21st Century Global Events in Cyberspace

I can’t say that any global media events were more “important” than any others, because they all are important and affect us in different ways. I would say the three most widely covered events of the 21st Century were the disaster in Haiti, Hurricane Katrina, and 9-11. The disaster in Haiti, being the most recent, was able to be covered the best because our technology is so much more advanced now and allows us to be in another country while sitting on our own couch. Hurricane and 9-11, being two major events that occurred in the U.S., obviously took center stage. Thousands were killed in these disasters and brought the U.S. closer during the relief efforts.

I definitely feel that many global issues were not represented properly in the media. As we spoke about last week, the media sets the public agenda. It just so happens that the news that THEY feel most important to report is the disasters. The media loves blood and gore. You rarely hear about honorable things in the news anymore. Even in local news, a death would always make the news over a life saved. A life saved is an accomplishment that takes work to achieve. Most death occurs without any help.

The great thing about cyberspace is that it allows the viewer to experience the media event without being there and out of dangers way. With all the different options today such as live video and audio we often get to see the event up close. This also allows people to become emotional attached to what is going on and offer aid. The problem with cyberspace is that some stories are twisted and blown up to sound worse then they actually are. For example, I was in Georgia when the American Civic Center in Binghamton was attacked. The southern news channels and websites blew the story way out of proportion. Also when I was wearing a Binghamton jacket, people in a restaurant stopped my friends and I and asked us if we from the school where the Basketball team was selling cocaine for money. Obviously these thoughts had to come from somewhere. That is due to global media in cyberspace. Without actually being at an event, you cannot trust everything you hear.

Major Media Events

The three global media events that jump to my mind are 9-11 and the war in Iraq, issues surrounding Israeli-Palestine conflict and the Gaza strip, and global warming.

These events are all related to violence and continually reappear within all branches of media. 9-11 and the war in Iraq, or the so-called war on terrorism, drew heavy attention. The Middle East remains to be one of the most misunderstood and conflictive areas in the world, so naturally media is constantly engaged in its conflicts. The development of advanced weaponry has caught the attention of everyone. We are always captivated by our fears. Global warming has become a huge issue with our nation and other beginning to focus more on environmental impacts and "going green" becoming a trend (which I think is one of the most clever examples of smart marketing I have ever seen).

There are certainly global issues that are under-represented. While disasters and violence are always big news, their effects on citizens of those areas affected are often forgotten soon after. Haiti was the latest big news, but the consequences of the disaster are in the news less and less.

Cyberspace allows the opportunity for media events to be expanded. While the news condenses information so that a viewer or reader can catch it on the fly, the internet allows for individual participation. Commuication through blogs, social media, discussion boards, and so on create an environment for indiviual commentary and input on global issues. It can become more personal and is easier than ever to spread the news and your thoughts on it.

21st Century Media

First and foremost, I believe that the terrorism that occurred on 9-11 is the most tragic and influential global event that took place in the 21st century. It was the first time since the bombing of Pearl Harbor during World War II that blood was shed on American soil. The attack on 9-11 also gave the United States an excuse of a reason to send troops to the Middle East and become the enforcer of democracy.
Secondly, recent events that are taking place in Korea are having global impacts. The fact that war between North Korea and South Korea is an actual possibility also causes me to believe that war can break out on a global scale. As a South Korean, this issue brings me great concern on behalf of my people, especially my friends who have just entered military service in Korea.
Lastly, the collapse of the Greek market and the weakening of the Euro-zone is also something that has great influence on our global society. This was the first time in years that the Euro depreciated in such great value, although it is recovering again. Since many economically influential nations are a part of the Euro-zone, this has great impact on the rest of the world that have ties with European nations.
As for the media coverage, I believe that only events that would pique the interests of the public are covered on a daily, or even weekly basis. For example, the events of 9-11 and the natural disasters of Haiti were covered on a major scale. As for the situation with Korea, I was disappointed to see that it was covered in such minor detail in the beginning when the South Korean ship was blown up. Only when the situation escalated and was later revealed that North Korea might have been involved did the media gain interest.
The cyberspace plays an active role in informing the world of major global events. Visuals and clips of 9-11 shook the world and people actually felt the horrors of terrorism through videos and images posted on various internet sites. The homeless children of Haiti moved the hearts of the public and major donations were given to repair the country. Not only does the cyberspace inform the public, but it also blows certain situations out of proportion to make them more dramatic.

