For my activism topic, I would like to explore the captivity of the Israeli solider, Gilad Shalit. Gilad was captured in 2008 by Hamas during a war in Gaza at the time. The terrorist organization held him captive under life threatening conditions until his release five years later. The deal that the Israeli Government had to make was to release one thousand terrorists they had taken for Gilad, one soldier. There was a widespread wave of activism throughout these five years. There were many protests against his captivity as well as parades when he was released. There was controversy, though, because many Israelis believed strongly that Gilad's one soul was worth trading for one thousand terrorists but others believed that although his life was valued, the release of terrorists was putting the country in a state of danger. This controversy spread throughout the entire country of Israel as well as to other countries as well. There was protests and controversy in Europe as well as America. Living in New York, I was always aware of the many protest marches that were organized. When Gilad was finally given back to civilization and his family, he was taken to America shortly after for a trip with his army unit he had fought with and visited many schools. My high school was one of them and I was privileged to have seen him speak in person with his fellow soldiers. This may be one of the reasons this topic speaks so loudly to me. I was intrigued when I saw him and his reactions when they came to speak at an assembly at my school. I would like to delve into the activism of the two extreme sides of the argument. I want to also convey the impact it had on Gilad and his family as well as the extent of the argument that reached America because of its popularity and sensitivity to people's values.
For my movie I am planning on doing the media makers of printed media. Printed media such as newspapers, magazines and other forms of hand-held news is deteriorating. Today, people do not even know the proper way to read a newspaper and the format of them. What used to be the main source of information in all topics is now a last resort for some people. The popularity of these types of media has decreased enormously within the past decade. I plan to interview people who write for printed media companies. My interviews will include someone who writes for the Emory Wheel, the emory campus newspaper, as well as students who have written for sports illustrated and the New York Times. I want to investigate their opinions on the importance of keeping printed media alive, the struggles they go through to maintain readers and if they believe social media sites were a major cause in the decline.
For my ethnography project I want to focus on the significance of social media and its large affect in the professional world. The media has made it possible for many companies and professions to expand, specifically blogging. Blogging ranges from sports to fashion. They are not only ways for people to express their interests but many blogs now provide income that has the ability to rise above one of a more “professional” career. Now some bloggers are making millions of dollars. I want to explore how the internet made these opportunities possible as well as how bloggers operate. I also want to examine the specific qualities of the more famous bloggers and why those characteristics lead to success.
I will look at the similarities and differences between women bloggers and men bloggers. They each have contrasting ways of writing and sharing their ideas. They also may have different viewers. I will find the audiences of both; specifically if women mostly follow women bloggers and if men mostly follow men bloggers. Bloggers are free to share their opinions through any perspective they want to- do women present their blogs in what is known to be "feminine" ways such as delicate language and "girly" websites? Do men bloggers present their ideas with strong "masculine" characteristics. I am looking forward to diving into these topics especially because they largely affect my generation's opinions. The growing world of technology causes these websites and information to be available to anyone, especially the most technology based generation of mine. For my ethnography project I want to focus on how social media has formed a new occupation, blogging. Blogging ranges from sports blogs to fashion blogs. They are not only ways for people to express their interests but it also serves as an occupation with a salary that has the ability to rise above one of a more “professional” career. Now some bloggers are making millions of dollars. I want to explore how the internet made these opportunities possible as well as how bloggers operate.
I will explore the different characteristics between women bloggers and men bloggers. They each have contrasting ways of writing and sharing their ideas. They also have different viewers. I will explore the audiences of both; specifically if women mostly follow women bloggers and if men mostly follow men bloggers. Bloggers are free to share their opinions through any perspective they want to- do women present their blogs in what is known to be "feminine" ways? Do men bloggers present in strong "masculine" characteristics. I am looking forward to diving into these topics especially because they largely affect my generation's opinions. In the chapter, “does that face-book come in braille”, the authors discuss the difficulties Facebook and social media sites cause for those with disabilities. What first stood out to me though was that the text says “because are more willing to share personal information over the internet than in face-to-face conversations, youth with learning disability, and other ‘special needs’ are able to express their feelings more easily because the fear of social rejection is removed”. Although this statement may seem insignificant compared to the rest of the issues in the chapter I found it very irritating. Yes, Facebook and social media allows children with disabilities to be able to express themselves more than they would face to face with people but it is an important life lesson to communicate with others. It is also healthier for ourselves if we can face who we are and express our interests without hiding behind a computer screen. I also think Facebook causes many self-confidence issues within children. The youth should be learning as they mature to be the people they want to be and behave kindly to one another but Facebook enhances social pressure and causes kids to behave differently. Facebook has made my generation picture-obsessed. This makes people with visible disabilities uncomfortable with who they are and what they look like. On the other hand, for those with special needs, Facebook does provide an aspect of their life that they can feel equal to everyone else because they do not need to shy away or hide in the corners.
