How are you feeling today?

For my last blog I want to focus on a different type of medium at hasn't been used (or I think it hasn't). We've focused on physical media artifacts and topics discussed in class, but we haven't touched upon a different type of medium that is involved in many of our day to day happenings... emotions. Looking back to our first class we had talked about how media imparts a message and how it's conveyed through words, emotions and thoughts.

Emotions are a peculiar thing because they convey a lot. McLuhan states that the medium is the message. If emotions convey a message, then they must be a medium.

Happiness, sadness, gloominess, anger, rage, joy, fear, disgust, surprise, anticipation, and much more. These are all a message because they express something. The emotion of anticipation might be because you are anticipating the semester to be over, or maybe fear because you don't know what to expect for finals... they all relate a message. The special thing about this is that this type of media does is not physical. We can express these emotions with physical actions but the thoughts and feeling tangled inside are the medium.

Maybe this will help us continue to realize how everything can be a medium.

Gobble gobble or oink oink

For this Thanksgiving I'll be heading over to the beautiful island of Puerto Rico to visit my family. When we think of vacations we usually picture days at the beach, relaxing... and all that good stuff. However, lately I've started to notice that vacations are no longer what they were, well at least for me.

Vacation is another word for traveling elsewhere and doing more stuff. In Puerto Rico I have about 5 or 6 stops planned and a few more events (parties) to go to with my cousins. By the time this is all over... I’m going to need a REAL vacation to sleep and relax.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving break I’ll use the turkey as my media artifact. This year I’ve noticed the over emphasis on shopping, turkey and... well... more shopping. We’ve strayed away from the real meaning of Thanksgiving, which is giving thanks! The turkey has become the icon for this holiday.

Well for me in Puerto Rico... the turkey won’t be the center of attention... it will be the pork roast!!! But is it the food that brings us together or the actual holiday?

3D vs. 2D students

A decade ago we would have been amazed by the 3D experiece that might have come out in the movies. Today, it's something ordinary... now we're waiting for 4D... being able to feel and touch, but that's for another blog post.

Anyways, in class we were discussing about online literacy and using other electronics to read rather than a traditional book. In my personal opinion I feel that many things we do in life are a circle. We start off with something, we improve... change and add but in the end, it still goes back to what it was. Same with 2D and 3D. 3D technology was created in the 1950s (believe it or not) but it didn't pick up until the 80s. That's when society moved into making cinema movies in 3D. Now you can go to the theaters and predominantly, most movies are in 3D as well as 2D (some only offer 3D).

With students, or I should just say with people in general, things have changed a lot but are going back to what it was. Even though technology continues to overwhelm us everyday with new features and additions, we move towards online reading, online classes, online friendships, online this, online that, online anything, online everything..... ughhh that's a lot. So we moved from a 2D world, to a 3D world and now we're moving back to a 2D world because we want to do everything on a computer, a 2D screen. I just think that it's ironic that we have 3D technology and we still move to doing everything online with 2D technology. Thoughts?

Drink-or-Treat!

I guess this is an appropriate topic... considering it's the Halloween weekend. Seeing that I'm on-call and need to go around buildings, I get to see a lot of students in their costumes. Some are funny, others are scary and a few are just down right whack. Because I'm on-call, I don't have the privilege to dress up as something. Some students stick to the tradition costumes, while others impersonate other people. Some people are very creative with their costumes.


Seeing all of this makes me conclude that costumes are a medium because they portray a message. Depending on how "into" you are in Halloween you might have different interpretations on different costumes. As chapter 8 of Croteau and Hoynes states that the Active audience theory highlights the polysemic nature of media products. In this case both humor and irony can be seen. Costumes are a way for people to laugh at and say how funny or ridiculous they look and other costumes are ironic to the person wearing it. 


Depending on how well you know current celebrities, some costumes might be funny while others are supposed to make fun at the character they are imitating. Happy Halloween!!!

Fahrenheit 451

Has anyone ever heard of Fahrenheit 451? Well it's the temperature at which paper burns. In a novel by Ray Bradbury title Fahrenheit 451, he writes about a dystopian American world where books are illegal. No one can have books. I thought it would be appropriate considering we had a debate about books in class on Wednesday.

In Fahrenheit 451, firemen don't put out fires, they start fires to burn books because they have been outlawed. In this futuristic American society, the masses are hedonistic and the critical thought through reading is not allowed. This society strives to have the most pleasure by minimizing the amount of suffering that can be caused, which to them are books. This book is a representation of the government censorship in the United States, especially during the Cold War. Another interpretation of the book is that the effect of mass media and television on literature in the future.


He also explores the topic of how mass media alienates us from ourselves and others around us. In an increasing mass media world, many people become connected virtually but disconnected in the real world. Now a days you see us connecting with friends on facebook, twitter, email, and sometimes by phone, but why not in person if most of them are close by? This weekend I tried to see what percentage of my time I spent talking to friends online rather than in person. I was stunned to realize that over 50% of my time I spend chatting with friends online... the unfortunate thing is that most of them are on campus so I can easily go visit them. This alienation of people by media is a big topic in the book. Not to forget the censorship of government on media. Click here for a link to a 4 minute video of the movie adaption, it's a great way to see how this dystopia functions with censorship, alienation and influence of mass media.


