group-podcast-1.mp3

in-a-name-montage.mp3

Nediva

I love my name because I define it. I believe that my name does not define me because it is so rare that when people who meet me think of the name they would refer it to ME. Thats why I put up the pictures of myself because I put the personality behind the name. I also put my mother and brother in my montage because they have helped create my personality. I put my roommate Daria in my montage because around her my true personality comes out.

The dictionary definition for my name is noble and generous in Hebrew. To represent this I put my name in Hebrew and I also showed a picture of two hands giving in order to signify generosity.

Tara

My mother choose to put the name Tara as my middle name because of the Buddhist goddess Tara. I placed a picture of a sculpture of Tara behind my middle name.

Anderson

My last name literally means “Andrew’s son” but because the name is of European descent and my last name comes from the black side of my family, I concluded that my last name is most likely taken on from slavery. For this reason I put shackles on my montage.

My avatar doesn’t look to much like me but her outfit looks dead on. When I started editing I just went through each category one at a time which wasn’t the best idea because some little things that didn’t come off till near the end distracted me, like her make up. My original idea was that I would do a quick modification then detail everything better, but when I finished the quick one I became overwhelmed and ran out of time. I think that her outfit was the easiest because it isn’t as personal to me as my face and body image. I had a really hard time with the hair because it kept on going bald, the rest was just hard because when you look at yourself there are things that stand out to you that may not really stand out as much, so you have to put your bias aside. I had to change my avatar a lot because I think it was in our society classification of the ‘perfect girl’ and I don’t really believe any of us are like that. *Personally i like my avatar better*.

Media is around us constantly. It’s on my living room television and on the nail shop’s t.v. as well, it’s when I listen to my i-pod while walking down the street, then I get home and blast the radio.

Media is everywhere we go, but is it good for us?

Media has always been in my life, I don’t remember the day we first met, but I remember the days I fought my sister and brothers so I could watch tom and jerry instead of MTV, or my first cd ( Mariah Carey’s number one hits, you know back when she looked natural, before plastic surgery… anyways). Listening to the radio, Cassette tapes, cd’s, watch movies and t.v. all of this seems like it has been in my life just about as long as my memory.

Growing up, I never questioned or thought it strange that I made my Christmas list while watching T.V. commercials for my ideas. I’d watch Nickolodeon, wait for the commercials then when I saw something I wanted like the brand new fairy sky dancers  , I would write it on my seemingly ever growing Christmas list, which now that I think about it was more like a “I wish that I could possibly have all these useless toys some day even though they have no purpose, will probably break after the first day, and if not I will be done with them after the first week if it last that long” type of list.

All of these commercials aren’t necessarily bad, but that fact that I needed someone else to tell me what I wanted isn’t exactly a good thing. All in all what I am saying is that the media has trained, well at least me, to listen to what is advertised as good and use it. I mean I would love to say that I am an individual and I don’t need ‘the man’ to tell me what to do, but next time that you claim that you do what you want solely because you want to, be like that annoying little kid you were forced to babysit and just keep on asking, WHY? Why do I want to do this? Why? Why? Why?

For example:

*In the Abercombie and Fitch in Emeryville on Bay St. two blondes Brittany and Katey are shopping*

Brittany:Oh my goodness, like I totally like love this Abercrombie shirt!

Katey: I know right!

* Brittany’s conscience comes into play and she stops and thinks*

*Aside to herself*

Conscience: Why do you want that Abercrombie shirt?

Brittany: Because it’s cute, duh!

Conscience: Why would you pay 25$ for a yellow shirt that says Abercrombie rather than 5$ for a yellow shirt that doesn’t say Abercrombie?

Brittany: Because Abercrombie is cool duh!

Conscience: But why is Abercrombie cool?

Brittany: Because I saw it on that big billboard in San Fransisco when I got off the bridge…

*Brittany looks at the shirt and puts it down*

*Aloud*

Katey: OMG, Britt like why are you putting it back!

Brittany:Because I don’t need it okay! You just don’t get it do you?

Katey: Why don’t you just dye your hair brown already….

Well anyways, thats my point, if you think hard enough, it might not come right away but it seems to me that this lovely media of ours has taken over our individuality, and the funny part is we still think we have it.

But! Not all media is bad!!

Media allows us to connect ourselves with people all across this Earth. In Berkeley there is a local television station that allows the people residing in Berkeley to speak their mind on television so that they are able to be heard by all in Berkeley who care enough to listen. This show is probably on of the weirdest things I have ever seen but it is good that they are able to get their point out where those willing can accept them.

The internet is also a place where people all over the world can communicate and share knowledge. the internet is great because it makes it possible for us to easily look up anything we want to and we can find information on it we can find organizations, anything the internet simply is a tool we all need. We can now send photo books to the other side of the country, or even the world, without any postage. We can talk to our best friends while looking at them through the web cam without being anywhere near. We can send cards to our favorite aunt with no postage what so ever. The internet has opened doors in media that we never saw coming and it creates opportunities that continue to

Grow and Grow and Grow…