How to ease back into the blogging world when it is no longer an assignment … when it is no longer forced upon me, no longer a requirement. When inspiration will no longer be drawn from a class that is mandatory.

Summer is here. And I had promised myself that I would continue to blog right through the summer, and into the fall. I would continue to practice my writing skills, with the hopes that people would enjoy what they read (assuming people would actually continue to read my blog.) But alas, it is nearly July. Summer is 50% dissipated. And I have been wasting my time on things like Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and DVD box sets aplenty. Heck, I’ve even been working two part-time jobs which are of no contribution to any sort of satisfaction, (which needless to say, are not relatable to the degree I am pursuing in University)  Yes. I have wasted half my summer. But perhaps the looming fall semester has placed fear within my creative side, “I’d better hop to it, or I’ll whither away!”

I still don’t know what to say, or what to write about. I liked the basic research required of the Media Blog Assignment from the Winter Semester. I liked the inspiration drawn for classes of intelligent lectures. Not this txting, or Twittering, which I’ve become so reliant on during these warm summer months. Where can I be inspired when the most intelligent thing I read today was something along the lines of “OMG!” or  ”txt me l8er” (Okay, exaggeration!) But! Where is the good stuff? I’ll find it. 

Consider this an introduction to a summer lost. And a creative mind looking to be found.

To the great disappointment of my boyfriend, I did it… not minutes ago…I caved. I created a Twitter account (to go along side my Facebook and Myspace accounts). I can’t explain why I did it… all I know is Twitter’s popularity is growing and fast. 

Moments after signing up for Twitter, I received a “Welcome to Twitter” email which instantly inspired me to write this blog. The following is what I received:

“Hello, new Twitter-er! 

Using Twitter is going to change the way you think about staying in touch with friends and family. Did you know you can send and receive Twitter updates via mobile texting or the web?”

Twitter is going to change the way I think about staying in touch with friends and family? A bold statement Twitter, a bold statement indeed. Twitter has balls. No other social networking site has flat out TOLD me how I am going to think. But then again, Twitter is attracting the masses.

The same welcoming email goes on to say, “The New York Times calls Twitter “one of the fastest-growing phenomena on the Internet.” TIME Magazine says, “Twitter is on its way to becoming the next killer app,” and Newsweek noted that “Suddenly, it seems as though all the world’s a-twitter.” What will you think?”  

Well, Twitter, why don’t you tell me what to think! (I’m already bitter, Twitter.) Millions of people are currently active users, so I guess the world is indeed a-twitter.

According to Robin Summerfield’s article Compelled to Share: Is Twitter the Future, or the Future of Navel-Gazing? of the National Post, Twitter can be “billed as a social messaging utility, people use Twitter to send mini-messages and give instant updates about their current state of being and doing. People can join any conversation and there’s no friend status required. It’s called micro-blogging and experts say this social networking trend can help you build your business and career.” Beautifully explained.

Journal article Why We Twitter: Understanding Microblogging Usage and Communities states, “Microblogging is a new form of communication in which users can describe their current status in short posts distributed by instant messages, mobile phones, email or the Web.” (Java A, et al) Microblogging is the future, no more of this “wordpress” nonsense. I’ll say what I need to in 140 characters (a Twitter requirement).

Summerfield states that celebrities including Britney Spears, John Mayer, Ashton Kutcher and wife Demi Moore are all active Twitter users. Mike Strobel’s states in his article, I Tweet Therefore I Am – I Thwink that Twitter went from 6 million users in January of this year, to 10 million this month. I told you, Twitter is popular

What is Twitter?

 Come follow: http://twitter.com/LauraFalse

Chapter 7 of Michael Strangelove’s text The Empire of Mind introduces its readers to Pierre Lévy, an interesting scholar, philosopher and technology specialist. According to Eurotopics.net, Lévy believes the Internet to have more power than “the printing press, the radio, or the television, because it allows cross communication and better use of collective memory.”

This makes perfect sense: With the Internet, we can be exposed to anything and everything… and nothing disappears from the abyss of cyberspace, memories live longer than we do.

