Assignments:"Alone Together" Critical Analysis:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Bz5PF7zHAXdS-3yPRphDwxfJKJgCryOmnjT1xwYHZdI/edit
In this analysis, I criticized Turkle's claim that human's are at a point where they must rely on isolation to strengthen digital presence and that it will ruin human communication indefinitely. I don't necessary feel the same way now; seeing as we have been in a pandemic for 10 months now, the increasing reliance on isolation to increase one's social media presence is very apparent. Media Scholars have spent multiple classes discussing the pandemic's effects on media consumption and social interaction, ultimately allowing me to come to the conclusion that when we exist digitally for so long while sacrificing our normal social dynamics, it can debilitate our ability to form connections with one another.
Media Consumption Presentation:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1PKW8tfyBPubhp1aZye9bKVdeKNgOV-zwfuHSLSeazzc/edit#slide=id.g60ac14a5c1_0_55
This assignment was meant to analyze different social media platforms that I am most familiar with as well as flesh out my daily media consumption and phone use. Other than the fact that my media consumption and hourly phone time has skyrocketed since, I believe my method of analysis has also improved. When I presented this, I said that my high amount of screen time on twitter was because it was not only a social platform, but a political one that I got news from. I still do so because it's one of the only places where I can be updated on current events that intrigue me the most, but I no longer believe it's the most unbiased and easily consumable news source. Now that I've bettered my skills at consuming and analyzing news channels, I can consume my news in a more formal manner because I'm better at recognizing bias and little nuances in media content.
Familiar Story lines & Coverage of Crime Presentation:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1no_tE_Bg6sx-SXxNFKypHveaUy5ijDxuE3JLAcsGY04/edit?usp=drive_web&ouid=105192331918143094624
This group presentation allowed me to think about Media bias comprehensively in the context of several controversial hot topics. I focused on Black Lives Matter demonstrations that occurred this past summer, a time that was very near and dear to my heart. Doing this media analysis made me realize that I, even as a person who vehemently supported the protests honoring and fighting for unjustly lost lives, was still swayed by the way media created an image for participants. Doing the research required for the assignment proved to me that violence and extrajudicial acts on behalf of protestors was not nearly as significant an issue as it was made out to be. My portion of the presentation focused on how correspondents using certain buzzwords or extra airtime for certain topics is an inadvertent way to sway the minds of media consumers (no matter if the platform is considered left or right wing). Prior to being a media scholar, I never had the skill of reading in between the lines or picking up on micro aggressions in news coverage that is supposed to be unbiased.