Fratbooking

         

       
           http://youtu.be/tUOAVbYJIB4

          The goal of my project was to show how Facebook influenced fraternities decisions on potential members. I wanted to find out if a person's Facebook was a reason to not give them a bid. I ended up finding out that there's actually have been some cases where active members of a fraternity decided not to give someone a bid based on what was shown on their Facebook. They look for inappropriate pictures displayed, cursing in status updates, and his overall character online. I was actually surprised to find that someone's social identity could influence someone's judgement of them so immensely.

          If I had another month I would definitely go out and film some of the process of spring rush to show exactly what happens. I would have liked to have shown what actually happens during formal rush. For example, I could have shown some of the conversations that happen, as well as the selection process and what the actives specifically look for. I could have also shown some footage of how Facebook goes into planning our philanthropy events. We are planning one now to involve a kickball tournament, so I would have like to have filmed the event and put some footage of it in my documentary. I should have interviewed some sororities to ask them what kind of things they look for when teaming up with a fraternity to do social and service based events. From a technical side, the editing was very difficult and if I had more time I could have refined it a little more to make it flawless. There are some awkward pauses and parts where the audio is too soft. Also, I should have taken my lighting into better consideration. The interviews ended up being very dark, so I went with a black and white theme. It would have looked better in color. The only other thing I wish I could have done better was making more of the film footage based instead of just a bunch of interviewing. There's too much of just people talking, and not a lot of action. I feel like if I had another month, I could have added some quality footage to make the film much more exciting.

         Overall I am pleased at what my film came out to look like. Obviously some changes could have been made, but I like the finished project. I think it gives very good insight to what fraternities use Facebook for. I started out not knowing exactly what I wanted to do besides something involving my fraternity. After interviewing a lot of members, I decided that it  would be interesting to see how they judged my pledge class based off of our Facebook's. I also observed that Facebook was an excellent tool in helping us interact with different Greek communities, so I touched on that aspect as well. I hope my video displayed some aspects of Facebook that some people did not know, and will take other's opinions into consideration before uploading questionable photos.

Shooting Script Plan

I will be doing my documentary on how Facebook aids communication throughout a fraternity. I want to demonstrate how different our events and plans would be as a whole would be if we did not have Facebook to organize it. We have a Facebook page that gets probably fifty posts a day from both new members and active members simply posting events they’ve heard of, and basically getting word out that we should attend it.

                What got me wondering about Facebook’s influence on fraternity life was talking to my dad about the events they would put on when he was a Sigma Chi at Louisville. They actually had to advertise in person and use phones! Crazy right? I want to explore the positive impact that Facebook has had in this era.

                I plan on doing this by interviewing my dad and other alumnus of my fraternity who weren’t as fortunate to have the accessibility of Facebook. I want to know how they planned events and let people know about them. I also want to know what they think would have happened differently had they had Facebook.

                Along with that, I plan of interviewing active members, more importantly the executive council to see how they use Facebook to promote our philanthropy and other events such as, alumni/parent tailgates, social gatherings, and service projects. Being a pledge, I realize that Facebook is going to be crucial in developing the fraternity into something better than it is now.

Project Proposal

           My topic is how Facebook connects my fraternity to one another. I want to investigate why Facebook is so crucial in accomplishing goals that deal with the philanthropic and social aspects of our fraternity. I feel like without our Facebook page, it would be very difficult to spread ideas quickly, which is why I want to truly investigate it whether it is actually a necessity.

           I plan on interviewing other members, specifically the Elite Council members because they have been the most involved in important activities. I plan on filming specific events which have been planned over Facebook. Events such as, social gatherings, philanthropy events, and service projects. These shots will be informative and show a different aspect to fraternity life than most people are used to. I will also use snapshots of our Facebook page to show what all we discuss on it.

           As far as style, I will be shooting in color with a pretty upbeat attitude throughout the entire film. I’m not positive on the specific songs I will be using, but it will definitely be country. I want to interview people either in the KA house or where they live. I could also film our evening library studies or interview people in the library as well. I think I’m going to be filming our Habitat for Humanity service project coming up, or wherever the opportunity arises over the next few weeks.

           The people I want to watch this documentary are students that are interested in Greek life because it is going to give good insight to what a fraternity is really like. There is so much more to being in a fraternity than people think and I would like to change that stereotype. Basically I am targeting all incoming freshmen that feel like a fraternity is just a bunch of guys who get drunk together. I want them to change their opinion after seeing how much more to a fraternity there is than what they think.

           Overall I want this film to be very informative on what a fraternity is really like. I want to change people’s opinions. Along with that, I want it to have an upbeat feel to it. I don’t want it to be too serious, but at the same time I want it to be something that will make you think about what you previously thought. I plan on doing this through solid interviews and a good flow to the entire documentary.

