Blog Reflection

I really think these were a good idea. My English class had a weekly blog challenge, and I like how I was able to use my blog in this class too. I also really liked the fact that these were due at each test, and not at a specific time frame. I didn't feel rushed to get them done, and I could work on one here and there. I was better at getting them done the first time though, I had to work fast to get the others done.

A suggestion for future semesters would be to maybe have a list of five or six per topic and have everyone pick one and write about it. Two per lesson was a lot, and I think focusing on one per issue would help students understand better.

This was one of my favorite classes this semester, I learned that I really want to go into Communications! I really enjoyed having reps from each emphasis come in and talk about what they do and give some tips and insight for getting in the major. I want to pursue a career in advertising, and I know that if I work hard and stay focused, I can make it and be successful!

Thanks for a great semester, hopefully I'll see you around!

-Jenn

Gone Too Far

I think those PETA ads that say "I'd rather go naked than wear fur" are a little too much. We're glad to know that you don't support those who wear fur, but maybe try cotton or something next time of au naturale! These ads definitely promote the whole "sex sells" idea, but most of us wish Pamela Anderson would cover more. In general.

-Jenn

Exaggeration

I do believe exaggeration exists today, but not really in much outside of ads. Do you really think make-up is "smart" and can match your exact skin shade? I don't but it. Sure, we may exaggerate when we're having a conversation (Good grief, there were a bajillion people at the CougarEat today), but other than that I don't really think it's that prevalent!

-Jenn

Questionable Activities

Everyone wants to be their best, and if image consulting is needed, so be it. No one wants to rub off on someone else in the wrong way, and PR people make sure their clients look their very best. Outright lying is no good, but polishing up a few things here and there doesn't seem like much of a problem to me.

-Jenn

Effective Advertising

Advertising is way effective! If it's not outright, something subliminal happens when you see the same ad over and over again (I did a science fair project about subliminal messages, there are definitely some in ads, but not all of them are sexual). I'm a teenage girl, of course I've been affected by advertising! I LOVE America's Next Top Model, and one time I saw an ad with one of the winners. Since then, I've seen lots of ANTM ads, but this was my first and I decided I HAD to have that mascara. It wasn't really that great, but I really didn't mind that it wasn't that nice of a product. On the other hand, alcohol and cigarette ads don't really appeal to me that much.

-Jenn

Good Ads & Bad Ads

Good Ads

This is an ad for Vespa, and I think it's pretty cool. It's visually captivating, and it's not what you would expect from a scooter company.



This ad for Hard Rock Cafe is cute yet powerful. You know you'll have a good time eating somewhere like this!



Bad Ads

This ad is so sad and unnecessary! Who really wants to watch a "calorie" commit suicide?! No good.


Good Ads

If only it were this simple...Except not, because this is disturbing!



-Jenn

Television's Impact

I definitely think television has the greatest impact on us, it's the most influential form of media out there! With the average person watching seven hours a day, we receive all sorts of subliminal and hidden meanings. Watching television leads us to impromptu purchases, lack of self-esteem, and addiction. Households have about 3 televisions on average, my house back home has 6! I've kind of enjoyed not having television around so much at college, I'm able to focus on other things instead. It's true I don't stay as informed as I should, but I check a few news sites on the internet, and that helps. However, I am going to enjoy television over the break, especially with so many cute Christmas specials!

-Jenn

LCD, And Not The Kind Of Television

There are plenty of television shows that are for sole entertainment of the LCD. King Of The Hill, Family Guy, and The Simpson's don't offer much besides mindless laughs. The type of person this kind of television attracts is the middle-class worker who grabs a beer after work and zones out for a few hours. These shows offer escape from life, but severely hurts a person's IQ. Lack of entertaining and educational programming for adults isn't necessarily a bad thing, but some shows are just plain stupid!

-Jenn

A Bit Obsessed...

My television habits usually center around a certain celebrity: Tyra Banks. I LOVE America's Next Top Model, I would spend hours watching marathons on VH1 back home, usually wasting my entire Saturday. I could never be on ANTM (I'm not tall enough and they like ugly pretty, I'm just pretty pretty), but I love watching these awkward girls turn into something beautiful and confident. It's always nice to see the underdog win, and Tyra Banks is so amazing, I love her!

So it's no surprise that my television viewing was focused on America's Next Top Model. This past cycle just finished up, and I watched it religiously in the lobby of my dorm every Wednesday. I learned that people who watch ANTM are pretty vain, every commercial was about some beauty product or procedure. I don't really think it affected me, I like myself the way I am! During this time frame though, young girls are targeted as imperfect and flawed, and advertisers definitely take advantage of this lack of self-confidence (which is ironic, because the aim of the show is to show young women they are beautiful from the inside out!). This show provides me entertainment and enjoyment (some girls fight about the stupidest things!), and I like talking about it with others who enjoy it too! It's a good way to unwind and escape, even if it's just for an hour.

(Oh, and The Office is amazing too! But I don't watch it on television, I watch it online with my boyfriend instead.)

-Jenn

My Movie

Picture this: You enter the movie theater and pick the perfect seat in the middle of the row. You are with a particularly attractive member of the opposite sex, and the two of you giggle and groan through the array of previews. The feature film begins with the classic theme song millions have come to love. The title flashes on the screen at the end...

The Office: The Movie

The audience laughs as Steve Carrell's hopeless character, Michael Scott, enters the office and starts chatting with Pam about her "big day." The plot is quickly set up, the movie is to focus on Jim and Pam's wedding. With the other Dunder Mifflin employees vying for a spot in the wedding, their quirks and behaviors become increasingly hilarious, until JAM decides to include everyone in some way. The limits of personal and professional relationships are stretched to almost breaking point, but in the end everything pulls together for the best wedding Dundler Mifflin has ever had a part in.

And there you have it, the biggest box office hit of 2008.

-Jenn

Movies: S&V

With the daily bombardment of inappropriateness in every sort of media, we have become desensitized to the severity of it. Oh, that politician hooked up with his intern? Whatever. That new movie has so much gore it had to edited three times before it was knocked down from NC-17 to R? It's probably not really that bad. While there are a few groups that actively try to stop the promiscuity and violence, for the most part we just kick back and relax and take whatever Hollywood feels like dishing up. It's an unfortunate reality that is becoming more and more commonplace, which makes one wonder about the quality and legitimacy of the future. I shudder to think about how many taboo topics will be easily tossed around in the media when my children are my age. It's a scary thought, and I don't like to dwell on it!

-Jenn