Blog #5: No Way!

Do I think I can live there? Absolutley not! I would not be able to give up technology, not be able to be around anyone or have no toilet or plumbing for a whole year. I may sound like I am very into technology and to an extent I am. I could live without it though, maybe not for a year, but I could not be alone for a year with no face to face interaction. I am the kind of person who loves to be around people, even if we are just sitting there not saying anything. Don't get me wrong I do love to have alone time every now and then, but no way could I do it for an entire year. I would be bored out of my mind and wouldn't even know what to do with myself. I do believe it is possible with other people though because some people are content with just being left alone.
I kind of do agree a tiny bit with Baurlein about how we are so focused on technology and would not really be able to survive without it, but just because we are into it doesn't make it our whole life. Technology is something we were introduced to when we were young and just adapted to it very quickly. Is it really our fault that we are so wrapped up in it? If today's society wasn't so into it, i'm sure a lot more people could care less about it.

Blog #4: Dumbest Generation?

Bauerlein's book, "The Dumbet Generation" I believe is completely stereotypical. I know so many very intelligent people around my age and some that are not so bright from the generation before. I'm not saying anyone is dumb or not intelligent, but this generation knows many things the generations before does not know and vice versa. Just because some people don't know the answers to questions right away, for example in the clip "jaywalking" does not mean they are dumb. I saw a few people that were clearly over the age of 30 and did not know the answers. Some people need time to think about things, where others can just think of something right off the top of their head, but whose to say those people are dumb?
I like how we were given the quiz in class as a deminstration and i know some people including myself did not feel to confident about the second part, but it does not mean that if you didn't know the answers you are "dumb". After we were told what the answers were, many people realized they in fact knew the answers, but couldn't think of them at the moment. Bauerlein said, "This generation is lazy and trys to find the easy way out" he acts like there was no lazy people in the generation before. Yes, i do agree with him on one thing that our lives or as he says our bedrooms are a "media center", but that is what we are use to. I know many people who are very wrapped up in the media and technology and many others who are not. I believe it is just because we grew up around the media and adapted to it so quick that we are just use to living our life around it.

Blog #3

I believe that indentities we have "virtually" do have a significant meaning for some people. Some people allow themselves to get so wrapped up in the virtual world they forget about their lives and whats really important in the real world. Many of the gamers feel like they can be a completely different person in the virtual world and no one will judge them. They look good, have friends and can be something that they can never be in real life. For example people in the film actually formed relationships out of playing the game. Someone who fell in love with their personality, looks and charm in the virtual world without even truely knowing who they are. I personally feel like that is just plain creepy, but for some people gaming is their life and shows their true personality. The media puts in our head what they think we should look and act like, not who we really are. Although some of these people do have an addiction, they also have the choice to stop and change it.
Lasn believes that our emotions have become emtoicans. I'm not sure if i completely agree because you can feel a certain way but an emoticon can be seen in a different way in someone else's eyes. But also if you didn't feel a certain way why would you put the "emoticon" in someone's head that you are for example sad. I think it really depends on how into the virtaul world and the media someone really is. I just hope our economy starts to realize how the media is really effecting people's lives and people don't let it take over completely.

Blog #2

Everytime you turn on the tv you are irritated with commercials, but somehow they seem to catch your eye. Media has really began to effect our economy, it's everywhere we go including: billboards, magazines and newspapers. These are in every aspect of our lives and it continues to influence how we think. People's opinions is what really matters of what "popular" is in todays society. Everybodys always looking for the new next thing. Diversity seems to be rare today in this world, "we've gone from living in a natural world to living in a manufactured one." Living in the postmodern world has changed the outlook on life. We are suppose to be a civilized country, but everything seems homosized now a days and there are no individualized personalities.
An sample of "It's gotta be the cheese" it states that we are wrapped in plastic, meaning we are "wrapped" together in a "plastic" or in other words fake society. Also in Culture Jam, in the ecology of the mind section it states we are annoyingly self-aborbed hypocrites, because we say we want to be different and individual but in reality we are all the same. Have you ever stopped and wondered what this world would be like if popularity never existed? If the economy wasn't in control, what would influence our opinions? We no longer think for ourselves, the media thinks for us. The environment we're surrounded by mentally effects us. The economy proves to show health effects for poor people can only afford the dollar menu verses health vegtables at weis. These meassages we are being sent are absurd and citizens should take a stand for we are suppose to be treated equal right? but now we strive to simply fit in with eveyone else.