Only in major events

To me I feel that the most important global media events have been tragedies that have occurred, such as Haiti, Hurricane Katrina, and the War in Iraq, or even 9-11. I feel that these have been the most important global events because it is affecting people world wide, especially the most recent event with the earth quake in Haiti. I think that all events recently have been covered with a media event. It is easy for us to access this information via the internet, and even with the coverage on television. I know that when certain events happen, they are covered on the internet and television for days. I think that a "media event" changes in Cyberspace because it is more available for others to see. So many people around the world are able to access the information, meaning that people all around the world must cover these events to help introduce this information. Because this information is so easy for people to access, it is the expectation that the information should be up to date and current. People become more picky about who they use as their information source, and as a result these media sources are in competition with one another on the information that they gather, and who has access to this information first.

I feel that sometimes we do not show, or cover enough of what is happening overseas in our media coverage unless something tragic or major happens. Only by bigger media coverage channels, like CNN, do these events get reported. I know that the New York Times covers a lot of information world wide. I think that being aware of what is happening globally would benefit people all over. If it is the expectation that we will work together through "globalization", yet we aren't necessarily aware of what is going on globally.

morality?

The second chapter of the Thussu text, International Communication. Continuity and Change, tells about dependency theory, a "one-way flow of values, ideas, models, methods and resources." In this theory media is a tool of "propaganda for corporate and state power." This made me think; here we are looking at mass media as this abstract whole; it is spoken about as one group, rather then as individual pieces (broadcast and print), or people who create those pieces, within the larger frame of mass media.

What kind of moral decisions do journalists face when dealing with such problems as those defined in the Thussu text? Is there a thought process involved in whether or not to perpetuate western ideas or does it just happen? Isn't journalism and broadcast about truth? How often are stories purposefully bent to serve political agendas? I know it happens, but I am interested in knowing more about the process.

"The job of the news media is not to try to solve all the world’s problems, but to shake awake the world’s conscience. Good journalism can do that."

Philip Seib, The Global Journalist, 2002, p.xiv

Global Narratives

Dear MediatheGlobalNetwork Bloggers,

Globalization does not only expand economic structures, political spheres and cultural patterns. Global topics and global issues emerge. Yet some global issues become more global(ly distributed) than other, (seemingly) equally vital issues.

We will be covering some narratives as well as counternarratives of this century.
Concentrating on the 21st century, what would you consider the three most important global media events?

Do you feel that some global issues should have become more represented as a media event?

... and, last but not least: How does a "media event" change in Cyberspace?

Manufacturing Consent: Revolution of Democracy.. or Not

Today, everything that we buy ranging from foods to goods to services, are the finished products of major corporations. "Investment, production, and distribution" is all dictated by corporations, and these three factors define how society operates in every way possible. People invest in corporations for future profits and the benefits that tag along. Corporations in turn produce goods and services for the people. If this cycle is to be completed, a medium in which corporations can reach across to the general population is needed. That is where the media comes in. The media, as stated in the documentary Manufacturing Consent, "distort, cover up, and change" the news into ways that benefit the "political class". Although I have always known that news is always fabricated in different ways, it was a frightening realization. The fact that the truth is being distorted, or even in some cases replaced by lies, is unethical and immoral. People who find the media as the supplier of information could essentially be living a life of lies. The documentary also talked about the "political class" and the "others who follow them." It made me question myself, "Which one of these two groups do I belong in?" Although I realize what happens around me, it never hit me that I could be one of the followers who follow the rules and regulations set by corporations and rich individuals. Again, it was frightening to realize that my life could be controlled so much by these big corporations, especially without knowing it is happening to me.

Manufacturing Consent

Noam Chomsky's Manufacturing Consent made me to think about a lot of things. His definition of manufacturing consent was pretty interesting too. He said it's a revolution in the practice of democracy. It's interesting to know how the US emphasizes democracy, but deep inside the US is the most non-democratic country. Every TV show, newspaper, news report, etc. are controlled and monitored by bigger organizations or groups of people so called "specialized class". To know that investments, productions and distributions are controlled by corporations, it's very doubtful what to trust or who to trust from information that we get from the media. But at the same time, this will make me to be critical to accept certain information. He also talks about two groups of people, political class and following group. Political class makes most decisions and plays economic, social & political roles, while following group just takes orders and rules from political class. This made me to think which group I'm going to be in. Am I going to be the one who's making decisions and orders for the society, or am I going to just follow whatever rules they make?

