Overview of JOUR 2

This quarter I learned a lot about the history of media, and even more about the behind the scenes of advertising. I was always enlightened and interested in the origins of the different mediums of mass communications when we discussed them in class, and often shared them afterwards with my friends and family. It was even more intriguing to me learning about all the work that goes into what we see in the media. My absolute favorite lesson was when we held a discussion and watched the video about the history and job of a Public Relations Representative. The way they changed the whole fashion color scheme of the season to green just to sell cigarettes to women was highly impressive, and really shows how little we know about what we see. It has changed my interest from a major in Visual Communications to one in Merchandise Marketing!

Scarlett Johansson Wins Defamation Case Against French Novelist

        Scarlett Johansson, the star of Lost in Translation and The Girl With the Pearl Earring sued French writer Grégoire Delacourte for making false claims about her private life: the fictional character who was not really Scarlett Johansson had two affairs that the real Johansson never had. It was, she said, defamatory – and a French judge agreed. However, the court threw out her argument that the book – La Première Chose Qu'on Regarde (The First Thing You Look At), which has sold more than 100,000 copies and been translated into several languages – "fraudulently exploited her name, her image and her celebrity" and should not be translated or made into a film, as planned. Instead of the €50,000 (£40,000) in damages Johansson claimed, the court awarded her just €2,500, plus €2,500 in legal costs, saying she had already talked about her private life in interviews.
Emmanuelle Allibert of the publishers J-C Lattès said they and Delacourt were happy with the judgment. "All of Scarlett Johansson's demands were rejected except one thing that was seen to be an attack in her private life over two relations that she never had.
Delacourt told Le Figaro he was "stupefied" at the American actress's action. "I didn't expect it at all … especially as I'm not sure she's even read the book. It's not been translated.
"I thought she'd get in contact to ask me to go for a coffee with her. I didn't write a novel about celebrity. I wrote a real love story and a homage to feminine beauty, especially interior beauty." Friday 4 July 2014

The Guardian Article on the Case

I am glad that she won her case; it is not okay to create a character so closely related to a real person without permission and true facts. This reminds me of all of the strife behind The Satanic Verses, and how deadly that was because the author used a highly celebrated figure as one of his characters, but had the character display less than flattering traits. It is difficult to be a celebrity figure, because everyone thinks they have a right to you and your personal life, but they do not.- Katie

Annotated References

1. Hajli, M. N. (2014). A study of the impact of social media on consumers.

International Journal Of Market Research, 56(3), 387-404.

doi:10.2501/IJMR-2014-025

        This article will discuss the impact of social media on product consumers, and will give me insight on the ways social media in itself can persuade people to buy products.

2. Srivastava, C., & Bhardwaj, A. (2014). Adverse Effects of Online Social

Networking on Children and Adolescents. Journal Of Indian Association

For Child & Adolescent Mental Health, 10(2), 80-92. 

        Here in this article I will learn more about social networking sites such as Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr., and Facebook and their effects on teenagers.

3. Generation Like -PBS 

       I want to rewatch this film with my research topic in mind. There are lots of success stories that will give information on how to be "internet famous".

Propaganda Techniques in Advertising

Bandwagon

The bandwagon fallacy is when they try to get you to buy their product or eat at their restaurant by telling you how many other people love it. They want you to want to be apart of the "in" crowd.

Exaggeration 

Exaggerating in advertising is seen as "stretching the truth" or making something appear more powerful, meaningful, or real than it actually is in order to sell their product.

Research Paper Topics

• Politics: I think it  is important for journalists to paint the picture of the person running for a position as a leader, not just on the one issue that is pinpointed during the elections. If I were to choose this topic to write my paper on, I would find the polls of how many people voted when the stories involved the leadership qualities of the people, versus when the stories were about one issue.

• Journalists: Why are there no magazines or papers that focus on happy/positive news? They have an obligation to keep us happy. Are there any papers or magazines that DO focus on positive news about the world? Why have they not taken off? What could they do to be more successful/ bring in more revenue?

• Social Media: What does it take to become “famous” or “successful” on a social media platform? You see people trying and trying everyday, but only a few have achieved universal fame through their media. What qualifies as “internet famous”? 

Grab Your Popcorn (And Some Tissues!)

Movies — They move us to tears, laughter, and revelations alike. These movies have done just that for me.

All Time Favorite - UP 

UP stole all of our hearts when it came out in theaters in 2009. It was a movie that everyone loved; there was a humorous dog, sad love story, and a beautiful friendship that healed our broken hearts in the end. Over the years this has stayed one of the movies I can call a favorite.  

Favorite from 2013/2014 - The Great Gatsby

I was unable to pick a movie from the past year that really stood out to me, so I picked one from 2012. After reading the book for school, I was a bit skeptical about the movie, and was pleasantly surprised. The way they scored the party scenes was very interesting to me: they used popular songs and artists from our generation to show the energy and excitement of the parties versus music that would have actually been played at a raging party in the 1920s. 

Travel Teen Magazine

*cover art credit: Blake Boles*

Name: Travel Teen, for the independent adventurer

Concept:Travel magazine/guide for independent teens looking to travel globally. 

Readers: Both girls and boys, ages 14-18, there is no emphasis on ethnicity or class.

