A Retrospective on Humanities

            Through this past semester, my writing has definitely shown improvement. Through constructive criticism and conferences, I was able to focus more on the process of writing instead of only focusing on the beginning and end. I am guilty of being the occasional procrastinator but this class made me be more aware of the benefits of starting a paper early! As a Communications major I had some experience writing about the media, but the Humanities papers allowed me to focus on other interesting topics I never had a chance to write about before.

            My favorite papers assigned were ones regarding cinema. I’ve always had a passion for cinema and being able to analyze them was such an amazing experience. The arts are incredibly affected and guided by the audience. For example, the film Fatal Attraction changed the entire ending of the film just to give them the ending they wanted. Because of this course, I’ve decided to take two cinema classes next semester!

            In terms of research, I’ve learned to take full advantage of the USC Library database. No matter what the paper topic, I was always able to find countless studies and articles to help with my paper at the time. Additionally, the blog assignments allowed me to have a place to look back on interesting articles and YouTube clips that I had found during the research process.

            After participating in a blog for the end of the semester, I found that I enjoyed it more than I expected. For example, getting comments from classmates was a great way to gain perspective on my ideas. I definitely want to start another blog, perhaps focusing more on my last semester at USC and making sure I take full advantage of my final time here. 

Generational Divide

Without question there is definitely a generational divide between youth culture and older generations when it comes to technology usage. Numerous communication studies I’ve read have pinpointed the idea that youth grew up with this type of communication, so they see it as an everyday necessity. In the words of a sixteen-year-old media user, “Parents usually don’t know how important a tool the mobile has become in young people’s lives. They only think about the communicative function, not the social meaning” (Buckingham 1). Older generations have learned to exist as social beings without the crutch of technology, which naturally leads to a different perspective, and perhaps, also of media proliferation.

Younger generations, on the other hand, have grown up with digital media, and view it as an integral and even necessary part of social life. “Because of the always there, always on status of the mobile and the pace of exchange of information, and because the mobile is the key personal communication device for so many young people, it becomes important in establishing social norms and rules, and in testing one’s own position in relation to the peer group” (Buckingham 1).

While one can certainly use new technology to promote social relations, when used in excess, the same tool used to connect with others can be used to disconnect from others.  For example, there are countless times I see teenagers with their phone on the table at a restaurant, as parents see no need to partake in such an activity.

I think the generational divide may be one of the reasons parents are so apprehensive about their children having Facebook accounts. It is the fear of the unknown that has parents concerned. I definitely agree that there should be stronger privacy settings on social media sites and that children should not be allowed to get mobile phones at a such a young age!

Hart Study: Motives for High School and Undergraduate College Students Using Facebook

While digital media and mobile devices provide an undeniable practical function, communication scholars have become increasingly interested in their social function. The Hart Study is no exception. The Hart study compared the  behavioral and attitudinal outcomes of high school students to resulted behavioral and attitudinal outcomes of undergraduate college students. At the core of this change is the increasingly complex notion of self-identity and relationships. With its ability to transcend time and space, digital communication divorces the mental self from the physical self. 

As a result, “self- identity is no longer one-dimensional and stable; rather the self exists in multiple planes of existence” (Hart). Hart continues by stating that the Internet and social media are in large part responsible for extending such “planes of existence”. Through using online profiles, media users can engage in identity-construction: building profiles to virtually represent one’s identity. “Profile creators construct narratives of idealized selves, and the coherence of these narratives are ensured through a multitude of impression management features” (Hart). So rather than a online identity that accurately reflects one’s true self, users strategically select visual and textual data and project attitudes and preferences consistent with how they would like to be perceived (Hart). Mobile devices, particularly today’s “smartphones,” grant users unlimited access to their online identities. Together, digital media and mobile media devices have the combined power to keep media users in constant contact with their social networks. 

The results of the Hart study showed that high school students were motivated to visit Facebook to pass time. In contrast, relationship maintenance was the most prominent motive of undergraduate college students to visit Facebook. The amount of Facebook use, frequency of Facebook use, satisfaction with Facebook, and attachment to Facebook were not notably different between the high school and Undergraduate students tested. Two of The descriptors with the biggest contrast included the duration of Facebook use and amount of Facebook friends. In addition, undergraduate college students had been using Facebook for a longer period than high school students, which is something to keep in mind. Additionally, high school students had significantly more friends on Facebook than undergraduate college students.