Scandalous Media

Many of the decisions of the world that occur everyday are in the hands of major corporations, but it is the media that decides what we get to see and what we don’t. In Manufacturing Consent, Noam Chomsky discusses that it is the national media who set the agenda for what is seen. They select the topics they feel are important and emphasize them to the public. Often they try to choose the most hard-hitting or shocking stories because that is what the public likes to see. The smaller stories that may be more honorable are often lost in the exciting stories of scandals or corruption. Working for Pipe Dream for the past three years, I have seen how media such as a newspaper can shape the agenda of what news is seen. An example would be the athletics department scandal. Most students had no idea this was going on until the campus media groups investigated and reported on what was going on. It was then that students and faculty finally got up and demanded answers. Another example was when I traveled to different areas of the U.S. and heard what they were saying about the scandal. Out west, it seemed as if the story was blown way out of proportion making Binghamton University sound like a horrible school. This goes back to our discussion of communication and how messages can get misinterpreted as they move along such as in a game of telephone.

Economical Communication Like That of the Blood for the Human Heart

It is scary to think that the French philosopher Claude Henri de Saint Simon "...used the analogy of the living organism, proposing that the development of a system of communication routes (roads, canals and railways) and a credit system (banks) was vital for an industrializing society and that the circulation of money, for example, was equivalent to that of blood for the human heart" (Approaches to theorizing international communication). Unfortunately I feel that analogy still applies. Without communication and money, our economy would not be able to function. The basis of our entire life is based on money and communication. I have never thought of it being compared to something as vital as the human heart. But think about it, if money ran out and people lost their means of communication, how would they function. It would definitely change the way people did things, and would take time before adapting to the change. It is scary to think that our way of life is centered and based on something so vital. It seems wrong to me that relationships and family are not something that is considered to be so vital, but instead money and communication routes.

The Impact of Globalization

Globalization has become an essential part of our lives, whether we realize it or not. It is what allows developing nations such as Southeast Asia countries to grow and become economically successful in a short duration of time. However, there are various risks that are associated with globalization. One point that the documentary made was that powerful nations no longer need a strong military in order to conquer weaker nations. Rather, through globalization, these powerful nations are able to make the weaker nations open up their markets, indirectly cause their economies to fail, and make them ask them for help. When this happens, these powerful nations step in and take control of their internal policies and government. When this happens, the powerful nations "have effectively conquered the weaker nation." In this sense, globalization is a necessity for third world countries but also something that nations and even corporations can use in order to take advantage of these developing countries.

Response to The New Rules of the Game

The documentary on the impact of globalization was informative and suprisingly, I was intrigued by it. As a student in the field of science, I never payed attention to matters such as politics or economics. Living in the States all my life, I was astonished by how much I did not know about this country as well as the impact it has on a global scale. As I was watching through the video, it became clearer how the accumulation of events in the 1990s led many economic crises in developing countries, examples such as the enactment of NAFTA, the refusal of U.S. intervention in the financial crisis of Thailand and the protests of millions against the spread of globalization. Although these events could not have been predicted prior to recent years, I feel that every country had its responsibility in the crises it faced. I know that it is a general statement to make but there are countless factors that contributed to what has happened economically in the past years to list them in a blog. But from these occurences, new methodology, restrictions and policies are being put into place and a kind of system is required that benefits both the undeveloped and wealth countries. Many are aiming for this kind of approach, of course, and I understand how much it is easier to suggest it than to actually make it happen.

Evolution of Globalization

The documentary The New Rules of the Game was informative about something that people do not take the time to think about in their every day lives: globalization. I was reminded of the importance of globalization and the risks that are involved with it. As quoted in the documentary, "there are risks to be taken with globalization, but at the same time, there are no substitutes for globalization." I think that this quote pretty much sums up the entire documentary in a nutshell. Globalization is essential in the growth and maturity of developing nations. It acts as a bridge between powerful, wealthy nations and third world countries. Goods travel in and out of countries, and through these exchanges of goods, wealth is accumulated. However, globalization comes with a high price. As shown in the documentary, many Southeast Asia countries have experienced a collapse of their economies due to the greedy natures of people involved in the global market. As in the case of Thailand, the bankers who were relentlessly lending out money and the people who were thoughtlessly receiving the money at a low interest rate ultimately caused the fall of Thailand. "Contagion" spread across Asia like wildfire, consuming economically stable nations such as Korea and Japan. I actually lived in Korea at the time the IMF incident took place so I know first hand the hardships that people experienced during these times. It was a frightening to realize that globalization can have such a negative impact on the world due to a relatively small incident that happens in a relatively small country like Thailand.

History Lesson

The PBS documentary The New Rules of the Game was incredible, almost spooky to watch because it sounds like history, but I was alive during that time. Learning about the history of such significant events that took place during a time when my major concerns were far from global was kind of shocking. When the internet was popular, I was just becoming old enough to use it, so its impacts and what it meant for the world did not occur to me. I've grown up with globalization and this part of history was always shoved in near the end of the year in history classes in middle and high school. It's nice to finally focus on it a bit.

