Obsessed with Celebs

Celebrity and Celebrity Culture.
One the most influential aspects in society today are the role that celebrities play.
What makes us so obsessed with celebrities but? Is it jealousy or pity or resentment for the lifestyles they lead?

For me, celebrities are iconic because they are on a pedestal that we are all aiming for. They indicate our own secret desires and dreams, which for most of us are completely unrealistic and unattainable.
Or perhaps, it is because we find them easier to relate to then our own family, friends and acquaintances. Britney Spears and her public break down, Blake Lively's confirmed nose job or even Delta Goodrem's battle of cancer.

Celebrities make us conscious of the public version of ourselves and how others look at us. They arouse in us the way we should look, the clothes we should wear and the way we should act. Yet, we are still reading the latest trash magazines and watching the latest reality TV shows. Are celebrities corrupting society? With the impact of new media such as television and the Internet, people all over the world now recognise these significant people. This leads to the major concern of who is actually content in this world when they do not live a life like Kim Kardashian or Liz Hurley? When typing a K into google, the sixth, seventh and eighth most searched all include celebrities.

It is the evolution of new media that has enabled society to become obsessed and influenced by the powerful celebrities and the lifestyles they lead. 


References:

Henry David Thoreau, "Are celebrities corrupting society?" http://www.bookrags.com/essay-2005/12/20/212251/38

Deborah King, "Celebrity Addiction", http://www.deborahkingcenter.com/resources/celebrities/

The Colliding and Convergence of Culture

Convergence culture- where new and old media collide.
In his new book, Henry Jenkins describes how this is the flow of information across multiple media platforms. New media, involving blogging, social media and the internet is now disperesed among the old media of newpsapers and radio. We have entered a new stage in society where nearly anyone now has the ability to publish their thoughts and opinions so that they are influencing the world around them.
Whether it be decisions made in corporate boardrooms or decisions made in a teenagers bedroom, new media has enabled everybody the chance to discuss their thoughts over the internet..

There has been much discussion about whether the newspaper is now dead, in a society where the latest information can be found within seconds on the internet, is the traditonal source of information in the daily paper, slowly dying?
I believe that although I still try to read the newspaper every day, many people (especially in the younger generations) will soon begin to reach for their smart phones and Ipads for news information instead of newspapers and radio.. I'm sure I'm not the only one who would never listen to the radio apart from it being in my car? I don't think I even own a radio.. point made!

Consumers now have the ability to get the information they want, when they want it, where they want it and how they want it.. and at the moment this through the ability of accessing both new and old media!

References:
Jenkins, H, (2006) 'Welcome to Convergence Culture'  Date Retrieved: 6/9/12 http://henryjenkins.org/2006/06/welcome_to_convergence_culture.html

Wearing thongs and a flanny!

I'm not gonna lie, this blog post is going to be boring.
After accidentally skipping my week 5 blog post, I have looked back onto the topic of diaspora. A term that was derived from the Greek word meaing scattered or dispersed.. Thanks Wikipedia!
But on a more serious note, the term diaspora did specifically refer to the exile of Jews from their homeland to around the globe. This term has evolved into a definition of "members of ethnic and national communities, who have left, but maintain links with, their homelands." (International Organization for Migration) This theory conveys the notion of transnational populations, migrants maintaining relationships with their homelands and an array of divided loyalites.

The question to discuss in this blog post was: How do you make culture?
This question really stumped me, I've never really thought that I influenced the world or the culture around me. Growing up living in Australia, as an Australian, with no other homeland, I felt like I didn't really fit the stereotypical "mate" who cooked a barbie and wore thongs and a flanny.  I wasn't connected to any other homeland, I didn't have a specific 'role' in life.

Do I make culture through music? No. Art? No. Politics? No. I can't say I am muscially or artistically creative in any way whatsover. I can play sport yes, but I've never felt that was making culture either.
As I kept thinking about how I make culture individually, I feel that perhaps it is through my own personal traditions. Like my strong family orientations. We spend every Easter and Christmas together no matter what. We sit down to a family dinner most nights at the dinner table and without fail I will sit down for coffee with my cousin every single Tuesday morning.

These traditions make my culture, and make me who I am.

References:
(2011) "What is meant by diaspora?"
http://www.diasporamatters.com/what-is-meant-by-diaspora/2011/

Ionescu, D. (2006) Engaging Diasporas as Development Partners for Home and Destination Countries: Challenges for Policymakers IOM Migration Research Series Paper No. 26, International Organization for Migration, 2006

"blabosphere" or "egosphere"

Here goes another blog post that focuses on the topic of a "blogosphere." Which I literally had no idea what was. Before this assignment I had no idea how to even write a blog let alone what a blogosphere entailed.

But then I came across a very interesting website while doing my research, which helped to define the blogosphere as a community made up of blogs and their connections. It is said to have been coined in 1999 by Brad. L Graham and then recoined by William Quick in 2002.

But, what was most interesting was the notions of the "layers of a blogosphere." These layers include:
1. Geekosphere
2. Servosphere
3. Bizosphere
4. Newsophere
5. Blabosphere
6. Egosphere
7. Searchosphere

My personal favourites include "blabosphere" which is the layer made up of personal blogs that are "highly charged of buzz, advice, stories and lots of echo" and also the "egosphere" which is the "lair of celebrity blogging." All these layers make up the different aspects of online blogging.