Project Proposal

          My topic is how Facebook connects my fraternity to one another. I want to investigate why Facebook is so crucial in accomplishing goals that deal with the philanthropic and social aspects of our fraternity. I feel like without our Facebook page, it would be very difficult to spread ideas quickly, which is why I want to truly investigate it whether it is actually a necessity.

           I plan on interviewing other members, specifically the Elite Council members because they have been the most involved in important activities. I plan on filming specific events which have been planned over Facebook. Events such as, social gatherings, philanthropy events, and service projects. These shots will be informative and show a different aspect to fraternity life than most people are used to. I will also use snapshots of our Facebook page to show what all we discuss on it.

           As far as style, I will be shooting in color with a pretty upbeat attitude throughout the entire film. I’m not positive on the specific songs I will be using, but it will definitely be country. I want to interview people either in the KA house or where they live. I could also film our evening library studies or interview people in the library as well. I think I’m going to be filming our Habitat for Humanity service project coming up, or wherever the opportunity arises over the next few weeks.

           The people I want to watch this documentary are students that are interested in Greek life because it is going to give good insight to what a fraternity is really like. There is so much more to being in a fraternity than people think and I would like to change that stereotype. Basically I am targeting all incoming freshmen that feel like a fraternity is just a bunch of guys who get drunk together. I want them to change their opinion after seeing how much more to a fraternity there is than what they think.

           Overall I want this film to be very informative on what a fraternity is really like. I want to change people’s opinions. Along with that, I want it to have an upbeat feel to it. I don’t want it to be too serious, but at the same time I want it to be something that will make you think about what you previously thought. I plan on doing this through solid interviews and a good flow to the entire documentary.

Dark Days

          I was awed at how my opinion of homeless people changed after watching this film. Before, I had sort of felt bad for people in their situation, but this actually made me realize that a lot of their living situations were their own decisions. The people that live down in that subway are very proud of the situation they have made out of relatively nothing. Obviously each person represented in this film has reasons for ending up where they have, but the ending provides hope for the character. One says the he will “never ever ever ever never ever go homeless again. Being homeless was a nightmare.” After moving into their apartment, their attitudes changed. One evident example was the woman cleaning her room and making her bed. These people care about themselves, they were just in too unfortunate of a situation to do anything about it. I commend this director on his ability to show the change in these people over the course of the movie.

           As far as the film was actually shot, I really enjoyed the black and white view. It worked especially well in the subway, because it didn’t really matter what everything looked like. The purpose of the filming was to make us familiar with the people that we don’t’ know much about. Yes, we were supposed to notice the terrible living conditions they stayed in, but the black and white camera view made us focus more on their words rather than their surroundings. It provided a more meaningful purpose to the film. The dark contrast also provided eerie moments in the subway. In many of the scenes, the darkness fades out the walls of trash that are placed behind the people who live down in the subway. Again I believe the filmmaker wanted us to notice how it didn’t seem to bother them as much as one would think. Of course they noticed and hated the trash, but they still carried forward as if it was almost in the darkness to them.

           I would have really liked for the filmmaker to have switched to color at some point during the filming. It would have been very effective had he switched to color once everyone had moved into their apartments. I feel like I could have become more attached and personal with the characters, had the last ten minutes or so been shown in color. Color adds a sort of personality to a person, so when the video is only shown in black and white it keeps a side of the viewer in the dark as well. I can see why the filmmaker would have wanted to do this, I just don’t agree with it. I wanted to get to know the characters on a deeper level that I believe only color could have done.

Essay Remix

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWUNXoNq1is&feature=plcp

Video Games are Art

          Aside from the video being very difficult to understand with her constant stuttering and rapid changing of topics, I agreed with her statements overall. I can see video games as a form of art, but not entirely in the way she described. When I think of art, I think of the great portraits made by Michelangelo and Da Vinci, or the beautiful cathedrals and buildings of old Europe. Art always begins with an idea or statement that the artist wants to be known, which relates to Santiago’s idea or art being a form of communication. All the ideas presented above required time, effort and ultimately had the same goal in mind: to display the artist’s ability and to awe the spectator. When art is described as this, I find it very easy to call a video game art.

A video game always starts with a storyline and a main objective. In other words, the game designer has an idea for the game and he or she wants the world to try and tackle his or her idea through an interactive form. It’s almost like attempting to “play” your way through the Sistine Chapel using a controller. When playing a video game, we are trying to play through what the designer wants us to accomplish. We have to think abstractedly in order to complete the levels of the game. This type of thinking is what we do when examining a piece of art.