Do you think we'll ever get to live in a dystopian world where books will no longer be needed and possibly outlawed because of the atrocities and suffering caused by books like the "Hit Man"?

The Melody of My Life

This weekend I had the privilege to go home for a weeding, my young twin sisters birthday and for my church anniversary. On my way back on the train I was able to b ring my guitar back home to show my friends and family because I had recently bought it. Now that I'm on the train heading back to Babson thinking of what medium to write about I thought that I would take the time to talk about my guitar. It's a simple acoustic Fender guitar, nothing great, but lately even though I have so much work I manage to find at least 20 minutes to practice. It's becoming my primary tool to unplug myself from all other mass media and other electronic mediums that hinder me. When I start playing my guitar, which I still barely know, I'm able to renew my mind. The guitar has special abilities to transform mere sounds into a melody, creating music.

As an active audience, I not only listen and play music, I share music with others by talking about the latest music out there. Also, I consider it to be a cold medium. Even though the song is complete and there is no need to add anything to it, the interpretation and the effects it has on people differ. Some people might take Mozart music as soothing and relaxing, others might think it's only for smart people, yet another group might ante it because it makes them fall asleep or want to kill themselves. I personally love it.

That's why my guitar is my favorite instrument because it not only allows me to escape my world from all other mediums, it also takes these noises, thoughts and coordination from my hands to craft a melody. That's how I create the melody of my life. 

Walking Advertisement

This week I was at the mall looking at advertisements on the walls and the posters hanging from the ceiling. Then it hit me... we are all advertisers. Many people don't notice but when we walk around wearing an Abercrombie & Fitch t-shirt or a Hugo Boss shirt, we are promoting them. We are advertising the store and the brand that we are wearing. Every time I go into a store, especially Banana Republic, the workers wear the clothes and some times makes me want to buy the clothes because maybe I can be as good looking as them. Or when I walk around the mall and I see another person wearing a shirt or a tie I like, there is a force inside my mind that tells me that I need to go to the store and buy it. The funny thing is that I tell myself that I "need" it, not "want" it making me more vulnerable to go buy it.

We are all influenced by the outside world and one of the biggest influences are people. We try to copy and replicate each other by the way we dress and present ourselves. We want to be like them because maybe I can get a step closer to becoming more and more like the picture-perfect models, which is never real. We try to make other things around us look like what's on advertisement because we want to live the perfect life that is always presented to us in the mass media. Looking at the picture to the left with the guy looking at a car magazine rather than the girls face showing that the ultimate attraction isn't the girl but the fantasy that you can have that's presented by media.

Instead of media trying to imitate reality, each day it seems that reality tries to copy media, making reality become more and more like fantasy. Maybe one day we will no longer live in the "real-world", maybe it'll be a fantasy world.

A kick from "The Last Samurai" Tea

This weekend I've been a bit under the weather. Sniffle, sniffle. I decided to have some of my tea (I'm a big tea person). I love Teavana! It's a bit expensive but well worth it. My favorite is Samurai Chai Mate (if you want some click on the link); it's made up of many ingredients, which include green mate, red rooibos, cinnamon, pineapple, orange peel, lemongrass, almonds, cardamom, aniseed, coriander and cornflower blossoms. WOW, that's a kick right there! And let me not forget  the sugar, German Rock Sugar that perfects the tea. That's yet another kick.

As I was sipping my Samurai Chai I started to think how it serves as a medium. Going back to our first reading by James Reston, he discusses the concept of hot and cold media. Well tea is definitely hot when I'm drinking it but in reality it's a cold medium. My Samurai Chai is perfectly made; however, there is space for imagination. When drinking tea, the flavor is complex. There are two aspects that are open to a person's personal opinion, taste and aroma. The taste can be different for every person and the aroma can also vary. I know that my taste buds get all excited when the tea starts rushing through. The smell of samurai chai is just splendid. No need to buy Glade or Febreze fresheners, the tea makes the atmosphere warm and delightful.

Because I was drinking my Samurai Chai I decided to watch The Last Samurai as well but that's another medium and can wait for another post. 

As for the tea, I'll let you be the judge of how it tastes and smells (if you have any). It's keeping me warm and complete this early morning but it continues to be cold and incomplete as a medium. Maybe you'll get a kick out of drinking some tea!