Why Not Globalize?

When reading/watching/listening to all the information on globalization, there was a generally negative feeling toward globalization. I can’t help but feel the opposite. It was globalization that has gotten us where we are today. If you think about it, it was other countries early globalization acts that created the United States. When America was first discovered, goods and weapons were exported from Europe to America in return for other things. During this process many people came to this country. Today, we continue to trade goods with countries and outsource a lot of jobs. Yes, we are losing jobs for people here, but we simply don’t have the materials/resources to do things like other countries can. Also, this trading creates bonds with these countries that we may not have otherwise.

The Transmission Model of Communication

Perfectly transparent communication is impossible! I find Shannon and Weaver’s model “ transmitting information” completely inaccurate. Maybe back in the day when communication was just face to face interaction. But today, our world is so integrated and communication is continuous. It is impossible to simplify communication. Transmitting information will never be a simply diagram, it would an endless amount of arrows coming from every dimension that it would look like a 6 year old scribbled on the page.

Globalization and Outsourcing

Outsourcing effects the whole world today. Almost every job and all labor is outsourced to another country. Whether it be America outsourcing to China or China outsourcing to another country nothing is made at "home" anymore. Everything is being produced outside of the country and it is being done so because of the decrease in the cost of labor. Noam Chomsky speaks in a video regarding outsourcing in hopes that it would create a more global economy. When it began it was the hope that countries would work more closely with one another. However, it has lead to people going to school to learn economics for the use in war and drugs as result of resentment for decreased wages and lost jobs. Outsourcing has lead to the economic situation that we see in the United States today. Everything is made in China, or Korea nothing is made in America anymore and if it is, it comes as a surprise.

FEELING BLUE?

Blue! What do you think of when you hear blue? Royal blue? Baby blue? Electric blue? Majorelle blue? Maya blue? Powder blue? Navy blue? That’s a lot of blue, huh? And I didn’t even mention sky blue yet. Maybe you just thought of plain blue. The mind interprets all the information it gets to make meaning out of it. Therefore, different minds would interpret blue to mean the different shades of blue. In the same way, different minds interpret information in any number of ways.

I think that the misinterpretation of information is one of the biggest problems in communication. It was easier to deal with when most communication was face to face, but now with email, texting and social networking it is understandable that information can be interpreted by different people in different ways. Given that information now travels through the world wide web using all sorts of platforms, it reaches even the most remote areas of the world. It is critical when considering how information is digested and translated in to meaning when one acknowledges geography, language and culture. Suddenly blue is azul or samawati.

We communicate for different reasons. For two strangers sitting next to each other on a train, it could be to pass time. For a child, it could be to get some attention. For a young man wooing a lady, it could be a very useful skill. However, most of the time when we communicate it is to inform, or to pass a message, with a specific meaning assigned by the communicator. Depending on the context, the language, the vehicle used to deliver the information, that meaning may or may not be what was inteneded by the communicator.

According to The Transmission Model of Communication, “the transmissive model of communication reduces communication to a process of ‘transmitting information’ ”. With all the new forms of transmitting information we have now, I wouldn’t think this to be a bad thing. After all, don’t we want communication to be a transmission of information? Wouldn’t this reduce chances of misinterpretation of information? Words themselves are pretty basic in that you can look up their meaning in any dictionary. The shades of blue if you will, come in to play when one muddies the waters with all of the technologies we have available now at our disposal to use as vehicles for delivering this information.

If all information had specific meaning… leaving no room for interpretation and was taken at face value or the literal definitions of the words contained in the message, then communication would be the transmission of information. If blue was just blue!

Transmission Medel of Communication

People communicate to express their ideas and feelings or to send information, and ideas contains meaning rather than information. The meaning easily can be distorted or misunderstood by recievers in the precess of interpretaion. People from different social, religios or cultural backgroud perceive the same message quite differntly because they have differnt taste and interest. For example, the message on religious matter may not mean anything whlie it means something powerful that inspire a certain gruop of people.

Women Find Power in Globalization

I’m going to have to disagree with the online globalization compilations stand on how globalization affects women. It says that it “exacerbate[s] gender equality” and hurts women economically, politically, and culturally. Globalization has been increasing readily over the years according to Chomsky. According to the abovementioned idea, less women would be getting jobs. As I have grown up, I have heard many stories of increasing amounts of women gaining successful careers in the states. Politically, women have also seen success. Condoleezza Rice and Hillary Clinton, along with a bunch of other women, have held powerful roles in government amidst our times of globalization. The only point I do somewhat agree with is that globalization has caused a cultural change in women. In the past, in many cultures, women were seen as the stay-at-home mom who doesn’t work and often not even given the right to learn to read or write. This is the 2st century. That idea is/should be long gone. Women have worked hard for what they gained and deserve the same careers and respect as any man.

