welcome: 2015

Tuesday, 2 June 2015

My Comments

(6) Should Selfie Sticks be Banned?

In 2013 the word selfie was invented by an Australian while he was drunk. The word selfie means a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically with a smartphone or webcam and usually shared via social media. Today, almost everyone knows this word and its been featured in tv shows, movies and even songs.

Now the Selfie Stick was invented in 2005 but it wasn't recognized until the word selfie was invented and people found how convenient this invention was. I personally would not take a selfie in public as I would feel too embarrassed, however many people do and they use a selfie stick to capture the whole scenery or if there are a lot of people.

After watching the Selfie Stick PSA I couldn't help but laugh as I found it really bizarre and unrealistic. The video was generally about how the Selfie Stick is dangerous as it can harm the things around it. But shouldn't we always be aware of our surroundings with or without a Selfie Stick? In conclusion, I don't think this invention should be banned as people should just be careful of where the Selfie Stick is pointing and if there are objects/things around the stick that can be damaged or hurt.

Monday, 1 June 2015

(5) Artificial Intelligence & the Future of Communication

Living in the year of 2015, we've all got the experience of using our smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc, so much that most of us are dependent on them. Not being able to have wifi or service can make a lot of people agitated and frantic. We are so use to having all this technology around us that we can't even see how much it has affected our lives. It can distract us from the things that are really important like work and sleep. Personally, my phone can keep me up all night and I know if I didn't have enough self-control I would be getting a hour or two of sleep.

A phone 50 years ago.

The advancements of technology happening today is astonishing. To know that 50 years ago telephones were the size of my head and as thick as a brick and now some are paper thin and can do ten times more than what a phone back then could do is amazing. However, I feel that there are some unnecessary technology that is invented, such as the Google Glasses and self-driving vehicles. Google Glasses are basically wearable smartphones or computers. I think that there is no point as these glasses provide the same function as a smartphone or computer. Another pointless AI is self-driving vehicles. I understand that it can be very useful when the driver is busy or tired, but doesn't increase the amount of accidents that could happen. There can always be a malfunction with technology which can put your own life at risk.

Now one of my favourite television shows growing up was Phil in the Future. It was about a family from the year of 2121 renting a time machine to go on a vacation, but the machine malfunctioned and instead the machine sent them into 2004. Throughout the television show it showed how much technology can malfunction meaning you cannot depend on it. Phil and his family had to learn how to become like "regular" people without the use of technology to fix their problems, which I think is a great message!

Wednesday, 27 May 2015

(4) Stereotypes or Stereo-Gripes...

"Can a truck make you more handsome?"

This advertisement was very stereotypical as it portrayed truck drivers to be more handsome, dependable, rugged, etc. While watching this commercial I laughed a few times, seeing as it did have a humorous side. However, I could see while men would find this commercial offensive seeing as it makes men who drive cars appear less manly than those who drive trucks. Most of the degrading in genders is towards females however that doesn't mean that when it is towards men they shouldn't be just as upset. In my opinion, the producers of the advertisement were just trying to sell their product even though it can be offensive.

Another example of stereotypes was this campaign I saw on the internet about teen pregnancy prevention. There were many different ads but the one that stuck out the most to me was of a toddler with tears streaming down his face. The ad said "I'm twice as likely not to graduate high school because you had me as a teen." Seeing this made me extremely upset as the ad stereotyped all teen moms to be giving their child a worse life than those whose mothers had them over the age of 22. Now maybe this ad was effective as teens saw this and felt bad thinking of having a child and not giving them what they deserve, but it surely offended the dignity of teen moms out there.

In today's media, it isn't surprising seeing a stereotyped advertisement. But many of them are starting to become offensive, and I think that there is a fine line that people should not over step especially when it comes to producing advertisements and commercials, where it is out to the public.

Tuesday, 26 May 2015

(3) Benjamin Button Special?

