Adolecent interview

    I had the chance to interview a family friend; Stephanie. Stephanie is a 14 year old young lady that is very involved with school and her church. Her parents are married and she has a younger sister, Lacey. I first asked Stephanie to describe herself and she replied with, "I am friendly, outgoing, caring and smart." She said that she considers herself to be friends with everyone but has two best friends. Steph plays soccer and enjoys doing crafts with her mom and sister. For 14 years old, she's very down to earth, responsible and well spoken. I asked her the following questions:

*Do you have a SmartPhone? "Yes, I do but I'm only allowed to use it after school to contact my parents (for permission/ rides). If I use it once I'm home it's closely monitored by my parents". I asked her if she had to get off the phone at a certain time (I always did as a kid) and she said, "yes, at 9pm unless I'm working on a school project w/ a friend". 

* What other forms of technology do you have in your home besides a SmartPhone? "We have a family computer (PC), laptop, Kindle and my parents have phones". 

* Are you allowed on social media websites? "Yes, I do have a Facebook & an Instagram but my parents have the passwords and can access it anytime they'd like". She seemed so good about this- you'd think most teenagers would have said it w/ some type of an attitude at least! She seemed to understand that it's done to protect her. This lead to my next question- Have you ever been Cyber bullied or know anyone who has? She replied, "I haven't had any issues w/ Cyber bullying but friends of mine have; they are considered, "nerds" and have been bullied in the past online and in school, it's really sad". She said, " that's why my parents worry". 

* I then asked if her parents put a limit on computer/ screen time? Steph answered, "there's not a real set limit because sometimes I'm on the computer for homework and it can take sometime but on the weekends my parents don't like for us to be on the computer or our phones much; they want to see us playing outside. We usually do family stuff on the weekends; biking or hiking or we go see a movie together. When we watch TV it's usually something that we can all watch together". 

* I asked Stephanie if she feels the need to check her social media sites every ten minutes or if she can live without them? She really shocked me and said, "I could really care less, I'm so busy in my "real life" that I don't have much time to check what other people are doing online". She said, "I see my friends all day at school and then sometimes after with practice that I know what's going on in their lives; I don't need to keep checking in on them all the time". I thought this was such a mature answer. 

* Another question I asked was, do you communicate better face to face or behind a screen? She quickly said, "oh, face to face for sure"! I love to see and talk to my friends. We would rather hang out together than type back and forth over a computer". What a breath of fresh air this young girl is!!! 

* I asked her if all of her "friends" on her social media websites are really her true friends? She said, they are all friends, some closer than others but everyone is friendly...kind of like real life school. I'm nice to everyone and get along with everyone". 

* I asked if she felt like social media causes drama / problems for people? She said, "YES, for sure...lots of my friends have gotten into fights because of stupid issues over the computer" She said, "it's hard to know what people mean sometimes when you are talking through text or the computer"....smart kid! 

* Do you use your computer for things other than social media? Stephanie said, "Yes, I mostly use the computer for things other than social media"...She has recently started horse back riding and has been researching this; it's peaked her interest and would rather look at horses and technique than facebook (mom says).  

* I asked her what she would do if there was no internet for a week? She laughed and said, "I'd be fine...said she'd go for walks w/ the family dog, go riding and do homework" She said, "I always have homework....it may be more difficult to do w/out the internet but it would take up more time that way"! 

* I asked Stephanie how life would change if there were no such thing as the internet? She said, "my life wouldn't change that much but homework would be harder to complete" and she said, "I guess I'd miss checking in on my friends, whenever I wanted to" and that "things would all just take so much longer to do". 

