Reflection

The media logs that I have been doing for a few months have influenced my outlook on media. Whether positive or negative, I can now judge all forms of media in a more appropriate way. I have become more aware of the techniques and tricks that people use in the media, such as emotions through music and heavy assumptions that advertisers create. This has changed my interaction with media. Now, I spend more time analyzing and trying to figure out the true purpose of publicizing each picture, video, etc. However, I do tend to critisize the media more than praise it, because now I can see how many pictures and ads are clearly fake. It’s now very easy to point out where the messengers made mistakes, and where they are being unethical or making assumptions. But, I can find the good parts of media, too. For example, I can appreciate companies that try to sell a lifestyle or positive message; not just their product. Media is basically a scramble of positive and negative messages, and we all had to learn how to figure them out.

Moreover, I feel like these extended observations have made me more media literate. Now, I can quickly find the essence of a brand, the role of women on social media, the strategies of political campaigns, and so much more! And it’s quite interesting to be exposed to the surface messages in media, but then be able to recognize the underlying intentions that aren’t supposed to be obvious to consumers. Being educated in media in this way is very important! As the one receiving the messages, I can effectively find the messengers in media, and what they’re trying to tell me. Especially as a teenager, I know that I am a huge part of media today. In order to make rational decisions about the events going on around me, as well as how my personal opinions connect to the world, I must be able to properly decipher all complex messages that are forced upon me via media.

Keeping this log has changed my ability to analyze media, but that didn’t really change my consumption of media. Although media can confusing and deceiving, I really just use it for fun. I go on social media when I’m bored, I listen to music as a habit, and I only read articles that sound interesting to me. So, I don’t take media too seriously. I may think more critically when I’m on it, but I still immerse myself as often as I did before I started my log. Overall, I learned that everything is not always what it seems, and that media isn’t the most trustworthy or nicest thing in the world.

In conclusion, these past few months have taught me a lot. I'm now educated in the hidden tactics, complex messages, and appropriate responses involved in the participation of media. This didn't scare me away, though! Media is almost like another world, and I'm interested to keep exploring. It seems overwhelming to find out that I actually knew so little before, but now I feel even more prepared for the future of media.

Old & New

There has been on ongoing debate for years. It may be minuscule in the world, but it's brought up a lot in my family. This argument is centered around music. Some say that music was way better in the 1900s, some say the best music was playing ten years ago, and some say that the best music is playing right now. I am very neutral in the topic of music; I like almost every genre from any year. So, I have several reasons why music "back then" and music now is equally enjoyable.

Now, I'm not one of those hipsters who listens to "vintage" songs exclusively, but there are tons of amazing songs that were coming out before I was even born. The main example of this would be The Beatles. Songs like "I Am the Walrus" and "Here Comes The Sun " are so peaceful and always give off nostalgia when I hear them. Older songs like these have definitely not lost their quality over the years, and they are great for bringing back old memories. Also, songs like "Vogue" by Madonna are iconic and still being obsessed over today. I couldn't possibly bring down these classic songs; I still have them memorized!

Next, I love the songs that came out in the early 2000s. I've mentioned songs that came out in 2000 and 2001 when I talked about boybands, but there's so much more to listen to! Some of the ones  I listened to as a child include "Say My Name" by Destiny's Child, "Somebody Told Me" by The Killers, and "So What" by Pink. It's crazy to think that these songs are around a decade old! I may be biased for them, because I grew up around these songs. These songs have so much emotion, and they helped me establish my taste in music. These may not be my absolute favorite songs, but they always have a place in my heart.

Finally, I have the songs of today. Many songs exhaust the same message, I'll admit, but I think that these are the catchiest songs. Songs like "Work" by Rhianna (ft. Drake) and "Panda" by Desiigner get stuck in my head, whether I want them to or not. And everyone around me knows these songs, so they're great for hanging out with friends. Some new songs are just for fun, and nothing's wrong with that. Other songs can also be emotional, and they can connect more because they bring up modern/trending topics. Overall, the songs of today are nothing to undermine!