Hart, Michael J. "A Study on the Motives of High School and Undergraduate College Students for using the Social Network Site Facebook." Liberty University, 2010. United States –Virginia: Dissertations and Theses A&I: The Humanities and Social Sciences Collection;ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (PQDT). 

Self-Identity on the Internet: Catfish

            During the class discussion after my presentation, a classmate gave me the suggestion of viewing identity being hidden on social network sites. To further explore this, I decided to view a television show titled Catfish on MTV. The term Catfish is defined as an “online figure who pretends to be someone they are not by using someone else’s pictures and information.” The idea for the show is based on the documentary Catfish that came out a couple years ago. The documentary followed a photographer named Nev Schulman on his journey to meet a girl he he had met online. What ended up turning out was that Nev had fallen for a catfish. This documentary showed that through these social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, strangers are able to manipulate and convince others of their true identity.

            For this reason, Nev decided to create a television show that emulates his same journey. On each episode, Nev helps couples who have never met in life before meet for the first time. On the premiere episode, nursing student Sunny tells Nev about a model Jamsion that she met on Facebook. She tells Nev how they have been talking for 8 months, but have never Skyped or met face-to-face. Through some investigation, Nev was able to find out that Jamison lied about his other careers he mentioned to Sunny, as well as family members. Even though she was warned about this, Sunny still decided to go ahead and meet Jamison. What happened up happening was truly heartbreaking. It turned out that Jamison wasn’t in fact a model or man, but a girl named Chelsea. However, producers and creators of the show argue that not all stories end in heartbreak on the show. Producer of the show Tom Freeman argued that the television series has,"...stories of deception. We've also stumbled into some love stories. We found people who are exactly who they say they are. We are putting those on television, too. We find people who are willing to get past an initial deception and really do make a connection at the end — in person and in real life. That's been really heartwarming. So I think, when we set out, we really don't know how it's going to end: good, bad, or in the middle somewhere.”

            After viewing this television show, I am more inclined to focus my paper on self-identity on the Internet. It’s crazy how people can fall in love on the  Internet and come to find out they have been completely fooled. I’ve attached a clip about the show Catfish: the TV show below!

What I learned from my presentation

              For my presentation, I gave a brief history of why I chose psychology and communication, showed a video on the Social Media Revolution, a summary of a Communication and Psychology study and ended with a brief conclusion and some issues I’ve had so far with research.

            After completing my presentation, I was able to become aware of even more effects that technology has created to a variety of diverse people and demographics. I learned that there are social media sites, specifically for adolescents called Club Penguin and Kidz Bop. These sites are designed for younger generations and appear to have more monitoring than Facebook. By recognizing this, I hope to find a study that has monitored the psychological effects this has had on adolescents.

            In addition, classmates brought up the importance that self-esteem has had on women in particular. Women are more critical of themselves and viewing a variety of beautiful people online can affect their personal self-esteem. My classmates gave examples of some psychological studies they’ve read in class that validated this issue as well. Because of this, I may explore the role that gender plays in these social media sites, such as Facebook. Interestingly enough, Facebook started as a “Hot or Not” website.

            My viral video, Social Media Revolution 2011, brought up important issues on adolescents and relationships that my classmates recognized. Classmates suggested that I should further explore youth using other forms of technology, such as iPads.

            With so many options to explore in terms of technology and society, I have yet to decide what to further research. Currently, I’m leaning towards exploring the gender effects of these social media types, and by splitting this through age demographics. I really appreciate the feedback from my classmates because it allowed me to determine even more ideas to research and explore.

Social Media Revolution

            To learn more about social media as a whole, I read a study by Hellekson about this new idea of “Web 2.0,” which focused on the increase of technology and accessibility to media. In particular with digital interactive media, social networks have developed a connection and normality with this particular form of media, unlike any other previous generation. This new platform of communication can be used for a plethora of reasons mainly self-expression to participate in social and recreational activities online. Today, the Internet has gone through a complete transformation because it has the capacity to fulfill countless tasks, mainly with social interaction. This new kind of Internet has been described as Web 2.0. Web 2.0 is described as an “…interactive, networked Web, not a static, read-only Web” (Hellekson 1).

