Remember life without Facebook? Media Meditation #3

Preview of The Social Network

The Social Network is all about the creation of Facebook, a popular and very addicting site. It explains how Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook while he was at Harvard. Facebook is an example a personal shift because the millions of users who have accounts are able to participate by posting pictures and information about themselves, and they can interact with other users or their friends.

Because of pacing, my brain, specifically the neocortex could not process everything I saw. There were a few times that I paused and had to rewind the DVD to catch some of the parts I thought would be important for this post. There was so much information in this movie for the neocortex to process. It went back and forth between Mark Zuckerberg’s time at Harvard developing Facebook, to the meetings he had for the lawsuits, and his time in California.

Cultural shift is also an example that was shown in the movie. We hardly have any privacy, especially when it comes to the Internet. Everything can be monitored. The movie showed how they used Mark Zuckerberg’s blog as evidence to his plans.

The production techniques were also done well. They played intense music during intense parts, like the crew competition, and parties. The music they used affects the limbic brain because it can bring emotion to people depending on how the music makes them feel.

The movie included a lot of scientific evidence about Facebook. An example that I was able to catch while watching the movie is that one site Mark Zuckerberg created, Facemash, had over 22,000 hits in 2 hours.

I thought this was a really good movie, and different than the genres I usually watch. I’m glad I made the decision to see The Social Network. I felt like I could connect to the movie because some of the cast included people that I had not seen in movies before. It was not a movie filled with big Hollywood stars that you see all over magazines and in all the new movies that come out.

Picture courtesy of Google
some of the cast of The Social Network

This was a good movie, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to learn about a social networking site used by millions of people for hours each day. I’ve never really thought about everything that went into creating Facebook, but it is an interesting story to hear!

A dream is a wish your heart makes… Media Meditation 2

video clip of a scene from Beauty and the Beast


Alright, so I know I’m not really a kid anymore, I’m a college sophomore. This post, and the video you just watched explain a media experience that everyone should have at some point in their life.

Disney movies, especially the movies with the princesses were always my favorite as a child. About a month ago I saw a commercial on TV for Disney Princess Classics on ice. This is something that I have always wanted to see, so why not see it now! The warm fuzzies got to me and brought me back to my childhood.

Once again, thanks to convergence, and our 21st media culture, I was able to watch clips on youtube that people posted from the shows they went to. Watching those were a little disappointing because what I saw was not what I expected the show to be like. But I went anyway, and to my surprise, the actual show was completely different than what I saw on youtube.

The show was about 2 hours long, and it was basically a summary of all the Disney princess movies, much better than what the clips on youtube looked like.

As I was watching the show I thought about how all of the performers had to use their limbic brain and neocortex because of all the multitasking they had to do. They were skating, singing, talking, and dancing, all of those activities take a lot of concentration, especially on the ice. Even being part of the audience took a lot of work from the brains just to watch all the movements, listen to the songs, the different voices, and to understand the story that was being told.

The production techniques were amazing! Fireworks would shoot out from the castle, Cinderella’s fairy godmother floated through the sky, and all the colors and lights set the stage for the stories. During The Little Mermaid section of the show, the lights they used made the ice look like the bottom of the ocean.



example of the production techniques
making the ice look like the ocean floor

Even as a college student I thought this show was amazing. One more thing to cross off my bucket list!
I never thought so much about the power tools while watching a show on ice before! It’s amazing what the media does to your brain!


all of the performers together at the end of the show

A magazine to feel good about

Self magazine's logo




SELF is a magazine about creating a better self. The October 2010 issue has articles about working out, eating healthy, being happier, beauty tips, tips for success and many more.


video from self.com
behind the scenes of a photoshoot


This magazine has a monthly print issue that can be found in stores, or mailed to you if you subscribe. It also has an online site with similar articles, recent tweets, and links to blogs that are related to the magazine.

Reading this magazine takes work from both the limbic and neocortex brains. There are a lot of pictures in the magazine, which require the limbic brain to process them. Since it is a magazine, there are many articles to read which is what the neocortex is used for; higher level reading and thinking.

The 21st century media culture has changed the way we read magazines. Not only can we read the print version, but the personal shift gives us the opportunity to visit the magazines website from iPods, iPads, their blog pages, and their tweets. The aesthetic shift and convergence also make it possible to visit the online version of the magazine from anywhere using our phones, iPods, and other new technology.

