Activist Project

One activist group that I have always heard about, no matter what my age was, was Greenpeace. Greenpeace has been around since 1971, when a group of people from Vancouver went over to the US atomic test zone in Alaska and protested the testing of nuclear weapons. Since then, Greenpeace has grown to be a global organization with involvment in many countries and countless people involved throughout the world, who only have a desire for the betterment of the world around us, and the maintaining of that world and its environment and people. They have a larger involvement, and manage themselves in a non-violent manner. Greenpeace is a group that has always inspired me to take action, and initiate change within my community. I constantly participate in the community clean ups, and walk whenever I am able to. I fear for the environment, and what we are doing to it as a collective body.

Greenpeace has worked throughout the world to stop things such as the dumping of wastes into water systems, the hunting and poaching of endangered species, and the releasing of dangerous chemicals into our world. Greenpeace has always strived to find ways and technologies than can benefit the Earth and make this world a better place to live it.

I have always loved the idea of Greenpeace and how they never stop caring about the greater good. I would love to become involved with Greenpeace in someway, whether it is something small like cleaning up the garbage around my community, driving less than I used to to reduce my emmissions, recylcing and composting everything possible, recycling my cell phones and throwing my batteries where they should go, and even turning off lights EVERY time I leave a room. I try my hardest to work for the environment, and to try to produce less emmssions and wastes, but I would still love to become more involved than that with the Greenpeace projects. I would love to be involved with their campaigns to save the rainforests that large corporations are trying to clear cut to make room for more industrial nonsense. Or getting involved with the protection of a wild animal who is endangered because hunters and poachers keep killing them for monetary gain.

I feel Greenpeace really understands the world today, and the amount of polution society is creating. Greenpeace has always had the proper goals and values that I myself wish to have, and they are able to stand up, and help prevent these terrible things from happening. Greenpeace is an amazing non-profit organization, one in which I really hope to be involved in at some point in my life, and I will be proud to tell people that I did my part, and helped save the rainforests or prevented nuclear testing.

Participatory Culture

Every morning, I roll out of bed to my alarm, turn it off, hit the power button on my computer, then head off to brush my teeth and such. I come back, and my computer is completely ready to go. My internet is connected, my msn is up and running, and I'm ready to check my emails. Almost every morning, I have an email from my boyfriend, then about 6 or 7 from Facebook. I check these, and head off to my Facebook page to see what the daily dirt is.

I am one of the millions of people around the world who has been taken in by the world of Facebook. Without it, my social life would lack, and the amount of gossip I hear about would be significantly less. However, I don't just use Facebook to see who is dating who and who is fighting with who over this person's wall. Facebook is a way that I have been able to stay in touch with friends and family whom I don't get to see very often during that day. I have a lot of family members who don't live in the same province as me, and a lot of friends from the places where I have travelled. Seeing as not everyone is on the same timeline, it is nice to be able to communicate freely over Facebook, and stay updated in the lives of my friends and family.

One thing I love about Facebook is that my parents and Grandmother have managed to get themselves onto this social networking site. My Grandmother came on so she could see weekly updates of her very first grandson, who unfortunately lives in Kenora, VERY North of Peterborough, where she lives. As she puts it, she is able to watch Ben grow, even though she can't often see him in person. Facebook is a networking site that connects people around the world and enables people to stay in touch with those they don't always have the opportunity to see.

Although I am slightly addicted to Facebook, there are things about it that I have learned that somewhat scare me off the site. I learned that my privacy is constantly breeched. In one of my other classes, we were told to watch a video on Facebook, and it really opened my eyes at the what happens at the head of the Facebook network, and what the owners divuldge. The site, http://www.albumoftheday.com/facebook, is a flash presentation that discusses how our privacy is being invaded while we express ourselves in this social networking site.

Even though I see that larger corporations are being sold statistics and information about me and my age demographic, I can't help but to continue to Facebook constantly throughout the day. It helps to relax me when I'm uber stressed, and it is an excellent tool for procrastination... I can always find a quiz that is floating around in someone's notes to do instead of finishing the essay that is currently sitting open on my desktop. Facebook may be something that gets abused and over-used, but it is a great source of networking and keeping people in touch with others around them.

Culture Jamming

Culture jamming is a form of satirical humour that pokes fun at pop culture and the people who endorse and consume it, which would be almost everyone. It is opposed by many government organizations and many companies because it infringes on copyright laws set out by that company and is a form of public activism. One example would be the picture attached, which is taken from the Abrupt website (http://www.abrupt.org/CJ/). This is a group of people who are involved in culture jamming, and have a collection of cereal boxes with this form of satirical humour.

There are said to be aims of culture jamming: 1. to make people laugh at the expense of the company or government they are mocking, 2. to encourage peoplet to take a second look at the world around them and view the ways it is changing, 3. to demonstrate the negatives of the companies or government groups they are mocking, and portray them in an unflattering light, as opposed to how the subject matter portrays themselves on a usual basis, and 4. to provoke a public interest in culture jamming, and to create a fanbase.

