there was hardly any media times were hard to find out what was happening in the world or happening at all  because people didn’t have the type of technology we have today. In todays generation media is something that is becoming way additciting that it should be. More than half the people in the world from a media standpoint see media as a good thing. But then some people see media as a bad thing.  Media can be deemed in a bad way because there are bad things in the nes that aren’t true or that people make up in the media so it is not good or you get confused because you don’t know what to believe. But then there is a such thing as good media. For example for sports if Lebrun James has a good game they blow it up and make it seem so good and make him look old in the media. In addition i learned in the class that media is now a huge thing in the world beause that is how we connect with each other now in the world. We do it through likes we do it through tweets and we do it through swipes which is crazy. For instance when you go on a date with somebody in this generation there is someone always on there phone and not engaged in the conversation. But back then in the old times people could go to places and sit down and talk and have great conversation now we cant

Micaela Klocko

COMM 160

Dr. Ivey

5 November 2018

Mediated Cultures

“You’re not Mexican! You have green eyes, light skin and brown hair”. This is the response that has followed my mom and my sisters and I for as long as I can remember. Now, I should mention that I am only half Mexican, but I am very proud of my culture so I definitely feel that I am half 100% Mexican. But my mom is not half, she is 100%. Her family comes from Durango, Mexico and they are, for lack of a better description, your “typical Mexican” looking people. All my relatives on my mom’s side have very dark to black hair, tan skin, brown eyes, and do my aunts and cousins ever love their bright red lipstick. Not only is this description of my Mexican family, it also the stereotypical description given to all Mexican men and woman. 

    The course material covered over past month introduced me to the concept of stereotyping and relating certain characteristics, traits and cultural practices, as the norm for  specific cultures, and then the making of these traits well known throughout the world, is mostly done though the many media platforms that exist today. This practice is called mediating cultures. The idea of mediating cultures is the relationship between the media and culture. This mediating can be between all cultures, but I am going to be focusing on the Hispanic culture. Today’s media, as well as films and magazines portray the Mexican people in a very specific way, particularly the women.  A prime example of this could be Sofia Vergara. Vergara is seen to be the ideal portrayal of the Mexican woman. The hair, clothes, makeup and accent, all serve to impress upon the public what the Mexican woman is. And if someone does not fit that bill then they are not seen as a “true” or “real” Mexican (as is the case with my mom). Let me be the first to say that there is definitely some truth to what the media is saying. Stereotypes would not exist if there were not some truth to them. But it is the fact that if someone does not fit the “cookie cutter” idea of a Mexican they can often be passed up for certain roles in different lines of business such as the film and modeling industries.

      But the difference between the cultures and the different ways that we all look is what makes us and the world so beautiful. It is the differences in our looks, culture and backgrounds that makes every individual unique. Mediating cultures in in of itself is not bad, for there is truth in much of it, but it is the taking of opportunities from the people who do not fit the stereotypes that is not right. But being a part of a culture and being able to have the opportunity to introduce the people that we meet in our life paths to our different cultures is something very special. In my own experience, introducing someone to your culture can be one of the greatest feelings ever. I love exposing my friends to how my family is and the cultural things that we do together as the result of having a Mexican mom. There is this movie called When Fools Rush In, that is about the romantic journey between a Mexican girl and her “all American Caucasian” boyfriend. It shows that there are many differences between them culturally speaking, but that is possible to build a beautiful bridge between the two. 

     Mediating cultures can be both a curse and a blessing. But it is in the hands of those that are being portrayed a certain way in the media, to either waste energy being upset about what is being portrayed or said, or they can use the stereotyping of their cultures to show those who are not a part of their culture, the truth about who they and what their culture is. And they have the opportunity to show the unique sides of their culture that are the most precious to them, that often times are rarely exposed in the media. 