The production techniques for SELF magazine and Self.com are important because the style makes it fun to read. It’s different than a newspaper because it’s not all black and white. The magazine has bold, colorful fonts, lots of pictures, and interesting articles. Their website contains tabs for different sections of information that can be found. It’s organized and is easy to navigate.

SELF magazine uses bribery as a persuasive technique to encourage readers to subscribe to their magazine by offering free gifts. This month it’s a free tote bag, and 5 workout booklets. They also have a page of products you could enter to win each month at self.com.



picture from Self.com of a vacation prize that can be won


picture from Self.com of all the prizes that can be won this month

SELF is a unique magazine because it is all about creating a better self. With articles on fitness, health, and beauty, the magazine is for someone who is interested in being active, healthy and fashionable.

Where in the world... #1

Should I study abroad? That seems to be the question everyone is asking these days: “hey, where are you studying abroad next year?!” The only way I can answer that question is by replying with: “I have no idea! But I will probably go in the summer!” If I had a nickel for every time someone asked me that question, well, I could probably pay for my trip abroad without working crazy hours and more than one job.




To help me make my decision on where to go, I attended the Champlain College study abroad fair. After talking with representatives from different study abroad companies I left with this…

(picture of a book cover, taken by me)

Plenty of media resources to help me begin the decision of my study abroad location. I’ll start with the book about Italy since the cover is really pretty.


(picture of a book cover, taken by me)

Academic Programs International, (API), is one program I have been reading about, for information on Italy, England & Ireland, and Spain. API has programs in 13 countries, ranging from semester, academic year, or for a few weeks during the summer. The informational book led me to even more media resources online. API has a Facebook page, a Twitter profile, videos on Vimeo and YouTube, flickr group, and even their own blog! The book gives information about each school, the dates of the program, courses offered, and the price.

One of their blog posts is all about the first steps to take when considering studying abroad. One step even includes how to decide on a location! Perfect for someone like me. The step? List the top five elements that are most important in location, then research the cities that include those elements.

The video at the top of this post from the API YouTube site, started out with the bandwagon persuasive technique. The actress made it sound like peer pressure to study abroad, then persuaded with scientific evidence. The actress gave statistics about how many college students study abroad each year, what percent stay for the academic year ,only 4%, 56% for a summer, and 40% for a semester. I had no idea that reading one of the informational books from API would lead me to so many other media resources about studying abroad.

Other than the media I took from the Champlain College study abroad fair, I have been looking at some blogs by a few of my friends from high school who are currently studying abroad. Reading their posts will give me an even closer feel of what it is like to study abroad. The Champlain College blogs are pretty helpful too.

The personal shift, to personal/participatory media has made finding all of this information very easy. I can even download free, or pay for travel apps from iTunes to use on my iPod when I’m not near a computer thanks to convergence.

My limbic and neocortex brains are definitely being put to good use while thinking about where to study abroad. The media are filled with beautiful pictures from all over the world. Looking at them makes it even harder to decide on where to go because there are so many places to choose from. Reading all the information in the books,and other media and comparing the best places to go requires a lot of hard work in the thinking brain. A media filled world will do that to the brain.

A Little Bit About Me!

Hello blog followers!

My name is Heather. I’m a sophomore studying marketing at Champlain College, in Burlington, Vermont. Here is a piture of Champlain College!

image from vtcolleges.org

I am from Essex Junction, Vermont, so Burlington is a place that I am pretty familiar with! During the 3 week break from school one media experience I had was getting a new iPod. It’s an iPod touch so there are so many things that it can be used for other than just listening to music! Once I got the iPod I immediately began synching my music from my computer, and explored all the different apps that I can use. It’s amazing how much iPods have changed in just a few years…

image from applelinks.com

The 21^st century media culture makes it easy for people to stay in touch and communicate with each other anywhere in the world. Email, Facebook, and smartphones are just a few examples of the ways we can communicate. Although having so many ways to communicate with people is great, one downside is that people can become too attached to the technology they use and forget about face-to-face interactions. There is so much to learn about technology and how to use it, especially in the career world. That’s why I am here at Champlain College. To learn about how the ways of communication can be used for a career in marketing. In the future I hope to use everything I have learned here and work for a big company in the marketing department.