As this class is almost finished, I can say
that I learned interesting notions. Having a better understanding of the
theories we studied will surely help me in my future researches.
The theory that interested me the most was the
Consumption and Power one. By trying to understand the relationship between
power, consumption, media, social classes or even social networks has made me
think a lot about our current society and the direction it is taking.
Two texts have had a significant impact on me.
The first one is the text from Anderson – “The Instagram Effect”.
This text has made me realize how materialistic
our society is. We live in a world where self-satisfaction is generated by
letting others know what we do and receive some positive feedbacks about it
(likes on Facebook, likes on Instagram etc.). We are more and more bound to the
image we share on social networks and how people perceive us. This text allowed
me to take a step-back on my social networking and to reflect on the future
evolutions of this kind of social interactions and social recognition.
The other text is O’Connell – Capitalism,
Communism, and the Hunger Games Again. This text made me think about the real
status of our capitalist society. I realized how much power some people or
organizations have and how they can easily fulfill their desires. I am still
asking myself how “democratic” our modern society is? How much objectivity is
left in the major decision processes? And how financial interests dictate the
future of our society.
These questions can also be applied to a
comparison between France and the USA; a subject that could interest me for
future reflections.
These subjects have interested me and will
continue to make me ask questions to myself and to search for further
information.
As this post will be my final contribution to
this blog, I would like to thank you for the class and for explaining
interesting concepts. I will bring this information with me back to France and
hope to be able to use them in future papers.
Hermann JAGOT.
I completely agree with this blog entry. The instagram effect I believe has effected all of our lives, just those that have one at least. When I take a picture, it's like I immediately want to put a filter on it to make my skin look darker, or the ocean water bluer if on vacation. I know catch my self about to put a filter on, but I look back at this article thinking it does not have to be done. We get so googly eyed over an out fit someone has on or vacation spot when really it does not matter. We automatically think we want that or want to be there. It's all about he looks of things, that's why Instagram is just for pictures only.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing I agree on is the Hunger Games article, this article shows how much control the government has or could have. But besides this article, I would have to say that the feminist article about women having lead roles in movies and TV shows have become so powerful. We now have a movie, such as the Hunger Games, and the show Once Upon A Time that has women as the heroine. They have a strong build, beauty, and dominant attitude that fits each of their positions. Over previous years, women were more of the damsel in distress with more of the male culture saving the girl. Now, things have changed and women have more of an equal connection to men. Women are capable to do anything men can, and of course movie directors now see that and are taking advantage of the opportunity.
Aside from the articles we have learned, I have thoroughly enjoyed discussions we have had about race, feminism, etc because I have learned so much more than I thought I knew. It has been so enjoyable listening to everyones comments about different opinions about each subject we discussed. We have gone into so much detail about culture, empowerment and so on that it has taught me life lessons to take with me.
Elizabeth Sain