MEDIA'S POISON

Media tends to inject certain viewpoints about different areas of society... to society. It has a great influence on shaping people's viewpoints on things such as gender, race, and religion. Yet personally for me, stereotypes on gender especially on the viewpoints of a "perfect" woman or girl both physical and mental have become a poison to young girls and teenagers in our society today.

PERFECTION is unfathomable when it comes to humans. No one can reach the high level of perfection, especially with the standards of what "perfection" is to our society.  Beauty, charm, these seem to be the ingredients of this concoction which is driven by media. Girls and women have been placed before them a scale in which has different levels of what makes a girl appealing or "perfect" - thin waist, a pretty face, and an attitude about them that is all that. On another spectrum in the views of society on women, there is a degrading view which perceives women to be weak and an object of possession. As hard as it is to say, there is so much pressure and stereotypical views towards women and girls that they fight to survive in a society that is trying to shape them to what it wants them to be.

Here's an example,

The company Unilever owns big names like Dove and Axe which sell hygienic products for women and men, but wait- Dove and Axe present different viewpoints on the genders which lead to the accusation of hypocrisy on their part. On Dove's side, advertisements are targeted towards women and girls in a positive way as they convey the message of the individuality of every girl. Yet Axe does the exact opposite as they use women as a sexualized object for men, degrading them and presenting them as desperate women who run to any guy who wears their products. With these two branches of Unilever presenting two very different views on women and girls, the definition of the word "girl" has become so mixed by media that it has become an obstacle for girls to let their individuality and uniqueness shine through, which makes them truly beautiful.

Here's the problem: SOCIETY HAS CREATED A MOLD FOR GIRLS AND WOMEN WHICH THEY CANNOT FULLY FILL. SO WHAT DEFINES A BEAUTIFUL GIRL?!

As a young generation within society, it's very critical of how we process the information that media gives or even shoves in our face, and how we respond to it. Teenagers are a huge demographic that media targets, but we have control over how we deal with the information we get from media, and how we present or shape ourselves because of it. A person's individuality is their greatest weapon against society, but if we let the poison seep into our brain, we will lose our walls of defense against a branded world and become a "Plastic" (Mean Girls connection). I think we have to think about the messages that media shows us, and really ask ourselves, "Is this how I want to be presented?"

Overall, media has its pros and cons, but as far as stereotypes go, it is not something I want to let myself sink into.

WITH GREAT POWER- COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILITY

WITH GREAT POWER- COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILITY.


Media holds great power to influence society, sometimes they can over -expose news or do things that end in a great controversy which becomes even BIGGER news. Either way, all media has the responsibility to their content and must be careful of what they expose or say to the world.

A great example of this is found with American Apparel.

On October 29- 30, Hurricane Sandy hit the mid- Atlantic and Northeast U.S in a "Frankenstorm" with affected millions of people. Yet one company didn't seem to be bothered by it, in fact they found it as a marketing opportunity.... yep, American Apparel.

With their "trendy" clothes waiting to be sold, American Apparel posted an ad called the "Sandy Sale" saying, "In case you're bored during the storm, get 20% off everything in the next 36 hours!"
I love sales on clothes, but this is not something I would splurge on. Even the states that this sale applied to were limited to Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Maryland.  After posting this ad on the internet, a great wave of angered tweets hit twitter as they criticized American Apparel's in-sensitive marketing move.

If we could turn back time, what could American Apparel do differently? How about donating funds for aid and needs for the people affected, or yeah you can hold a sale on clothes AFTER the storm and use the proceeds to support families who were affected. But wait! There's more! Why not donate some "trendy clothes" to people who were affected by the storm and barely have clothes to spare?
There are so many ways that American Apparel could have been patriotic to their country by helping out, but I guess money can make the biggest companies blind.
For those who did splurge on the sale.... I guess the gratification you get is saving some money in your pocket and supporting American Apparel's "sweat shop free" clothing.

THE POWER OF MEDIA

THE POWER OF MEDIA:

Media holds a great power to share information about world news- and people have the power to take action. We tend to forget how fortunate we are in living a life full of providence- while others live without it...

If I was given a chance to give $1000 to donate towards world relief, to be honest if I had $1000 in the first place I would most likely not give that much away. I would become selfish, as many people would probably be, and I would use it for university or even buying a new phone. Yet for me to give it away, I would have to think within myself of the people who need it more than I do. With some research I found an organization that provides a life full of providence, leadership training, and medical care to people around the world- it's called Compassion.

Compassion is an organization based in Canada that helps support families in 26 countries around the world and provide them with financial care, health care, leadership training, and spreading the love of God through their work. They are a Christian organization, but don't get me wrong, they aren't exclusive in who they help just because of the organization's beliefs in Christianity. They help numerous people with a wide range of beliefs as well!

Supporting countries in Africa, Asia, Central America and the Caribbean, and South America along with 26 nations, Compassion has 4 programs which people can participate in to fight not only world hunger, but spread love across the globe through their giving.

The 4 programs Compassion has are:

- THE CHILD SURVIVAL PROGRAM: This program rescues moms and babies from poverty and provides food for malnourished children and helps support mothers who can't fully care for their children. Compassion staff members also monitor the health of the children and expectant mothers and also provides education to infants to improve their intellectual potential.

- CHILD SPONSORSHIP: This program provides opportunities to go to school, regular health check- ups, and supplemental food for children who don't have any. They also learn life skills like proper hygiene and how to form friendships and share kindness with others.

-LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM: This program involves working in local churches, and providing education and training to future leaders (whether male or female) living in poverty to lead their communities and their church as well. With academic scholarships (each student receives the cover of tuition, textbooks, rooms and other expenses to pursue an undergraduate degree from a university in their country), leadership training (participation in retreats, camps and seminars that equip them to be confident leaders), training from a mentor, and healthcare, this programs gives all the tools and health care needed to equip leaders living in poverty to become a light in their community.

- RESPONSE: Through the giving of sponsors from around the world, Compassion provides clean water (through wells and water filters, access to sanitation, and training on hygiene), skills training (through education for both adults and children), and urgent needs (disaster relief, major medical support, and building structures such as a classroom).

Through these four programs, Compassion has:

 -raised $48,924,837 in child sponsorships

-have completed:

 -3,382,421 response programs

 -964,400 leadership development programs

 -1,288,702 child survival programs

These were all completed in 2013!

Compassion has not only helped with the survival of many people surrounded by poverty around the world, but has also filled them and showed them the love of God through their work.

For someone like me in a first world country to give $1000 dollars to them, it would be hard at first, yet learning about Compassion's amazing program and the message they live by everyday when serving different countries, money is nothing compared to the gratification I would feel and the joy I would feel that the money would be used in an integral way.

Therefore, I think it's a lesson for many people to realize that money doesn't last, as do material objects, yet love and kindness last forever- so why not share it :)

for more info about Compassion, go to https://www.compassion.ca/

THE PRINCIPLES OF MEDIA

Media arts have long extensions which reach to many mediums and concepts that are used. The words Media Art can be broad, yet they are broken down into 4 categories which differentiate its many components.

1) INTERACTIVITY: This involves the participation of the viewer with the art work. It can use your 5 senses to connect with the art work, for example, 4-D movies allow people to experience physical synchronization with the movie by sitting in a mobile chair that moves in certain scenes- like being rocked around during an action scene or being shot into space. Another example can be found on the internet through interactive music videos. The website www.thewildernessdowntown.com is an example of interactive media art as it allows the viewer to insert their home address and uses Google maps to take them through their home area throughout the music video. The concept? Finding a place called home which can relate to all viewers. Check it out!

http://www.thewildernessdowntown.com/

2) DURATION: Taking control of time. Duration is all about the manipulation of time through an art piece; this allows artists to control something that can never really be controlled. Time lapses are a great example of this. In a video called The Longest Way, a guy named Christoph Rehage travels from Beijing to Urumqi in China for over a year... on foot. Through this time lapse, he not only shows the duration of his journey though China, but also the growth of his facial hair. A fun video that involves creativity and many adventures, Christoph takes time lapses to somewhat of a comedic level and also impacts viewers to appreciate the hard work that has gone into this art form and his journey as well.

3)HYBRIDIZATION:  Just like mixing different ingredients to make great food, Hybridization in Media Art consist of the mixing or fusion of genres, styles, concepts, materials, media, and forms to create "hybrid" forms of art. In these photos, photoshop becomes the kitchen in which an artist fuses different animals together to become one weird yet hilarious form of creature in the animal kingdom :)

4) POINT OF VIEW: Point of view can be separated into 2 areas, conceptual and physical. Conceptual point of views can be internal, external, subjective, objective, cultural, political, or social in viewpoints. Physical point of views include bird's eye, worm's eye, eye level, 360 degree, internal, macro, micro, or telescopic. Vloggers are great examples of Point of View media as they interact with their viewers through their videos and take them on a journey through their eyes. Ben Brown, a British youtuber and vlogger takes his viewers with him everyday on the adventures he has around the world. In this video, Ben and his friend Steve Booker travel to Vancouver, Canada to do every exciting activity there is to do.  Here, Ben and Steve go white water rafting and enjoy nature's beauty. 

WELL there you go folks! The principles of Media Art in a nutshell. Media Art is an area open to creativity which makes it so wide ranged, yet awesome possum at the same time ;)

The Meaning of Media

THE MEANING OF MEDIA

Media is a broad spectrum of different mediums and technology to produce works of creativity which evolves and impacts society everyday. From a 30 second commercial, to a documentary of poverty, media has evolved into a wide range of components which are always IN OUR FACE. Don't get me wrong, media is not all bad, in fact it has become a lifeline which connects people to others around the world :) Yet with every pro, there can be a con...

            Media is everywhere. I encounter it everyday with the normal facebook, instagram, music, television, and the annoying commercial you hear on the radio. I find media to be outlets for myself as an artist to not only soak up inspiration for art, but also to showcase my art as well. Yet sometimes I neglect to see how much time I overuse on media and realize what else the world has to offer right outside my door. For people who view media rather than produce it, we sometimes confine ourselves in a room to view the world- instead of actually going outside to experience it.

Media is a multi-tasker. It advertises for companies, showcases works of art, becomes art, and is a voice for the voiceless. 

Media has inspired me to create change in the world such as pursuing opportunities in leadership and has helped me grow as an artist. It has given me eyes in the world and its wonders, and also eyes to the weary and helpless. 

It's hard to explain the feeling I have about media I guess. It's great in many ways, but it is also taken for granted sometimes. Never the less, media will keep evolving, and changing the world. We get to choose what to do with it, the possibilities are endless :)

Just a slice of mind pie....