The man hours it takes to produce a video game is simply mind numbing, as well as the talent it takes to bring the conceptual game to life. Any artist will agree that every great piece of art requires a vast amount of time to correct mistakes and perfect their work. With so much time spent into a creation, it’s almost an insult to not define video games as art.

 As far as the articles concerned me, I was that baffled Ebert was attempting to call something that he had never experienced firsthand a non-artistic form of expression. If he does not have the desire to even play one entire video game, I don’t see how he is qualified to criticize their creation. That would be like me telling you that the food you made for me was not up to my standards without even trying it. To me, he seems line an arrogant asshole that doesn’t appreciate our generation’s definition of art. He would rather sit on his pedestal and judge what we love as unacceptable art.  I have no respect for this man as he has no validity to be arguing this subject. All is not lost though, as his follow up article he for the most part went back on his earlier statements because of all the negative feedback he was receiving. At least he can accept other people’s views. Other than his ability to change his point of view, I still believe wholeheartedly that Roger Ebert is an absolute idiot that needs to spend his time criticizing he actually knows something about. Burn in hell Ebert along with your narcissism.

Song Choice

I chose the song Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley because it was played at my friends funeral and it's a very powerful song. I also chose The Circle of Life that is played in the Lion King because we are all apart of the experience of birth, life, and death. Even after our death out life is not over, so the circles continues.

Hallelujah

         When I think of a music video I tend to think about three or four minutes of flashy dancing and singing along with sexual movements and bright lights. I had never really thought about what a music video could actually mean until I watched “Hallelujah” by Jeff Buckley. It is one of the simplest videos I have ever seen. All it contains is a microphone a guitar and him, yet it is the most powerful music video I have seen to this day.  

          The video begins with a blank screen and it then fades into view showing Buckley playing his guitar with half his face covered in shadows. Throughout the entire video, the viewer never gets a clear look at Buckley’s face. This is made all the more powerful because he died of an unfortunate accident 15 years ago. It’s almost like he is this shadow that used to exist that lives on through his music. Deep stuff. Moving further into the video, Buckley begins to sing. He never looks at the camera or makes any notion that he is being filmed. He seems to be totally unaware that there is a camera watching him. The way in which he sings is almost as if something deeper inside of him is singing, not just him. His soothing voice says the words in an angelic way. The camera moves back and forth from his face to full body shots in rhythm with the music. This could resemble the different views that everyone has when looking deep into music. Everything can have multiple methods of interpretation, just as the camera showed. By far the most emotional part of the video is when it comes to its peak; the pace of the music builds and builds while the camera slowly gets closer and closer to his face. The music then stops and he belts out what I believe to be a trancelike note. What adds to the emotion even further is the cameras shot onto his teeth. They are crooked and imperfect, yet his voice is beautiful. The faded color of the video and the occasional missed guitar notes also correlate to the fact that we struggle every day. The symbolism here is magnificent as he is trying to display that there is so much more to someone than their outer appearance; we are all imperfect.

           This song was played after my friends funeral and to this day I still tear up every time I listen to it. After looking up the music video for this blog, I have realized the true power that this song holds. I respect Jeff Buckley immensely for the message he relayed by using this song. He was an artist that possessed a deeper talent than what outwardly appeared and more artists should take after his powerful example.

I Believe

            For me, high school was scary situation where all my best friends from grade school and I were moving forward into a whole new environment. I was intimidated by the new high school I was going to be attending, and weary of the changes in my life that would occur because of it. What worried me the most was losing the people I had called my friends since kindergarten. Just as I had expected, December of my freshmen year came around and I found myself hanging out with a crowd that I wasn’t proud to call my friends. Bad decision after bad decision led to me hating the new crowd I hung out with and missing the connection I had with my buddies from grade school. I came to the realization that if I didn’t straighten the road I was following my high school days were going to be filled with detentions and shameful conversations with mom and dad.

Over the summer heading into sophomore year, I continued searching for something to happen that would help change the way I was living my daily life. Little did I know what lay ahead of me. On January 10, 2010 the answer to my questions came in the most tragic event I have ever experienced. While sitting in my room, I received a call from Hans, a guy I couldn’t live without. Instead of hearing a friendly greeting, all I head were his words choking on his tears. After minutes of trying to form a sentence, I finally gathered from him that Vincent, our guitar playing, fun loving, happy as could be friend from grade school had shot himself and was no longer with us. I felt my heart drop as I realized that one of the guys I had spent so much time with throughout my life and had played basketball with not two hours before, had purposefully ended his own life.  

The next few days left me searching for the answer everyone was looking for: why? Close to three years have passed and I’m still looking for a reason. Because an answer seems impossible to come across, I believe there is another lesson to be learned.

