Semiotic Domains

I have never really stopped to think about the semiotic domains that I am apart of in my life until the lecture yesterday in class. Although some of these semiotic domains could be grouped together I have relieved that many of the semiotic domains in my own life can differ greatly from one another. My favorite sport to play is softball, which I play almost all year playing and have become very active in devoting much of my time too. Softball is a semiotic domain that is active and makes a person get up and move around. On the other hand, I love to read which is a much different semiotic domain than softball. Unlike the example that was given in class about reading a cooking magazine and being active while reading it I do not like to be physically active when I read. When I read it is more of a time to lay down and relax with my feet up on the couch. So as I was listening to the class lecture yesterday I realized that it is true that a person may be part of a large number of semiotic domains that may have very little or nothing to do with one another!

Media is a "security blanket"...

When we are little often times children will have a certain object that we consider a "security object or blanket". This object that we obsess over gives us some sort of comfort and secure feeling. Lately, as I have been evaluating my use of media in my everyday life I have found that all forms of media have become a security object in my life. Every minute of my day there is a form of media around me that I feel connects me to the "world" and that gives me a feeling of comfort and security. When I am in my dorm room doing homework or just relaxing I always have the TV on. Sometimes on the news, but usually just normal television shows. While I am watching TV I know that if anything major or urgent were to happen then a warning message of breaking news would scroll across the screen. Even just studying with the television sound on in the background gives me the feeling of comfort and security. Everywhere I go I also take my cell phone with me. I admit that texting has become an obsession of mine, but beyond the small conversations we have with people on the phone or over texting having my phone lets me know that if anyone needed to get hold of me in the case of an emergency or important message then they can contact me through my cell phone. Having my cell phone makes me feel connected to my family, friends, and other people in my life while being away at school. Finally, my computer. Every time that I open my Internet the AOL recent news comes up and I glace to see what is going on in the world that day. Besides all the social networking pages, my computer does not only keep me up to date and connected with all my friends and family, but also the rest of the world. Knowing what is going on around the world is the just another thing that give me a secure feeling through the use of media.

How are our myths un/true?

Recently I was just browsing the Internet when I came across a link that said "Medical Myths: Strange, but true..." immediately I was curious about the the link had in store to read since we had been discussing links previously in class. The link lead me straight to a online newspaper article from the newspaper The Independent in the medical section. The first myth that caught my eye was "Fat People Are More Jolly" and as soon as I read this title I thought of Santa. Normally when we think of Santa the first few things we think are fat and jolly, but in this case the article was about real people. The article stated that according to psychologists at Lakehead University in Canada they found that the hypothesis about fat people being more jolly has been proven to be true. As of now they have found that this happiness is more common in women than in men. From the research using the Body Mass Index (BMI) compared to the mood of the women showed that the higher the BMI then the lower the symptoms related to depression, anxiety, and a negative mood. Personally I feel like people who hear about this article will be confused and indifferent about the results. I believe that when people, especially women, begin to hear this myth is true then more and more people will become comfortable with the weight gain or maybe even attempt to gain weight that is really not wanted. I think that this myth is not true because I have always been told and strongly believe that exercise can help to give a person more energy, self confidence, and all around a better attitude. I think this myth could potentially hurt all people in a way whether they choose to believe it or not. For those who choose to believe it could possible fall into an unhealthy state to which is not wanted. Those who choose not to believe it may be in doubt whether their dedication to a health and active lifestyle is worth all the time and effort, which in return could cause depression for that person. I have found by looking more into myths that they can be dangerous to believe and not to believe.

Responding to "The American Myth of Success"

After reading “The American Myth of Success” I have learned that what they call the myth is the idea that only those who are born into successful or wealthy families are capable of becoming successful. The reading gave multiple examples of people who were not born into a family of success or wealth, but “they made the most of their native intelligence and natural spunk.” The article describes kids today as greedy and self-centered. Although they previously believed that kids have evolved to be this way today, but now they have realized that people have always been slightly self-centered and greedy. The similar ideas about “luck” and “pluck” are that they both are forms of success, but in very opposite ways. When a person is considered to have “luck” then it means that they were born to succeed, but when a person is considered “pluck” then it means it is a person who puts their mind to what they want to succeed. In my personal opinion I believe that by having a strong effect on the changing of relationship then it will have a strong affect on the changing relationships in America. Personally, I would have to agree with both luck and pluck. I realize that there are people in life who are born to be successful just like some people are born to lead. While my opinion on luck is strong I always believe strongly in pluck. I am a person who has experienced personal events in my life that prove if you apply yourself and put your mind to something then you can succeed. The part of this myth that affected me and I find that groups I am apart of, such as being a student, affirm the truth of this myth is working hard, but not getting the results. Often times I have found that many people study weeks, days, hours and still end up with a poor grade on the test while occasionally there are people who take the test or assignment as a joke and receive a better grade. I found that I do agree with this myth and it takes hard work to get through life.