Quote of the Day: Lippmann's "Public Opinion"

Dear Global Media Bloggers,

Goeie môre!

Since this day is under the signs of mass communication, here is a link to Walter Lippmann's "Public Opinion" that you might enjoy. I took the quote from the Chapter "The World Outside and the Pictures in our Heads":

The world that we have to deal with politically is out of reach, out of sight, out of mind. It has to be explored, reported, and imagined. Man is no Aristotelian god contemplating all existence at one glance. […] Yet this same creature has invented ways of seeing what no naked eye could see, of hearing what no ear could hear, of weighing immense masses and infinitesimal ones, of counting and separating more items than he can individually remember. He is learning to see with his mind vast portions of the world that he could never see, touch, smell, hear, or remember. Gradually he makes for himself a trustworthy picture inside his head of the world beyond his reach.

You will find the full text at http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/6456, or at

GoogleBooks: http://books.google.com/books?id=eLobn4WwbLUC&dq=Public+Opinion+Lippmann&hl=de&source=gbs_navlinks_s.

The question is if now, almost a century later, the World has come closer.

The transmission model of communication

Daniel Chandler disagrees with Reddy's perspective of language. He critiques that such view promotes language into a passive form. He also argues that there is no information in language. However, such accusations may be faulty. Reddy claims that languages function as a transporter of thoughts. To understand the transporter one must comprehend the language because language doesn’t act on its own, which promotes the process of learning a language into the active form. Also, according to Reddy, words carry messages and meanings. Let's say words are like a car, going from place A to B. A could be a writer and B could be a listener or a reader in this case. Writers insert their thoughts and ideas into words and they travel to the readers. Through words, meanings are created. It is impossible to obtain information without language because you wouldn't be able to understand words. Language and information always go together.

You’re Stupid :P

Modes of communication play a great role in the interpretation of what is said. Chandler says that “words have connotations which we don’t choose for them.” This very problem often makes it hard to understand what a person really means when they make a statement. The most personal form of communication is face-to-face interaction. With this form of communication we can often rely on a person’s body language. Chandler also explains that body language communicates a lot about one’s attitude. If a friend came up to you and said “You’re Stupid!”, you would be able to tell if they were joking by a smile on their face or other gestures.
With written communication, attitude interpretation becomes more difficult. Because we can not see the person that is writing or hear the intonation of their voice we have no way of interpreting their attitude. Luckily, we have come up with a way to do this. Emoticons and Internet slang are commonly used to help people interpret the attitude behind a message. If I think something is funny I can respond “lol,” meaning “laugh out loud.” If I want to jokingly tell my best friend they are stupid I can use an emoticon of a smiley face sticking out their tongue after my statement, “You’re stupid :P.” It’s very important to read your messages as if you were the receiver who doesn’t know the attitude behind your message. You don’t want to offend the listener or communication may cease altogether.

The Impact of Communication

Communication can be found everywhere. It exists in conversations amongst people, it is projected from a television screen to the viewers, or it is delivered in written form through letters or newspapers. The basic model of communication is presented in "The Transmission Model of Communication" where information is relayed through a transmitter and that same information is received through a receiver. I believe that, in unison with the author, this model is flawed and incomplete. It ignores the most important aspect of communication: the fact that messages can be sent and received both ways. If someone starts a conversation with you, you will respond with an answer. If you see an advertisement on television, you will show some kind of reaction. If you receive a letter, you will most likely write back.
The second reading focused on the impact that mass communication has on our society. It makes a bold claim that mass communication is the fundamental building block of democracy. Mass communication is the defining factor of democracy that defines an individual as a member of a democratic society. However, most people do not recognize the importance of mass communication and do not realize that they are already a part of something bigger than themselves.

Cable in Grand Central

Chandler’s description of communication being simultaneous sending and receiving of information instead of just one sender and one receiver reminds me of when Cable internet was introduced. Before this time, the main type of Internet connection was dial-up. The sender would be the telephone company and the receiver would be the customer with the computer acting as the receiver. The problem with this was that only one thing could send and receive at a time. If a phone call was attempted at the same time, you would lose your connection. If only one person could talk while someone else listened, conversation would be very boring. I feel that communication is more like a cable Internet connection. At one moment there are many types of information going through a cable wire at that time. Information is constantly being streamed to your television simultaneously as information is being sent and received by the computer modem. The information being sent to the modem is only translated/interpreted by the modem while the cable box only interprets the television information. When you step into Grand Central in New York City you may experience something quite similar. There is often tons of people talking, texting, etc. simultaneously, often in different languages. You can only find meaning in that which you can intercept and interpret.

