Music and Me

Music is a media that has made it's way into every part of my existence. It is with me everywhere I go. It becomes part of every situation. It is part of me.
In the morning I wake up to my radio alarm, usually set to “Classic Rock, Q 107!” I get up and , depending on the day, I exercise in my room, or I go to the gym. If I'm in my room my laptop is on Itunes playing my favourite workout music. If I'm at the gym, my Ipod is cranked up. I shower, slip on my Jimi Hendrix t-shirt and head to work. When I get there we turn on the stereo and play the CDs that we burned ourselves, broadcasting the music that makes us who we are down the halls of the school. Even in class, music is usually involved. As the day winds down I retreat to my dorm room and play my guitar. When I'm done I turn on Itunes as I chat on MSN messenger, search through facebook and eventually retire to my bed. Nine hours later I'm awakened by my radio and the cycle continues.
Is this a good thing? In some ways yes, in others no. Music is definitely enjoyable; singing, dancing, hearing someones expressive words, expressing your own feelings though it. These are all wonderful things.
The only downside of music, in my life, is that it is very distracting. I find that because I am so occupied by music and other forms of media that I lose track of what is really important, like all the readings I didn't do last week. If instead of listening to my Ipod at the gym I read, I would have finished them, or instead of playing my guitar I started my term paper, I would be ahead.
Despite that reason, I am totally convinced that music is a positive force in my life. And hey, sometimes it's nice to be distracted!

'The Axe Effect' Analysis

This “Axe Effect” commercial, aimed at young males, has a motive to sell men's deodorant.
From watching the ad, you can see that there are beautiful, exotic women running, swimming and climbing passionately towards a young man dousing himself in Axe deodorant. This is obviously a clever campaign to draw young males to the product because, lets face it, I can't find one that wouldn't wear deodorant that attracts so many beautiful, bikini sporting, women.
We all know that this is totally irrational and there is no way to scientifically create a deodorant that would actually fulfill this fantasy, but it is a both a humorous and clever idea.
It is interesting to think that this level of inappropriateness is fully acceptable on our television channels today, when just a few years ago this would be censored immediately.
And, another question I would ask is, "Where are all the normal looking women?" This is another ad that displays a fictitious body image like many ads that use male fantasy as there angle. It also makes me think, "If this is what the normal young male is looking for, then what chance do I have?"

Works Cited

“What Else Do I Need To Know To Analyze An Add?”, History Matters, March 31, 2006, Available: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/mse/ads/question5.htm

(The ad can be viewed on the video bar at the side of this page)

The Importance of Media Literacy

Media literacy is a characteristic that is very important to have in the mediated world of today. To be media literate is to be able to analyze the media that you are using and to be capable of identifying it's motive, purpose, idea etc.
There are many reasons why it is important to be media literate. One of these reasons is simply, so that you know not to believe everything you see, read and listen to. Much of what we see on the news and read in news papers is formulated by government and organization public relations representatives and may not always be the truth. If we are media literate we can easily see what is true and what should be questioned.
In the same way, advertisers tell you what is 'in' and what you 'need' for school or to be successful. Not all of these things are necessary. Understanding the motives of commercial advertising helps us to identify what is, so that we aren't just buying everything they tell us to.
Being media literate in our day and age is just as important as being print literate. In order to get many jobs and into many school programs, it is necessary to have a background and understanding of computers, the Internet and many other technologies. This is why it is becoming so common for teachers to put more of an emphasis on technology in the classroom.
Because we are now existing in an almost completely mediated environment it is essential that we understand media so that we can learn from and enjoy it to it's fullest potential.

Works Cited

Kipping, Pat. Masterman, Len. Tyner Kathleen. Blake, Dan. Baron, Maureen. (well-known media educators), “Why Teach Media Literacy?”, Media Awareness Network, 2008, Available: http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/teachers/media_literacy/why_teach_media_liter.cfm

An Undefinable Term

I am taking a course called Mass Communication. This makes it very important for me to know what 'mass media' is. I decided that I want to document how much I learn from writing this post by stating my definition of 'mass media' before and after I do my research.

BEFORE:

As far as I know, 'mass media' is any form of media viewed, read, listened to, warn, or just used by the masses, ie the world, communicating ideas. This could be things like radio, compact disks, the World Wide Web or even clothing.

AFTER:

'Mass media' is any type of medium that can transmit mass communication. This used to be defined as eight things; books, newspapers, radio, movies, television, magazines, recordings and The Internet. Now, because there is always new digital communication emerging we can no longer define 'mass media' as easily. In fact, it has become so difficult to define 'mass media' that it doesn't have one clear definition. For example, there are debates on whether or not some cell phones should be considered 'mass media'. On one hand a cell phone is a form of 'mass media' because it can connect to the Internet, but because it's original purpose is to connect two people it is unclear.

In reading this it is clear that I had different ideas about what exactly 'mass media' is before I did my research than after. What I realize now is that there is no real definition for 'mass media' so my initial definition could be entirely correct. I still see 'mass media' as a medium with which the world can communicate ideas to each other, so that part of my definition didn't change. The one thing I've learned for sure is that it is impossible to define something that is always expanding and changing. We might as well call it an undefinable term.

Works Cited

Lane, Beth, “What is Mass Media?”, Suite101.com, June 29, 2007, Available: http://medialiteracy.suite101.com/article.cfm/what_is_mass_media_

Mainsteam Music's Effect on Pop Culture

In reading my blog for the next few months you will come to a distinct realization of my passion for music.
Music has had huge effects and has helped develop millions of cultures all over the world. For example, look at mainstream music's effect on popular culture.
Some of the music we hear today gives an unrealistic view of wealth and body image, as you would see in most Rap and Hip-Hop music videos. Mainstream Rap and Hip-Hot is also commonly associated with crime, drugs, alcoholism and promiscuity.
Another negative aspect of mainstream music is that, like any other industry, it is a business so a lot of music is trying to sell things rather than it just being artistic expression.
Along with the negative effects there are many positives. It is definitely a positive to see that, commonly today, there are many artists that are supporting their music independently, promoting a healthy body image and even supporting charities and other organizations.
In the end, it's up to the artist to choose whether their music is going to have a negative or positive impact on their culture.

Works Cited

Young, Stephen, “Mainstream Music: Effect on Popular Culture”, Musicouch.com, December 24^th, 2007, Available: http://www.musicouch.com/Musicouching/Mainstream-Music-Effect-on-Popular-Culture.71957/1