I believe in celebrating a life rather than mourning.

Reunions and events remembering his life sprouted up all over our community in the weeks after his death. With no one else to turn to, I found comfort in the guys who were struggling with the same problems I was, my grade school friends. We expressed our sorrows as well as meaningful stories of Vincent all over his Facebook wall. His wall was our place to tell him the things we never could. It was where we went to commemorate, to share our feelings, and to celebrate his accomplishments. Vincent’s social identity allowed everyone that he knew to connect with him even after he had passed away. Not only did his wall connect myself with Vincent, it allowed me and my old friends to form a new bond; one that was and still is centered around his life. I am so thankful that I had Facebook to express my feelings with, and it ended up allowing me to turn my life around with my old friends by my side.

Second Look at TIB Essay's

           I was not a fan of looking up essays to say why we did not like them. I searched and searched for a speech that I could actually find some problem with. I found it so difficult because most of them were about very heartwarming topics that could not be disagreed with. I finally found that there was an option to look up speeches by theme so I decided to look up speeches about science since I figured these would be very boring and had to entertain an audience. I decided to look them up and turns out I was wrong. The science essays were surprisingly enlightening and brought new ideas to my eyes. I tried to find an essay that did not appeal to me so I could state why I did not like it, but I simply couldn’t find one. Although I really enjoyed the speech, I did have a few problems with it.

           The main point of the essay was to state “that a unique core self is born into every human being — the result of millennia of environment and heredity combined in an unpredictable way that could never happen before or again.” In other words, she believes that a child is born with an inert sense of who they are going to be. Along with this, she states that every child is not born with a blank slate, and we cannot mold them into whatever we want. I think that her essay was overall thought provoking, but the actual presentation of the topics was poor. I didn’t think the story she used applied well to her overall argument, but it was interesting. Also her arguments sort of flew all over the page and it was hard to pinpoint which one she was truly passionate about.

I Believe Speech

SPEECH LINK: http://thisibelieve.org/essay/29294/

The story he began with was short and concise. I really like how it is short and to the point because it obviously displays the topics that he is going to cover in the rest of his speech. It also gives a very good example of how everyone does have a story, which is what his thesis states in the line below. I am not sure if actually stating the lines “I believe” is absolutely necessary in this sort of speech, but he incorporates it very well. It clearly states the overall purpose. From the introduction onward, I do not see his train of thought or organizational purpose. He goes from talking about how he loves to find out people’s story to explaining how he believes everyone deserves respect. I simply don’t see the connection. He needs to connect the two topics more and elaborate. After this confusing connection, he proceeds to rant on how internet arguments often lead to confrontation in person. Once again, I simply do not see why he feels the need to input this into his essay about respecting people. A part of me could see his point being that you can find out people’s stories and connect with them online. That makes sense to me, but where he loses me is when he begins to tell us how to use the internet responsibly. I feel like he has a good point, but it does not add to the essay. He also needed to expound his conclusion more. I don’t see why it is selfish to treat people with respect. Nothing in his essay prior to this backs up this claim and he kind of throws it upon us in the last sentence. Overall I thought this was a poorly done speech that had an interesting story, but was also all over the place, with no apparent organization.  

Preparation Outline

PREPARATION OUTLINE

 

NAME: Hunter Fischer                                                                                   SECTION: _____________

 

TITLE OF SPEECH: The Takeover of Netflix

Make sure to label learning styles throughout.

 

Introduction

I.          Attention Catcher:

How I got started using Netflix…

            Slow Tuesday night with no homework and wondering what a good family movie would be to watch. My family mentions all the great Disney and Pixar movies that we used to watch together such as, The Lion King and Monster’s Inc.

I mention that I had recently seen Toy Story 3D in theatres and thought it was fabulous. I wanted my family to experience it’s magnificence, so I thought of a way that I wouldn’t have to run all the way up to Red Box to get the movie.

After playing Call of Duty for my normal 3 hours at a time I noticed an ad for Netflix, so I decided what the hell, I’ll try it. Turns out that Netflix gives a 30-day free trial so I used mother’s credit card and began surfing through the options. There I found Toy Story 3 and we had a great family movie night.

The net day however, Netflix had taken hold of me…

 

II.         Listener Relevance Link:

?????

 

III.        Speaker Credibility:

            As an experienced Netflixer, I would say that I am very adapted to watching movies online and ordering them through the mail.  

 

IV.        Thesis Statement:

            Why Netflix requires an enormous amount of self-control.

 

V.         Preview:

?????

 

Transition (optional):

 

 

Body

I.          First Main Point: How Netflix got started and it’s road to success.

           

Listener Relevance Link: http://money.cnn.com/2009/01/27/news/newsmakers/hastings_netflix.fortune/

 

            A. Subpoint: Reed Hastings first had the idea of starting a business where there were no late fees for movies and they were more readily available.