      

November Blog Post

It is clear that media plays a huge role in how society affects how people view other people, whether it be in a positive or negative way.  Just recently we have been exposed to key examples of how Movies and Tv Shows shaped the way we viewed men and women specifically.  One example shown in class was the illustration of Disney Movies.  Disney clearly has a major impact on younger generations, mine included, with the portrayal of women specifically and how they are always casted as the one in distress and in the need of saving.  In turn the men in the Disney movies are always very masculine and strong saving the women.  Throughout almost every movie when I was a kid that reinforced gender roles, yet when I was at such an age I did not realize the influence or significant underlying role it had on how boys and girls grew up thinking.  Many people don't go further and investigate the subtle stereotypical representations of gender provided in these movies.  Some movies that demonstrate these representations is "Beauty and the Beast" exemplifies body image and personality while conveying ideas of heterosexuality.  Belle is illustrated as small and innocent whereas Gaston and the Beast are represented at very strong and superior with many outburst.  It was common that the women character was to be quiet and not willing to speak her mind.   

This also has to do a lot with social media.  Especially with younger generations, their entire world is surrounded by posting about all and everything you are up to.  It is to show that you have the most amazing life possible.  Social media is fantasized for the every day public, images are edited and enhanced to look prettier than they actually are. 

November Blog Post

I found the most interesting concept for this month’s blog post was the Mickey Mouse Monopoly documentary and in particular the notion that Beauty and the Beast taught children, young girls in particular to “keep being sweet” despite the fact you’re in a, what we will consider at least emotionally abusive relationship. In the documentary it pointed out a sort of alarming notion to me that the relationship Belle and the Beast have very much seems like an abusive one when analytically looking at it and no longer just enjoying it as a kid’s movie. What was even more shocking to me was when they asked young girls’ what advice they would give to a friend in that situation, most of them said to keep being nice and “he will eventually change” sort of mentality. It made me take a step back and think about that harder than normal because that’s something I feel like a lot of women suffer from nowadays. I personally have seen a lot of my friends stay in relationships and waste time and energy by “being sweet” and hoping their significant other would finally treat them right, and am guilty of it myself. But not only am I guilty of it according to thehotline.org, “1 in 3 college women report they have been in an abusive dating relationship”. One in three seems like a huge number when you really think about it. Not only is it a bad mentality for women and girls to experience we also have to take a look at the men who experience this well, as this is usually not a sought-after topic to talk about. According to ncadv.org, “one in four men have been victims of some form of physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime” One in three and one in four are huge numbers when you take into account just how many people experience domestic abuse of some sort either reported or unreported and really brings to light where we learned that this is a normal situation and experience to stay in when it’s not.

November Blog Post

As a person of the generation I believe that the media plays a big role in the world. Back then, it wasn’t as important but the people in the world have gotten so used to being on it it becomes something that we are on consistently. A lot of times people see media as a good thing and a bad thing. Media can be a good thing and a bad thing. In a good way the media is a place where information is found, and the bad way is that it can be used to down play a person or it’s a place where a lot of people troll others. An example of how the media can be bad is when the BSU football team wins games the people on Twitter still find a way to say how the players individually did bad or something that didn’t really look good during the game. And example of how social media can be good is being able to put yourself out in the open, such as posting a workout video and u are able to be seen by trainers across the world and you are getting recognized.

October Blog Post

In class we talked about the critical looks at families and culture. Based on the book, "The Way We Never Were" explained how the cultural exceptions of a 1950's stereotypical family does not exist. The traditional family that people would categorize as a stereotypical family is generally a dad who works and makes most of the money as the mom stays at home to take care of the kids and house. Then, there is usually the older brother to protect the younger sister who is the baby of the family. However, that is not the case in today’s world as there are single parents, step families, gay parents, big families or even both working parents. The stereotypical 1950 American family is evolving and becoming rarer in America. 