            The Internet has the capacity to spread content throughout the entire world, which is why it is such a powerful medium. In fact, renowned scholar Herbert McLuhan was famous for stating that the “medium in the message.” He argued that the medium controls everything from how widely it’s distributed to how we consume the media. In this particular case, the medium is social networks, predominantly Facebook. After being created in 2004, by 2007 Facebook was reported to have more than 21 million registered members generating 1.6 billion page views each day. These numbers are clear evidence of the social networks significant impact. In addition, a 2007 study on Facebook found that a typical user spends roughly 20 minutes a day on the site, and two-thirds of users log in at least once a day. Media users constantly use social networks like Facebook to keep friends, family and even sometimes strangers updated, multiple times a day. The accessibility of Facebook and other social networks on smart phones has only added to the necessity of becoming a member of a social network.

            In addition to this study, I came across a YouTube video that shared some impressive statistics about the impact social media has on our world today. The video depicts the "Social Media Revolution" that we are currently involved in. To put it simply, Everyone is somehow influenced by the power of the Internet. 

Hellekson, K. ‘Fan studies 101’. SFRA Review 287 (Winter 2009): 5-7.

Facebook Usage: Is Age A Factor?

There is no denying the profound effect technology has had on our society. Social media has significantly increased throughout the years in particular. Sites, such as Facebook, allow for people all around the world to constantly be in contact. Although there are many benefits to technology, social media does add a whole new dimension to communication. In addition, there has been speculation of the psychological effect social media has on younger generations.

         For my first literature review, I found a study that was determining the relationship between Facebook usage and age. In particular, if social anxiety, self-esteem and extraversion increased or decreased based on age. The two age groups tests were 18-24 years old and over 24 and older. The test was done through a questionnaire on Survey Monkey. One of the results from the survey showed that levels of self-esteem were affected by the amount of time spent on Facebook on average, along with the number of Facebook friends someone had. Furthermore, it is no surprise that the younger age group spends more time on Facebook compared to the 24 and older group. In earlier studies, such as one done in 1999, it was concluded that there were beneficial effects of decreased loneliness of Internet use for adults living in retirement homes (White 1999).

         Although I was able to learn a lot from this study, I want to see if I can find more research on bullying from Facebook. There have been numerous PSA’s recently about the prevention of this kind of behavior. I’ve added a video below as an example!

Final Project: Initial Ideas

After receiving our question for the next essay, it was initially difficult for me to think of two interdisciplinary fields to compare a topic on. As a Communications major, I have always had an interest in media studies. Throughout numerous communication classes, I have read and analyzed numerous media studies on various topics from social media to the influence on technology. I’ve always had an interest in the progression of technology and how much it has influenced society. Typically consumers mention the positive aspects of social media sites, such as Facebook but not the negative. After delving into the paper topic further, I decided I want my interdisciplinary field to be psychology and social media studies. Psychology and social media studies have a lot more in common than one would initially believe. The first issues that came to my mind was the influence that social has had on adolescent bullying.

            The topic of bullying is incredibly prevalent in society, however I haven’t read any specific studies on the issue. I’m curious if the media makes the issues seem worse than they really are in terms of psychological effects. By researching a variety of studies, I hope to be able to conclude the significance of this important issue.

            I’m not fully committed to this topic but as of now I think it would possess a new perspective on the power of social media on adolescents. 

Fatal Attraction

Author & Audience Relationship: Fatal Attraction

             For our second writing assignment, we have been asked to pick an example of a field that portrays the power struggle between the author and audience. I have decided on the 1987 film Fatal Attraction, which dealt with a change of ending in order to please the audience. The plot of Fatal Attraction begins with a married man named Dan Gallagher, played by Michael Douglas, who is having an affair with a woman while his family is away for the weekend. This weekend affair turns into a downward spiral of psychotic stalking and blackmail from Alex Forrest, played by Glenn Close. The ending of the film was originally supposed to be a suicide, but test audiences argued that they wanted something more, so it was inevitably changed. In order to change the ending, a three-week reshoot occurred, even though some of the actors initially refused. The alternate ending results in Alex being shot by Dan’s wife Beth.

            I chose Fatal Attraction not only because it is a brilliant film but it also is a perfect example of the struggle between the audience and author relationship. After doing further research, I was also intrigued by Glenn Close’s personal feelings on the changed ending. She even brought in psychiatrists to help push her opinion that the original ending was far more realistic. Also, numerous feminists disagreed on the idea of a strong business woman becoming psychotic. Due to all the various opinions on the audience and author relationship from the film Fatal Attraction, I felt this was the ideal motion picture to choose for the writing assignment.