On page 200 of Strangelove’s text, Lévy states that cyberspace “is the catalyst that will perfect cultural and biological evolution and deliver control over our collective identity.” He goes on to say, “through cyberspace we will learn everything that is possible to learn.”  The views of this French philosopher are indeed “breathtaking” as Strangelove states in his text.

Lévy believes  “whomever can formulate a question, all will become visible.” (pg. 200) And I have to agree completely. Through the likes of the Internet I can find the answers to all of life’s undying questions- any tiny bit of information I so desire seems to exist on the Internet  and every time I need to prove someone wrong, the Internet’s got it covered for me.  The points raised by Lévy seem…so true.

Lévy believes that the Internet “will enhance human cognition and make us smarter and better.” (pg. 201) The Internet provides information to us at our every whim. With the Internet we can we find outlets for great amounts creativity: Blogging, vlogging and amateur videos, to name a few prime examples. 

Pierre Lévy is smart, but not as smart as the Internet.

The Internet Won't Disappear

According to our beloved Wikipedia, a viral video can be defined as “a video clip that gains widespread popularity through the process of Internet sharing, typically through email or IM messages.”

I recently came across the most comprehensive and detailed viral video website ever!!!!!!!!! (And by the amount of exclamation points used, I truly don’t believe this to be a hyperbole.) The website is called Viral Video Chart, and I strongly urge you to check it out!

The home page lists the top 20 most recent viral videos online. The site also includes very interesting statistics, including: number of views per video, “the buzz by language”, and blogs written about the videos.

Needless to say, my YouTube Reflection du jour will focus on the top viral video within the last 24 hours: Extreme Sheep LED Art:

The video was posted to YouTube on March 16, 2009 and already has over 1,100,000 views. 

The following are the video statistics for the video according to ViralVideoChart.com:

Yet another unique video has been added to the repertoire of online popular culture. This video combines art and… sheep. Clearly a very complicated video which must have taken hours to compile. I’m just excited to see the inevitable video responses and spoofs that will occur in the near future!

As for ViralVideoChart.com, let’s just say a lot more of my leisurely time will be spent watching such videos as “Flight Attendant doing raps!!”  and “BEST DUNK EVER! BACKFLIP! “Ah yes. The internet. Always giving me what I want.

This YouTube reflection will be short: If you love old people, and you love rap, then the following video is perfect for you:

Personally, I can think of little that is more entertaining than watching a group of elderly people perform popular rap and R&B hits, including: Eminem’s Lose Yourself,  OutKast’s Hey-Ya, and the McHammer’s U Can’t Touch This.

They call themselves the Funky Fresh Sr. Choir, and they are available for wedding receptions, bar mitzvahs and private parties. 

Through the likes of YouTube, viewers can be exposed to videos such as this, which put a new spin on popular culture as we know it. YouTube exposes its viewers to new genres of entertainment… because surely this isn’t something one would see everyday. 

Every Tuesday evening I arrive to my New Media class a few minutes early, and every Tuesday evening I am greeted by a music video being projected on the big screen. Several times it has been Liz Phair, and recently I have noticed that Duffy seems to have caught the attention of my professor’s ear. Regardless of the music video being shown, it is always the same website playing the video: YouTube.

It is safe to presume that thousands, more likely, millions of individuals use the site to watch or listen to music.But with the recent controversies surrounding YouTube and copyright issues, it seems official music videos and even some songs are become more difficult to find on the website. (Unless the artist has an official channel.) Many recall the trouble YouTube went through last year, when Viacom placed a 1 billion dollar lawsuit on the video streaming website due to copyright infringement.

According to an article entitled YouTube, Universal Music Reportedly Talking Business, by Dee Chisamera, “YouTube may be taking a new approach when it comes to music videos, which this time would not imply any more legal threats on copyright infringement. The video site is reportedly in talks with Universal Music, the number one music company in the country, to create a music video website called Vevo.”

Interesting. With the success of NBC’s Hulu, Universal’s movement to online content comes to no surprise. According to an article entitled, Video Use Seen Hitting Eight Hours a Day by 2013, by Daisy Whitney, “the average American 12 and older spends about six hours a day with video-based entertainment.” As a society, we are becoming increasingly more Internet based.

