I am not the person that spends a lot of time on Facebook or has a lot of friends on the site. I don’t post often and I primarily use the site to talk to people I don’t see often. I have deleted my account more than once and when I have I feel like I have lost contact with people that I don’t see often. I don’t spend much time on the site, but now that I have a iPhone and I don’t know much about it, I kind of stay
logged in. Before using the app on my phone, I didn’t log in everyday and I wasn’t as active. Though it is logged in on my phone I don’t spend much time on it or check it often daily. This is a textual, ethnographic study as to how college students use Facebook, how it influences their lives and the difference it makes.
You did a really good analysis of the features of Facebook and how and why college students use them. By conducting your own survey, I think that it definitely made your research findings more concrete because you got to use your own results that went along with what you found in other research. I also really liked your whole section about Facebook profiles as a representation of our cultural identity. People on Facebook post what they want others to see because it creates who they are to other people looking at their profile. I found this profile identity interesting when dealing with the whole privacy concept. The purpose of posting something is to make it public for other people to see, and yet people expect to have some sort of privacy.
I really liked the video, “The things that connect us” and how you showed Facebook connecting us all on a larger scale. The consumerism section was also interesting with all the different ways people use Facebook.
I thought that the section about whether or not it is practical to avoid Facebook was the most interesting. I feel like there is a kind of social isolation if you do not have Facebook. People use the site to connect with one another, especially in college, and if you do not have a Facebook than you may get lost in the shuffle or miss out on certain event. All in all, I think that it is a good project and an interesting topic.
I really think you went above and beyond and even deeper into revealing Facebook for the many things that is it does. Your explorations on the several features including e-personality, usage of Facebook, and including visual representations (video) really capitulates the presence of Facebook in our lives and by our, I mean college students. I believe Facebook has become a space for college students, and I would have to say it provides ways in which the campus engages with students and vice-versa. Including myself as an RA, I have established a floor page so residents know about upcoming events or they can post concerns about the hall. Through out the year it has been a tool that has helped me reach out to my residents. In regards with e-personality, I would argue that its simply another representation of who we are. Yes it does give way to put ourselves as people we might not be but even then it reveals something about who we really are. In the “real world” we still are different in some circumstances, either in class or on the job, so I would have to say it simply describes what we tend to do as human beings. For me its more of a Bunbury or alter ego. Again, I think you did a fabulous job! Thank you!
I think it was interesting when you talked about the different purposes that Facebook serves for different types of people. There is a lot of good information in the video as well and it was interesting to see. I think there is a lot to talk about when looking at Facebook so it might help you if you cover more specific aspects of Facebook rather than try and hit every single aspect. You have a lot of good details and quality research in here. Well done.
I liked the information and I liked the section of consumerism, it made me think of conspicuous consumption and Facebook as a forum to express this form of socio-economic consumption. I am interested in seeing how people across cultures use Facebook as a platform to express wealth and success. I also liked the methodology you used, it made for some interesting findings!
That is an interesting observation. I too just acquired an iphone and I find that because it is so accessable it makes it easier to stay in touch and active. I think that it has mainly deal with accessability because now when I am waiting for anything I will check social media and because of this I have become more active. This makes me more interested in other social media sites because I have more time to keep up to date.
I found the chairs video to be extremely interesting! The concept of chairs being similar to Facebook in allowing people to sit down and connect with one another is something I would have never thought of. I, like Katrina, also appreciate you section on Facebook and culture identity. Individuals become so consumed by this sort of social media that it soon becomes who we are and if it isn’t who we are we can create it in a way that makes it appear that we are the person we want to be.
I agree with Hayley! Its almost frustrating when someone doesn’t have a Facebook! I find out about almost all of the event on campus through Facebook, I would miss out on so much if I didn’t hear about it on FB. It almost makes having a profile important, not only for social reasons, but to go to events that are informative.
I was interested in the idea of the dual personalities or multi-characteristics people have online versus in “real life”. I was also intrigued by the connectedness people strive for when using the site. However, this begs the question; if our friends are “different” on facebook compared to real life why would we want to stay connected to a “fake” version of our friends/family members?
I think Max brings up an interesting question! Maybe you should do a section on which version of the self is truer, the reality based you or the one who exists online? And can friends choose to be friends with only one version of you?
I really like how you set up your word press site to document your study. The different features and sections make it very easy to follow your journey through this project. I think one of your most interesting sections is when you talk about identity and Facebook. So many people hype themselves up on Facebook so they seem more popular or more approachable however the false reality is that once they log off Facebook they are a different person. I think that this is a great analyst of Facebook and social media because it makes you think about who you are connecting with on Facebook
Excellent and superb job on your final project! I really like how you discuss about Facebook and through different analyses. i also like how you wrote and kept blogging about Facebook. Great job!
I really liked the extensive research and it showed through the site. The video was super interesting. Although this topic is used over and over again in different views, you presented it well. The idea through which you are talking about comes out clearly.
You did a great job providing a lot of research on your project and links to videos that are interesting and nicely related to your topic. I like that you not only made a website but also conducted your own study.
I felt like this was really interesting as I to am not a big fan of facebook.I rarely use it and when I do I only use it when I have nothing else going on or if I want to wish someone a happy birthday other than that facebook is useless. I really like how you approached this and I can tell you put a lot of effort into showing what you know and have understood from your project.
i loved this page!
the part that i liked the ost was the idea of consumerism and its tie to social media. i think that this is a point that doesntget stressedenough and it really made me think about how social media, capitalism, and consumerism are intertwined and help to perpetuate eachother!!!
http://kmalves91.wordpress.com/
If logged into your WordPress account you can just type in this link and it will take you straight to my page!
In my final project I choose to explore the effect family photos have on producing or recollecting memories. I did this by means of the method Memory Work which I became familiar with through Annette Kuhn’s text “Family Secrets.” In spending time gazing at family photos in which I was not the subject of in a single one, I discovered that the representations of the generations that came before me allowed me to recall my own memories of these individuals or the influence they had on triggering memories that may be entirely unrelated to the subjects at hand. Overall, for me Memory Work quickly became about me assigning my own meaning to these photographs in a effort to understand these people I called my family and where I came from.