As the stereotypical family becomes rarer it shines a light on how did America go from perfect families to families are the worst thing in America? The lecture said that Ronald Regan said, "Strong families equal foundation of society." However, Family is not the only foundation that makes up Americas society. Family definitions are different in every culture. Only in America do we emphasis on nuclear family which is the two parents and the two dependent children they have. The Cheyenne Indians make it normal in families to have strained mothers and daughters. In Zinacantepec (located in Mexico) their social norm for family is those who are their neighbors. So, people they live by are considered family. This is an example, that families have different norms in every culture, however, America's is changing as society changes. 

Difficulty assessing direction of family change have different meanings. Fictive/voluntary kin is an example of having gays as parents or people who adopt. Those families are not based on blood but based on performance. Another is, childfree couples who choose not to have kids or can't have kids. Some people would say the couple is still considered a family and some may think that a couple is not a family. In America there is older expectations. In some country’s elders are praised for their wisdom, however, in America elders are thrown into nursing homes when not able to take care of themselves. 

Overall, in America we have grown up to always see the normal family is the middle-class stereotypical dad and stay at home mom with two kids. However, society is changing as gays are becoming more normalized, single parents are becoming independent, big and step families are becoming more accepted, and Both parents are contributing to income. With all of the change in American families I believe that is change for the better and all families should be expected. There are no rules to what is a family and what isn't. In fact, in the lecture, 54% of kids see their parents every day, 64% talk on the phone daily and 78% of kids say they're close with their grandparents. Families in America are doing just fine without the stereotype family from 1950's. 

October Blog Post

Media and Culture

Over the past month, we've discussed many of the different ways that media affects the way that people see the world around them, and even shapes society itself. Whether we are referring to simplistic things such as the movies that we watch, or the food that we eat, all of the things around us contribute to our perspective in life, and determine the way that we not only see the world, but also the decisions that we make on a daily basis. October was a month full of many deep topics, and I will discuss just a few of them. 

The main idea that was first introduced, and had a bigger impression on me specifically, was the idea of co-construction. Essentially, when using this word, one is referring to the idea that as we use and create media, media uses and creates us in a similar way. This can be seen in many aspects of our culture. An example from class is the documentary we watched, called Mickey Mouse Monopoly, which discussed the way that Disney films have created a culture within the world that many people might have not even have been aware existed. While many people consume this media that Disney puts out, and perhaps believe that they are shaping their own world through the decision to go see a specific movie for example, Disney is also shaping the peoples' view of the world through their messages. This movie discussed a few different theories, and how a movie monopoly most likely has shaped the average citizen's view of gender roles, race, and economic standing, among other things. This idea of co-construction creates a more complex view of what many might take to be as simply watching television. 

Another aspect to co-construction, and the way that we see the world around us, is in the food we eat, which can describe a culture much more than one might initially believe. Let us take a personal example from my life. I once believed as a child that Thanksgiving was a day that was pure, innocent, and only constructed of family, fun, and food. This was the only experience that I had had as a young child, and the food I ate, combined with the family stories and traditions that were held, shaped my view of Thanksgiving, the idea of what it means, and how it connects with the rest of the world. Essentially, this holiday created a part of my own identity, whereas I might have thought that I was simply taking advantage of some good food. The point to be made is that no matter how we view what is around us, and the effect that we are making on the world, an effect is being had on us at the same time. 

The effect of our culture that surrounds us on the world and ourselves is not to be taken lightly. Whether we are affected in a positive or negative way, we have learned that we a certainly being affected in either one way or the other. If we can see that then we can more easily see the motives behind the message that is affecting us, and perhaps use it to reevaluate whether we need to change our perspectives.