Facebooker Generation

This weekend I was home for a concert and was limited to internet access. I am on Facebook and Twitter on 24/7. I've decided to focus this week's blog on Facebook. It has had both positive and negative affects on me personally. On the positive side, I've been able to connect with many old friends and family members back in Puerto Rico. I've also been able to keep most of my social life organized with uploading pictures, videos and keeping up to date with statuses and posts. It allows me to network with new people whether they are friends of friends or random people that Facebook suggests. I can also share my experiences, which enables me work on my auto-biography indirectly. On the other hand, the negative aspects of Facebook are that I am susceptible to predators out there disguising themselves and posing as a virtual-threat. Even though we are America and we have "freedom of speech" and we can do whatever we want, we tend to post many things that are both personal and controversial. I always fear that "Big Brother" is out there monitoring everything we say and do on Facebook as well as other social medias because once we post something we sell our information to unknown 3rd parties that pay and maintain the site. Facebook has some disturbing things about how our society views privacy, how we manage our personal information and how we are adjusting to technology. The real problem that I see this online generation facing is the challenge of dealing with real world interaction with people. What are your thoughts?

My Facebook link:

http://www.facebook.com/migvazquez

My Digital Newspaper

It seems funny how Apple and other tech companies evolve over time. A few years ago it was a race to see who could combine lots of media into one succinct product. The desktop computer was bulky and unable to be carried around, so the laptop was introduced for convenience and portability. The phone was not smart and hard to use, it was just an addition to your newspaper, radio, and television… then the iPhone was introduced changing the way we communicate. These two mediums allowed us to pack more into less.

Looking at the iPad, personally, I feel that we are starting to pack less into more. Meaning, that the iPad serves as a great benefit; consequently, I’m still tied to use my laptop and cell phone for other media. Instead of creating a product that would marry the phone and computer into one easy and handy to use device, eliminating the use of two products, Apple created a third device that enhanced our lives but still kept the laptop and the phone in the picture. If I need to print I need to use my laptop, if I need to call or text I need to use my phone and if I want to conveniently read a book, newspaper or magazine I use my iPad. 

Before I had my iPad

Even with the hindrance in these Apple products, the iPad has truly impacted my life in an excellent manner. I’ve become more of an avid reader than what I used to be. Catching up on USA Today or browsing through the NPR news headlines have been just some of the many eReader apps that I now use. Before the iPad I wouldn’t even check the news because I was always on-the-go. The only remedy was my iPhone or laptop. My iPhone’s screen was too small so I would become frustrated and my using my laptop was a hassle because if there was no internet connection I wouldn’t be able to go online. The newspaper was a hassle because I wanted international news, not just local, so ordering the Boston Globe or The Hartford Courant wasn’t much help.

After I had my iPad... perfect

The iPad has also the function of bridging my personal life to the public world. Not only can I feed myself the news, I can also transfer my thoughts and opinions through the comments section on the news. This allows me to be more of an interactive news analyzer rather than just a news reader. I no longer have to wait until tomorrow to get the next newspaper and see what happened yesterday. I can instantaneously refresh my news apps on my iPad and get current content that was released 33 seconds ago. The iPad, as an extension of man, has been my extension to news. It is my newspaper. 

Extend, Transform and Bridge

Everything in our lives has a message; in essence, everything is supposed to be a medium where a message derives from. I argue that not everything is a medium. If media are all the things we have around us, in essence, there are no media then what is the point to even study it.

I do agree that everything in the social world has a message, however, the impact the message has on the reader suggests whether something can be categorized as a medium or not. For example, the tray bin sitting on my desk is a medium, it allows for papers to be stored, which in turn is a medium for writing, which has another layer of medium for thoughts, which has yet another layer of medium for emotions. Another example is the Blackberry. One layer of medium is the BBM, the next layer is text, which is another layer of medium for writing, then thoughts and finally a last layer for emotions. I can go on and on with many examples and suggest that everything is a medium; nonetheless, there needs to be a limit on whether we consider something a medium.

My definition of media are everything that is an extension of man that influence and transform the way we live. Looking at the two examples I use, both agree with the first half of the definition as they are extensions of man that allow us to do things differently; yet, they are different in the level of influence in our lives. The tray bin has little influence as to how I live my life; it helps me organize and keep order, it only changes how I do something. On the other hand, the Blackberry influences the way I do things, it transform my life; it not only helps me organize and keep order, it provides me with entertainment, education, exploration, communication, literature and a number of other things. The level of influence from each source differs, making it more realistic to say that a Blackberry is a medium and a tray bin is not.

Another important point about media are the connections it has with the rest of the world. One concept that Croteau and Hoynes mention in their book is that in today’s world, media often acts “as the bridge between people’s private lives and their relation to the public world” (18). Taking this into consideration, a tray bin is not a bridge between my private life and the world, whereas a Blackberry is. It is important to keep this in mind when thinking of what defines media because there are many things that can close a gap or create a bridge in our personal lives. Conversely, something that only impacts our personal lives should not be considered media. Being able to connect to the world through a medium that is an extension of us and has transformed our lives is media. 

Generally speaking, in today’s society, media has been categorized as the press, internet, broadcast, publishing, and other mediums through the use of technology. While some media historians might suggest that everything is a medium. I suggest that in order for something to be categorized as media, it needs to agree with three specific determinants. If it lacks one, it cannot be considered media. That is why my definition states that media are the extensions of man, which we are transformed and able to bridge the gaps between our personal lives and the rest of the world.