So there you have it, an interview with today's youth about the internet and social media. To be honest, this interview really blew me away. I know Stephanie is such a good kid but I didn't realize how little of a role the internet and social media played in her life. It kind of made me feel guilty for how much time I spend looking at social media and other people's lives! Hearing such a young person talk about the importance of things other than the internet was uplifting and encouraging. It also gives me hope; I hope my daughter doesn't become addicted to the internet like some kids (I plan on being like Stephanie's parents though; only in moderation). Steph is a special kid; smart and doesn't feed into anyone or anything that she doesn't agree with. She is strong willed and has a great head on her shoulders. For her it's easy to say, "no" to social media whereas some children who don't have friends, get suckered into thinking FB is full of "real" friendships. Again interviewing her was like a breath of fresh air; she gives me hope for the future generations to come! Hopefully more will walk in her footsteps and have social media/ technology just be a small portion of their day! It's important to realize that many things we see and hear online are not the truth. I believe she is so well rounded and mature because of her parents; they've gone above and beyond and it shows in their child. 

I really enjoyed conducting this interview and it's refreshed my beliefs in teenagers; there are some out there who are genuine, smart and individuals. This was a very neat opportunity and I look forward to reading the rest of the interviews! 

Week 9: Media Education

     In Chapter seven van Leeuwen talks about how paintings can change so much from the original to the copied and reproduced versions. It brings me back to when I worked in a consignment/ thrift/ antique store. Working in such a place taught me what a good reproduction and a bad reproduction looked like. van Leeuwen exemplifies this, “in an original painting by Mondrian the lines are, in close-up, not straight, but overpainted and the colour of the various rectangles is modulated rather than plain and flat. Postcards and other reproductions of the same painting make the lines appear straight, remove the overpainting and present flat, unmodulated colour” (van Leeuwen, p. 221). I will never forget my boss pointing out why a reproduction can be spotted. She would pull out old books with pictures of the original paintings and then compare them to the reproductions clients would bring us. Some were extremely close to the original but others were so far off, it would actually make you upset. Reproductions can be such sad representations of what the painting once looked like. I find it interesting that for years we have looked at reproductions of artwork that, “reinforce and reproduce a particular (incorrect) version of Mondrian and a particular (ideological) version of abstract painting” (van Leeuwen, p. 221). We all grew up in our art classes looking at reproductions of famous artwork; who knows what the original artist wanted us to see and feel when looking at their art. I found the way van Leeuwen talked about artwork and brushstrokes to be like someone's handwriting, very powerful. Your handwriting is so personal and it can identify you. Someone can look at a note and immediately know that you wrote it. Original paintings are the same way; you can look at an original and know who painted it. If a painting has been photographed and reproduced it loses that touch of uniqueness it once had and makes it less personal and desirable. 

     It is so important to teach younger generations the importance of artwork; parents and teachers should express that a powerful piece of artwork can leave a very strong impression on a person. Children should understand the importance of original artwork; that it’s an artists “John Hancock” and that reproductions don’t do the originals any justice. Green’s model talks about the critical approach to literacy, “using literary practice which recognizes the socially constructed nature of knowledge and literary practices. Asking critical questions and constructing Alternative perspectives” (GREEN, 1). After a piece of work has been reproduced over and over it begins to loose it’s original quality. Our society begins to construct a new version of the painting and new meaning behind it. After seeing the art change and develop into something different, we begin to ask critical questions and create alternate perspectives on the work. 

     After reading this chapter it almost makes me sad; like credit is not being given to the artists who created such beautiful artwork, years and years ago. Our society develops things to fill a need and in the process, unique and beautiful art is changed and seen differently. The artists original brushstrokes are no longer their signature. My hope is that educators and art enthusiasts would keep original artwork in sight and explain to children it’s importance. 

References: 

Green. (n.d.). Graphical representation of GREEN's approach to literacy. Retrieved January 21, 2015, from https://moodle.esc.edu/mod/page/view.php? id=821667

Kress, G., & Van leeuwen, T. (2006). Reading Images: The Grammar Of Visual Design (2nd ed., p. 312). Routledge.

