Melanie's+Journal

Entry 1 Everyday, all day, everywhere, we have somehow encountered the media. Whether it be ceasing the commerialism and materialism the billboards display on top of our city's buildings,or scanning the breaking news in the several city newspapers. We have all become subjected to society's present day media forms, that sometimes, it's hard to identify what is media and what is not. The distinction between the two is very vague, since almost everything we see or hear is some form of media and the culture it has created. One particular experience with media that //I// have enountered is the Toronto International Film Festival, or TIFF. Everything from the paparazzi, or the films themselves, even the celebrities starring in the films, are all forms of media. Our community is in awe of all the glitz and glamour this event covers, that we are oblivious to recognize the impact the media has on all of our lives. We rummage through all the latest magazines to find out what the "hottest" stars are up to in their daily lives. We search for hours on end, trying to find a certain remix or cover of our favourite songs. This is all media, and this takes up a big portion of our lives.

Entry 2 What is peep culture? //n//. A culture in which many people write about or display — and other people to take pleasure in reading or watching — the minutiae of their daily lives. I believe that our present day society has conformed to this culture or belief, and has permanently exposed themselves and others into the eyes of the public. For instance, Facebook or Twitter users tend to update their statuses regularly, informing those who are interested of what they are up to, where they are and who they're with. I believe that there is ethical challenge here, of having to be worthy of one's own life and the events that constitute it. It means that if you do want to share, then you'd better livein a way that is worthy of sharing. But the real concern here is, why do we care? Why are we so incessant on knowing that "Robert has just bought a Diet Coke"? This is what peep culture has done to our society. We are seeking the gossip or information needed to make us satisfied while searching through other people's lives. 

Entry 3 One aspect of pop culture that has recently caught my attention are the values and beliefs that the great, Andy Warhol, has subjected to society. Through his artwork and witty famous quotes, I am able to see what he believes pop culture is, and I happen to agree with him. Some of his most famous thoughts/quotes are: - "In the future everybody will be famous for fifteen minutes." I believe what he means by this, is that everybody will get their chance in the spotlight that they've been longing for their entire lives. And then in the blink of an eye, it's gone. Just like that. And you'll never get it back. - "I think everybody should like everybody." In my opinion, Mr. Warhol is expressing the continuous cycle of jealousy and hatred it's opposite form. This cycle of envy has a simple solution, a simple action. Everybody should just like everybody, easy as that. All in all, Andy Warhol's perspective on what is pop culture, although it is very unconventional and suggestive, I believe it to be opinionated and similar to my own thoughts. Entry 4 We all know Charlie Sheen from recent headline news, his arrests, drug addictions, etc. We know his infamous trademarks, such as "winning!" or "tiger blood". I find it fascinating that our society is so intrigued by his behavior. I must admit, I am one of those people who, is in fact, intrigued. Contemplating why, I have realized it is because his facade is so unconventional to the public, that we've never really seen anything like this before. We are intrigued by his iconic, superficial, shockingly suggestive ego, and we wish we were somewhat brave enough to express ourselves to the public the way he does. It seems to be that he's having fun, living "the life", with all the money and girls he could possibly have, partying all night and sleeping all throughout the day. We want his life. We escape our realities, watching his outrageous interviews, hoping that one day, our lives will be as "kick ass" as his. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Check out this article to read in depth of Charlie Sheen's ridiculous outbreak. http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/assessment/2011/03/charlie_sheen.html

<span style="color: #b8b8ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 200%;">Entry 5 <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">In recent news, Blackberry's Research In Motion (RIM), has had it's most epic network failure. Blackberry users were unable to use the "sacred" Blackberry Messenger (BBM), connect to their emails, or even access the Internet. For the time span of 3 days, communication was at it's ultimate low point. I find it laughable to see these people frantically pushing buttons on their keyboards, or smacking their phone against a table to try and get it to work. But unfortunately, this is what it has come down to. We are so deprived of human contact nowadays, that we desire to hide behind a screen and text our friends. And for 3 days we couldn't do that. What would the world do? We somehow managed, but it was hard for a lot of us. During this failure, I was with a group of my friends. One said to me, "What the Hell am I gonna do without my phone for the entire day?! I won't be able to live!" Our means of communications are now our cellphones, as they almost act as a survival element to our lives. It is crazy to think that just a couple of decades ago, there were no cellphones. And now, they've taken over.