             1. Sub-Subpoint: Because of the new arrival of DVD’s he shipped one to his home in California where he received it completely unscratched and still playable. From there his idea took off and he began a business where DVD’s could be rented through the mail.

             

2. Sub-Subpoint: All in all, his business became a huge success because of the users need for easy access to any movie they want. How convenient is logging on to a website and ordering a movie? Or nowadays one doesn’t even have to wait for it in the mail, he or she can simply stream it directly to their TV, laptop, or gaming system. Now people are okay with waiting until movies become available on Netflix instead of making the haul to the movie theatre.

           

1. Sub-Subpoint: This is relevant to us as consumers because now we have the ability to choose any movie we want and watch it instantly. This can be taken as a fabulous new achievement for society, or it can lead us to spend hours and hours watching useless Hollywood product.

           

Transition: I will now share my experience with Netflix to illustrate both the positives and negatives that it provides.

 

II.         Second Main Point: Over the summer and throughout college I have noticed how Netflix has altered my social life and time management skills.

           

Listener Relevance Link:

           

A. Subpoint: My relationship with Netflix started as a casual one where I would simply watch a movie at a time once or twice a week. I was simply too busy to spend days at a time watching movie after movie. I began to notice a change in myself when I would have to force myself to walk away from the TV in order to get a few minutes of studying in. During finals week and weeks before that, my grades suffered dramatically from the excess amount of time I was spending with my ass on the couch watching TV. The real problem began when I had no other obligations during the summer. My time was spent literally watching Netflix for days at a time. My schedule was set up to where I would wake up, watch Netflix, eat, continue where I left off, work, finish where I had left off. Netflix had taken over.

 

            B. Subpoint: The transition to college proved to be a difficult one on account of I had grown accustomed to be nothing more than a slug and moved from the fridge to the TV for hours on end. With school starting up again I realized that I had to make a decision deep inside myself put the gleaming hold of Netflix behind me. This proved more difficult than I had originally thought.

            1. Sub-Subpoint: since the start of my days at UK I have already spent around 55 hours watching Netflix. I get my homework done, but then its straight to the laptop. My day is centered around time watching Prison Break, a fantastic show. With more than 80 episodes it is more than equipped to take up more time than I need to watching it.

 

Transition: By using my struggle with this fabulous business I can help an already functioning person successfully enjoy Netflix without having it take over their life.

 

 

III.        Third Main Point: How the average user can maintain a functioning lifestyle without becoming a Netflix addict.

 

            Listener Relevance Link:

            A. Subpoint: By limiting the time someone watches it to a weekly schedule one can enjoy it but not let it take over their daily lives.

             1. Sub-Subpoint: Self control takes a huge role in maintaining a healthy schedule.

             2. Sub-Subpoint: Only watch the shows or movies that truly interest you and go from there. Don’t use Netflix as a time waster, but rather a device that enlightens you to the wonderful movies that are being produced.

            B. Subpoint: Only use it in your free time.

             1. Sub-Subpoint: watch it with friends so you’re not a bum that sits by themselves watching show after show.

             2. Sub-Subpoint:

 

 

 

Transition:

 

Conclusion

I.          Restatement of Thesis: Use self-control to help yourself enjoy it, but not overindulge in it.

II.         Summary of Main Points:

            a. only watch it in your free time.

            b. choose shows that truly interest you

            c. keep in mind that there are always better thing that you could be devoting your time to.

 

III.        Clincher:

            Short story of how I once spent 6 hours watching Netflix nonstop.

References

List the references you used in the speech. Format them according to MLA style (use your quick reference book).

 

Netflix Outline

I can’t imagine my life without Netflix…

 

Short History of Netflix

·         The idea in creating the company

·         Why it became such a success

·         The millions of movies that it offers and how that is possible

·         The evolution of it from DVD’s by mail to internet streaming

 

My start with Netflix

·         How to use Netflix

·         How I found out about it from my buddies

·         Why and how I started using it

·         How I got hooked

 

Netflix through my life

·         My constant addiction to watching tv shows

·         When and where I use it

·         Why it is so addicting

 

Netflix’s affect on society and the movie business

·         How it has affected my motivation

·         Takes up so much time

·         Subscriptions have soared and its effect on dvd sales and cable subscriptions

My Social Identity

             Since 2004, Facebook has been an integral part of this ever-changing world we live in. The Social Network, which is a movie based on the infamous creation of “thefacebook,” displays the websites upbringing from the founder, Mark Zuckerburg. The idea for the site began as one solely for Harvard students to connect with each other, which explains the sites original name: TheHarvardConnection. Zuckerburg then ran with the idea and began to think globally rather than simply Harvard. He envisioned a social media website for the world to enjoy; almost as much as he would enjoy his own profit. Once he had the program up and running, the attention never stopped. Everyday millions of people were visiting the site to friend new people, to look at photos, or to simply state what was on their mind for the world to look at. The genius idea has led to over 400 million people flocking to the site a month. Today there more than 500 million active Facebook users, which makes it the most popular social media site to date.