This is a really creative take on looking at family photos and I really enjoyed reading your descriptions of them and how you feel about the photos. It’s really interesting to see how you connect the original context of the photographs to yourself. I also really liked the layout you chose, how you organised the photographs, and labeled the date and who is in them. Well done!
I really like the design of your project. It offers your perspective on family photos and shows the role photos play in telling a story. I’m interested in photography and love looking through old family photos. Your project is really creative and I like the approach you took in telling stories based on photographs and looking back at the past.
This is such an awesome project! I think that you did a great job with the layout and everything else about it! You also effectively used the text and connected the authors with the subjects in your photographs and explained how it was a relevant topic.
This was a great idea. I really like how you set up the page and how you had quotes that related to family photos after each of the individual pictures. I also liked how you said what they meant to you. Very creative and well done.
Using photographs to understand ones own genealogy sounds really interesting. I also am a sucker for nostalgia and it was a treat to read your analysis while also looking at those photographs.
I loved the layout of your blog! It worked so well with the visuals! I thought it was really interesting that just looking at old pictures made me nostalgic for my own family pictures. I found myself wanting to look at photos of my family and see if I had the same reactions that you had! Such an interesting project!!!
Karlene, this is outstanding and profound. In all honesty not only did these photos provided you with a deeper understanding of your own life but it has also provided us with an understanding of the person that you are. Your words brought those pictures to life and embody the historical, yet everliving presence of those that are part of in the pictures and in your life. Thank you for the profound analysis and interpretation.
As a self titled photo-nerd, I loved the production notes that accompanied the photos. It would be interesting to compare families old photos and the fact that they want to preserve memories, and how todays facebook/YouTube users keep profiles for digital nostalgia. Solid project!
Wow! This is such an awesome project. Everyone wonders about their family heritage and the photos that come along with that can be very emotional to look at. Looking at the array of generations throughout your photo, it is very easy to understand how they can quickly remember things from the past. The ways in which you set this project up are very creative. I like how you integrated quotes from readings into each photos. Nice Job 🙂
I really enjoyed viewing your project. It is creative, interesting and very powerful to see the images of your family and incorporating a theoretical framework. Your project reminded me of when I went home during spring break and my uncle showed me photos of my family that I have never seen before. Photographs are a true treasure in a family. Again, I really liked your project as a whole and your approach to your project!
I really liked the photos and how they can relate almost to any person’s family. Really unique idea that was brought about. I like that through the old school pictures connects us deeper to your roots and portrays the life without much. I like that you didn’t alter the pictures either with filters and such.
This was really cool as I to look at old family photos and wonder what was happening in them. I only know what the picture is about from being told by my parents or relatives and if nothing is really known then it is just an old photo to me. This is also one of the most original project I have ever seen as it is completely different from most things we have learned about and I probably won’t see another project like it.
I really liked how you paired each photo with a quote from Kuhn and also related it to an experience you personally had. I enjoyed the overall concept of telling your story through past photographs. It was a really interesting and creative blog.
This was a really cool website you created! I like the interesting take you took on the topic examining photos you were not yourself included in because it allowed you objectivity somewhat but still allowed you the background knowledge of what it is you’re analyzing.
My project is candid photos and how people view them. I related this a lot to the media and paparazzi taking photos and analyzing them through visual methods. As well as taking the picture you can see their surrounding and the effect the pictures have on their viewers. My idea was to do my own “paparazzi” of my candid pictures of my friends. I am going to add descriptions, environment surroundings, memories and interpretation/conveying re-occuring themes in the pictures. Rose says that “photo-essays as ways of understanding visual aspects of social relations and identities in contemporary urban space” (Rose, 2012: 298) and that “how culture and social life looks, thats difficult to represent in text alone” (Rose, 2012: 319). I want to take that and implement in my pictures, and based on the memories of these pictures. I am using multiple people to convey each theme, similarly and different. In the view of the photographer, and that aspect analyzing the subject and its surroundings.
I think it’s really interesting that you’re using your own photographs to do your analysis rather than to use someone else’s. I’m interested to see what themes you find in your photos.
This is an interesting idea, however, I wonder how using your own pictures will change the way in which it is read. A paparazzi is not usually friends with the subject which changes how the subject acts and reacts to the photo being taken. It will be interesting to see how you relate this to your own pictures.
This was very interesting to see but I would agree with the other with seeing your perspective and take on each picture. Each picture that you selected shows a space and time that cultivates something, but the meaning it has to you is much different than the meaning it would have on the viewers. Your description on your visual methodologies seem very intriguing and on point with the direction you want to take your project. It would also be interesting to see what your friends say about the candid pictures that you selected.
This is a very interesting topic and I like what a you are trying to do with it. I think it would have been easier to do if you just took pictures off the internet of people you actually aren’t friends with because being friends with them might influence what you have to say about the pictures (since you know a lot about them and their personal lives). It will be interesting to see it when it is complete. Good luck!
It is an interesting concept, and I am interested in how your intentionality of taking candid photos influences the meaning that one can deconstruct within the photograph. I think it would be interesting if you did a photo elicitation with that archive and contrast it with the producer of the image.
I really like this concept because people really try to look their best and its awesome to see how they really look without posing. I remember taking a completely candid picture of my friend who usually always has to pose for pictures and it turned out so well. They actually made it their profile picture for a long time. Im glad you decided to use this idea and am interested to see how it turns out.
I really like this project! The paparazzi are famous for posting pictures that will be read a specific way, especially if they caption it the right way! Are you planning to add captions to increase a certain feeling that you want portrayed? Or just analyzing the photo itself?
Candid photos are a great…I enjoy the authenticity that exists within them and think you did a fantastic job in capturing moments amongst people close to you! I can tell you really appreciate candid photos and would like to hear what your take on each photo is and what memories they evoke!
