Stay Connected by Disconnecting
Adrianna *MAC* McKenzie
SMORE #1 Media Literacy
The definition of media by Webster dictionary is a medium of cultivation, conveyance, or expression, the media allows us to show as well as see, acknowledge, act upon etc. things we wouldn’t have before because of not knowing. To be media literate is to know how to use the media to your advantage whether it be for personal or business reasons. To be media literate you first must know how understand how to maneuver and manipulate it. Media literacy can be described as the ability access, analyze, evaluate, and create media. The media in the 21st century has become part of everyone’s daily life and many have yet to see the true importance of it and how it had changed our world for the better. Parents of many teens become quite perplexed when they think of all the social media pages, blogs, and accounts their child visits daily as well the ones they’ve acquired and maintain. As a teenager I feel more and less connected when it comes to web media but I also become quite bored when watching the news or reading the daily news paper . What would a media literate person look like? It is the young person who has acquired fame all over the nation through their Instagram page. That young person knows how to manipulate the internet enough that it will soon catch the attention of real business owners who now want this overnight sensation as the face of their campaign or to do a commercial ad for them. The media is a dream and a nightmare all in one.
What Can I Do ? Smore #2
British Literature
Sex trafficking
Sex trafficking is an issue in the United States, and we as citizen must stop pretending that it is not. Often we blame 3rd world countries or countries that aren't as economically stable as us for sex trafficking. The United States has announced it as a world issue but never accept that they too have this issue. Sex trafficking isn't something we should take lightly or sweep under the rug. Girls, boys, women, and men are being sold to the highest bidder to become slaves of sex. If you think there is nothing you as an individual can do, then I will tell you that you are wrong. There are many organizations and hotlines that save and get aid to victims of sex trafficking. You can become a safe haven for these victims opening up your home and heart to them, making them feel safe again. Making a donation or volunteering your time to any organization that has to do with the rescuing or awareness of sex trafficking is a way to help. You as individual can make a tremendous change in a victim’s life but you don’t have to do it alone, gather friends and family to help as well the louder we speak the farther we get and the more we reach. I pledge to do all these things to make our world a more safe and better place do you ?
Some More SMore . . . . #3
Adrianna McKenzie
12th Grade Literature
Mrs. Danley
9 February 2016
In the commercial for Snickers ( February 2016) for Super Bowl Fifty claims that“ you are not yourself when you are hungry” and that their candy bar can satisfy the your hunger. In the commercial Snickers portrays a photoshoot with a man trying to do the classical Marilyn Monroe pose; but he is cranky and whining the photographer gives him snicker and say “ Marilyn eat this, you get a little cranky when you're hungry” to which the guy turns into Marilyn Monroe. The commercial uses contrast with a man in a dress as a symbol for a very dainty women in order to establish a set distinction between before and after effects of a eating their product, the Snicker. The target audience is extremely broad because anyone who has ever been hungry knows they are not quite the same as when they have eaten, Snickers audience can also be anyone with a sense of humor because the commercial is funny and relatable at once.
Smore Number 4 ... Ads & More
Adrianna Mckenzie
12th Grade Literature
Mrs. Danley
10 February 2016
Advertising has grown and evolved significantly over the years. Advertisements are used to represent the average person in order to make the product relevant and appealing to those who are watching. Using daily life scenarios with the implementation of the product which you intend to sell that’s all you plan on doing as an advertising manager or creative director. In the past decade roles have reversed, the advertising is now setting a standard for the life of people. Advertising makes it now appealing to live the life in the commercial so societies rules and normalities are constantly changing based on trend from products that have been made popular by advertising. Advertising is now apart of how we portray our society, and how our society is portrayed to other people. As we evolve so does advertising, for example women are now looked at as leaders and as superior to men in many instances in advertising when just a few decades ago only cleaning products and household up keep products had a woman in the commercials. Advertisements are a constant reminder that nothing quite stays the same for a long time anymore and that the status quo has changed.
Media Minds Thrive Smore #5
Adrianna McKenzie
British Literature
Smore #5 Media Manipulation
Mrs. Danley
In the 21st century media is everywhere. You have no way to escape it, Media is a part of everything you watch and every social network you sign up for. They make you see what they want you to see and repeated drill it into your mind so that it becomes intertwined with whatever they want you to know about. For instance, if you hear the name Jake immediately your mind goes to Jake from state farm and you may laugh to yourself and not even realize that the media has branded you with that memory. It’s a form of manipulation, studies have shown that people are mostly attracted to things they are already familiar with, so when it comes time to buy insurance state farm is very familiar to you and you will probably go there. Media uses things that people in society hold dear to draw you in, like on mother’s day you will find ample commercials targeted to mother’s or toward people who have to buy a mother something. Companies spend time creating social media accounts and making sure they are up to date because they know teenagers will be more incline to buy their product if they see it all down their timeline and think everyone is wearing it. Media manipulates your mind to make you think their product is just right for you, and it may not be.
