Let it Be

Net neutrality is about who chooses the content you see and use on the internet. Currently it is ourselves. We connect to the internet and open our browsers to use several different search engines and surf several different websites. This is possible because net neutrality allows us to do so by not allowing our internet provider to control of block certain sites. The purpose of net neutrality is to prevent your network provider from degrading your access to these websites, and makes you want to choose an alternative that they want you to choose. The reason why providers do this is simple; $$MONEY$$. Internet providers are getting paid to slow their service down on certain websites to force you to use another website they want you to use. Another case is that the provider has created their own alternative that they want you to become familiar with and start using to gain business from you. It uses their power of providing you with a service, to increase demand and business for something of their own. These conflicts are the restricting battlegrounds between public and private sectors. If net neutrality laws are not enforced, we will forever be controlled.

In this circumstance I'm dwellin' in

A war does not necessarily have to involve countries combating with firearms. I believe that you can be at war with anything. I feel that everyday at some point I am at war. For example, today I am at war to finish two research journals due for a Marketing course, yet I find myself procrastinating and doing Media instead. The other day I was at war with my mother, trying to persuade her to let me go to Montreal for New Years. Tomorrow I will be at war with Calculus, knowing my exam is in less then a week. I am at a constant war with my ex-girlfriend, well for reasons that aren’t even worth mentioning. I am at a war with myself, every morning to get up and get out of bed to attend class, even when it starts at 4pm. I am at war with all my peers, to get the better grade in not just Media, but in four other courses as well. We are at a war with racism every time we make a joke, knowing it’s not funny. We are at war with our environment every time we liter etc…etc…etc… So to answer the question… yes we are at war.

To consume, or not to consume? That is the problem.

Buy Nothing Day brings me back to my favorite teacher from high school once again. Yeah, the one I mentioned earlier who was the definition of a hippie, a 100% anti-consumerism activist. Surprisingly enough, in grade 12 economics I had this exact same question asked to me. I’m not going to do any research, or bore you with the basic facts of what Buy Nothing Day is, because you already know everything and most likely know it better than I do. I’ll give you my insight on things. Everyone (and by everyone I refer to society), talks about how my generation, (the late eighties-early nineties) is leaning towards a more green future, and who can blame us, we’re constantly reminded to follow the 5 R’s and to consume less. This year was my first eligible year to vote, and I voted Green, because I hate the excuse that even if we vote green it’s too late, because excuse my language but that’s bullshit. If we don’t try, it won’t happen yes, so why not try then? Buy Nothing Day is not just about refusing to consume for one day to prove a point, but to realize that there are alternatives to things we do everyday that can help our environment. Consuming less leads to producing less waste for example. Now if I’m not mistaken, this year’s date is the 28th, not the 25th so DON’T CONSUME ON FRIDAY AND REALIZE THE SMALL THINGS YOU CAN DO TO MAKE A MUCH LARGER CHANGE!

Baby Lola and Violence

Now I’m a very honest young man and I won’t lie when I say I completely missed National Media Education Week (gotta love tonsillitis). I’m probably not the only one, so I won’t sit here and bullshit how I did and how it was so much fun and how I cant wait till next November to do it all over again, because we’re grown adults and I’ll lay you the truth. I visited their website though and found a lot of neat things. Under their activities it displayed several things you can teach young kids about Media. One that stuck out to me was violence. I have a little five year old sister back at home that calls me almost every night simply just to say hello since she’s figured out that holding down the number one key on my fathers cell phone speed dials her to me. This past weekend I sat down with her to watch some of her favorite cartoons. After watching several Popeye the Sailor episodes I asked her if she knew what the word violence meant. She said no, and I wasn’t too surprised considering she’s only five. Though when I asked her what the word death meant she said yes. She carried on a story how Popeye dies almost every time before he eats the spinach. Now, the media education website goes into a lot of detail as to what you should talk to your kids about in terms of violence, but my sister wouldn’t understand half the stuff they suggested. So instead, I carried a little small talk with her as to what violence is. I told her how anger could turn into violence and the consequences she would face. I explained how the violence she sees in cartoons is not acceptable in her everyday life because cartoons are make belief, and when someone in her cartoon gets hurt, it might be funny in the cartoon, but not in real life. Even though it might sound that this conversation was a scholarly discussion, it lasted probably less then five minutes due to her small attention span, but I did get her to promise not to act like they do in her cartoons, and to explain to me what violence was. She got the gist of it.

MORE BARS, FEWER DROPPED CALLS!