This is a really creative project. I wonder if the fact that you are using your own photos will have an effect on how you analyze them? You pointed out the importance of background images and I think its really cool that you are analyzing not only the main aspects of the photo but also the surrounding effects. The fact that you are connecting these photos to the memories of the people in them is super interesting. I think that it will help you put context to some of the photos. NIce job!
I was only to see a small portion your video because of some reason YouTube on my computer is really wacky. I apologize in advance. But just by looking at your description, I think it is a very good topic and I really like your approach to your project. 🙂
Based on the photos you provided, I would suggest using more candid pictures that aren’t just blinking because they aren’t ready. Maybe instead ones where they didn’t know a camera was even out even after you flashed the picture.
This is cool as I to have looked ta my own photographs and friends and sort of analyzed them as well. It is very interesting to go in depth into familiar and personal photos as we are able to derive the best and most information from them so it will be interesting to see how you finish this project.
For my final project, my topic is called: “The Function of the “Organic” Label in Food Products: A Semiological Method”. The focus of my project is looking at what the label “organic means and how the label is marketed to green and non-green consumers. I am using three photos: first one is a photo of a fruit stand inside of a Trader Joe’s store, second photo is a picture I took of a Martinelli’s Organic Sparkling Cider and the last photo posted at the end of my blog is a photo illustrating the meaning of the label “organic”. I use Gillian Rose’s discussion on Semiology from her book, Visual Methodologies and also incorporated different sources that discuss the marketing of the “organic” label. The blog is a tad long. Here is the link to my blog and I look forward to your comments 🙂
I really like the subject you choose. I like your use of semiology, specifically looking at the trader joes sign and how you were saying that the sign is organic. There’s so much meaning behind things and its intersring to think or talk about the meaning behind things.
I think that this is a very prevalent topic because more and more companies are using the term “organic” in order to attract consumers. Sometimes I feel like consumers feel like if something is organic, it is automatically healthy.
It was really cool how you incorporated your personal experiences with what you saw in your research. I have done a research project on a similar topic, so it was interesting to see your work and compare it to my findings as well.
I found this topic interesting because as of late my family has been eating a lot more organic food and I was wondering if it was really worth it. I was interested to see the function of it and what it really does for us but the rest of it was a little boring. It is a great idea though. Good luck!
I really liked the topic of green consumption. I have always had a bone a to pick with the elite members of the green movement because it does not account for socio economic status in thinking of how one can live more ecologically responsible. Really fun to read the semiotic analysis!
I thought this project was very interesting! I have never really thought about organic food, I always just saw the organic labels and not thought twice about it! When you see organic you automatically think its healthier that any other fruit or vegetable, but thats not necessarily the case.
This is a great topic! I often wonder how much the label organic is just a selling point instead of having anything to do with the food being a healthier option. People will pay more money for organic products than non-organic when realistically I don’t find that they are getting a better product. Organic is also a very North California concept….I was born and raised in the central value and organic is simply too expensive to grasp people’s interest! There is not a single Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods in the town I grew up in.
Cool project, be sure to include the fact that struggling farmers who actually produce organic products but don’t want to pay for certification are effected by people’s perceptions of what “organic” means. Also, you may want to explore products that use “artisan” “handcrafted” etcetera. Very interesting!
When I am at the grocery store I always see products with the “organic” label on them but I always wonder are they really organic? The second problem i encounter is that I am a picky eater and sometimes organic food can be a little interesting for a picky eater to eat. Looking at your blog I didn’t realize that organic foods must meet certain requirements in order to gain the label “organic” it is cool that you were able to look directly at three photos and products.
This topic is super interesting and out of the box, which makes us more interested in the topic. I like idea because in our society we want to be organic, but what is really organic?
This was an interesting project and definitely worth venturing. I always find it amazing that organic, although healthy or more healthy, only seems to be for the middle class or higher. It seems as if we more to a more healthy life, we forget that those that need to be living healthy life styles are getting the short end of the stick, I am glad that in your exploration you found various ways of understanding organic.
I think it is very interesting that you are writing about a topic like this because I am taking a class about this sort of thing and it is an interesting topic to question because organinc doesn’t always mean the same things.
This is so cool. I have really never though tof the sticker as a reason for buying fruit but it is very true as some people tend to look for that and trust that sticker. This sort of reminds me of the movie Tommy Boy when he explains what a guarantee means and what an actual quality item is. so it is interesting to actually see a project that analyzes this.
Soniaaaaa,
this project captured me heart, expecially because im going t try to eat healthier lol…
The paper that ypu presented was interesting the meaning ofwhats organic and whats not.’
i wonder if there is a way to add more visuals, even though its a paper..
great job
Hi everyone for my final project I decided to do a textual analysis of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram specifically I looked at the advertisements and how the placement and style affect the users. I sent out a survey of 8 questions to my facebook and twitter friends on top of analyzing the sites in order to get user feedback. I will be writing a paper for this assignment however I have put together a prezi site for your enjoyment 🙂
Your creative project is really different to what other people have done because it felt like an interactive, fun lecture slide. Your findings are interesting to me because I never really pay attention to advertisements like the ones on Facebook. Great job!
Great topic! The topic itself keeps popping up because social media is the direction that advertisement is moving. I think that your survey is the most effective part of your project and seeing how advertisement actually effects users perception of the product.
I like how you did your project because it was much different than everyone else and your topic about social media was very interesting to read. I think that some of the slides were really small and they were hard to read but other than that I really enjoyed the creativity. Job well done!
I liked you point regarding advertisements because they are now embedded in new media. This embedded quality enables for a larger pool of potential consumers. Although I am interested in how advertisers are reconfiguring their strategy with more and more methods of surveillance.
This project is super interesting! I was just talking about this to some friends the other day, because we were noticing that the advertisements on facebook were relating to things we posted, or searched! I think its becoming an effective and important aspect of advertising!
Socially media is so consumed with advertisements which makes sense because it is how these companies make their money. I think you took an interesting approach on the topic and love prezi…it s a fun an interactive way to present material!
the affect of “unwanted” ads sent to users on social media is very interesting. I wonder is people paid a small fee to get rid of all ads, would they do it? Like the topic.