All music is great. Everyone has an opinion about what's best, but I like them all. Each song is good because it's different, and they all represent the people of that year. Music is meant to be enjoyed, and it's truly a privilege to have.

Photoshop

I have talked about this in a few previous blogs, but I think that Photoshop needs more attention. Photoshop is a program that allows someones to edit a picture and, if done right, it looks incredibly seamless and realistic. This is an amazing concept; being able to completely alter and recreate images. I'm sure that Photoshop's original intents were just for fun, or maybe for artists. However, photoshopped images now have a reputation within social media and advertisements. And this reputation may not be positive.

In advertisements, companies photoshop their products to make them look perfect and desirable. However, the actual product doesn't look like the picture at all. This is especially true with fast-food.

As you can see, the food has been enhanced before it is presented to the public. The advertised food looks really good, but that isn't a good thing! People will get disappointed if they expected the food to be like the advertisement. Granted, most people know that fast-food will never look that delicious. But, it's still disappointing when you get the real food. The real products are dull and tiny in comparison to the edited products.

What's more disappointing is that Photoshop is also used for people. The models we see on the covers of magazines almost always have some sort of visual enhancements. This appears a lot in advertising as well, but that's expected. But, it's troublesome when people Photoshop themselves on social media. Many celebrities are rumored to Photoshop their pictures, but it's hard to tell if they're edited or not. And that's scary! Regular people who see these photos get self-conscious, because they see an impossible beauty that the celebrities may not even have. These regular people may even start to edit their own pictures, but with apps like Facetune or Perfect365. This just creates a domino effect; now even more people feel bad about themselves because there are more edited pictures.

These photos may look beautiful, but they really aren't doing any good. And, it seems that most photoshop is done to women. This only encourages the struggle of women and the appearance stereotypes. Nevertheless, Photoshop versus reality is a struggle all on its own. Photoshop can be fun, but I don't think it's necessary. 

More Miss Representation

Since we have finished Miss Representation, I have more to say about the message of the documentary overall. There were questions that we should've been considering, and I'd like to touch on them now.

The main impact that the documentary presented was to show that women are considered inferior in the media, and that women basically just revolve around the standards of men. The media makes this possible by presenting women a one-sided, stereotypical characters that could easily be replaced. Or, the media shows women as sex objects that are driven by beauty alone. This has been a problem ever since television and social media were invented.

This is an incredibly true message, but it wasn't delivered in the strongest fashion. The documentary had many examples and statistics showing that women are being undermined, but Miss Representation also had many assumptions. One assumption that stuck out to me was that many men are out to ruin women. Obviously, this is not true. There were men in the documentary who were talking about the need for more women's rights! Another assumption was that all women deeply care about their appearance. This may have more truth to it, but that seems like a stereotypical statement. Also, this documentary is slightly aged, so I wonder if the statistics have changed since the documentary was made.

So, it's obvious that the whole women's misrepresentation is an issue, but it's a complicated issue to solve. I don't think that we should just try to bash men instead, because that is only fighting fire with fire. I agree with the solution that people should start boycotting media that depicts women in a negative light. However, it would take a lot of people boycotting to make an impact worth noticing. If all the feminist supporters would band together, I think boycotting companies and keeping their money could really lead to a solution.

Lastly, I don't think that commercializing women or yourself is a good thing. Even though almost everyone does it, I believe it putting the real you out into the world. If people don't like that, then you don't need those people in your life. Miss Representation has only proved this point, and it seems that edited media (like photoshopped pictures and autotune) only have a negative effect on people's self-confidence. In order to be happy, I think you need to focus on how you see yourself; not how other people see you.

Phones

I may sound like a helicopter mom, but I truly think that society is very engaged in media. This can be a good thing; having every source and answer right at your fingertips. But, I believe that most people spend way too much time immersed in media. Specifically, people are practically glued to their phones. This includes myself, as well.