Me, Myself and I

Hi everyone,

my name is Janette Wambere. I am a third year student in the Watson school of engineering, majoring in Computer science.

I have I enrolled in this course for several reasons. I just got back from a year in a study abroad program, so I need to take several classes over summer and even maybe winter to catch up to where I want to be to graduate in time. By taking this class I also complete a C requirement and hope to improve my writing skills and nurture my interest in writing. I look forward to learning a lot and enjoying this class.

Communication Revolution

Dear MediatheGlobalNetwork Bloggers,

we live not only in a time when the channel changes. The issue is on how to define the "user" as well as "producer" when the roles become completely fluid in cyberspace.

I am looking very much forward to your own take on the communication system of the future.

Axel Bruns defines this fluidity as the merger between "producer" and "user" into "produser", and we live in an age of produsage, an communication era where everyone can participate, hierarchies are permeable, content consits of "unfinished artefacts", and communication is a "continuing process". I highly recommend his "Blogs, Wikipedia, Second Life, and Beyond":
http://produsage.org/produsage

Introducing a Source

I noticed Hanno Hardt's Myths for the Masses included some references from Max Horkheimer and Theodor Adorno. I read some of their works from previous philosophy courses and it was intriguing to find that many ideas from Horkheimer and Adorno was evident in Hardt's passage. Hardt's passage has many examples of how mass communication is used as a tool by governments, corporations, etc. to manipulate the masses for it's own betterment. Similarly, Horkheimer suggested in his texts that rational thinking has enable institutions to efficiently use methods (such as mass communication) to accomplish an efficient control of the population. One passage from Horkheimer for example, The Dialect of Enlightenment, attempts to explain the how governments and corporations has ended up playing a huge role in social domination in contemporary society. It is a philosophical text describing the impact of knowledge and rational thinking on the deterioration of the individual. As enlightenment thinking spread throughout societies and countries, it widespread the use of knowledge for it's own advantage; a major tool used for the exploitation of others. I suggest that you guys read this passage.

Possesing the Correct Tool to Open a Cotnainer

Everyday we are being bombarded with some form of communication without even realizing it. Communication is always occurring whether we are hanging out with friends, texting somebody or even sitting at home alone watching television. Shannon and Weaver’s transmissive model of communication is a good basis to start with to describe communication but it is too simple to truly understand the process of communication.

Michael Reddy’s conduit metaphor for communication was quite interesting. He relates ideas to objects and words as containers to carry them. Chandler adds that meaning only arises when the listener makes sense of what they hear. This conflict occurs every time people who speak two different languages try to communicate. If I look at an apple, that figure is now an idea in my head. When I give it a name, “apple,” I am using a container that I can pass on to another person so they can understand my idea. If I were to communicate to a French-speaking man or women, they would be unable to open my container. To them that idea would be placed in a “pomme” container. Without the proper means of interpretation, words are meaningless.

Chandler Text reflection

What I found most piercing about the Chandler text was the insistence of communication's implications and impacts. "Reading between the lines" is not what can be, but what must be done when processing a "receiver's" "message." What someone says can be loaded with meanings. A person can say something to avoid a situation, reference something that would only be understood by certain people, and so on. It is impossible to limit interpretations because of both the sender's and receiver's sociocultural backgrounds.

A "message" can only provide meaning for the receiver, but can also reflect upon the sender. What someone says can create enormous implications about their character, background and perspectives. I was reminded of what professor Glick had said once when I took his class Linguistics 114, that when speaking and interpreting the thoughts of other's, remember that you only think that way because you are a college student in the northeast United States from a middle-class background, or whatever the case, and however much you try to distance yourself from that you cannot break from the way you were brought up to think. Even if you do not agree with most people of your own background, you are still influenced by your exposure to it. Context is impossible to escape, whether you like it or not.

Communication

I wholeheartedly agree with the notion of miscommunication through digital media. I remember when I was younger, I used to play the common game "Telephone". A bunch of us kids would sit down, and someone form one end would say a long sentence to the next persion, via whisper. That person would pass it on it the next, and the next, and so on, until it reached it the final person in the line. More often than not, the contents of the message received did not equal the contents of the message sent. In digital media, it's unlikely that the received message itself would be incorrect; rather, it is the perception of the message which is the issue in this era. Whether it be through AIM or Facebook, whenever we communicate, we communicate with question marks and exclamation points. In our mind, we could be sarcastic, serious, humorous, or angry. However, unless we are very good at writing in the English language, or include a picture of our facial expression with the message, more often than not, the message received will be perceived very differently. There have been countless times when I have sent a message, expecting a certain response, only to receive silence. After which, I have to explain the contents of the message. Even when communicating via telephone, our voices can carry emotion. Even with the advent of emoticons, messages can still be mis-interpreted.