I was thinking this too and I wish I had added this aspect to my project when I started it. I think that if people are willing to pay for App’s without ad’s on them that one day we may be moving towards a society in which one can opt out of ads on social media sites…but for a small fee.
I really like that you chose to look at Facebook, twitter and Instagram. These are basically the top sites used in everyday life. I find instagram to be particularly interesting when you think about how much or how often people post pictures and how this is another form of communication/entertainment. Sorry about the late post my posts weren’t going through.
Hi Ashton,
It was really useful for having a prezi presentation to give an outline of your project. I really enjoyed seeing the development of your project. It is true that corporations are advertising through social networks and they make sure that you are noticing what they are advertising and want to persuade the consumer to buy in to what they are advertising. Excellent job! Great topic 🙂
Great topic! It is interesting that you are talking about social media sites because there are limitless posibilites of studying these pages because they so closely are supposed to represent us, it is similiar to the human mind that doesn’t stop having questions that need to be answered or explored into. I think it’s great that you are observing all three of the sites to add variety. Happy graduation!! 🙂
This is actually true and untrue for me. As i actually do pay attention to advertisements but not all the time. Some of the best websites i go to now have been provided by facebook advertisements but the rest is just useless space. This is also very interesting to look at as most websites track what other websites and things we look up as a tool to know what to advertise to us so looking at these advertisements can also tell a lot about the person being advertised to.
cool project!
one thing i found interestin was the idea of the sponsored links?
do thnings like advertisments make people less likley to use FB,twittr?
i wonder how adss affect the way we look these social spaces. i know without addspeople may feel more connectd to the ssocial media, but as soon as facebook started to have adds, i viewed the company as “selling out!”
In this blog, when referring to the natural hair movement, I will be talking about a collection of both men AND women (Yes, I include our counterparts, the Males) usually of African, African America, Caribbean descent , who have choose to wear their hair in its natural state, they way God gave it to them and all, not strengtheners, no extensions, just NATUURRALL.
I know what your thinking, “Bold, Bold Move”. And it is!
Many of those who participate in the natural hair movement have rejected the idea that the standard of beauty for Blacks is equivalent to that of Whites. And with that being said, I will analysis 2 photographs through Discourse Analysis I , conduct a interview about natural hair, and post plenty of pictures to make you think! i will bring up questions of identity, the standard of beauty, internalized oppression ect..
Enjoy Naturalistas.
(i am still editing the interview, and the discourse analysis part of the paper, so they are not up yet.)
I love your topic idea. Very original, and the blog is really vibrant with awesome images. I’ve never seen a project done on a topic like this so I am interested to see your analysis.
I like how you are including men in this study. I don’t know much about this topic but I am also interested to see your analysis because I think it will be cool to look at. Good job!
I like the notion of standardizing beauty and doing that through hair. It just adds to the dimension of how radicalized men and women have to be disciplined to maintain their hair a certain way.
I love the idea of looking at natural beauty! There are so many people who go through so many steps to look the way they think they “should” look! My only comment would be to show some pictures of people that dont showcase their natural beauty, so that there can be a clear contrast between the too! But I love this topic! I bet your project will be really interesting!!!
Great topic! This is so unique…I have never seen something like this done and think this idea of natural hair/beauty extends far beyond the black community! All little girls are raised thinking they have to fry their hair with a straight iron to be beautiful and that is just not true! I look forward to reading your analysis!
I feel like I learned so much about Hair! Being one with straight and easy to manage hair, I never realized how much of a problem hair can be for some people. I never even thought about guys having issues with their hair until reading your blog. I think that more research and education needs to be done on hair care! Well done 🙂
Treasha! Great topic and fabulous project! I love the photo exhiibit that you have so far. Your topic made me think about my experiences with my hair. I am mulit-ethnic mixed with Nicaraguense, Creole (African descent + French descent), and Native American decent. Whenever I told people about what my ethnicity was, they would say “Oh, its because of your hair”. They said it in way that was like, “Oh it is obvious that you are mixed because of the way your hair looks”. For quiet some time, it was really offensive to me. But I have learned to accept the naturality of my hair. I agree that there are standards that are set when it comes to women’s hair and one of them being that straight hair is what is popular and the norm (my hair is naturally curly). I can’t wait to see this project evolve. Excellent job! 🙂
This is super cool topic and I think you did a really good job. I never have my “all natural” so I think that it is a good topic to dive into because it is really unique which stands out.
That is a bold topic but one I think needs to be addressed! You seem to have a solid approach to what you want to examine and you already have an idea of the conclusion. Have a happy summer!! 🙂
This is such an interesting topic as it deals with a specific type of beauty. Not just like the image of women which is repetitive but about someones hair and what they do with it. Hair is a huge part of someones image and how they wont to represent themselves. Going all natural and supporting other who do and others to do so is such a great cause because it says hey I like the way I am and I dont need these companies chemicals and items in my hair so they can make more money from unneeded things. I hope your project ends up in the direction you are taking it BOLD!
This is amazing. The pictures you selected are a great example of conveying your message and purpose that you want to get viewers to be thinking about. The imagery definitely paved way for interpretation and a deeper immersion in the concept of natural hair to the African community.
This is an epic project! Will you also include the “lightening” of the black model’s skin when they are used in advertisements? Maybe a commentary of photo editing and digital manipulation as a whole?
Mind and Media 
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I am not the person that spends a lot of time on Facebook or has a lot of friends on the site. I don’t post often and I primarily use the site to talk to people I don’t see often. I have deleted my account more than once and when I have I feel like I have lost contact with people that I don’t see often. I don’t spend much time on the site, but now that I have a iPhone and I don’t know much about it, I kind of stay
logged in. Before using the app on my phone, I didn’t log in everyday and I wasn’t as active. Though it is logged in on my phone I don’t spend much time on it or check it often daily. This is a textual, ethnographic study as to how college students use Facebook, how it influences their lives and the difference it makes.