Cell phones were originally created to communicate with others by calling people who are too far away to talk to. Now, it seems like many phones do the opposite. Smartphones and iPhones do provide social media, where people can keep in touch. However, people become so immersed in social media that they ignore the people around them. I've seen plenty of people hanging out and just staring at their phones, not saying one word to each other. Granted, I'm guilty of this, but I don't believe this is a good thing. It seems that people jump on their phones when there's an awkward moment/silence, and everyone around them follows suit. This may seem fine at first, but I actually feel like this is lowering our social capabilities. Conversation topics are short and limited nowadays. Maybe the phones make us forget important things, or maybe they've helped people develop shorter attention spans. At least for me, phones can get in the way of conversations.

There may also be a deep connection with phones that I've seen in people. I love my phone and want it by me, partially because it was hundreds of dollars. But, people may be relying on their phones more than themselves. Have you ever seen someone lose their phone? They can have panic attacks, start crying, and start accusing people of stealing it! This could just be extreme circumstances, but I've definitely witnessed my friends saying that their "whole lives" were on their phone. And I agree! I'm sure everyone has developed some kind of connection and "life" on their phone. There are valuable pictures, contacts and outlets that are hard to live without, especially if you've been exposed to them your whole life. They aren't always being hysterical; phones are very valuable and useful in the modern world. But, there comes a time where we must think about how much time we spend on our phones. If we spend more hours of the day on our phones instead of off them, it may not be a good thing.

Obviously, phones aren't going away. We should appreciate this technology, because it is a huge convenience! Sometimes I just get worried about the fact that I can sit for hours looking at a tiny bright screen. It's nice to put the technology away for a while and just experience the world through our own eyes.

Women vs. The World

Miss Representation, the documentary we're watching, has made me more alert to women's mistreatment this week. As I was looking for a cultural event to do for history, I noticed one that was coincidentally similar to what we're watching in zero period. This article was about Tsai Ing-wen, the female president of Taiwan.  This is not a happy event. Thai has been getting a lot of heat just for being a female president.

Tsai Ing-wen

Recently, Tsai has been ridiculed by Chinese media because she is a woman. Not only that, but because she is a single woman. Apparently, her lack of a relationship affects her ability to govern Taiwan as well. Some have said that Tsai is too emotional and doesn't make harsh decisions, because she is just a delicate woman. They tell her that she isn't fit to be president, because of her gender. Not only that, but because she is single, Tsai may not be mentally capable of making long term decisions. I guess because, if she's not committed to a man, how can she be committed to a country? Simply because of her gender and relationship status, Tsai has been abused by certain media outlets in China, such as newspaper articles.

I think this is totally outrageous! Obviously, the hatred Tsai is getting is uncalled for. Women should be moving up in power, but they are still getting held down by the judgmental media. Similar to Miss Representation, this shows the awful side of media that really gets people upset. The illogical statements of these newspapers are surprising. Seriously, why does being single have to do with one's ability to be a leader? Also, the women's rights struggle has always been apparent, but now I see that the United States isn't the only country that's still harassing women. I don't think that's a reason to be relieved, though. If anything, this week is a reminder that something still has to be done about the inequality of men and women. And now, I know that this inequality reaches the rest of the world as well.

Miss Representation

The documentary we're currently watching in zero period is very interesting. Although we still have some parts left to watch, I have formed some opinions about it. The documentary is titled Miss Representation, and it deals with the stereotypical treatment of women and teenage girls within the media. I agree completely with this documentary. Women are definitely subjects of criticism and exploiting, especially on devices such as television and social media. There three things we had to keep track of when watching this film. They were: things we were surprised by, things that confused us, and things that we already assumed.

There weren't too many things that totally surprised me, but I did write down a ton of statistics that were simply awful. These stats included astounding numbers. Only around 17% of Congress in the United States is made up of women. This is crazy to me! Women make up half the population, but have very little say in politics within the United States. There is also harsh judgement on the women who try to take leadership roles in American politics, but most are on the appearance of the women! This is just shameful of the United States. It seems like the media (at times) is just one big, uneducated child.