Two reproduced paintings of, Poppies by Monet- Look at the difference...

http://www.myartprints.co.uk/a/claude-monet/poppies-near-argenteuil-2.html

http://www.allartnews.com/poppy-field-in-argenteuil-by-monet-named-most-popular-oil-painting-for-mothers-day-2011/

Week 8: Deconstruction of an alcohol advertisement

  

 Deconstruction of an alcohol advertisement

     I figured a Bacardi advertisement would be different and fun to dissect. In my younger years this was a drink of choice so I thought what about their ads would draw people in? It made me wonder if liquor advertisements are geared more toward young men or women and if they are geared more toward young people or older people? The ad I found (hope it shows up in my blog) is of (what seems like) a young and attractive woman. We do not see her eyes, hair, ears or eyebrows; only her nose (nostrils really), her lips, a couple teeth and her tongue. To me, highlighting this part of a person's body is extremely sexual and suggestive. On the tip of her tongue is a leaf and I believe the creator may have done this to highlight her tongue. The article also features a bottle of Bacardi Mojito with a glass, sugar cubes and a lime. Everything in this article is simple, clean, crisp, and refreshing to look at. I believe that only seeing part of the woman's face is a bit intriguing and mysterious. It's like they want you to buy the bottle to see the rest of the woman! Many alcohol advertisements (including this one) seem to be sexual and mysterious. If they created this ad with everything but the woman it would have seemed completely different; it would have been more sophisticated and less dramatic. Adding the sexual innuendo definitely gives it an edge and some excitement. I wonder if this hurts them or helps them; are more people buying this product because of the sexual content? 

     I believe the purpose of this ad (and many others) is to lure people in; your eyes are immediately drawn to the mouth and then you realize, "oh, it's a Bacardi advertisement". I guess their hope is to catch the public eye and then entice them to buy their liquor. I would imagine that many men would be attracted to this and many women may think, "I need to drink Bacardi to be sexy". Sadly, sex sells and Bacardi is completely taking advantage of that! 

     As a mother of a four year old daughter, seeing this makes me a little upset. I don't want my daughter to grow up looking through magazines and seeing these types of ads. I wouldn't want her to ever think that she needs to drink to be sexy or that drinking makes you more attractive to others. This ad definitely sends those stereotypical messages to the consumer. As far as race, it's difficult to distinguish what race this woman is from the ad; I don't think race has much to do with this ad in particular. I think the overall message it's sending is the distinguishing factor; sex sells. 

     Possible consequences from this message include young women having false beliefs; that they need to drink to be happy, sexy and adventurous or that drinking liquor will make you more attractive to others. This can be harmful to a young girls development (especially when she starts to explore the world and starts to drink). It also gives men a false reality; when women drink they don't start licking their lips and becoming more sexy and promiscuous. Nobody should be led to believe that alcohol makes you less considerate of your self-worth. I also think it's unfair that you mostly see women in alcohol advertisements; why are women always the center of sexual attention? You don't see ads with a male mouth like this? Do they create ads like this to promote sexual dominance over women? I do not believe this ad to be socially responsible; they don't know where it can pop up, who's looking at it and what it's leading people to believe. I realize everyone is their own person and forms their own judgements and ideas but this definitely helps to form them (even if subconsciously). 

     I can't help but think of when Kress and van Leeuwin talk about interactie participants and represented participants; "there are two types of participant involved in every semiotic act, interactive participants and represented participants. The former are the participants in the act of communication – the participants who speak and listen or write and read, make images or view them, whereas the latter are the participants who constitute the subject matter of the communication; that is the people, places and things (including abstract things) represented in and by the speech or writing or image, the participants about whom or which we are speaking or writing or producing images” (p. 48). As the interactive participant I see this advertisement through my eyes; I use my own understanding of the world and my individual background to determine what it means. 

Kress, G., & Van leeuwen, T. (2006). Reading Images: The Grammer Of Visual Design (2nd ed., p.   312). Routledge.