Culture jammers see the media as it is presented to the general public, then take that media and manipulate it. Then, they circulate this manipulation to the general populace and create a fanbase of culture jammers.

One person that I was introduced to during mass communications class was Ron English, and since that class I have shown his website (http://www.popaganda.com/) which displays the manipulations of billboards and advertisements that have been made by Ron English. He creates theses culture jams of popular advertisements and well known people, and puts them up on billboards that he "hijacks" and introduces his work into the generlal public. His work makes me think at some points about what I have been led to believe.

Culture jamming is certainly an interesting way that some people have chosen to express their ideas and opinions to the general public, and I think that it should be encouraged, regardless of its controversy.

Buy Nothing Day

Buy Nothing Day is the day where people strive to purchase nothing in hopes to create awareness of over-consumption. I think that this day is an excellent idea, because we are all guilty of over-consuming. If I look around the room I'm sitting in currently, I can see a million things that I didn't need to buy, didn't have to buy in order to survive and function on a daily basis. Over-consumption is really prominent in society today: so many people buying things on a daily basis.

I used to be really terrible at over-consuming. I would go to the mall for the hell of it, and spend my money on clothing and CDs that I didn't need. The only thing I will never admit to over-consuming to is books, as I feel that I can never own and read too many books. Living in residence has really helped my over-spending. It helps that I am now a broke student, but all the money I have made working has remained in my bank account. I find that I spend so much less in university, because I know I need the money, and I don't have the time to go to the mall as often as I did. It's nice, because I have money to do my Christmas shopping this year, unlike my sister, who is trying to get every penny anyone has ever owed her back, just so she has money for Christmas shopping.

Buy Nothing Day started in 1992 by a Vancouver artist named Ted Dave (wikipedia.org) and has continued for the past 16 years with growing popularity. I had only heard of Buy Nothing Day last year, and tried to participate. But living in a small town, there really is nothing else to do but go to the corner store and see who is around. So I was never able to do so. But this year, I am confident I will be able to participate successfully in Buy Nothing Day, as I am going to be sitting in residence studying like mad for exams. Buy Nothing Day has been advertised thoroughly throughout the internet as being on Saturday November 29, so this is the day that I am going to attempt to buy nothing.

Each year, I feel Buy Nothing Day has a greater impact on the people of todays society. Over-consumption is an issue that is growing, and it needs all the attention it can get in hopes to slow down societies rate of consumption. Over-consumption jeopardizes the sustainability of a nation, especially when it is combined with an ever-growing population. Our resources deplete, and our environment is affected. So people need to slow down on their consumption, and only buy the necessities in order to keep our planet running smoothly.

Net Neutrality

Since the beginning of the internet and its advancement in accessibility, people have been able to rely on the internet to find information, post their opinions, and gain access to virtually anything their heart desires. Today, you can research, shop, and express yourself using the internet, and people have grown accustomed to this freedom they hold. The internet has always been viewed as a vast marketplace that has anything needed and endless possibilities, and it is always been a way for people to be able to express themselves and voice their opinions.

However, starting in 2000, there has been some dispute as to whether the internet should shift from a more public interest to a more private interest. Basically, the broadband carriers want to use their power they hold above everyone, and determine what information is seen and what information comes first. Instead of people being able to see what content they want to see, they would have to see the content that the broadband carriers want them to see.

In my opinion, I feel there are some important points within this argument. If the internet was to shift from being more public to more private, than I feel it would lose some of the value it has. People would no longer be able to use the internet for whatever they wish, and to post whatever they want. The internet has always maintained a public principle, and in changing this I think the value of the internet would decrease significantly, and it would become less popular throughout the world. However, society today has become attached to the internet, so its questionable as to the effect of this action of altering net neutrality.

The internet has always been a vast source of information, a quick and easy way to shop, and a place where people can be heard. There are companies, like Google for instance, who have been able to launch themselves and grow throughout the years on the neutral internet. If the internet loses its neutrality, who knows what could happen. There would be less option for the avid internet users, and there would be less opinions heard throughout the world.

I think that the internet needs to remain a neutral place, where people can browse, shop, and vent freely, in the way that makes them happiest. People can see what they WANT to see, and not what COMPANIES want them to see.

Media Hegemonies

Media is a large part of society today. Whenever we go outside, we see millions of media all around us. They are in people's clothing and haircuts, billboards, newspapers and magazines, in television, movies, and music. There are certain media owners within our society that have a hegemony over the others, or a dominance in other words. NBC National is one of these media hegemonies.

NBC Universal is known throughout the world as one of the leading media and entertainment companies. They development, market and distribute news and information to the masses. NBC has been around for a while, but NBC Universal has only been around since May 2004 (all information taken from http://www.nbcuni.com/About_NBC_Universal/Company_Overview/). In May 2004, NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment joined forces, and created NBC Universal. With this cross-media ownership, NBC own 80% of the company, and Vivendi Universal Entertainment owns 20%. With this ownership, NBC Universal was able to expand and enter into many different types of entertainment. NBC Universal airs television dramas, comedies, reality TV shows, Late Night and Daytime television, and even shows geared towards children. For over 75 years, NBC has been involved in the deliverance of the news. With the combination with Vivendi, NBC Universal has been able to reach out to a larger audience and expand their television involvement. NBC National also shows many different sporting events each day, and even seasonal sports, like the Olympics.