Next, there were many disturbing facts that made me question society as a whole. Some statements within the documentary confused me, because I don't understand the logic behind them. It was stated that a huge chunk of the people who oppose women are women! How can this be? And for what reason? If anything, women should be banding together to get equality, not putting each other down for not conforming to the corruption social norms. This disappoints me, because it seems that feminists are completely against the world.

Lastly, there were many facts that I already knew. One main idea was that women are pressured into looking a certain way, because they see actresses and models that have had plastic surgery and/or photoshop done before they are presented to the regular people of the world. Almost everyone knows this to be true, but they still feel awful about their appearance. I don't think this desire to be absolutely perfect will go away. I guess that now that women and men have seen such beauty, they now have  unrealistic expectations for what people should look like.

So, this documentary has showed me that the gender gap will not be mended anytime soon. However, there has definitely been progress. And although media can bring people together, it appears that media has a dark side. This documentary is very eye-opening, and I hope that people take it seriously.

Ain't Nothin But a Heartache

This may be kinda weird, but I've been listening to NSYNC and Backstreet Boys all day. I would say that these two boy bands are slightly dated, but that doesn't take away from how good they are. Both of these boy bands are amazing, and definitely have more than iconic song. Anyone who mentions One Direction with these two will forever lose my respect. NSYNC and Backstreet Boys are on a whole other level.

NSYNC has so many good songs, but I personally like the No Strings Attached album the best. This album is from 2000, so I grew up with these songs. I'm sure everyone knows Bye Bye Bye, which is an empowering song that involves a boy getting out of a toxic relationship because he needs to do what's best for himself. I also love It's Gonna Be Me, because it involves a desire for love. Lastly, one of my favorites is It Makes Me Ill. It's a song that pours confidence, but also has a story of a breakup where the boy wants the girl back. These are typical love songs, but Justin Timberlake really gave the emotion and talent that made NSYNC stand out.

Backstreet Boys may not have had a main singer who became as huge as Justin Timberlake, but I still love a lot of songs from several of their albums. Again, I'm sure everyone know the famous I Want It That Way from 1999, which is a soulful song that is about a love story that is hard to keep together. I also like Everybody (aka Backstreet's Back) from earlier on. This song is positive and gets people pumped, and it wants to make sure everyone knows how good the Backstreet Boys are. Backstreet Boys have more of a variety, and I can't just pick one album.

These bands are definitely different from the songs I listen to now, but it's fun to revisit the music I used to listen to. Although I'm not going to listen to these boys on the daily, that doesn't mean that I will stop loving their music. These songs bring back good memories, and it's refreshing from all the rap songs (which are also great, though). I couldn't pick which band I like better, so don't ask me. Hopefully people feel the same way about these boy bands, because they always make me smile. 

Billboards

Traveling back from San Francisco, I saw a ton of billboards. I usually don't see many billboards in Sacramento; only on the interstate. But, San Francisco had billboards popping up in the middle of the city. It was interesting to me, because I always forget that billboards are used for serious advertisements. I don't pay too much attention to them, but they were pretty hard to miss in the middle of a big city like San Francisco.

I saw a billboard just like this one. Obviously, billboards can't have too much information on them. This is because billboards are meant for driving past, and people can't get distracted by a bunch of text. Now, this billboard has only a few words, and is basically the logo for Coca-Cola. It's easy to identify the product because of the specific red and white colors, along with the cursive-looking letters. Not to mention, this billboard was pretty big.
I
t caught my attention for several reasons. One reason was that Coca-Cola is a well-known brand, so I instantly realize what was being advertised. Also, I enjoy Coca-Cola (not as much as Pepsi, though) and I think this included a need for aesthetic sensations. The colors are bright and pop against the sky behind it, and red is a color that grabs attention. This billboard is pretty and put together, and all it makes you think about is Coca-Cola.