You did a really good analysis of the features of Facebook and how and why college students use them. By conducting your own survey, I think that it definitely made your research findings more concrete because you got to use your own results that went along with what you found in other research. I also really liked your whole section about Facebook profiles as a representation of our cultural identity. People on Facebook post what they want others to see because it creates who they are to other people looking at their profile. I found this profile identity interesting when dealing with the whole privacy concept. The purpose of posting something is to make it public for other people to see, and yet people expect to have some sort of privacy.
I really liked the video, “The things that connect us” and how you showed Facebook connecting us all on a larger scale. The consumerism section was also interesting with all the different ways people use Facebook.
I thought that the section about whether or not it is practical to avoid Facebook was the most interesting. I feel like there is a kind of social isolation if you do not have Facebook. People use the site to connect with one another, especially in college, and if you do not have a Facebook than you may get lost in the shuffle or miss out on certain event. All in all, I think that it is a good project and an interesting topic.
I really think you went above and beyond and even deeper into revealing Facebook for the many things that is it does. Your explorations on the several features including e-personality, usage of Facebook, and including visual representations (video) really capitulates the presence of Facebook in our lives and by our, I mean college students. I believe Facebook has become a space for college students, and I would have to say it provides ways in which the campus engages with students and vice-versa. Including myself as an RA, I have established a floor page so residents know about upcoming events or they can post concerns about the hall. Through out the year it has been a tool that has helped me reach out to my residents. In regards with e-personality, I would argue that its simply another representation of who we are. Yes it does give way to put ourselves as people we might not be but even then it reveals something about who we really are. In the “real world” we still are different in some circumstances, either in class or on the job, so I would have to say it simply describes what we tend to do as human beings. For me its more of a Bunbury or alter ego. Again, I think you did a fabulous job! Thank you!
I think it was interesting when you talked about the different purposes that Facebook serves for different types of people. There is a lot of good information in the video as well and it was interesting to see. I think there is a lot to talk about when looking at Facebook so it might help you if you cover more specific aspects of Facebook rather than try and hit every single aspect. You have a lot of good details and quality research in here. Well done.
I liked the information and I liked the section of consumerism, it made me think of conspicuous consumption and Facebook as a forum to express this form of socio-economic consumption. I am interested in seeing how people across cultures use Facebook as a platform to express wealth and success. I also liked the methodology you used, it made for some interesting findings!
That is an interesting observation. I too just acquired an iphone and I find that because it is so accessable it makes it easier to stay in touch and active. I think that it has mainly deal with accessability because now when I am waiting for anything I will check social media and because of this I have become more active. This makes me more interested in other social media sites because I have more time to keep up to date.
I found the chairs video to be extremely interesting! The concept of chairs being similar to Facebook in allowing people to sit down and connect with one another is something I would have never thought of. I, like Katrina, also appreciate you section on Facebook and culture identity. Individuals become so consumed by this sort of social media that it soon becomes who we are and if it isn’t who we are we can create it in a way that makes it appear that we are the person we want to be.
I agree with Hayley! Its almost frustrating when someone doesn’t have a Facebook! I find out about almost all of the event on campus through Facebook, I would miss out on so much if I didn’t hear about it on FB. It almost makes having a profile important, not only for social reasons, but to go to events that are informative.
I was interested in the idea of the dual personalities or multi-characteristics people have online versus in “real life”. I was also intrigued by the connectedness people strive for when using the site. However, this begs the question; if our friends are “different” on facebook compared to real life why would we want to stay connected to a “fake” version of our friends/family members?
I think Max brings up an interesting question! Maybe you should do a section on which version of the self is truer, the reality based you or the one who exists online? And can friends choose to be friends with only one version of you?
I really like how you set up your word press site to document your study. The different features and sections make it very easy to follow your journey through this project. I think one of your most interesting sections is when you talk about identity and Facebook. So many people hype themselves up on Facebook so they seem more popular or more approachable however the false reality is that once they log off Facebook they are a different person. I think that this is a great analyst of Facebook and social media because it makes you think about who you are connecting with on Facebook
Hi Raquel,
Excellent and superb job on your final project! I really like how you discuss about Facebook and through different analyses. i also like how you wrote and kept blogging about Facebook. Great job!
I really liked the extensive research and it showed through the site. The video was super interesting. Although this topic is used over and over again in different views, you presented it well. The idea through which you are talking about comes out clearly.
You did a great job providing a lot of research on your project and links to videos that are interesting and nicely related to your topic. I like that you not only made a website but also conducted your own study.
I felt like this was really interesting as I to am not a big fan of facebook.I rarely use it and when I do I only use it when I have nothing else going on or if I want to wish someone a happy birthday other than that facebook is useless. I really like how you approached this and I can tell you put a lot of effort into showing what you know and have understood from your project.
i loved this page!
the part that i liked the ost was the idea of consumerism and its tie to social media. i think that this is a point that doesntget stressedenough and it really made me think about how social media, capitalism, and consumerism are intertwined and help to perpetuate eachother!!!
Amazing project! it loookkks great!
http://kmalves91.wordpress.com/
If logged into your WordPress account you can just type in this link and it will take you straight to my page!
In my final project I choose to explore the effect family photos have on producing or recollecting memories. I did this by means of the method Memory Work which I became familiar with through Annette Kuhn’s text “Family Secrets.” In spending time gazing at family photos in which I was not the subject of in a single one, I discovered that the representations of the generations that came before me allowed me to recall my own memories of these individuals or the influence they had on triggering memories that may be entirely unrelated to the subjects at hand. Overall, for me Memory Work quickly became about me assigning my own meaning to these photographs in a effort to understand these people I called my family and where I came from.
This is a really creative take on looking at family photos and I really enjoyed reading your descriptions of them and how you feel about the photos. It’s really interesting to see how you connect the original context of the photographs to yourself. I also really liked the layout you chose, how you organised the photographs, and labeled the date and who is in them. Well done!
I really like the design of your project. It offers your perspective on family photos and shows the role photos play in telling a story. I’m interested in photography and love looking through old family photos. Your project is really creative and I like the approach you took in telling stories based on photographs and looking back at the past.