There are also a few websites under the control of NBC Universal, like www.nbcni.com, www.nbc.com, and www.nbcsports.com. With the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, the world has had access to several different television, radio, and internet, and other entertainment sources that are under the jurisdiction of this company.

However, it is questionable as to whether or not the cross-ownership of this media is a good thing. There have been some disputes about this over the years. People wish to see a diversity in who owns what media within the world, as there are many companies, like NBC Universal, that own all three types of media outlets (television, radio, newspaper). With cross-media ownership, there are many companies that own all three forms of media, and this can jeopardize the diversity of the media in the world today.

Also, with cross-media ownership, it is possible for two main distributors of a media form could merge together to form one, which would create zero possibilities of difference, and take away any choice the person would have, as there would really only be one option.

This is what people are afraid of, and it is rightfully so. If companies keep merging to form one, there will be a large lack of choice in the media we have to chose. It looks as though there would be one company control each media outlet, and that would be your choice. I think cross-media ownership should be discouraged as it will completely take away all choice people will have in choosing their providers.

Not required, the dangers of media

So this is a post that I have chosen to do on my own time, despite the fact that i'm not caught up with my usual ones...

I live in a small town called Stroud, and its about 5 minutes south of Barrie. In Barrie Thanksgiving Monday, a little boy named Brandon Crisp went missing. He was looked for for almost 3 weeks, until some hunters came across his body in some woods in Oro Medonte. This boy was 15, and he died for a very disturbing reason. He ran away from home on Thanksgiving Monday because his parents took away his xbox 360. Brandon was an avid player of Call of Duty, and his parents were seeing it affect his school work. So he ran away from home. His parents thought nothing of it, assuming he would be back in the morning and would just go to a friends house. However, Brandon climbed a tree that night to get out of the snow, and fell out, crushing his ribcage and dying instantly.

This disturbs me for a few reasons. One, the boy was only 15, and someone should not die that young. But what disturbs me most is the circumstances surrounding this boys death. He died because his video games were taken away. That is what is happening in todays ever changing and advancing world. People are becoming addicted to their certain technologies to the point where they make stupid decisions if for some reason they can't be involved with this technology. Fifty years ago none of this was a problem. Technology was just becoming accessible. And I bet that the people involved with the creation of any of the major technologies never thought their technologies would cause ddeath, insanity, or anything of the sort.

But the fact is that people become absorbed in their technologies, it starts to take over their lives. We're all guilty of it, I for one can't go 10 minutes without looking at my phone. And I have to check my Facebook once a day at least. However, when these things aren't accessible to me, I'm fine with it.

It just scares me that there are people out there who can be so over-taken by one form of technology that it could lead to tragedies like Brandon's.

News Propaganda

When I hear the word propaganda, my mind first goes to my years of history classes, and the many examples of war propaganda I was shown. When I automatically think about war propaganda, I start to realize that today there is propaganda around us everywhere we go. There are still people out there who are trying to persuade the masses to behave a certain way or to think a certain way.

Propaganda is defined as influencing the opinions or behaviours of large numbers of people (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda). Another term used for propaganda is "perception management"; the process of transforming public opinion to conform to a premeditated political agenda (http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=5058). This is what has always been understood: we see advertisements or articles that are put somewhere by companies or organizations in hopes of persuading the masses to buy their product or take their side.
Governments today use propaganda, it is just not as harsh or as obvious as the propaganda that was used during the First and Second World Wars. They use propaganda to persuade the public to believe what they believe and to support what they wish to accomplish. Politicians use propaganda throughout elections to enhance the public opinion of themselves and to increase the number of supporters they have. Also, propaganda is used by today's politicians to tarnish the public's perception of their opponents.

I feel that the biggest people that are putting propaganda out into the public today are the people of public relations. People within the PR business are hired by companies and corporations to boost the reputation and image of said companies or corporations. A person in PR takes the positive attributes of the company they are representing and releases them in a positive advertisement or article to the general public to enhance the company's image. PR people present facts selectively, so they are not technically lying to the public, they are just omitting facts that may not act in a postive way for the company they are representing.

Although the news put out as propaganda isn't false, the information may not be all there. The full picture is not being portrayed, therefore the full story is not being seen. Propaganda is used to enhance the image or reputation of a product, company or corporation. This means that only the good will be shown, and it will be up to the audience to discover the truth about the product. Propaganda only implies the good qualities of the product or company involved; the bad is hidden as to keep the reputation of the company or product in high standards.

Overall, propaganda is not bad; it is not something that should be avoided, because honestly that would prove difficult. However, the audience needs to be aware that what they are reading or seeing may not be the full picture, and that further research could show the other side of the product or company that is not included in their propaganda advertisement.