What's The Fix Smore #6
Adrianna McKenzie
Mrs. Danley
British Literature/Smore #6
22 February 2016
What’s the fix with smore #6
In today’s society privacy is something we hold in high regard. The federal government is asking Apple to build a software that would basically violate the right that we americans have to our privacy. In the instance of the San Bernardino shooting, all americans would like for the government to find all the information they need in order to solve the case; Americans are not willing to risk their privacy to do so though. Apple has made it very clear that building this new iOS software will effect millions of consumers who have an iPhone, IPad, or Apple Pc. Many may think “well if you have nothing to hide then, you don't have anything to worry about” but what they fail to realize is that it isn't about the government having access to our phones, computer, etc. ( as if they don't already) it is about the hackers who hack government systems all the time having our information. Hackers who are tech savvy can know the person’s every move before they make it. The government is putting us at risk while trying to keep us safe, and it’s not fair that Apple cannot keep their customers privacy safe.
1984 agree or disagree Smore #7
Adrianna McKenzie
Mrs. Danley
Smore 7
2 February 2016
Agree
“For an idea to exist, we must have words to express it.” I believe this saying is completely true, because if you communicate then you have no understanding of anything in life. Communication is key to any healthy relationships/friendship and not using it is a waste; the ability to express feelings and thoughts make you a rounded person. Otherwise you will easily conform to society and their standards, learning to blend in and do as you are lead to do without knowing how to think for yourself. Being able to express your opinions or desires is a really important trait to have in life because it is what separates you from every other average person anyone can meet . Without a voice, you have nothing, you are not able to speak up for yourself, or on issues that are in the world, and be able to communicate with others. There is an adage that says " stand for something, or fall for anything", and i believe that is true in communicating because being able to tell how you feel and stand up for yourself is something that is extremely important to do in life. The greats creations of this world have been developed by thought, shared by mouth and loved by the mind.
Smore #8 Let's get it straight !
When I was looking at the Politifact website I kept track of the type of quotes that were found to be lies. I found that a lot of the quotes that were made to be lies, were quotes that either would belittled another candidate or would’ve strengthened how their campaign and history looked. Candidates stretch and shrink what is true for their convenience. Which lead to me taking quotes that would would seem to help a campaign whether it be truth or a lie an analyzing those quotes to see what substance they hold.
For example Donald Trump a republican candidate said the man who rushed the stage at him in Dayton, Ohio, "had chatter about ISIS, or with ISIS" in his social media posts.Trump said this in an interview he did with Meet the press, after sending out a tweet showing the man who rushed him at an Ohio rally standing with a gun and an ISIS flag with Arabian music playing in the background, The picture/video turned out to be photoshopped together. In order to properly know what was going on and why trump was attacking that man you would have had to known that, what happened at the rally. Trump obviously took it too far by calling him a terrorist or in any kind of affiliation with ISIS, but it’s Trump. This would have probably strengthened his campaign had it been true due to the fact that Donald Trump is an active social media user and that’s how he obtained his information but it really hurts him now because he looks like a very unreliable source now.
On the other side you have Bernie Sanders who says "(Flint, Mich., is) paying three times more for poison water than I am paying in Burlington, Vt., for clean water.” Bernie Sanders in a Democratic debate in Flint, Mich. says this and even despite a recent drop it still hold true. Sanders now holds a lot more credibility than Trump because on big platforms and on topics that affect many people, sanders’ statement holds true and can be proven by facts that are not related to social media.
It’s extremely important to search the legitimacy of candidates because if you don't they can stretch and shrink the truth as they please with no consequence of what they could lose. I do not think enough fact check their candidates to make a wise judgement upon who should lead our country but i do believe a lot of people use the media as a fact checking source without realizing the bias opinion that the media holds. Meaning we cannot even rely on the media to give us factual information because they really only promote what the candidate say’s whether its true or not they don't find out before airing to clear while it’s out but they will say “what Trump say 2 weeks ago is not true” and by that time people have already formulated and opinion and are not going to change their minds. When we don't know the truth and are misinformed bad people can be in powerful positions. Fact check before you vote !
Smore #9 Aint rebellions fine
Often rebellions start out in small groups. Like in the “Stono Rebellion” that only had “about 20 slaves [in it]…” The rebels usually are promised a better life if they win/ are successful, or know that what they are fighting something much bigger than themselves it is about the generations after them. In today's society, the uprisings are as prevalent as before since there are laws to protect against right infringements and thing of that nature. But you still see it in protest, with like the " Black Lives Matter movement" rallying against police brutality and the unnecessary killing of black people. Uprisings have become more of rallies and protest and public speaking in the modern day. The cause hasn't changed though the people still do it for something bigger than themselves, so uprisings haven't died they just live in a different form now.