I believe if the author feels so strongly about the negative elements of Facebook and the lack of sensitivity it has towards disabilities, then they should instead be figuring out ways to alter it. Better yet, they should be trying to organize a new social media site that is friendly towards people with special needs. I do see how it can be a problem though because everyone is addicted to Facebook. Any competing site would have a lot of trouble especially if the only adjustment was to make it more accessible for people with disabilities. I felt the chapter focused strongly on the negatives and personally, I would rather find ways to fix the problems and change the obsession our society has with Facebook to allow those who feel left out of our technological world to feel more integrated within the growing world of social media. The chapter “new voices on the net” in the book “Race after the Internet”, displays the years of unequal treatment for the Native American and even African American communities in America. Native Americans are now placed on the lower hand of the digital divide that has been formed. Companies do not want to create or advance technology on the Native American reservations for many reasons- the simplest being their difficult land. But furthermore there has been discrimination towards them as a group for years. The divide in technology, or the drastically different levels in participating in media, has caused Native Americans to fall behind in job opportunities as well as education for the children. They have extreme poverty within their communities and reservations. The digital divide is not the sole cause of these disadvantages but it certainly does not help and adds to the already existing tension and discrimination against the Native American societies.
The TDV, although did a tremendous act of installing internet for these native American reservations, did exactly make sure that these people will enter this vast new cyber world without confusion and frustration. The Internet can be very overwhelming if you do not ease into it step by step. There are endless websites buttons and concepts that one must know in order to function properly in the media world. The groups such as Native Americans that have not been taught or explained the fundamental principles of the internet are automatically at a disadvantage! It seems as if the TDV, without realizing, provided these amazing resources for the reservations opening the opportunity to catch up to the media driven world but forgot instructions. You can buy a young child a bike, but if you do not show him how to ride it or provide instructions for where to place their hands, feet and how to use the breaks, how will they know how to ride it?! This leads to the inevitable- unequal access to the Internet and the growing world of media. Recently, a professor has told me that he believes “the past explains the present”. This comment bolted through my memory as I was reading this chapter. The Native Americans were forced to move during the colonial era to different locations. Many of these spots have difficult terrain to install internet and the locations of the new reservations made them “offline by design” today. The discrimination towards them in the past in fact puts them at a disadvantage nowadays and makes it a harder process for them to wiggle out of the isolated world they live in. They know have to jump farther forward because years ago, they were pushed back. The Native American communities, I believe, are extremely overlooked even though other minorities seem to be present in many people’s thoughts. Internet is a vital aspect to our lives that every group of people should be entitled to in order to keep up with the changes of the world I do agree with my professor that the past explains the present but I do not believe it declares the future. The past, especially of the minorities can make it very difficult for them to have a better future but if people or organizations such as TDV realize that, then they would have a much easier transition and a faster catch-up period into our future world on technology. It is not a secret that there are communities within our world that are not treated equally as well as others. The News broadcasts many events and issues that surround us. Many of the headlines brought to our attentions are about minorities or unfair treatment. Just recently there was a shooting in Missouri that many believe was a racist act and there was an assault that they declared anti-sematic. Although it is not uncommon for us to hear about incidents that threaten our equality of existence we do not usually hear of societies that lack basic needs. Internet used to be a luxury I believe. But now, in 2014, it has surpassed the category of luxury and has become almost a necessity for a majority of people. “Connection at Ewiiapaayp Mountain” displayed an unfamiliar dilemma to me and I am grateful for the new knowledge of the technology, as well as other, s
truggles that Native Americans live with on a daily basis. Joseph, Michael and Matt of the TDV have drastically upgraded the lives on reservations.I simply cannot imagine my life without Internet despite how hard I try. I have a minor panic attack when I lose my phone and have to just rely on my computer for the day to communicate with people! So, it came as a shock to me when I read that in the year 2000, Indian reservations in Southern California had little or no access to Internet. In that time most people were using dial up Internet access but even that did not work on most reservations. The first thought that came to my mind was what do they do in emergencies?! Today, we use our PHONES to call 911 or a friend for help. If the ambulances do not come within 10 minutes many people complain. The huge population of Native Americans on reservations in southern California had a drastically different life style than the majority of people today I realized. Their lack of technology also keeps the Native Americans from succeeding economically. Because basic technology plays an extremely vital role in peoples lives, the lack of it keeps the unemployment rate low on reservations as well as low graduation rates. It seems to me that many of these facts are hidden from the media, one of our main sources of news. In textbooks the removal of Indian lands is labeled “westward expansion”- this does not highlight the tragedies of what happened them. The Native Americans do have some fault here though. The TDV project wanted to go forward with connecting the reservations to the endless world of the Internet but many reservations didn’t even want it. Many felt scared and embarrassed of not knowing how to use it properly. I admire the TDV project. They labeled the success a “human one”. It was the people who agreed and those who helped install the Internet that made it happen. But it was also the working together of tribes and the unusual agreement between reservations and those from outside. They didn’t want them to just use the Internet for entertainment but for cultural preservation of the important land that the Native Americans care so much about. Matt, Joseph and Michael performed an admiring task and the TDV learned not only about the Native Americans but also about itself. |