The blogosphere creates an online community in which every individual can be involved whether it be through current affairs, personal anecdotes or even the technology that is shared. They can comment, and post, and blog on their ideas, and thoughts, and opinions. Both the blogosphere and the public sphere unite in the common thread of sharing personal opinions and spreading public discourse.
A huge example of this, which spread like wildfire through the uses of social media was the subject Kony 2012 campaign that got over 86 million views on their youtube film within months of its release. This indicates the strong influence that social media and the blogosphere has on public opinion and discourse.

References:
Starr, J, 2007, "What are the different layers of the blogosphere"
http://perishablepress.com/what-are-the-different-layers-of-the-blogosphere/

Verrrrry nice!

This week I begin by considering, whether the Olympic games really are a global event? Automatically, I think yes, as there are so many countries are involved. But recently I have become more attuned to the notion of globalisation and whether it is evenly distrubuted. This made me think of the digital divide, which refers to the gap between the low socioeconomic countries such as Ethiopia and Kenya. These countries have limited accessiblity to technology such as; televisions (news) and computers (internet) compared to the countries of America, England and Australia. Craig Warren Smith, the founder of the Digital Divide Insititue defines it as " gap between those who can benefit from digital technology and those who cannot."

It is interesting to note that Kazakhstan (I had to google how to spell it) still has more gold medals than Australia in these Olympics, yet before the movie Borat was produced, hardly anyone even knew about the country. Even now Borat is quoted constantly - "Very nice!!!" all over the world, which links to my previous blog concerning Americanisation.  This issue of the digital divide will become more prominent in future years as we are yet to fully acknowledge and implement any strategies to reduce the significant and devastating inequalities both economically and culturally.

Reference:
http://www.free-extras.com/search/1/borat.htm
http://mooreslore.corante.com/archives/digital_divide/
Smith, CW, (2010), 'Digital Divide Defined', Retrieval Date: 7/8/12, http://www.digitaldivide.org/digital-divide/digitaldividedefined/digitaldivide/

Disneyland

This week I sit here trying to think of what to write in my third blog post, when really all I want is another delicious skinny mocha from caffeine. But I ponder the concentration of media ownership, also known as ‘The Big 5.’ These companies rule the world of media.

While visiting Disneyland, numerous years ago now, I was in a fairytale of dress ups and Disney characters that allowed me to get photos with Winnie the Pooh and get complimented by Cinderella on my ‘teeth jewellery.’ A very nice way of saying I had huge, metal train tracks = braces. But I never knew that one day I would be studying what a huge and influential company that Walt Disney created.

Walt Disney Corp is now one the best known empires in the world, which began purely from Walt Disney, his ideas, enthusiasm and hard work. Walt Disney was the first to introduce colour to cartoons and to utilize the first multi plane camera technique. Walt Disney Corp is “the largest diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise.”

The Walt Disney Corp is a key example of a global media empire that is present all around the world; I can’t imagine who didn’t grow up without the ongoing presence of Mickey Mouse, Pocahontas or Hannah Montana!

References:

Wingert, C, (1999) Just Disney, Date Retrieved 31/07/2012    http://www.justdisney.com/walt_disney/biography/long_bio.html ,

The Walt Disney Company, (2011), Company Overview, Date Retrieved 31/07/2012 http://thewaltdisneycompany.com/about-disney/disney-history

Globalisation or Americanisation??

Welcome everyone to my second blog post! I think I am finally getting the hang of this and hopefully my posts will be more regular!
This week we cover the topic of the Global Media Landscape.. vivid imagery comes to mind of green grass and flowers and trees. But no, instead I ponder the American Empire.
So after looking through the notes and researching the global media landscape, what struck me most was how dominant America is over the rest of the world.
I have been unaware of how persuaded Australia is by America until I took a recent holiday to Thailand in which I was in a mixed group of people all different ages, genders and nationalities. I realised when talking amongst Americans, English and South Africans, that Australia is hardly affected by the news, current affairs, music and movies and culture in general from England or South Africa. However, we know all the latest  movies, music and affairs present in America. One significant example that occured this week was the American Massacre that occured during the Batman film, this was all over twitter, social media, the internet and television almost immediately. Yet I wonder if this would have happened if it had occured in say, South Africa?

Are the flows of globalisation evenly distrubuted? Definitely not. When striking up a conversation with the South Africans in Thailand, I was stunned to realise that I knew very little about the culture of South Africa compared to that of America. All Australians have been subtley persuaded by the American culture as we listen to American music and watch American movies, eating hamburgers from McDonalds and wish to be a famous actor/actress in Hollywood.. I wonder how many people have actually sat down and watched Australian films even though they are produced in and about our own country.. I am guessing very few.

To get to some serious points but... after heading straight to my favourite resource.. GOOGLE! I found an article written by Ruth Oldenziel named "Is Globalisation a code word for Americanisation?" in which she suggests the "hegemonic power of the US nation state" has been "crucial in shaping international and transnational politics and insutions." Oldenziel names McDonalds and CocaCola as her two symbols of "Americanisation."  Two symbols that are recognised almost anywhere in the world.. which helps prove my point.. are we being indoctrinated by America.. or is it really just globalisation?

More to come next week! Please give me some feedback, I would greatly appreciate it.. I have merely been rambling!!
Reference:
Oldenziel, R, 2007, 'Is Globalisation a code word for Americanisation?' Retrieved 24/07/12
http://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CGYQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tseg.nl%2F2007%2F3-oldenziel.pdf&ei=_VMOUKDwI8SziQfw7oDIAg&usg=AFQjCNHFAlP32Jg1lvPquDAk3cL5TvMvsQ&sig2=Y5G8fjDYTQdwt2ZMRvnnbQ