Smore #10 When government wins again
Adrianna McKenzie
Mrs.Danley
British Literature
Both Winston and Edward have inside information about the government and what they are capable of doing to their society. Winston knows due to his that the government is destroying information and changing history, but does not try to tell anyone about there wrong doings. He knows that the government is not right, and there is evidence to prove that they are corrupt, but he continues doing his job and helping the destroy it anyways. Snowden is somewhat of the same predicament. He works for the government and his job is to hack into people’s computers and intercept text messages and calls from others. Snowden knows that the people that they are doing this to are often unaware that they have been hacked or their private information has been discovered by their government. In contrast to Winston, Snowden makes speaks up about what the government is doing and is trying to inform the public. Winston hold’s this power same power but he does not do the same. They both have fear being captured by their government and tortured or worse killed. Winston and Edward are similar in that they are both employees of the government, and hold a lot of power within their hands with the information they hold. They have the ability to open the public’s eyes to all the wrong doings of the government and in a kind of selfish way the refuse to do so. Winston did not want to become a martyr for the cause instead he would rather have defeated Big Brother and become the hero. Snowden also wanted to be the hero but instead took a different route, but he too was not very wise in his decision because he got caught and he has gained no real fame, no one knows who he is or what he did so was it worth it ?
Technology from heaven ??? Smore #11
Adrianna McKenzie
Mrs. Danley
British Literature
In 1984 Orwell says that technology was advancing and then stopped due to war and revolutions and no technological advancements. When Orwell say that science and were developing at a high rate i believe he means that people were thinking. The thoughts and creative freedoms of people to test and try out new things is what makes them go farther. The refocusing of the mind on to war and revolutions is what slowed the creativity and thoughts that would have energized the start of something new and innovative. Orwell says that the world has digressed in when it comes to creativity and thought and being able to move forward as a society and keep up with other societies and advancements at the time. The world was regimented so that those exact things would not take place because that would not be good for the people in power since they could practically control everything anything new could be a cause for demise and they were not ready to take on that challenge.
Freedom Vs Happiness Smore #12
Adrianna McKenzie
Mrs Danley
Literature
I agree with Winston when he says that happiness to the people of Oceania was more important than freedom. They were oblivious to the fact that they were in a situation where they were not truly free because of their happiness. I believe that being free must bring happiness because when you are free to do as you please, with no restrictions it will always bring a good feeling to your heart to know that you did something you wanted to do the way you wanted to do it without anyone putting in there opinion or coercing you to do it their way. I do believe that society today does give more happiness that freedoms but they do not have the same type of restrictive hold on the people as Oceania's Big Brother did in 1984. Snowden's experience exemplifies that happiness causes oblivion and he shed light on what the government was doing in the dark while people are out being happy and thinking they have freedom as well. While you can have both simultaneously, i believe that your freedom is more important and that happiness will then follow.
SMore #13 Gaslighting
Gas lighting is the act of making someone question their own sanity. For example, having everyone tell your friend they have on a red shirt if it's pink, the friend will feel like something is wrong with them because they have the notion that are in charge the are also in sync with each other so they are able to tell the people one thing that may not be true but will be accepted since they hold the power and the majority. Hillary Clinton does this all the time, she will say a statement that is suitable for her and will gain her popularity, but will contradict that statement with another and then act like she never said the first statement. Clinton will act like she never said it and the media outlets are making it up to hinder her campaign. Hillary Clinton makes the american people question if they heard what they heard or saw what they saw which is gas lighting.
Smore #14 can we autocorrect humanity Part 1
Adrianna McKenzie
Mrs. Danley
British Literature
May 6, 2016
Social media was created to keep people connected with each other no matter where they are. Social media made it possible so that people could instant message each other which was a free and more convenient than letters that would take days to get to it's destination and could get very expensive. People could upload pictures and write status' so that people knew what was going on with them and it kept them current in their lives. As social media grew and more social media websites emerged it became a competition to have the best social media site out. People fell victim to having many accounts and networking social media instead of face to face which began the lessening interaction between people in the real world. Social media addiction is real and developing quickly. It is not impossible to control it but it will take discipline and a lot of re-enforcement that wont come for social media moguls who make their living from their accounts. The problem first has to be addressed correctly before we can start trying to wean people from it. There has to be a use for social media and a limit where social media should be an alternative for it. For example if social media is for networking and building your brand, then social media can be for that but there also has to be a point where an element of your business and networking happens at a face to face level and not in direct message and PayPal payments. Social media needs to go back to the basics with the mentality of the people. When people learn that putting down their phones is not a crime, and that experiencing the world in real life is just as fun i think they will begin to find that social media and real life can coincide peacefully. everything is good in moderation.
Smore #14 Can we autocorrect Humanity Part 2
Adrianna McKenzie
Mrs. Danley
British Literature
May 6th 2016
Looking at my first smore about media literacy i can say my feelings have definitely changed about it. I feel stronger that children are more media literate than they are academically literate, the internet should not raise our future generations. There was a lot i took away from this class, one being that we as people don't always know what is going on in the government because they can easily manipulate and hide what they do, so we should keep our eyes open and try our best to hold our politicians accountable for there actions. In this class I have learned many lessons on the world and even though i knew things happened outside my country with CNN student news i was able to actually keep up with things and realize that something's are bigger than me. This language arts class incorporated real life into the curriculum, it was not just fiction books and essays it was deeper than that you actually walked out of class with a new piece of information on most days. It feels good to know at some point school relates to the world we live in instead of just passing test and studying. I don't think you need to change anything in the future because the class is set good already and works with how the class flows changing it changes the dynamic of how it works and it loses the feel it has. I love Danley's class