For the media hegemonies question in our blog list, I have chosen to research the Major Media Company AT&T. AT&T Inc. leads the US in both local and long distance telephone services, DSL Internet access and wireless service with 71.4 million wireless customers and more than 150 million total customers. AT&T was founded in 1893 under the name Southwestern Bell Corporation. It was one of the seven original Regional Bell Operating Companies known as “Baby Bells”. It was incorporated by AT&T Corporation as a result of U.S antitrust action against their company in 1983. It took over Southwestern Bell on January 1, 1984. At its annual stockholders meeting in 1995, it announced that its name would be change to SBC Communications Inc. SBC went on to acquire Baby Bell Pacific Telesis, and then in 1997 former independent Bell System franchise SNET (Southern New England Telephone). In 1998 SBC and Ameritech announced to merger. In 1999, SBC became a part of the Dow Jones Industrial. In 2002, SBC ended marketing its operating companies under different names, and named its companies based on the state. Cross-media ownership is the restriction of a Media company to only be able to own two mediums such as a radio station and a local newspaper, or an over-the-air TV station and one radio station etc, ultimately, it prevents companies from holding a monopoly. In AT&T’s case, it is distributing telephone services as well as internet services. When SBC acquired Ameritech, it only got the right to do so from the Federal Communications Commission on the basis that it would allow competitors access to local markets where it had a monopoly. The FCC later fined SBC $6 million for failure to meet this agreement because they held a monopoly. This shows the implications of cross-media ownership.

Media is the new BLACK

Alright, so last night I looked at the next batch of blogs that I need to complete for Dr. Lipton and the media log question jumped out at me. I thought this was a very interesting idea and couldn’t wait to jump on it (realistically I had no choice). So this morning I woke up, grabbed my IPod and went to brush my teeth. I quickly realized that my day had barely started and already I was involved in some sort of media, my music mp3 player. I put some bagels in the toaster and grabbed my GQ magazine. I laughed as I realized how quickly I was getting exposed to so many ads without really ever thinking about it. I connected to the internet and my homepage; Kanye West’s blog came up. I tallied my count to four. I got dressed and headed to class. I kept an eye out for ads and posters around campus as I made my way to class. I stopped counting after 23. After class I went to the cafeteria. As I ate my food, I enjoyed the soothing sounds of CHYM FM, yet another form of Media. I went back to my room, and watched Amazing Race off of http://www.surfthechannel.com/. Shortly after I fell asleep, and when I woke up, I was back on my laptop surfing the net, getting attacked by internet advertising and live broadcasting from every direction. The day continued much the same way I’ve already explained, more classes, more billboards and posters, more soothing music and more internet surfing. In the end, the three most dominant media forces that affect me on a daily basis are magazines, radio, and internet. I participate in media economies by surfing the net over 50% of my day, as well as having to listen to audio and video recordings of some of my lectures online. Media has seen a large advancement over the past thirty years. An interesting fact I found put up by the 2007 U.S. Census Bureau's Statistical Abstract of the United States, is that Adults and teens will spend nearly five months (3,518 hours) next year watching television, surfing the Internet, reading daily newspapers and listening to personal music devices. Funny, but that pretty much summed up my daily media log.

Time for a CHANGE

I personally do not have any opinion on American Politics. As immature as this may sound, I do not find an interest when it comes to politics in general at all. I feel this is a view I will posses only for a couple of more years, considering I just became eligible to vote. Soon enough I will have to get very involved seeing as I will have to be voting for something I will strongly vouch for. For the sake of this blog though, I will spit my personal thoughts on the Presidential Election, seeing as it is a very legendary one already. Seeing as the U.S.A is slowly approaching a recession, and almost a depression, this election is a very important one for the near future of the star country. Their international influence as well as power, is being seen as a decline due to their interactions with the war in Iraq and relations with Middle Eastern countries. This election is a memorable one because it is the first time an African American is a nominee. The two candidates pose two very opposite views. John McCain, a Vietnam War Veteran, and realist, whose views resemble those of current presidents George W. Bush, seem to be presenting an America we have already seen. Barrack Obama on the other hand, an African American raised in Indonesia, with idealist views, presents a picture of America that many have been waiting for. The way I see it is, America needs a change, and that is what Obama is offering. The only thing that is stopping him is the citizens of the United States that strongly believe the Republican views of George W. Bush, that John McCain seems to resemble, and the views that have been followed over the last eight years. The views that seem to be working right?………….. Just Vote Obama damn it!