ANFSCD: "Major" decisions

Dear MediatheGlobalNetwork Bloggers,

I usually call those posts "And now for something completely different" posts, but considering the blog discussion on "major" decisions:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-schmich-sunscreen-column,0,4054576.column

This is Mary Schmich's take in the "Chicago Tribune" on what kind of wisdom to offer when your life paths still lie ahead of you.

My "piece" is probably not to choose a subject that can be replaced by computers in any way, shape or form in the near future (since you cannot possibly guess what happens in the "far future" anyway). And to follow your passion.

One thing I found interesting when reading about the Transmission Model of Communication was how easily it is for things to be miscommunicated. As society begins to use technology more, and people begin to communicate through social networks like facebook, myspace, and instant messenger more, face to face communication is used less. It was always emphasized that social networking could create issues of miscommunication, and disconnect between those communicating. Looking back I can remember instances where miscommunication occurred as a result of social networking via the intranet, and it is something that people need to be more aware of. Reading and writing skills are being depleted due to the use of improper english, and "slang" communication used through social networking. It is the parents responsibility to monitor the use of social networking, and for educators to be aware of the social networking being used in hopes to prevent these issues of improper english.

Hello

My name is Chooyoung You (please call me choo), and I am international student from Korea, currently economics major at Bing. My plan for this summer is taking this course and a couple more courses at Korea University in Seoul, Korea while I spend my summer break at home. I am taking this course to fulfill a "C" requirement. I have had tough time writing in English in college, and I thought it would be a great opportunity to improve my writing skill through this course. .

hello

My name is Jongbeom Choi, but I can be referred as JB as well. I am from Ilsan, South Korea and I am going to be a sophomore next year. I enjoy travelling and playing sports with my friends. My major is currently undeclared but I am intening to major in engineering. One of the reasons why i want to study engineering is that I like to spend my time studying mathematics. As I said, I am a math person and not a big fan of writing or reading. However, when I read the description for this class, I was really interested. Also, after this summer, I am going to join military in S. Korea for 2 years so I am taking this corse in order to fulfill a "C" requirement before I fall behind in my Gen Eds. Also, I hope to improve my writing skills and understanding as well.

Introduction

Hey guys,
My name is Chris Carpenter. I was originally a biology major but switched to technical design and will now be staying a fifth year to finish it up. I'm taking this course because it sounded interesting and may help me in the future. Over the past four years at Binghamton I have seen many changes in online media and networking platforms and I would love to study the effects of them deeper through this course. Also, I am interested in going into pharmaceutical marketing or marketing for performing arts because of my background in science and theatre. Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, etc. are all becoming very popular in the world of marketing, so I feel this course will give me a better understanding of how they effect the world.

Hello, Intro

Hey everyone, I'm Liz Joyce.

I'll be a junior in the fall and am currently registered as a cinema major, however, I will be proposing an individualized major in media and communications next semester. This class is an outlet to expand my interests that Binghamton does not easily allow the opportunity for, hence creating my own major. Our present culture has so many avenues of communication that have become such an important tool to utilize; all fields of study could do well to learn what is possible in the realm of media (including social media).

Aside from academics I've been loving the outdoors (especially in this weather!) and enjoying as much sodexo-free eating as possible!

I'm excited to jump into the course and continue learning in the complimentary seminar offered in the fall! Hope everyone's summers are off to a great start :)

Hello!

My name is Jennifer Schecter. I originally graduated from Broome Community College in 2008 with my associates degree in Nursing, and started working as a Registered Nurse at Wilson Hospital in June of 2008, where I am still currently working. Right away I decided that I wanted to get my bachelors degree in nursing, and started attending Binghamton University in the fall of 2008. I just completed all of my nursing requirements earlier this month and participated in graduation. I am taking this class to finish up my general education requirements. This is the last one that I have to take, and I will be starting up the Family Nurse Practitioner Grad School program this fall. I am really excited about it, and am really excited about this course!