Blog #3 by Valentine Lacaze: family communication

The way we look at family depending on the culture is very interesting to me. In today’s class we discussed the family myth and vision of family in the US, the vision and role in families are very different than from where I’m from. France being also a western culture some ideas are still the same, but ever since the end of the WWII there are a lot of things that have changed in France, especially in the role of women. I would say even after WWI, as women were left to run the country while the mens were out at wars, it became more and more common after to have women working as well as their husband. After WWII, a lot people moved from country to country in Europe and France had an important immigration from Italy, Spain and Portugal. My family came to France from Spain, mostly because of the dicature and fascism and so my great grandmother, as well as grandmother always worked. My grandmother got her high school degree at a time when only 18% of the population was graduating from high school, and even pursue a biology major and became assistant for a veterinarian. My mother always worked as well and manage to be really present for both my brother and I. That being said,ever since I’m little I had great example of everyone sharing role and task at home, and my father never sitted watching my mother cook or something. He would always come help, or do the dishes and made me and my brother involved in the domestic tasks. My grandmother divorced when my dad was a teenager and because she always worked and had a good job she was able to keep up with her quality of life. Living with only his mother, my dad also learn how to help at home and do things that would be seen in American culture as “women task”.

French and american support system are very different, but I often hear the argument of people having special connection with their mother because they stay at home, or how it’s nice to have your mother every part of your day, but I really think it’s all about perception and culture. I’ve grew up having a nanny, then going to daycare and to pre school and I still have a very close relationship with my parents. Looking back, I think it was very good for my growing and development to have social experience that early in my life, and I think I had a great balance of representation in my early years. I also was very fortunate to have my grand parents living close to my parents, because they helped my parents a lot to take care of us. My grandfather made me start golf and would always drive me around to practice when my parents were working, and my grandmother would always helped out with dinner, or taking us from school if my parents couldn’t.

I’ve always seen family as a collaboration between people where everyone helps and bring something special. We shouldn’t do something because we are a certain gender, like cooking if you are a women, but because we like it. The vision of family is always changing and evolving, and nowadays what really matter the most is to create a healthy and safe environment for every member.

Blog#3

  The last couple of days in communication class I have been learning a lot about life and how its changed in a remarkable way. It kind of keep you guessing on what's next to come because i have learned that generations have changed majorly.

   I wanted to talk about the Disney videos we watched in class because it made me reminisce when I was a kid on all the cartoons I used to watch and how I thought about them growing up. I have to say I was very disappointed because as a kid I thought of Beast on Beauty as something loving, caring, colorful, animals, and many other fantastic things a young kid would think. But the video we watched in class about Beast on Beauty was mostly about how it teaches men to yell at their woman and basically demand them to do things. I have to say that is very true now that I watched the movie over, but this was way beyond kids this manly should have targeted adults because I child wouldn't be experienced enough to know all the details in the movie. I just think its very sad that now our generation is making little kids grow up way faster because of the negativity people find in our day to day lives. I feel like its teaching kids a bad habit and creating a negative environment because parents are trying to force their kids to learn adult things at a early age. Hopefully as they grow they will start to see the bigger picture in life but beating them up early should never be the case especially in movies where all they care about is the color and animals.

This month i learned about the media and interpersonal relationships. and i wanted to talk a little bit more about these two topics. 

  Starting with interpersonal relationships and how is this is explained. when we were in class we talked about how it was used to connect and bond with one and another in a relationship. interpersonal is like two couple communicating with one and another. for example a couple that share feelings and talk would be considered interpersonal. 

Next is the media and as we all know media is a big thing that is a part of our generation. the older generations only had a few media outlets like the news/newspaper and things like that. But today we have it first hand. we spend everyday on our phones and tha'ts why media is so important because we share everything with social media.

October Blog Post

There are many interesting things that stood out to me this last few weeks but the topic that really captured my attention was relationships and cultures. When we discussed this in class we dove straight into the definition of interpersonal communication which is defined as "the exchange or interaction that occurs between people who are in an interdependent relationship." This type of communication is the way people exchange information feelings, and meanings through verbal and non verbal message, making this a face to face form of communication. I noticed how present interpersonal communication is in our everyday lives, it is a form of communication that is used every single time we communicate to someone. 