This is such an awesome project! I think that you did a great job with the layout and everything else about it! You also effectively used the text and connected the authors with the subjects in your photographs and explained how it was a relevant topic.
This was a great idea. I really like how you set up the page and how you had quotes that related to family photos after each of the individual pictures. I also liked how you said what they meant to you. Very creative and well done.
Using photographs to understand ones own genealogy sounds really interesting. I also am a sucker for nostalgia and it was a treat to read your analysis while also looking at those photographs.
I loved the layout of your blog! It worked so well with the visuals! I thought it was really interesting that just looking at old pictures made me nostalgic for my own family pictures. I found myself wanting to look at photos of my family and see if I had the same reactions that you had! Such an interesting project!!!
Karlene, this is outstanding and profound. In all honesty not only did these photos provided you with a deeper understanding of your own life but it has also provided us with an understanding of the person that you are. Your words brought those pictures to life and embody the historical, yet everliving presence of those that are part of in the pictures and in your life. Thank you for the profound analysis and interpretation.
As a self titled photo-nerd, I loved the production notes that accompanied the photos. It would be interesting to compare families old photos and the fact that they want to preserve memories, and how todays facebook/YouTube users keep profiles for digital nostalgia. Solid project!
Wow! This is such an awesome project. Everyone wonders about their family heritage and the photos that come along with that can be very emotional to look at. Looking at the array of generations throughout your photo, it is very easy to understand how they can quickly remember things from the past. The ways in which you set this project up are very creative. I like how you integrated quotes from readings into each photos. Nice Job 🙂
Hi Karlene,
I really enjoyed viewing your project. It is creative, interesting and very powerful to see the images of your family and incorporating a theoretical framework. Your project reminded me of when I went home during spring break and my uncle showed me photos of my family that I have never seen before. Photographs are a true treasure in a family. Again, I really liked your project as a whole and your approach to your project!
I really liked the photos and how they can relate almost to any person’s family. Really unique idea that was brought about. I like that through the old school pictures connects us deeper to your roots and portrays the life without much. I like that you didn’t alter the pictures either with filters and such.
This was really cool as I to look at old family photos and wonder what was happening in them. I only know what the picture is about from being told by my parents or relatives and if nothing is really known then it is just an old photo to me. This is also one of the most original project I have ever seen as it is completely different from most things we have learned about and I probably won’t see another project like it.
K!
now ths is am amazingly creative project!
one of my favorite books in the class was Camera Lucida, andthis captured that bo to a tee
i hopeyou keep this blog, and add more to it! allow it to evoleve:)
I really liked how you paired each photo with a quote from Kuhn and also related it to an experience you personally had. I enjoyed the overall concept of telling your story through past photographs. It was a really interesting and creative blog.
This was a really cool website you created! I like the interesting take you took on the topic examining photos you were not yourself included in because it allowed you objectivity somewhat but still allowed you the background knowledge of what it is you’re analyzing.
My project is candid photos and how people view them. I related this a lot to the media and paparazzi taking photos and analyzing them through visual methods. As well as taking the picture you can see their surrounding and the effect the pictures have on their viewers. My idea was to do my own “paparazzi” of my candid pictures of my friends. I am going to add descriptions, environment surroundings, memories and interpretation/conveying re-occuring themes in the pictures. Rose says that “photo-essays as ways of understanding visual aspects of social relations and identities in contemporary urban space” (Rose, 2012: 298) and that “how culture and social life looks, thats difficult to represent in text alone” (Rose, 2012: 319). I want to take that and implement in my pictures, and based on the memories of these pictures. I am using multiple people to convey each theme, similarly and different. In the view of the photographer, and that aspect analyzing the subject and its surroundings.
I think it’s really interesting that you’re using your own photographs to do your analysis rather than to use someone else’s. I’m interested to see what themes you find in your photos.
I like the idea of analyzing candid photos. I’d like to see what you find from your pictures and hear your perspective.
This is an interesting idea, however, I wonder how using your own pictures will change the way in which it is read. A paparazzi is not usually friends with the subject which changes how the subject acts and reacts to the photo being taken. It will be interesting to see how you relate this to your own pictures.
This was very interesting to see but I would agree with the other with seeing your perspective and take on each picture. Each picture that you selected shows a space and time that cultivates something, but the meaning it has to you is much different than the meaning it would have on the viewers. Your description on your visual methodologies seem very intriguing and on point with the direction you want to take your project. It would also be interesting to see what your friends say about the candid pictures that you selected.
This is a very interesting topic and I like what a you are trying to do with it. I think it would have been easier to do if you just took pictures off the internet of people you actually aren’t friends with because being friends with them might influence what you have to say about the pictures (since you know a lot about them and their personal lives). It will be interesting to see it when it is complete. Good luck!
It is an interesting concept, and I am interested in how your intentionality of taking candid photos influences the meaning that one can deconstruct within the photograph. I think it would be interesting if you did a photo elicitation with that archive and contrast it with the producer of the image.
I really like this concept because people really try to look their best and its awesome to see how they really look without posing. I remember taking a completely candid picture of my friend who usually always has to pose for pictures and it turned out so well. They actually made it their profile picture for a long time. Im glad you decided to use this idea and am interested to see how it turns out.
I really like this project! The paparazzi are famous for posting pictures that will be read a specific way, especially if they caption it the right way! Are you planning to add captions to increase a certain feeling that you want portrayed? Or just analyzing the photo itself?
Either way i think its a great project!!!
Candid photos are a great…I enjoy the authenticity that exists within them and think you did a fantastic job in capturing moments amongst people close to you! I can tell you really appreciate candid photos and would like to hear what your take on each photo is and what memories they evoke!
You should go around and take photos of random people, like real paparazzi …. NOW THAT WOULD BE A PROJECT as well as candid!
This is a really creative project. I wonder if the fact that you are using your own photos will have an effect on how you analyze them? You pointed out the importance of background images and I think its really cool that you are analyzing not only the main aspects of the photo but also the surrounding effects. The fact that you are connecting these photos to the memories of the people in them is super interesting. I think that it will help you put context to some of the photos. NIce job!