Introduction

HIII ! My name is Kaitlyn Concialdi, but everyone calls me Katie. The plan is to graduate next spring with a major in economics and minor in global studies. I just got back from a semester abroad in Rome, Italy. Because of this I’m behind and need a class to make up for it. I found this class most interesting. I devote way too much time on social networks and thought this was a good opportunity to make something of it

Introduction

Hi guys, my name is Laura Park. I will be a junior in the coming semester. I am currently a Chemistry major and i enrolled in this course to fulfill a gen ed requirement. When I searched through all the summer courses, this one particularly peaked my interest. In the modern society we live in today, I feel like it is necessary for one to understand how people communicate through the media and global network. I lack understanding of how the usage of global network impact people from all around the world and I hope to learn more on this area.

Introduction

Hi, my name is Sanghun Byun, but please just call me Danny. I will be a junior in the coming semester, and I am currently an Accounting major in the School of Management. However, I intend to change my major to Marketing in the Fall semester since I realized that Accounting doesn't really suit me well. I was browsing through some classes that I would take over the summer and this class piqued my interest. I have always held great interest in the use of internet and how much impact it has had on our society in the last few years. As the internet continues to grows and social networking is done primarily through the use of internet nowadays, I figured that I would learn a great deal through this class. I really look forward to working with everyone and having fun while learning. (:

Intro

Hi Everyone,
My name is Inwha Park (but please call me Rachel). I'm going to be a junior next year. I just declared my major this semester to Math, and possibly Studio Art as well. I was going for majoring in Biology to get into a medical school & become a doctor, but realized it's not for me. So I switched to being a Math major, and now going for teaching. Because I was taking all science classes and also because I'm trying to double major, I don't think I can graduate on time. I'm trying to take as many gen-eds as possible. I want to fulfill a "C" requirement through this class. I also want to learn a lot from this class since I don't really know about global network. But mostly I hope to improve my writing skills through this class.

Hello!

Hi Everybody!

My name is Ying Song and I'm going to be a junior next year. I transferred to BU from Trinity University this Spring semester. I'm from Xi'an, China and I really enjoy my studying here in the states. I'm currently majoring in Economics. I have a passion for travel and I also enjoy learning foreign languages. My motivation for this course is to fulfill a "C" requirement but I also hope to improve my writing skills in this course.

Hello Hello

Hi Everybody!

My name is Brian Rosenberg and I'm going to be a Senior next year at Bing. I'm currently majoring in accounting with a possible concentration in marketing and a minor in global studies. I'm not really a huge fan of accounting but after years of SOM brainwashing I feel as though this is probably my best option. I also enjoy travelling and I have studied abroad twice which has lead me to minor in global studies. I spent a summer in Tokyo studying Japanese and a semester in Copenhagen, Denmark studying business.

Studying abroad caused me to fall behind in all my gen-eds so I'm taking this course in order to fulfill a "C" requirement but I also find the subject to be quite interesting. I also hope to start an online business one day so I'm trying to learn anything that might be come in handy one day.

Greetings

Hi there!

     My name is Deep Shah, I'm going to be a senior next year. I used to be a Biochemistry major, but realized I don't really like chemistry all that much. I switched to being a Biology major. I picked up a Graphic Design minor, because I thought it'd be nice to have it under my belt since I've been doing graphic design since middle school.
     I dropped the Biology major, and decided to go with a Graphic Design major (BA, not BFA... BFA would've been nice but I picked up the major too late). I'm still a science geek/nerd though, I avidly read Nature, Scientific American, Science, etc.
     My motivation for this course is to achieve a "C" (composition) credit for my gened, but also to have fun doing it. Social media is not simply something I read about every day, it is something that adversely affects my daily life. I have accounts with many of the common social media websites: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Digg, Youtube, Flickr, StumbleUpon (the list goes on). The future of my career as a graphic designer rests on my ability to acquire new knowledge (the field is constantly expanding and changing) as well as to network with other designers with different strengths with whom I can work. Of course, social media is not the only form of media that exists, but it is increasingly becoming more relevant and carries more weight.

Me, Myself and I

Dear Global Media Networkers,

welcome to our course!

Please allow me to introduce myself.

My name is Annemarie Fischer, and I am currently serving as a Doctoral Candidate in Comparative Literature at Binghamton University.
My research focus includes Global Communication/Media Studies, Popular Culture, Visual Culture and Sound Studies, as well as Transnational Writing and Narratology.
I obtained a Master of Arts in Political Science from Binghamton University as well as a Magistra atrium in German Studies, Journalism and Eastern European Sciences from Leipzig University in Germany. At Moscow State University, I studied Journalism and Russian Literature and Philology. I am fluent in English, French and Russian. At the United Nations Headquarters in New York, I performed an internship at the Department of Public Information (DPI).
You can see more info on me, myself and I at http://www.annemariefischer.de.

I am very much looking forward to working with you!