The next thing we talked about in this topic was the self as stages which was discovered by Goffman. Goffman talks about two different stages, front stage and back stage which has to do with how we present out selves to others. Front stage is how you communicate yourself to others, what you want people you see every day to see.  Back stage is more behind closed door. Back stage gives you the choice of your selected audience and allows you to show your true colors to them. These stages just like interpersonal communication is used by everybody in their everyday lives. People in today’s society want to show the world how great and how perfect their lives are. An example of this would be social media, everybody wants to show off how happy their lives every second but in reality it’s not always like that. 

It is mind blowing to me how interpersonal communication and self as stages are not only things that relate to each other but are concepts that are used day in and day out but everyone in the world. 

October Blog Post: Co-construction

Media is something that has always had an impact on societies, especially in first world countries. Especially with social media being so present in our daily activities, media is more prevalent than ever before. Media is what creates and shapes out culture. Co-construction is the mutual use and creativity between people and media; we use and create media, while media simultaneously use and create us as individuals and collective groups. Media can take form as social media networks, advertisements, movies, TV shows, articles, pictures, and much more. Consumption of media is almost inevitable in a society like ours today. However, just like consuming food, consuming media should be done just as cautiously. In order to have a healthy mind and perspective, you need to have facts - not just opinions - from multiple viewpoints. Consuming junk media is just as unhealthy for your mind as consuming junk food is for your body; junk isn’t always a bad thing, as long as it’s consumed in moderation. On the up side of media consumption, most people try to get various viewpoints which creates conversation between people. Although not all conversations go well, conversations themselves are a healthy thing in regards to understanding and comprehending media consumption; and, conversations are what embrace co-construction between media and people.

As it’s election time, co-construction is especially critical. It can be incredibly easy for an individual to surround themselves with media in which they agree. However, just like eating food, people need to find a balance between foods they like and foods that will help them have a balanced diet, or in this case a balanced understanding and balanced informational intake. There is also a case to be made for individuals who disregard politics altogether and choose to create their media around things besides politics. Since they surround themselves with everything besides politics and political issues, they can develop an unhealthy mind by shutting out information regarding issues happening around them and potentially happening to them. By engaging in media not regarded to politics, individuals are closing opportunities to create and engage in conversations around those topics and issues. Contrastly, people that only engage in political media close opportunity to converse with others about things on a more personal level outside of views and opinions regarding certain topics. Media is typically used as a call to action, but personal connections are just as important as conversations regarding politics and the facts behind all sides. It’s all about finding the happy medium and balance between everything. Making sure to engage in political issues and opening conversation with others regarding their views, the facts, the challenges/opinions, while still making sure to create conversation with others regarding things besides politics and political viewpoints.

Co-construction is important because it’s something that happens continuously, regardless of whether or not we realize or acknowledge it. It is important that we recognize areas that aren’t getting the conversations they may need and that we create a respectful atmosphere for conversations and for media as a whole. Media is a powerful thing that is meant to strike a response; but, as the media is using and creating us and the society we live in, we must also use and create media and how we wish it to be utilized. Through social media, we have been using media to connect with people we wouldn’t otherwise be able to. With that responsibility, we must use it as a way to create conversation and connect with people.

October Blog Post

In class, we talked about what it means to be a 'good citizen.' We watched a video as well that depicted the question, "What if we got to pick and choose what laws we follow?" This includes things like community service, being friendly, showing acceptance, voting, jury duty, law abiding, civil engagement, and disobedience. All of these factors contribute to the definition of being a 'good citizen.' I pondered this lecture and really thought about the effects of if we were to have the choice on what laws to abide. This is probably not a very good idea, as everyone has certain hardships and experiences that they face that would alter their views on the means of being a 'good citizen.' They could potentially take their anger out on the public and cause harm to others. With this said, there needs to be an overall structure for which society follows, so our day-to-day lives are laid out smoothly and we are all on the same page with goals of being ethical. Of course, there are rules that are bent or mistaken here and there, but not enough to cause an extreme dent in our society. In the words of professor Ivey, "There's a reason for court obedience-public opinion would not be good."

