Writing 105M

Final Post

Multimedia writing creates new boundaries, possibilities, and spurs creativity in a way that text-only writing cannot. Nowadays anybody with computer and internet access can easily become a multimedia writer. Artists, writers, producers, and those alike now have an expansive and easily accessible platform to promote their own works by simply making an account on one of the countless social media sites out there such as YouTube, Tumblr, Flickr, etc. On the other hand, because the internet is a free space that allows anyone to post anything several problems are created as a result. Privacy is a big issue; any personal information posted on the internet becomes public information instantly. A lot of people dealt with harassment and impersonation/identity theft because of being involved in these online communities. On a larger scale, consequences of having this easily accessible public forum can be far reaching. The anti-Islam video that was released on the internet recently sparked several violent anti-American demonstrations in Afghanistan which included attacks on the U.S embassies. Since putting restrictions on what can be posted on the internet would be an infringement on our personal right to free speech, situations like that become impossible to prevent. On a side note, I noticed that the article linked above incorporated Twitter updates and YouTube clips for references which show how modern web journalism is now increasingly using web-based sources for information.

However, the new wave of multimedia writing embraces the new generation of writers who are more tech-savvy than those who preceded them. Being able to know how to create a blog, make YouTube videos, and advertise through media sites such as Twitter and Facebook are useful skills to know now that businesses can now start up based on the web. This creates opportunities that could potentially turn into a lucrative way to earn money. Take for example Perez Hilton, popular online celebrity gossip blogger. His blog is simple, not very flashy or edgy or creative but he’s managed to reportedly make over $110,000 per month due to advertisement sales his high-trafficked blog makes. Perez Hilton is based off the simple idea of having one website that contained frequent updates of the latest rumors and gossip in current celebrity and pop culture. His blog could hardly be called real journalism but he still managed to make a name and career for himself in the blogging world. There are and continue to be a growing number of YouTube-famous “stars”, ranging from musicians, artists, entrepreneurs, video-bloggers, and so much more. Justin Beiber is one of the most well-known successful young artist who was discovered through self-posted amateur YouTube videos. R&B singer Usher noticed the attention he was getting and sought out to eventually sign him on to his own record label when Bieber was just 13 years old. The internet has made it possible for people to put out their work on display for the world to see and receive nearly instant feedback. If what you posted garners enough attention and buzz it could be a potential starting off point for future business and career opportunities.

Multimedia writing has ushered in the new era of journalism in this technologically advancing world. Print media is gradually diminishing and being replaced by web-based media. These new developments fit in and work with our rapidly changing world, but there are several new issues that come along with digital media that didn’t occur with print media. However, being able to use digital media to your advantage is quickly becoming one of the fastest and easiest way to get your name and work discovered.

YouTube Project Reflection

My group video project consisted of two videos: one was a compilation of awkward moments that can occur at UCSB and the other was an informative video of useful places on campus that a freshman should know. We had a group of six people working on these two videos. Everybody contributed ideas for the project and helped decide which awkward moments and useful places were going to be used in the video. Each person in the group appeared and spoke at least once in the videos. I played one of the awkward freshmen in the first video and introduced the Buchanan store in the informative one. Because different people appeared in different scenes, everybody also took part in filming different parts of the videos. We divided up the editing of the videos with Daniel, Chris, and I editing the awkward moments video and Kim, Victoria, and Maggy editing the useful places video.

Both videos are meant to be informative videos for incoming freshmen at UCSB. The awkward moments video shows acted out examples of, you guessed it, awkward moments that commonly occur at UCSB and provides ways to prevent these moments from happening. The useful places is an informative guide to certain locations on campus that incoming freshmen would find useful to know. Our video’s audience would obviously be primarily UCSB students and others who want to find out more about UCSB. The situations in the awkward moments video could be identifiable with any college student as well. I’m really proud of how the videos turned out considering the short amount of time we were given to create them. The whole process took two days of filming, a few reshoots, and a couple more days of editing. The awkward moment video had small comedic skits that were entertaining to shoot and watch, and the useful places video turned out very nicely aesthetically.  

1) One big problem with social media today is people stealing other people’s identity and impersonating them. This occurs often with popular social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.  Celebrities and well-known public figures are more commonly targeted, but unsuspecting members of the general public can be targeted as well. This has happened to a friend of mine who had someone create a fake Facebook account with her pictures on it. The person attempted to add all of her friends trying to get personal information from them by impersonating her. Privacy in social media sites has always been a top issue but there hasn’t been good system to prevent things like identity theft from occurring.

2) I thought the Text-Image project was a good introduction into the advertising, marketing, and photo journalism job fields by making us the photographer and giving us the creative freedom to pick the topic of the images. I never really considered pursuing any of these careers but I enjoyed this assignment. It was difficult writing about the images in a cohesive way, but the project was still fun because made us think creatively. Looking at other people’s projects and the way they staged and described their photos showed me the different ways photo and text could work together to create a message.

Day Without Electronics

I chose Labor Day to be the day I abstain from using electronic devices that I have grown so heavily reliable on for communication, entertainment, productivity, and so much more. Starting in the morning when I woke up at around 9 I refrained from using my laptop, watching T.V., and the hardest one of all, using my phone for 8 hours. I chose this day because I knew I already had a lot things that needed to be done that would occupy a good amount of the day.

This past weekend was one of my housemate’s birthdays and to celebrate the occasion we threw a party complete with a kiddie pool and slip ‘n slide. As expected, there was a mess in the backyard as well as in the house that needed to be cleaned up, which occupied a few hours of my time that morning. The house is also getting work done starting Tuesday morning, so my housemates and I needed to pack up and vacate the house for a couple of weeks for renovations to take place. Packing also took up a lot of time, and before I knew it it was already 1:30 p.m. and I had already survived 4 hours without glancing at my laptop or phone (which I had put in a drawer out of sight). 

At this point, I began to run out of things to do to occupy my time. I went out to get lunch at In ‘N Out with my housemate which took up another hour. I noticed that I was constantly checking or asking the time because I wanted to know how many hours had gone by since I had stopped using electronic devices. I took a nap after lunch and woke up around 4 in the afternoon. I realized that I needed to use my phone for an emergency call to my friend who’s house I was going to be staying at to get his key before he had left town. This was a very important call that I had to make because I would be locked out and homeless with all my luggage if I hadn’t. 

This day taught me that I could go without electronic devices for a while if I already had things to do to occupy myself. I lucked out in being busy cleaning and packing all day. From this experience I learned that it’s possible to go throughout your day without using electronic devices but there are moments when it’s easier or absolutely necessary to complete a task using them. 

Text-Image Project Analysis

Taisonya does a great job incorporating text into images to create a visual message about a very serious problem in our society today: the economic inequalities between males and females in the workplace. Being a female student worker, I feel strongly about this issue because it is ridiculous that there is still a gender difference in salaries even among similar jobs. The text and photos directly correlated with the research as well, which made the photo’s message easy to understand right away. For example, the two hands carrying different amounts of money are a clever and simple way of illustrating examples of the wage gap between males and females. My favorite picture is the one of the group of hands placed together in a circle with the water in the background. I thought it was a great picture to use to incorporate the reasons why these disparities exist, and in turn provoke thought and discussion of how to address and find solutions to these problems. Overall, I thought this was a solid group of text-images. The composition of text and image were very effective in relaying its message as well as shedding more light on an important issue that is still ongoing today. 

If I could make a Youtube Video…

I would make a pedagogical one about how to kandi bracelets. In the video I would include specific instructions on different beading patterns, color designs, and how to trade them at music events.