Lost In The World Of Instant Messages

Recently, I was out to lunch with my mom when I discovered myself having a texting conversation while my mom was trying to hold a face to face conversation with me and this is when I realized that multiple forms of "instant messaging" has impacted my life in both positives and negative ways. When I think about forms of instant media communication tools that have affected my life I am referring to instant messengers (Yahoo,AIM, MSN), e-mail, and text messaging. On the positive side I have found that these forms of communication have made me more outgoing and willing to express my feelings. I am not one to speak my mind and share my feelings and emotions out loud. I rather just hold it all in and be the quiet and shy girl in the corner, but with forms of messaging that allows me to share my thoughts and feelings instantly with out actually using my voice has made me more sociable in a way. Unfortunately I misuse this use of "not talking, but still communicating". Often times I find myself starting fights with my boyfriend over text, but when he wants to talk about it face to face or on the phone I refuse because I get scared. So, as much as this instant messaging savvy world has come to help me become a better communicator is has also turned me into a quiet and shy person, but a instant message monster. Although my habit of instant messaging has allowed me to stay connected with many of my friends and family in a quick and easy way, it has also cut me off from communication in the real world. As I mentioned before in the beginning I many times find myself wrapped up in the world of text messages and instant messages, but lost in the world of face to face communication. When I was out to lunch with my mom she was explaining to me something about my her recent trip to Chicago, but at the same time I was texting my friend Lauren and had no idea what my mom was saying to me. At this point in time is when I realized the affect text messaging and instant messaging has had on my life.

Problems and Possiblities

One problem that I believe has erupted in the relationship between mass media and society is the idea of "stereotypes" in the teen world through all forms of media, but mostly movies and television shows. Growing up watching Saved By The Bell, Boy Meets World, and now multiple shows with high school students and their high school days it has really painted a picture in my mind of how high school was going to be. As the years continue I have seen these "teen" shows transformed to differ from each other very much, but still seem to be the same. When I was younger shows that showed teens in "the best years of their life" were always showing the athletic boy (quarterback) and cheerleader being the perfect couple while "going steady". All the shows have the cliques that they portray that every high school have. Many of these cliques include the jocks,cheerleaders,band nerds, science geeks, and the rich kids. Now, recently I have been watching the show "The Secret Life of a American Teenager". In this show the roles have reversed and it is not the quarterback and cheerleader who are the main focus, but two "band nerds". The show tells a story of a 15 year old freshman girl who ends up having sex for the first time at band camp and getting pregnant. The problem I see today is the idea of cliques in the teen shows. Cliques began as just groups of people with similar interest and talents, but now television shows are showing that these cliques are far more than just people with a title. Television shows and movies are putting these clique chartacters into certain situations that are adding mainly negative labels to there "stereotype".

First Blog

One of the formative media text that I chose to write down in class today was "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens" by Sean Covey. I was introduced to this book for the first time my sophomore year of high school in my Leadership class. The book "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens" is a continuation by Sean Covey to his fathers book titled "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People". In the book Sean discuss the 7 most important factors of living a successful and effective lifestyle. The first habit is Be Proactive, which is described as taking control of your life and where you want to go. The second habit is know as Begin With The End In Mind. Habit 2 helps us to learn how to plan out our life and see the big picture. Moving on, habit 3 is Put First Things First which is basically the idea or prioritizing and time management. Think Win-Win is the title of habit 4 and it helps one to learn how to analyze a situation and make the best out of it. Habit 5 is Seek First to Understand Then to be Understood, which teaches the reader how to communicate with others and not always assume that you can relate with everything. Synergies is habit 6 and it teaches one how to work together and communicate in a team environment. Finally, habit 7 is Sharpen the Saw and that means to understand that you must take time for yourself to stay healthy and effective.