Hi Ashley,
I was only to see a small portion your video because of some reason YouTube on my computer is really wacky. I apologize in advance. But just by looking at your description, I think it is a very good topic and I really like your approach to your project. 🙂
Based on the photos you provided, I would suggest using more candid pictures that aren’t just blinking because they aren’t ready. Maybe instead ones where they didn’t know a camera was even out even after you flashed the picture.
This is cool as I to have looked ta my own photographs and friends and sort of analyzed them as well. It is very interesting to go in depth into familiar and personal photos as we are able to derive the best and most information from them so it will be interesting to see how you finish this project.
coll ida, i know weve all tired to be paparazzi at one point haha.
i dont know if i just missed this, but your creating a video right? like a documentary?
i think this is a cool way to play around with the visual and how we percieve it!
Hi Everyone,
For my final project, my topic is called: “The Function of the “Organic” Label in Food Products: A Semiological Method”. The focus of my project is looking at what the label “organic means and how the label is marketed to green and non-green consumers. I am using three photos: first one is a photo of a fruit stand inside of a Trader Joe’s store, second photo is a picture I took of a Martinelli’s Organic Sparkling Cider and the last photo posted at the end of my blog is a photo illustrating the meaning of the label “organic”. I use Gillian Rose’s discussion on Semiology from her book, Visual Methodologies and also incorporated different sources that discuss the marketing of the “organic” label. The blog is a tad long. Here is the link to my blog and I look forward to your comments 🙂
Please let me know if you are not able to access the link.
Sincerely,
Sonia Perez
I really like the subject you choose. I like your use of semiology, specifically looking at the trader joes sign and how you were saying that the sign is organic. There’s so much meaning behind things and its intersring to think or talk about the meaning behind things.
I think that this is a very prevalent topic because more and more companies are using the term “organic” in order to attract consumers. Sometimes I feel like consumers feel like if something is organic, it is automatically healthy.
It was really cool how you incorporated your personal experiences with what you saw in your research. I have done a research project on a similar topic, so it was interesting to see your work and compare it to my findings as well.
I found this topic interesting because as of late my family has been eating a lot more organic food and I was wondering if it was really worth it. I was interested to see the function of it and what it really does for us but the rest of it was a little boring. It is a great idea though. Good luck!
I really liked the topic of green consumption. I have always had a bone a to pick with the elite members of the green movement because it does not account for socio economic status in thinking of how one can live more ecologically responsible. Really fun to read the semiotic analysis!
I thought this project was very interesting! I have never really thought about organic food, I always just saw the organic labels and not thought twice about it! When you see organic you automatically think its healthier that any other fruit or vegetable, but thats not necessarily the case.
This is a great topic! I often wonder how much the label organic is just a selling point instead of having anything to do with the food being a healthier option. People will pay more money for organic products than non-organic when realistically I don’t find that they are getting a better product. Organic is also a very North California concept….I was born and raised in the central value and organic is simply too expensive to grasp people’s interest! There is not a single Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods in the town I grew up in.
Cool project, be sure to include the fact that struggling farmers who actually produce organic products but don’t want to pay for certification are effected by people’s perceptions of what “organic” means. Also, you may want to explore products that use “artisan” “handcrafted” etcetera. Very interesting!
When I am at the grocery store I always see products with the “organic” label on them but I always wonder are they really organic? The second problem i encounter is that I am a picky eater and sometimes organic food can be a little interesting for a picky eater to eat. Looking at your blog I didn’t realize that organic foods must meet certain requirements in order to gain the label “organic” it is cool that you were able to look directly at three photos and products.
This topic is super interesting and out of the box, which makes us more interested in the topic. I like idea because in our society we want to be organic, but what is really organic?
This was an interesting project and definitely worth venturing. I always find it amazing that organic, although healthy or more healthy, only seems to be for the middle class or higher. It seems as if we more to a more healthy life, we forget that those that need to be living healthy life styles are getting the short end of the stick, I am glad that in your exploration you found various ways of understanding organic.
I think it is very interesting that you are writing about a topic like this because I am taking a class about this sort of thing and it is an interesting topic to question because organinc doesn’t always mean the same things.
This is so cool. I have really never though tof the sticker as a reason for buying fruit but it is very true as some people tend to look for that and trust that sticker. This sort of reminds me of the movie Tommy Boy when he explains what a guarantee means and what an actual quality item is. so it is interesting to actually see a project that analyzes this.
Soniaaaaa,
this project captured me heart, expecially because im going t try to eat healthier lol…
The paper that ypu presented was interesting the meaning ofwhats organic and whats not.’
i wonder if there is a way to add more visuals, even though its a paper..
great job
Hi everyone for my final project I decided to do a textual analysis of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram specifically I looked at the advertisements and how the placement and style affect the users. I sent out a survey of 8 questions to my facebook and twitter friends on top of analyzing the sites in order to get user feedback. I will be writing a paper for this assignment however I have put together a prezi site for your enjoyment 🙂
http://prezi.com/cjdtgxncm6qj/untitled-prezi/?kw=view-cjdtgxncm6qj&rc=ref-40629813
Please let me know if you have any questions or problems
Ashton
Your creative project is really different to what other people have done because it felt like an interactive, fun lecture slide. Your findings are interesting to me because I never really pay attention to advertisements like the ones on Facebook. Great job!
Great topic! The topic itself keeps popping up because social media is the direction that advertisement is moving. I think that your survey is the most effective part of your project and seeing how advertisement actually effects users perception of the product.
I like how you did your project because it was much different than everyone else and your topic about social media was very interesting to read. I think that some of the slides were really small and they were hard to read but other than that I really enjoyed the creativity. Job well done!
I liked you point regarding advertisements because they are now embedded in new media. This embedded quality enables for a larger pool of potential consumers. Although I am interested in how advertisers are reconfiguring their strategy with more and more methods of surveillance.
This project is super interesting! I was just talking about this to some friends the other day, because we were noticing that the advertisements on facebook were relating to things we posted, or searched! I think its becoming an effective and important aspect of advertising!