I also saw this billboard, which is just a Yahoo logo. The colors are similar with the white lettering, although I think the red pops more than purple. This uses a simple style that is nice to lookout, and is also a well-known company. These two billboards are very similar, and don't have too much to them.This isn't a bad thing, however. Because Coca-Cola and Yahoo are huge companies, I don't think that it's necessary to throw out a bunch of information about their purpose. I would assume that most people know about these companies, especially in San Francisco. Theses billboards might just be there to remind people about Yahoo and Coca-Cola. I guess it must've worked, because somehow these billboards stuck in my mind. 

Another Ad Rant

The past few weeks in class, all we've been talking about is advertisements. The results of this topic is that I'm noticing ads around me a lot more. But, I think this makes me more annoyed at many ads. As I've said before, most commercials have no positive effect on me. This is no different. This time, I'm talking about the commercials that are now involved with Youtube.

Youtube is a form of social media that revolves around videos. People create accounts and start channels--I'm sure everyone knows about it. However, the most recent additions to this site are the ads that play before and during videos. I didn't have much of a problem with these commercials at first; obviously Youtube needs these to make more money. But eventually they got worse.

First, the ads before the videos can really make me angry. I would be fine with them, but they can get lengthy. I don't need a thirty-second ad to watch a two-minute video. Sometimes the ads even push to a minute long (but sometimes they give you the option to skip them). Not only that, but there is no variety in the ads. I've seen one for shampoo and one for cable, and that's about it. They don't really get me excited to watch the video that I wanted to watch.

Next, the commercials the appear in the middle of long videos aren't any better. These ads only use one technique that gets my attention: sound. I'll be calmly watching my video, when suddenly the video doubles in volume, and there are unfamiliar people practically shouting into my headphones. This scares me all the time; I've never gotten used to it. Other than the sound, there's no real technique within these ads that are worth noting.

I used to love Youtube, because they had no ads that disrupted my viewing experience. But now, it seems that even Youtube has surrendered to the annoying commercials that nobody really wants to see. At least we don't have to pay for the original Youtube (yet).

The Radio

I love media and all the different forms of it. I've mentioned television and internet, which I use all the time. But, there's one thing I use that can really get me upset: the radio. I mostly use the radio in the car, when I'm going to or from school. I can really love it at times, or I'll just shut it off and sit in silence. There are a few reasons why the radio is not my favorite form of media: advertisements, songs, and power.

First off is an ongoing theme on my blog: advertisements. Radios are infamous for the technique of repetition, because the ads are all based on listening. In order to get a product stuck in our memory, I guess we need a constant reminder of what the product is. This is probably the only technique being used, besides the tone of the voices and the music. However, without no visual accomplice, the ads don't exactly give me an emotional effect. Not only that, but these ads seem to go on forever! It may just be because that's what all my focus is on, but I feel like there's five ads to every single song that I come across. These ads are least impacting on me out of all media, and they annoy me the most.

Next are the songs, which can also be a nuisance. When I turn on the radio, I expect to be blasted with a variety of different songs that both remind me how good music is, and introduce me to new artists that are waiting to be discovered. This is not the case. I'll go through ten channels, and half of them are playing the same song. And, they have been playing that song for months. There is usually no variety of songs, which is disappointing. Again, this is more annoying than entertaining, and it only makes me sick of the five songs that play on repeat. 

Lastly, the power struggle that the radio creates is very stressful. The radio is a form of media that can be easily controlled; there's always a place to turn it off or change it completely. So, being the youngest child of two siblings, the chance to control the radio can be a battle. I want to listen to rap, my sister wants to listen to NPR, and my brother doesn't listen to the radio. If we ever reach that unfortunate situation where we're all in the car together, it seems that the radio will do more harm than good. 

The radio can be good at times, but it definitely has downsides. I'll still listen to it often, however. Mostly when I have nothing better to do, or if my phone is out of charge. 

