Hi everyone!  Welcome to my first post on my new blog.  On this new blog, you can find all things media criticism.  Right now, I am a junior at Towson University.  I am a mass communications major with a track in public relations and advertising.  I’m not sure what I want to do after graduation when I enter the real world, but at the moment, I am leaning towards a job in advertising, rather than public relations.  I also have a minor in marketing, so I’m aiming to find a job that involves a mix of these two fields!  I think it would be awesome to have a job in the music or fashion industry because those are two things that I am really into, so I would love to have a job that involves something that I am passionate about.  One of the things I love about majoring in mass communications is how broad it is and the fact that there’s a possibility to get a job in almost any field.  It’s hard to narrow it down and make a decision because there are so many jobs to choose from. 

Outside of academics, I like to hang out with my friends, go to the gym, and work.  I’m always having friends over and having fun with them and my roommates.  I go to the gym often and love going to spin classes with my friends, too.  I also baby sit a lot as well!  This month I started a new job as a receptionist at a doctor’s office, as well, so I’m learning how to balance a lot of different things in my busy schedule.  I’m also involved in Greek Life on campus as a member of my sorority, Kappa Delta, so I also like to do a lot of community service events with my chapter and others at Towson. 

This spring semester, I’m enrolled in Media Criticism.  Originally, I chose this course as an elective in order to receive credit for my major.  In all honesty, I didn’t really read too deeply into what the course is about before I chose to take it.  It was one of the few courses that fit into my schedule so I decided it would work for me.  Before the course really started, I made the assumption that we would be watching different movies and shows and giving our opinion on them afterwards.  I thought we would be critiquing whatever we watched and giving an analysis that is slightly deeper than surface level.  I figured we’d watch a movie, have a discussion on it, and move on to the next piece of media.  Though I really only chose this class as one of my last options and as a schedule-filler, I am surprised that I actually like it and that it is way different than what I expected it to be like.  The material we learn actually interests me, which I didn’t think would happen.  I was completely wrong about what the class truly entails, but it is still interesting to me and I can’t wait to keep learning. 

Media criticism is the systematic process used to understand media texts as meaningful sociocultural symbolic forms and forces.  It’s basically a deeper analysis used to study media texts.  Media criticism studies the text, the production, and how they both effect culture and society.  It’s looking at the content of texts and seeing what it truly stands for and what it actually represents.  With media criticism, you can use certain methods or approaches to examine the text and understand it on a deeper, more meaningful level.  Viewers can decipher these meanings using what we know about society and culture already.  We can use symbols and signs that are recognized throughout society to uncover these deeper meanings.  Therefore, media criticism is not an opinion; it is considered scientific research.  Media criticism is not me watching Big Bang Theory and calling it boring- that is simply my opinion, and not a universally recognized fact. 

Understanding the media is a skill that is important for everyone, not just communications or film majors.  Media shapes all of us individually, but it also shapes our society as whole, and it does so more than people probably realize.  Media is everywhere and it’s being consumed constantly.  Without us even knowing, it has an impact on what we think and what we believe to be normal in society.  What we see on television, in movies, in music, in advertisements, etc. is considered normal.  We see certain actions, beliefs, ways of life, etc. and are taught that these things are what everyone in our society agrees with, so we should, too.  Because we consume so much media every day, we naturally accept what we see in it without thinking twice about it.  It’s rare that someone actually looks at a piece of media closely or thinks about it deeper than surface level.  It’s important that we understand what media is telling us and why they are telling it to us.  Everything in the media is there for a reason, meaning nothing is released into the public just because.  Every piece of media is created for a reason, and with the help of media criticism, audiences can better understand those reasons and intended meanings. 

Some may ask why fully understanding the meaning of texts is important, and the answer is because these texts pretty much tell us what to think without us even realizing.  One example I can think of that explains this well is The Real Housewives series on Bravo.  For anyone who doesn’t know what this series is about, it features groups of women across the country who are super rich themselves or have rich husbands and families.  It shows their extravagant lifestyles, including their luxury vacations, their shopping trips, and their beautiful houses.  The women always partake in activities that are considered high class, like fashion shows and charity functions.  They can sometimes seem like they are sophisticated and classy, but they are also shown fighting with each other, sometimes physical fighting, as well as living off their husbands’ money. 

The first thing people notice about Real Housewives is the wealth of all the women.  They all live in either mansions or beautiful penthouse suites.  Every group of women go on group trips each year to tropical islands and different countries.  They go shopping, host extravagant parties, and drive luxury cars.  They live what is considered a high-class lifestyle.  This tells society that having money automatically gives you a better life.  If you have money, all your problems will be solved.  Their actions show that they can do whatever they want simply because they are rich.  It can make viewers wish that they lived the same lifestyle just so they can do the same kinds of luxurious things without giving it any thought and be equal to them.  The series conveys the idea that if you have money, you are better than those who don’t just because you have the ability to do what you want with ease. 

Another thing people notice about the Real Housewives is the ladies’ behavior on the show.  Most people would think of a high-class woman to act sophisticated and respectful, but this is not always the case for cast members of the series. Almost every episode, ladies get into screaming matches that are filled with curse words and un-ladylike behavior.  These fights can even turn into physical fights.  Violence is never the answer, but seeing these actions makes viewers think that it is because the ladies commonly resort back to it in the show.  To these women, it’s almost as if a quick fist fight will solve all their problems and any drama going on within their friend group.  It’s not showing how people should treat each other when a problem arises.  These signs impact viewers in the wrong way. 

What’s important to realize about this series is that it is not real.  It may not necessarily be scripted, however that does not mean that these ladies are actually acting this way on their own.  Most of the time, producers encourage them to take part in these crazy actions and instigate problems just so they can have a huge fight.  Sometimes the show is also edited in ways that might make a situation look worse or more dramatic than it actually is.  But still, even though most people know it is not real, they can still be influenced by the behavior they see on the show almost every episode. 

With the use of media criticism, we can realize these signs and realize what they truly mean, which lets us then make sense of them.  Looking deeper into a text can show us what media is really trying to tell us.  This is all important because we have to think for ourselves instead of just letting media shape our thoughts for us. 

Well everyone, that’s it for this week’s post.  I’ll talk you more net time about my latest thoughts of media criticism.  Talk to you next week!

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

• Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
• Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

• Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
• What topics do you think you’ll write about?
• Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
• If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.