Socially media is so consumed with advertisements which makes sense because it is how these companies make their money. I think you took an interesting approach on the topic and love prezi…it s a fun an interactive way to present material!
the affect of “unwanted” ads sent to users on social media is very interesting. I wonder is people paid a small fee to get rid of all ads, would they do it? Like the topic.
I was thinking this too and I wish I had added this aspect to my project when I started it. I think that if people are willing to pay for App’s without ad’s on them that one day we may be moving towards a society in which one can opt out of ads on social media sites…but for a small fee.
I really like that you chose to look at Facebook, twitter and Instagram. These are basically the top sites used in everyday life. I find instagram to be particularly interesting when you think about how much or how often people post pictures and how this is another form of communication/entertainment. Sorry about the late post my posts weren’t going through.
Hi Ashton,
It was really useful for having a prezi presentation to give an outline of your project. I really enjoyed seeing the development of your project. It is true that corporations are advertising through social networks and they make sure that you are noticing what they are advertising and want to persuade the consumer to buy in to what they are advertising. Excellent job! Great topic 🙂
Great topic! It is interesting that you are talking about social media sites because there are limitless posibilites of studying these pages because they so closely are supposed to represent us, it is similiar to the human mind that doesn’t stop having questions that need to be answered or explored into. I think it’s great that you are observing all three of the sites to add variety. Happy graduation!! 🙂
This is actually true and untrue for me. As i actually do pay attention to advertisements but not all the time. Some of the best websites i go to now have been provided by facebook advertisements but the rest is just useless space. This is also very interesting to look at as most websites track what other websites and things we look up as a tool to know what to advertise to us so looking at these advertisements can also tell a lot about the person being advertised to.
cool project!
one thing i found interestin was the idea of the sponsored links?
do thnings like advertisments make people less likley to use FB,twittr?
i wonder how adss affect the way we look these social spaces. i know without addspeople may feel more connectd to the ssocial media, but as soon as facebook started to have adds, i viewed the company as “selling out!”
In this blog, when referring to the natural hair movement, I will be talking about a collection of both men AND women (Yes, I include our counterparts, the Males) usually of African, African America, Caribbean descent , who have choose to wear their hair in its natural state, they way God gave it to them and all, not strengtheners, no extensions, just NATUURRALL.
I know what your thinking, “Bold, Bold Move”. And it is!
Many of those who participate in the natural hair movement have rejected the idea that the standard of beauty for Blacks is equivalent to that of Whites. And with that being said, I will analysis 2 photographs through Discourse Analysis I , conduct a interview about natural hair, and post plenty of pictures to make you think! i will bring up questions of identity, the standard of beauty, internalized oppression ect..
Enjoy Naturalistas.
(i am still editing the interview, and the discourse analysis part of the paper, so they are not up yet.)
Link—-> http://natuurallynatural.wordpress.com/
I’m not able to access the site. I’m looking forward to reading about the material since so many people don’t wear their hair naturally.
I love your topic idea. Very original, and the blog is really vibrant with awesome images. I’ve never seen a project done on a topic like this so I am interested to see your analysis.
I like how you are including men in this study. I don’t know much about this topic but I am also interested to see your analysis because I think it will be cool to look at. Good job!
I like the notion of standardizing beauty and doing that through hair. It just adds to the dimension of how radicalized men and women have to be disciplined to maintain their hair a certain way.
I love the idea of looking at natural beauty! There are so many people who go through so many steps to look the way they think they “should” look! My only comment would be to show some pictures of people that dont showcase their natural beauty, so that there can be a clear contrast between the too! But I love this topic! I bet your project will be really interesting!!!
two**
Great topic! This is so unique…I have never seen something like this done and think this idea of natural hair/beauty extends far beyond the black community! All little girls are raised thinking they have to fry their hair with a straight iron to be beautiful and that is just not true! I look forward to reading your analysis!
I feel like I learned so much about Hair! Being one with straight and easy to manage hair, I never realized how much of a problem hair can be for some people. I never even thought about guys having issues with their hair until reading your blog. I think that more research and education needs to be done on hair care! Well done 🙂
Treasha! Great topic and fabulous project! I love the photo exhiibit that you have so far. Your topic made me think about my experiences with my hair. I am mulit-ethnic mixed with Nicaraguense, Creole (African descent + French descent), and Native American decent. Whenever I told people about what my ethnicity was, they would say “Oh, its because of your hair”. They said it in way that was like, “Oh it is obvious that you are mixed because of the way your hair looks”. For quiet some time, it was really offensive to me. But I have learned to accept the naturality of my hair. I agree that there are standards that are set when it comes to women’s hair and one of them being that straight hair is what is popular and the norm (my hair is naturally curly). I can’t wait to see this project evolve. Excellent job! 🙂
This is super cool topic and I think you did a really good job. I never have my “all natural” so I think that it is a good topic to dive into because it is really unique which stands out.
That is a bold topic but one I think needs to be addressed! You seem to have a solid approach to what you want to examine and you already have an idea of the conclusion. Have a happy summer!! 🙂
This is such an interesting topic as it deals with a specific type of beauty. Not just like the image of women which is repetitive but about someones hair and what they do with it. Hair is a huge part of someones image and how they wont to represent themselves. Going all natural and supporting other who do and others to do so is such a great cause because it says hey I like the way I am and I dont need these companies chemicals and items in my hair so they can make more money from unneeded things. I hope your project ends up in the direction you are taking it BOLD!
This is amazing. The pictures you selected are a great example of conveying your message and purpose that you want to get viewers to be thinking about. The imagery definitely paved way for interpretation and a deeper immersion in the concept of natural hair to the African community.
Interesting topic! It looks like you have a good start and I think that it will be a great project!!
I really like your idea, I think it’s really creative. I also liked the pictures you used, they were very eye catching and beautiful.
This is an epic project! Will you also include the “lightening” of the black model’s skin when they are used in advertisements? Maybe a commentary of photo editing and digital manipulation as a whole?