According to researcher and professor, Damien O’Brien, “YouTube, the video sharing website has risen to be one of the most popular and profitable websites on the Internet.” Media giants like NBC and Universal are smart to follow YouTube’s lead.

YouTube #1

Recently I was sent the following link to this YouTube video:

The video features clips from the popular children’s television series, LazyTown, mashed up with a vulgar rap ditty by Lil Jon, and is entitled CakeRoll. What is most interesting about this amateur video, in my opinion, is not the video itself, but rather the “disclaimer” written in the description, which is as follows:

DISCLAIMER

“Excerpts of “Cooking By The Book” used in this video remain the copyrighted property of LazytownEntertainment. Footage sampled in this video is used as a parody and is protected under United States Fair Use copyright law.

(§ 107 of the Copyright Act. Also, see Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, 510 U.S. 569 (1994) and Bridgeport Music, Inc. v. Dimension Films, 410 F.3d 792 (6th Cir. 2005) for precedents).

This video is free to distribute and not for profit.

The producers and distributers of this video are in no way affiliated with Lazytown Entertainment or the Lazytown brand. The unlawful removal of this video will result in LEGAL ACTION being taken against the responsible parties.

So fuck off you corporate fascists! Do not delete this video! If you have a problem with the video relating to copyright issues please send me a message and I will reply as promptly as possible.”

I find it quite interesting that YouTube users are taking a stand against the site and its current barrage of video removal due to copyright infringement. 

Included on the YouTube website are some “Copyright Tips”, which although very detailed, are not very helpful. Please follow this link to view the information YouTube provides on the subject: http://www.youtube.com/t/howto_copyright

According to an article entitled, Viacom Sues YouTube for $1 Billion…The End of the Tube, Viacom filed a lawsuit against YouTube for 1 billion dollars, claiming “massive intentional copyright infringement, saying that 160,000 unauthorized Viacom clips have been uploaded onto YouTube, totaling more than 1.5 billion views.”

And quite frankly, YouTube hasn’t been the same since. Videos are constantly being removed from the site, which is frusterating for the viewers… all we want is simple entertainment. But- obviously, YouTube must cater to large corporations,  because let’s face it, they’ve got the power and the big bucks.

I just found the most simultaneously irritating and entertaining YouTube channel of all time…or maybe just this week: iJustine.

She’s blonde. She’s beautiful. She’s Justine Ezarik, the 24-year-old YouTube user, Twitter user, Myspace user, Flickr user and avid blogger. She’s a self-proclaimed “media chick”.  And after watching only a few short videos, this woman is clearly an enthusiastic Apple User too.

Justine’s YouTube videos seem to be divided into four categories, which include:

• “Apple Store Videos” Following Justine’s visits into Apple stores across the USA.
• “Mozy Commercials” Commercials Justine has participated in.
• “Must see iJustine Movies” The best of the best.
• “Ask iJ” In which the viewer can ask Justine any question through any online medium she currently uses. She responds to inquiries in form of video.

Her style is improv: she simply speaks into her webcam, or hand held camera and freely speaks her mind- usually on tech-related or media based topics. According to an article in Advertising Age, by Michael Learmonth, entitled, “AT&T’s iJustine Web Series Doesn’t Exactly Go Viral“ her videos have earned 25 million views online, 16 million of which are from YouTube. 

The following video “300-Page-iPhone-Bill” is the video that unquestionably created instant online stardom and celebrity status for Ezarik. The camera watches as she opens an iPhone bill sent from her provider AT&T, which was sent to Ezarik in a box and was 300 pages long. The video focuses on the obvious paper-waste of the bill’s size. Please watch:

Couple this video with the hundreds of others created by Ezarik, and you’ve got yet another pop culture amateur online hit! With a collective 25 million views, and target viewers believed by Ezarik to by between the ages of 11-18, her videos further depict the direction in which popular culture and mass media are going. We love the amateurs!

Not only can the youth of today find role models traditionally, through the likes of celebrities: singers and movie stars, but also through the means of online amateur videos, which allow viewers to connect as well as be entertained by everyday people.