I'm Hungry

 I was working on my presentation for Monday, researching advertisements for my company, McDonald's. As I was searching through all the pictures of burgers and happy meals, I noticed that other fast food ads were included in the Google suggestions. I looked through some of these just for comparison, and I realized that they all do one thing very well: they make me want a giant cheeseburger. These bright images of amazingly unhealthy food only intrigues me. I found myself not caring that this burger has ingredients I don't even know of, or that too many will give me some dietary disease. This greasy, artificially-flavored meal is all that I want.

This, I would assume, is the perfect example of physiological needs, one of the ad techniques we've learned about. Looking at too many of these ads makes my stomach growl, and I would love nothing more than to have this fast food in my hands. It may sound overdramatic, but when people are hungry, they will take what is presented to them. And these artery-clogging burgers have a flawless presentation. By showing me what I think I need at this very moment, these ads have no problem getting my attention and desire for a meal ASAP. These fast-food ads know what they're doing, there goal is to make people come to their "restaurant" and give the company money. This is the exact goal that is taking affect on me. Although I don't like to admit it, but I am very tempted by fast food. I know that it's bad for me, but the enhanced images always look really good. Obviously these pictures have photoshop, and the food doesn't come close to looking like the pictures. So, even though the ads are tempting and play to my need for delicious food, I don't go to Burger King, McDonald's, or Wendy's often. Actually, I haven't been to those places in years. Their ads only work on me for a second; I think about burgers, and never actually bring myself to go.

The only place I go to get fast food is In-N-Out, and I never see ads for them! That's a good thing, in my opinion. In-N-Out doesn't need to advertise as much as the other places, because people know how good it is. There's always a line out the door for In-N-Out, so people definitely know about it. In-N-Out doesn't need to get people's attention, because one taste of their products is enough. Because they're food is actually amazing, they don't need to trick people into coming into their "restaurant" because of ads that aren't true.

Lil Wayne

I don't watch much television. But when I do, I'm always bombarded with ads every ten to twenty minutes. And, when I didn't record the show, I cannot fast forward. This leaves me to sit through a bunch of short commercials for things I didn't need (and didn't exactly ask for). However, there are some commercials that have stuck with me; ones I have actually enjoyed watching. There aren't many, but I have picked one that always pops into my mind.

This commercial is relatively new. It shows Lil Wayne, the rapper, sitting in a living room with some friends. He pours champagne on his phone, dunks his phone into a fish tank, and pours more champagne on it. His friend gets jealous, because his phone would break if he did that. Then, Lil Wayne hands him a phone just like his, and they both pour champagne on them together. Can you guess what this ad is about? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5aF23XpBwU

Yes, this commercial is about a water resistant phone, which apparently can also resist champagne. I'm very entertained by this ad, because Lil Wayne is in it! This shows the advertising technique of Testimonial, because it depicts a celebrity approving a product. The product being approved is the Samsung Galaxy S7, which I don't really care about. All I was focusing on was Lil Wayne, because I've heard some of his songs and have a positive association with them. That was probably the whole point of the ad, though. Samsung must've wanted people to recognize Lil Wayne first, then pay attention to the commercial about the phone. It got the point across; I could easily tell that the phone was being advertised because of it's water resistance. I would also assume that this commercial is directed to a teenage audience, because most teens take great interest in music and phones. Plus, I don't think many older or younger customers are listening to Lil Wayne. By using Lil Wayne, I remembered what the product was, and have a fun association with the Samsung Galaxy S7. I won't buy one, because I love my iPhone, but at least I didn't totally ignore the product.

There has been another commercial just like this. It still has Lil Wayne and the Samsung Galaxy S7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHCgG7e-rC8
These two commercials just make me laugh, and I think that they were relatively affective in getting my interest. Even though they don't convince me to buy the phone, these commercials really stand out in my mind. Samsung did a good job, but I still think that Apple is superior.

Product Placement

Today, for Mothers' Day, my mom decided to gather the family and watch Jurassic World (don't ask me why, because I truly don't know). As I was watching, I saw one of the main characters turn to the side, revealing the Beats logo on his headphones.