Looks like the newest form of punishment for misbehaving kids is giving them a haircut that makes them resemble like an old man. After reading this article it made me think what I would do if my kids were to misbehave. I certainly would never think of this idea. Judging by this picture, this boy is surely not happy and probably learned his lesson. I could see why people would say it's the meanest thing ever as that boy could be ridiculed and made fun of at school and in public because of his hair. Now if I was a parent, I wouldn't do something like that, as I would simply talk to my child and stick to the traditional grounding method. But, I don't think it's the worst idea. Hair does grow back quickly and if kids were to make fun of him it would be for a short period of time and the boy would have a reason to why he is being made fun of. I'm sure many of us had embarrassing haircuts when we were younger but it never really affected us when we grew up. Seeing as kids don't really care too much about appearance but instead just play and have fun, it wouldn't affect him too much. However if his parents were to do this to him when he was older, I think it would affect him more because that's the time where looks matter in every teens mind and bullying can be extremely harsh. I'm sure this boy learned his lesson and hopefully doesn't have to go through another Benjamin Button Special!

(2) Twitter: Funny yet cruel messages under 140 characters

Twitter is an online social networking service that enables users to send and read short messages under 140 characters called "tweets". However recently many people have been using this type of social network to bash and hate on people, whether it being a celebrity or someone they know, under the 140 character count. Hearing someone say that people are saying hateful things to each other on Twitter sounds serious, but surprisingly a lot of people, including myself find some of the tweets funny. So funny that Jimmy Fallon started a series called "Mean Tweets", where celebrities read some of their hate on Twitter.

Now this series is really popular as so many people find it funny especially seeing the celebrity's reaction. The series display hateful tweets and who wrote it. This made me wonder if many people deleted their hateful tweet after it was on television, where everyone can see it. I think that people choose to write these kind of things that they would likely never say in person because their behind a computer where they know that they are safe and have control. No one is there to reply back after and even though that person or celebrity might never see that comment it still gives them confidence and the sense of power. Sadly, I don't think that this trend can go away unless there are laws enforced about cyber bullying or specifically social networking sites automatically stopping people from commenting anything that is negative.

In my opinion, I think that this is a big issue because it is a form of bullying that can emotionally damage someone. The saying "sticks and bones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me" is a complete lie as I'm sure everyone has experienced a negative comment from someone that they can still remember. Verbal bullying is way worse than physical as in time the wounds you faced will heal but the words you received will stay there and can haunt you. Although some comments can be funny, imagine how the person who is receiving it feels. I feel that if you have a problem with someone where it affects you and perhaps people around them that they can change or work on, say it to there face but if it's something that they can't change like their appearance, how they talk, etc., don't say it at all because what's the point?

Monday, 25 May 2015

(1) Paparazzi: Just doing their jobs?

The Iggy Azalea and paparazzi encounter was very complicated because both what Iggy and the paparazzi said were valid points. Unfortunately taking photographs of celebrities is a job, and a lot of people need to make a living somehow to provide for themselves and perhaps even families. Although it's an invasion of privacy as celebrities do not give paparazzi permission to take photos of them, I believe that it's part of being famous. A lot of people would disagree with me but being a celebrity means being in the public eye and media. Thus saying, to be in the public eye, there are paparazzi keeping the media informed. They're one of the main reasons why there are so many magazines and posters. However, I do believe that there's a limit to following celebrities around. The video of Iggy Azalea is a great example of how situations like these can be avoided. The video begins with Iggy Azalea's friend yelling at the paparazzi and talking about how she "doesn't want to be followed." Iggy then pushes her shopping cart into the paparazzi, resulting to her friend spitting on him. In my opinion, Iggy and the paparazzi are both to blame. If Iggy and the paparazzi were to compromise and agree to take a few photos and leave them alone this whole problem wouldn't even occur.

Another example of a paparazzi vs. celebrity encounter is Miley Cyrus and her mom four years ago. Miley and her mom left a restaurant after having lunch and were questioned by a paparazzi about Saturday Night Live the TV show. When Miley's mom, Tish, was about to enter the car she was pushed by another paparazzi so he could get a better photo of them together. That was when Miley got mad and she started to yell at the man saying how wrong it was to do something like that and to never touch her mother again. In a situation like this I'm on Miley's side as it was so unnecessary to do that and Tish could have gotten injured. I think that paparazzi should be able to take pictures and ask questions to celebrities, to a certain extent. When celebrities could potentially be in danger then there's a problem. If both celebrities and paparazzi came to an agreement to take a couple of photos and ask a few questions then leave them alone, it would stop a lot of commotion and problems between the two. In conclusion, I think that paparazzi and celebrities should set some sort of rules to follow so neither are abused.