 

The picture explains itself.

           As the illustration above shows, there is no ignoring the impact that Facebook has on today’s society. Zuckerburg is now a billionaire while we, the average citizen, continue to help him rake in the cash by visiting the site multiple times a day. In order to investigate the magnitude of Facebook’s impact, I will examine my personal use of it in my life up to this point. By looking at my addiction to Facebook, I will be able to understand how it “informs and even structures my identity.”

            Because of security reasons, my mother wouldn’t let me get a Facebook account until I was in high school. Even then, I did not know what I was getting myself into. Not a day went by my freshmen year when I wasn’t checking my “wall” and “messages” for any news/updates. Whether it was in hope of gaining popularity, or meeting some classy high school freshmen girls, I simply needed to check it every day. At one point my weekends became successful only if I had no less than five friend requests.

 

 

 

            It’s pathetic that my goal was to gain cyber friends now that our class has actually sat down and contemplated the concept of a social identity. When checking my friend requests I usually spend about 4 seconds deciding whether I will accept or ignore my request. I am assuming that most people are similar to me, which is why I now feel stupid for putting so much of my time into a request that the other person would simply accept regardless of whether they wanted to be friends with me or not. This is because it’s not really being a friend, it’s simply a mutual agreement to let other people know that you acknowledge your new “friend” and will allow him or her to view your pictures and status’. The fact that the word friend has developed into this meaning is shocking. “Friending “sustains an illusion of closeness in a complex world of continuous partial attention,” said Roger Fransecky, a clinical psychologist and executive coach in New York (2,894 friends). “We get captured by Facebook’s algorithms. Every day 25 new people can march into your living room. I come from a failed Presbyterian youth, and there was a part of me that first thought it was impolite not to respond. Then I realized I couldn’t put them all in a living room — I needed an amphitheater.”’ Fransecky points out that the definition of a “friend” has changed to where we think just because someone has accepted to be our Facebook friend means that we actually know them.

 

Just because Facebook has changed the definition of a friend does not mean it is being destructive. There are countless reasons why Facebook is a very useful tool in everyday life. Since college has started, it has allowed me to belong to groups, clubs, and numerous other activities that I would have been unaware of had the social website not existed. I joined the Kappa Alpha order and most of our communication comes from the home page of the fraternity. Because of the accessibility of information on Facebook, we need to realize the benefits that it has brought with its skyrocketing popularity. Although the plethora of information is nice to have at the push of a button, our attachment to it can sometimes remain subliminal. We have Facebook on our computers, phones, tablets, which leave anything we want to know only a click away. Some may say that this could have a negative impact on society as a whole because it could lead to dependence on technology or lethargic behavior.  As long as we become aware of the presence that Facebook and other social media websites have on us, then we can use it to our advantage. There is no reason to not use Facebook as a tool to stay in contact with people, to make plans, or to join organizations. It is simply our responsibility to make sure it is used in that manner, and not obsessively.

My Social Media Identity

Since 2004, Facebook has been an integral part of this ever-changing world we live in. The Social Network, which is a movie based on the infamous creation of “thefacebook,” displays the websites upbringing from the founder, Mark Zuckerburg. The idea for the site began as one solely for Harvard students to connect with each other, which explains the sites original name: TheHarvardConnection. Zuckerburg then ran with the idea and began to think globally rather than simply Harvard. He envisioned a social media website for the world to enjoy; almost as much as he would enjoy his own profit. Once he had the program up and running, the attention never stopped. Everyday millions of people were visiting the site to friend new people, to look at photos, or to simply state what was on their mind for the world to look at. The genius idea has led to over 400 million people flocking to the site a month. Today there more than 500 million active Facebook users, which makes it the most popular social media site to date.

As the illustration above shows, there is no ignoring the impact that Facebook has on today’s society. Zuckerburg is now a billionaire while we, the average citizen, continue to help him rake in the cash by visiting the site multiple times a day. In order to investigate the magnitude of Facebook’s impact, I will examine my personal use of it in my life up to this point. By looking at my addiction to Facebook, I will be able to understand how it “informs and even structures my identity.”