Competitor Magazines: Travel Girl, Teen Ink, and Homeschooling Teen. Teen Ink and Homeschooling Teen do not focus 

solely on traveling for teenagers, they touch on travel occasionally, but are aimed at the "independent teenager" demographic. Travel Girl is aimed at a different demographic: the girl in her young twenties, but does focus on traveling safely as a woman on her own.

Advertisers: REI, Indiegogo, Air Europa, Unschool Adventures, Girl Scouts

5 Articles: 

• Talking to Your Parents About International Travel...Without Them. Here, we would show a template for how to pitch the trip to them, and what their main concerns will be. There will be a list of all the research you need to do before talking to them, and resources for the parents.
• How To Book You Eurorail Trip! This article would focus on how to successfully figure out which countries you want to visit, the best B&Bs, and what activities you'll want to do there. It will also have tips on how to hold yourself and speak as a minor, in order to receive the respect and safety you need in an unfamiliar place.
• Mission Trips: Are They Your Best Opportunity For Travel? This will talk about different opportunities for travel within the organizations you're already a part of. Where to look, how to get involved. There are scholarships, ambassador programs, gap year programs, and even just summer camps in other countries. It would briefly touch on exchange programs and how to get involved with those as well.
• Navigating an International Airport for the First Time It will be a shorter article, and will mainly consist of activities to do during layovers, how to check into your flights, and stay relaxed.
• Crowdfunding, Is It Morally Right? A list of reasons why crowdfunding is a wonderful tool for minors with a goal, and an explanation to what is really is. There will be instructions on how to use it and write your pitch to draw in the most people and how to reach your goal fastest. Examples will be included of wildly successful campaigns made specifically for travel goals.

BOOKS!

As a homeschool student, books were my best friend throughout my childhood. I initially HATED reading (as many of us did), until my mum tricked me into reading the Harry Potter series at age 8. I was hooked after the first paragraph, and I haven’t stopped reading since. Books are a wonderful source of entertainment all the time, but specifically when you’re trying to detox from all of the media and screens around you. 

Influential books for me include the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini, and The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. They all have one common theme that’s stood out to me: empowerment. 
Hermione kicked butt in the Harry Potter series, and sexist views were defied. It was also my introduction to the wonderful world of the written word.
It’s Kind of a Funny Story inspires people to look beyond the temporary sad thoughts and see all the beauty in the world with Vizzini’s story of his time in the psych ward on suicide watch. I found this extremely helpful my freshman year of high school; it was my first time at public school and terribly overwhelming. Sadly, Vizzini committed suicide in December of 2013, and I am still unclear on how to process it, to be honest.
The War of Art is focused around defying “Resistance” (procrastination) and releasing the artistic abilities inside of yourself. This book is one that gave me an intense wake up call to everything I could be doing, that I wasn’t doing. Since reading it, I’ve enrolled here at De Anza, and am looking into different internships and jobs within the field I’m interested in.
I’ve gone back and re-read each of these books at LEAST 3 times, and get more out of them each time. 

It can be really hard for me to keep reading as I get busier and busier. I’ll admit to falling into dry spells where I won’t read for a month or so, and damn, those months weigh the heaviest on me. Regardless, books are one of my favorite forms of mass media.

Media Autobiography

Media has always been a love in my life, who doesn’t love to know what's going on in other people's minds?

Books: When I was little, we hired a writing coach because I thought I was going to be the most accomplished 11 year old writer the world had ever seen. I realized after awhile that I would much rather be engrossed in someone else’s life works. Books have always held a special place in my heart, from princesses in castles to crack addicts in the streets, I absorb all of the stories and experiences.

News: I haven’t kept up with the news as of late, I am trying to find a station that talks about the joy and good things in the world instead of dwelling on all of our issues.

Magazines: I have a few magazines I like to read from around the world. I love to pick up National Geographic and explore the world in pictures and what all is going on, and will ALWAYS be excited for a fashion magazine of some sort (Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar..). I’ve also found some teen lifestyle magazines in Australia that open my eyes to their lives and the similarities and differences we face.

Movies: I’ve never had the patience to sit still for a whole movie, unless it can truly capture my attention with a deeper meaning. A movie that has done that for me is Little Birds. It focuses on the importance of not growing up too fast and being grateful for what you have. I think these are valuable lessons as I am still 16, but am working and learning in a world of older and thus more independent young adults.

Audio: Music hasn’t been a spiritual experience for me, like with some people. But I do love a song with a message other than “get the girl” or “make the boy love me”. If it promotes self love or even a silly message, I will listen to it over and over. It’s important to only listen to music that boosts you up!

Radio: I only use the radio for music, the DJs tend to be judgmental and offensive to their listeners more often than not. I will put on BBC radio and jam out to some british commentary on the world issues going on every once and a great moon though.

Television: TV is a great way to sit down and zone out at the end of the day. I tend to watch a range of shows: America’s Next Top Model, Modern Family, and even Bob’s Burgers. 

Internet: Oh goodness me, the internet is my true weakness. I will get stuck on Tumblr. and Twitter for hours on the weekends, and miss out on any sleeping hours available to me. 

I can see myself in a career involving media, definitely. I am currently only 16 and homeschooling, so I am still deciding on what college I want to further my education with, but I am considering the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, and majoring in Visual Communications.