This conversation then led to the topic of rhetoric. There are many scholars that have certain interpretations of what rhetoric is. Rhetoric roots from what was first defined by Aristotle in the means of Persuasion. Sir Francis Bacon said rhetoric is used "to apply reason to imagination for the better moving of the will." I interpreted this to mean that there is a balance of reason and opinion that mold together to form rhetoric. We all have our own personal views and opinions based on separate experiences and interactions. Putting reason to each of these creates this harmony that leads to what is known as rhetoric. Sonja Foss, a feminist communication scholar, defined rhetoric as "humans using symbols for the purpose of communicating." This is a more straight-edged view of what rhetoric means. She brought up a new idea of the use of symbols. This is huge when talking about rhetoric. To me, this definition is the most accurate. Catherine Helen Palczewski, Richard Ice, and John Fritch convey rhetoric as, "the use of symbolic action by human beings to share ideas, concern and to construct social reality." They too included symbols as a factor in defining what rhetoric is. Symbol use is extremely relevant in our society today and is crucial in understanding rhetoric, as these are known to constitute character in a certain culture. Here, symbolic action takes place.

October Blog Post

What stood out to me these past classes was the lesson about Relationships and Culture. One specific lesson was when we talked about Buber's four reasons to study relationships. Buber's explanation is a way that people in a culture communicate and have relationships with other people in there culture. Burber talks about why it is important for us to understand this. Buber's four reasons are reasons that are straight forward but we don't think about it everyday, we just do or don't.
Buber's points include that relationships are unique and important, relationships should be fluid and can be unpredictable, there is a ethic of responsibility in relationships, and meeting other people in relationships are important. I relate this the the outside world because every relationship I have with people is different but they are all important. For example my relationship with my mom is different than my relationship with my friend. Most of my relationships I've made (especially in college) are unpredictable. I think college is a perfect example of unpredictability because everyone you meet is new to you and you are forced to have unpredictable relationships. As for the ethic in relationships if you don't have trust in your relationship with one another or vise versa the relationship most likely won't work out. I say this because from personal experience I thought I could trust my friend not to tell a personal statement of me and she told everyone, that made our relationship end. Lastly, times are changing and some people don't even meet people they have "relationships" with because of technology now. It is so important to know who you are talking to for safety and comfort.
These four points are broad in a way because there could be two answers to each point. Not realizing the importance of relationships can hurt the relationships you have now and in the future. What I took away the most was that if you don't have good stable relationships then you will not help the culture and society you live in, you will hurt it.

October Blog Post

One thing that stood out to me from these last couple of classes would be the idea of simulacra. Learning all about simulacra was very interesting to me because I have never heard of such a thing but after learning all about it, I’ve realized how present it is in our daily lives, especially in social media. Simulacra is an unsatisfactory representation of a person or thing. It is when a culture has had so much influence on the original person or thing, that it has drastically changed and separated from its original way. An example of this that we talked about would be how pumpkins used to represent fall, but in today’s world the pumpkin representation of fall has turned into pumpkin spice lattes and how whenever it’s time for pumpkins, people automatically think of the warm cozy drink from Starbucks that helps us get through those chilly days. 

            One example that I found to be really interesting regarding simulacra would be Disneyland. Disneyland has been a place for people to escape reality and live in a fantasy for years now. They look forward to the food, the rides, and the magic. What is interesting about Disneyland after learning about simulacra would be the sense of reality it gives visitors and how that can transform into a world they dream about but still be able to experience. Disneyland creates an allusion of a false reality which makes it more desirable for people to participate in. It was once just a theme park, but with the real life buildings, friendly animals, and magical feel, people go there to exist in a new reality that they can escape their lives from. Disneyland is turned into a new world for people to exist in; where there are no problems and unlimited amounts of happiness. It has become a real life imaginary world for people to enter. 

            Overall, simulacra has been a very interesting topic to learn about for me. It’s hard to realize all the things around us that have changed because our culture has influenced it so much. But once we realize what these things are, we can see what they once were and just how drastically they have altered who or what they are/stand for.