            Because of security reasons, my mother wouldn’t let me get a Facebook account until I was in high school. Even then, I did not know what I was getting myself into. Not a day went by my freshmen year when I wasn’t checking my “wall” and “messages” for any news/updates. I cared more about what my Facebook page looked like than what my room looked like. The pictures were carefully picked to show how cool I was or how much fun I had. Whether it was in hope of gaining popularity, or meeting some classy high school freshmen girls, I simply needed to check it every day. At one point my weekends became successful only if I had no less than five friend requests. It’s pathetic that my goal was to gain cyber friends now that our class has actually sat down and contemplated the concept of a social identity. When checking my friend requests I usually spend about 4 seconds deciding whether I will accept or ignore my request. I am assuming that most people are similar to me, which is why I now feel stupid for putting so much of my time into a request that the other person would simply accept regardless of whether they wanted to be friends with me or not. This is because it’s not really being a friend, it’s simply a mutual agreement to let other people know that you acknowledge your new “friend” and will allow him or her to view your pictures and status’. The fact that the word friend has developed into this meaning is shocking. “Friending “sustains an illusion of closeness in a complex world of continuous partial attention,” said Roger Fransecky, a clinical psychologist and executive coach in New York (2,894 friends). “We get captured by Facebook’s algorithms. Every day 25 new people can march into your living room. I come from a failed Presbyterian youth, and there was a part of me that first thought it was impolite not to respond. Then I realized I couldn’t put them all in a living room — I needed an amphitheater.”’ Fransecky points out that the definition of a “friend” has changed to where we think just because someone has accepted to be our Facebook friend means that we actually know them.

Just because Facebook has changed the definition of a friend does not mean it is being destructive. There are countless reasons why Facebook is a very useful tool in everyday life. Since college has started, it has allowed me to belong to groups, clubs, and numerous other activities that I would have been unaware of had the social website not existed. I joined the Kappa Alpha order and most of our communication comes from the home page of the fraternity. Because of the accessibility of information on Facebook, we need to realize the benefits that it has brought with its skyrocketing popularity. Although the plethora of information is nice to have at the push of a button, our attachment to it can sometimes remain subliminal. We have Facebook on our computers, phones, tablets, which leave anything we want to know only a click away. Some may say that this could have a negative impact on society as a whole because it could lead to dependence on technology or lethargic behavior.  As long as we become aware of the presence that Facebook and other social media websites have on us, then we can use it to our advantage. There is no reason to not use Facebook as a tool to stay in contact with people, to make plans, or to join organizations. It is simply our responsibility to make sure it is used in that manner, and not obsessively.

"Is Google Making Us Stupid?"

           So many unnerving topics are brought up in this article that is it difficult to even begin to think about the impact that Google has really had on our society. I believe the most shocking point brought up was the fact that Google has changed how we actually think and read. It is obvious to me that my attention span is similar to a puppy’s when reading articles on the internet; scanning the text for important headlines all the while glancing at the colorful and sometimes sensual ads in the outer columns. There is simply too much information to really sit and indulge yourself into what the words on the page are trying to get you to realize. I had never thought that maybe our minds used to be different when words were read on paper rather than a screen. Without the endless distractions, it would be easier to fully comprehend complex articles. It is almost some form of technological ADD.

           Since we were all born in the late 20^th Century, it is difficult to imagine a world without efficient systems. Our world is now based on making things faster, more effective, and less time consuming. The creation of Frederick Winslow Taylor’s “discrete steps” to make an industrial factories output greater has now resulted in our entire world shaped upon this same idea: productivity. It was his mind that created an ideology that called for a “best method” process. Google expanded on this to create a “best method” of research. This has resulted in any information we desire being available at the click of a hyperlink. The availability of everything we need to know is fabulous, but also worrisome. There is no need for lengthy reading to find a small fact, which leads our brains searching for a faster way to find what we seek. This is a scary thought because of the effect that it has on our own intelligence. With artificial intelligence doing all the work for us, why do we even need to think?

Rhetoric

As a whole, this article went way over my head. That’s actually an understatement; it skyrocketed straight past me and never turned back. I got lost in his complex vernacular, and his arguments did not make sense, even after reading them over and over. The entire concept of the article can be taken from the fourth chapter or part of his article. Basically rhetoric is similar to persuasion, but it contains many qualities that define it as rhetoric. These qualities include the scenario, a clear message, organization, emotion, tone of speech, and proper thematic elements of the argument.

 When he used examples to further explain his ideas, I began to comprehend his statements more. Such as, “the pollution of our air is also a rhetorical exigency because its positive modification — reduction of pollution strongly invites the assistance of discourse producing public awareness, indignation, and action of the right kind.” In other words the rhetoric of pollution is a positive one because it implements that we should all be more aware of the impact were making on the earth. I had never thought as pollution as a positive argument, but since the idea of pollution includes a negative impact, it steers us away from polluting into thoughts of improving the problem.