Obviously, this is an intentionally scene in the movie that makes us think about how great Beats are; it's like a subtle advertisement. However, I don't know how effective this ad is. It mostly made me confused about why we care about headphones in a movie where everyone is getting murdered by giant dinosaurs. I personally thought it was silly, but it did get my attention. As long as it got a reaction out of me, I'm sure that the company who makes the Beats are content. This one scene isn't the only attempt of product placement, however. The biggest one has to be the Mercedes advertisements. They're everywhere!

Whether the cars are in the background or right in your face, the Mercedes logo is always facing the camera. Every single car in this movie--and there's a good amount of cars--have some kind of Mercedes logo. This is probably to establish a good relationship/ feeling between the movie and the car, but I'm not sure which one helps the other. One side could be displaying a cool and intense movie, equaling a cool and interesting car. Or, it could be the other way around: an expensive, desired car must mean that this movie is high-end and knows what it's doing. Either way, the combination of dinosaurs and fast cars are bound to get an excited reaction from the audience. 

This may be a creative way of advertising, and this product placement must've helped pay for such a complicated amount of effects in the movie. However, this type of advertising has a negative impact on my experience with the movie. Whenever I saw some sort of logo or feel-known product within the movie, I lost my connection to the plot and emotion that should've been affecting me. Instead of getting immersed in the deaths and fear-factor of the film, I just found myself commenting on the product placement. That may be what those companies want, but it's not what I was expecting. I wanted more dinosaurs, and less products that barely anyone can afford. 

Dance Moms

 Before I begin my explanation, let me explain this show that I'm in love with. There's a show, called Dance moms, which has been going strong for five seasons. It's about pre-tee and teen dancers, who have a very strict and crazy teacher. The moms of these dancers are even crazier, and the show focuses on the activities that occur between the outrageous parents. One of my favorite television shows is Dance Moms. It's a reality TV show, and those are some of my favorite shows.
   
 Reality TV makes me feel better about my life. All the exaggerated situations about "everyday life" makes reality TV interesting to watch, because at least my life isn't that crazy or weird. Dance Moms is my favorite, simply because the drama between little dancing toddlers make me laugh. Reality television is almost an escape from the "real" reality of my life. That's why I love Dance Moms; all the fighting and dancing distracts me from the things I have to do when I finish watching.

New Albums

A few days ago, two new albums came out from two famous artists. One was Views, by Drake. Another was Lemonade, by Beyoncé. Beyoncé's album was available exclusively on Tidal, which is an app that requires a paid subscription (and which Jay Z, her husband, partners with). Many people, including me, were very upset. Tidal isn't much different from iTunes, so why did everyone have to get another platform to listen to her music? I don't think that she needs the extra money; she seems to be living a pretty good life. All the fans and I wanted to do was listen to her album easily. But then, there was a riot over social media, and it was decided that now Lemonade will be on iTunes. This just goes to show that people can get crazy over their music, and that social media is a very powerful tool.
     
As for Drakes new album, I haven't had any problems getting it. I've enjoyed his music in the past, and this is no different. Currently, I like his album better only because I wasn't pressured to pay a good chunk of money for an app that I don't want. Both albums are good, but it came down to convenience. Drake won this round.

My Experience with Media

1

Media is a huge part of my life. It's the main activity I do on my phone. Nothing too exciting has happened, but many social media platforms  help me keep in touch with friends and family. It also allows me to meet new people, as well. Not only that, but media is my main source of insight on current events happening in the world right now, such as the presidential debates. My experience with media has been overall positive.

As I mentioned, media is usually positive for me. However, the one thing I dislike about media are the advertisements. They just require more effort to get past, and I never find them appealing. I have learned that most products aren't as nice as they seem, and most aren't worth buying. Advertisements only annoy me, and they definitely don't make me drop what I'm doing and go buy their product. Ads are just one thing that make media less than perfect. 

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