“We get free time and we waste it!” –Dr. Strangelove

Feverishly going through my New Media lecture notes (looking for a topic of interest to write about that I haven’t already exhausted) I found a few meager lines in my notebook dedicated to the ol’ television. You know it: the Boob Tube, the Idiot Box, the Small Screen… The square unit is a rare mention in any of my Communication courses.

The tube seems to be a tad neglected these days, mostly due to the Internet taking over the glamour and attention of the mass population. As a 21-year-old female, I don’t have cable and thus rely on the likes of websites and blogs for any means of news and information… and with that responsibility, I find myself a tad behind on all things current, but I digress. TV is of little importance to me (save for my X-Files DVD sets).

So: today’s blog will NOT be about the Internet: Not Youtube, Google, or Facebook. Just the old dusty device we call television-some may think of it as the original time waster.

TV!

A very interesting article entitled Television and Health, from the website www.csun.edu, provided me with some very interesting statistics and all around entertaining information concerning television and its status in society- which is still quite prevalent, much to my surprise

I will begin with the basics: 99% of households in America have televisions, in fact most have over 2 sets. Not so surprising; however,  the article has dozens of  stats that I found immensely interesting, but because of attention span issues, I will only list six of the most personally compelling:

1. Number of murders seen on TV by the time an average child finishes elementary school: 8,000
2. Number of violent acts seen on TV by age 18: 200,000 
3. Percentage of 4-6 year-olds who, when asked to choose between watching TV and spending time with their fathers, preferred television: 54
4. Number of minutes per week that parents spend in meaningful conversation with their children: 3.5 
5. Number of minutes per week that the average child watches television: 1,680
6. Number of TV commercials seen by the average person by age 65: 2 million

Thus it seems, for the most part, much of our free time is still dedicated to the television. We have undoubtedly become a visual society, and this is likely due to television. In his book, The Empire of Mind, Strangelove states, “Being so entrenched in the visual logic of television we have dismissed words, particularly the humble speech of the unwashed masses as being of no import.” We have no time for spoken interaction, or quality time: only time to watch murders and commercials: sit and stare with glazed over eyes.

Between hours spent watching television and surfing the Internet, it seems shocking that society has anything but leisurely time.

Fulla, the olive-skinned Barbie-esque doll that is targeted to Middle Eastern and Islamic girls was released in 2003. The doll, who quite obviously bears resemblance to the Western Pink Princess, Barbie, is marketed as, “the little girl who wears modest outfits, her top priorities are respect for herself, and those all around her and being kind to her friends and peers.”  (Fulla.us)

Fulla

Fulla.us also states of the brunette doll, “We take pride promoting the virtues to help girls be the very best today so they grow to be the women who make a difference tomorrow.” Fulla is a product which seems to be spawned solely from good ethics and high mortality and seems to be an all around positive contribution to its target market. The doll is currently enjoying huge success in the Middle East.

According to an article entitled, “Fulla” – the Arab World’s Barbie of khaleejtimes.com, “The toy capitalizes on the islamization of cultural life in the Arab world as evidenced in a heightened focus on dress and rituals.”

It seems clear that Fulla promotes positivity and self- respect; however, the doll has indeed raised controversy. Katie Cercone’s article, Fulla Flap, claims, “She’s a plaything, yes, but she’s also an emblem of the cultural pressure to conform to one extremely limiting female role.” Cercone believes that Fulla instills a religious conformity among young Middle Eastern women, much like Barbie is commonly believed to create a desire for materialism and beauty among Western girls. Cercone implies that Fulla is “a residual effect of the recent upsurge of religious fundamentalism in the Middle East.”  

In this light, it seems Fulla’s got some deeper motives than the altruistic, friendly, brown-eyed beauty initially conveys.

Now here lies my opinion, which is quite simple: Fulla, much like Barbie was created for one purpose: $$$. She is a product of capitalism, much like the blonde, blue eyed bombshell, Barbie. Put simply, Fulla and Barbie wouldn’t exist for any other reason: Not to promote religious views, companionship, or to provide enterainment for young girls. These two plastic dolls would cease to exist without the monetary motivations that exists so predominantly on this Earth: Middle Eastern, Western- anywhere .