 I found the main proposal of the article to be this: “rhetoricians distinguish among and characterize the types of speeches (forensic, deliberative, epideictic;) they treat issues, types of proof, lines of argument, strategies of ethical and emotional persuasion, the parts of a discourse and the functions of these parts, qualities of styles, figures of speech. They cover approximately the same materials, the formal aspects of rhetorical method and discourse, whether focusing upon method, product or process; while conceptions of situation are implicit in some theories of rhetoric, none explicitly treat the formal aspects of situation.” A rhetorician uses all different types of speech to make his or her point clear. Not only does he or she make the point clear, he or she uses the emotion of the argument and the situation surrounding it to connect further with the audience. This pertains directly to the discussion in class on ethos, logos, and pathos. It is just as important to connect with the audience using emotion, as it is using logic. Different situations bring about different arguments; therefore, it is crucial to incorporate all three types of rhetoric into your argument.

Sources

I will be doing my essay on my Facebook account.
Sources:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/245251.php
http://socialnetworking.procon.org/
http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/facebook-effect-social-network-changed-world-122656206.html
http://www.understandmedia.com/pdf/SJMLE-Vol1.pdf
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/05/is-facebook-making-us-lonely/308930/

Orwell vs. Huxley

The two conflicting arguments that are made in the webcomic are ones of extremes. Orwell’s fantasy world is one where the average person is deprived of the information that lets us thrive, such as books and the right to an opinion. On the other hand, Huxley’s “World State” has made citizens passive and apathetic based on the idea that everything we care about is superficial. That is to say that we care more about how many Facebook friends we have than why the stock market has recently been failing. All the new social media sites are fantastic and keep us in touch with one another, but what do they do to better us as people? Truthfully, I cannot think of one way the social media era has improved our society. Yes, we know what Sally did 2 hours ago and who’s cheering for the Cats this weekend but who the hell cares? There is so much more to life than your social identity. I believe the social media aspect of our generation has resulted in social awkwardness and dependence on technology. As technology advances we need to become aware of the consequences that it is having on our mentalities. If we can recognize that more attention needs to be paid to bigger issues in the world than Facebook and Twitter, then we can successfully use this incredible technology to our advantage, not let it distract us.
The presentation of this argument in a webcomic lets the author illustrate his or her point and make the argument clear. The comic begins with a broad comparison of the two conflicting ideals and then sums up the entire claim in a single statement with two pictures. The pictures really add to what the author is trying to say; they show what the statement above the illustration means and why it’s important. I personally would not have chosen to use this form of persuasion, but the idea of the comic comes across very strongly at the end. He or she could have used a video or essay, but in this case the webcomic does more than either of these forms of presentation could have. Although I wouldn’t have chosen to use a webcomic, the author does an excellent job in showing how both the deprivation and indulgence of information has and/or will affect or society.

Honey Boo Boo

The fact that we, as Americans, are viewing a video of a person committing suicide a couple hundred thousand times says something about the direction in which our society is headed. The more disturbing and shocking a video is, the more people flock to it. Just as the video of Tony Scott’s suicide interested us, the outlandish Honey Boo Boo character also tweaks our interest. Why does this little 6 year old attract over 2 million viewers? Because she’s a child that the average person has never seen before. The thought of a mother giving her daughter liquid crack to do better while she dances and lip-syncs is something that we wouldn’t even imagine happening. This is exactly why were so drawn to it. We can sit on our couch and watch this crazy munchkin and her equally as repulsive mother live their sorry pathetic lives while we laugh.

Albom’s views these two videos as the “melting of our humanity.” I agree to a certain extent. I see the melting of our humanity more when I think of the gruesome movies that Hollywood releases in the modern era. After watching Hostel and Last House on the Left I felt numb and shocked beyond belief. My only thought was how could someone actually make a movie that depicts acts so horrifically real as entertainment? Both forms of entertainment contribute to the “melting of our humanity,” but I find it more disturbing that movies depict these grisly acts than watching a crack baby do pageants. The two are related though, in the way both forms of entertainment shock us. We want to be surprised, we want to see something that’s going to make us uneasy; it is simply what the American entertainment system is feeding off of at this point in time.

The final question Albom presents is: is reality TV making us apathetic? I completely agree with him. Why save a man’s life, when watching him die will get you hits on YouTube? Why try to sort out this circus of a family when we can simply amuse ourselves from their pitiful excuse of a life? We would rather enjoy the show than to do anything to stop it and from all the new reality shows coming to our attention, the trend will only continue to get worse.