the times they are a-changin'...

In our lifetime, we will probably see the complete or close to complete extinction of newspapers. We will also see a shift in radio and televsion and we better be ready for it.

Already, the traditional media outlets have moved from just being one medium to being online as well. Television stations now have websites, the news anchors have blogs, and the audience can comment on the stories as they are posted.

We have already seen newspapers like the Rocky Mountain News stop printing and move entirely online. Journalists have blogs and twitter accounts and are updating more than they are writing stories.

The traditional mediums are being changed by the internet. We opt to get our information from sources online. We no longer find a way to be home in time for the six o'clock news. We have Blackberry's that stream us the most up-to-date news stories or iPhone applications that let us know the weather with the touch of an application.

There is no doubt we will continue to see changes in traditional media. What is doubtful is how much the old mediums will stay the same while newer, faster, better mediums are emerging.

"You say you want a revolution.."

"...Well you know, we all want to change the world."

The Beatles knew it in the sixties. They wrote a song about it. Revolution that is.

I happen to be talking about a social networking revolution. Sure, it's a little different that the one Paul, John, Ringo, and George were singing about, but the lyrics still apply.

In the last couple of years social networking sites have really taken off. Boasting over 100 million users, MySpace was one of the first social networking sites to really catch on. Not soon after, Facebook followed. Created by Mark Zuckerberg, a Harvard student, the site first allowed people in ivy league colleges to be 'friends'. The site now allows anyone over the age of 13 to be a user and boasts over 200 million users worldwide. That's a pretty big network.

The newest site to hit the social networking world is Twitter. A micro-blogging site that allows users to follow others and tweet about their lives has quickly become the 3rd biggest social networking site - right behind Facebook and MySpace. The site has attracted users like President Obama, Ellen Degeneres, Oprah, and Larry King.

All of the above social networking sites have changed the world. They have given us the ability to connect to people in other countries and share news and stories with them. Although the population of these sites is huge, it makes the world seem smaller and more connected.

jump, jump, jump...

The term gatejumper seems rather significant when you think about it. A gatejumper is saying "screw the old way, i'm just going to create my own way." This holds true for a lot of different mediums in today's society.

I think the place this happens most is on blogging sites like blogger, or wordpress. YouTube has also had a significant effect on the gatekeepers. Itunes now has a place where unknown artists can upload their music for all itunes users to buy. Incredible. With those three mediums we have skipped over the editors and publishers, the producers and directors, and the music labels. There is no climbing a ladder for gatejumpers. They simply hop over it.

The effect from all this 'jumping' is a lot of user-generated content. There are thousands and thousands of videos on YouTube that are not seen as masterpieces. However, there are those people like Gary Vaynerchuck that use videos to become famous.

In the music industry, Colby Callait started on MySpace and is now singed to a major label.

There are ways to get yourself out there, you just have to be creative in using them.

Let's get political.

I don't think there is a better person to mention when talking about technologies and social media than President Obama.

The race for The White House was a full on social media explosion. During the race, not only did Obama have an active Twitter page, but he also had a Facebook page, his own website, and an iPhone application. That's right folks, an iPhone application for his race to The White House.

For the first time in history, a presidential candidate used the internet like never before. Currently, Obama has 1,131,273 followers on Twitter, and 6,265,520 people are supporters of his page on Facebook.

The use of social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter really allowed Obama to make a connection with Generation Y. We use these medias everyday, so we are more likely to pay attention to Obama's Facebook page than we are a televised speech.

Sure, it helped Obama get into The White House, but once there the networking has not stopped. Obama is the only president in history to be allowed a Blackberry. It looks like his emailing addiction won't be cut short by an intervention anytime soon.

Accessability...

Everything is now at our fingertips. If we can't find it on our phone, our computers are just feet away loaded with everything we might ever need to know.

Of course technology is going to make advances for us and make life easier, but is this really what we want? A world where instant gratification is the only way we will be satisfied?

I am all for technology and how it enhances my life. I like having the ability to text Google and get an answer right away. But are we becoming too dependent on our iPhones and Blackberries?

With applications for everything imaginable, it seems like our handhelds are becoming our lives.
I bet a lot of people didn't know that the Guinness Book of World Records has a texting record. Yep, a texting record. Check out the story here. It's amazing to see how people are using all the technologies we are coming up with and it will be interesting to see how we develop with technology over time.

Rift Fournier...

With so much experience, it is hard to listen to Rift and not be in awe of what he has accomplished.

Jill was right when she said Rift was a great motivational speaker. Although he sat with a piece of paper filled with topics Jill thought he ought to talk about, he spoke freely and openly to us.

Of the numerous topics that filled Rift's discussion, he seemed to place a lot of emphasis on the word passion. "Do something you are passionate about," he told us with conviction in his voice. Although he jokes and is very laid back, Rift was adamant about that statement.

The mention of passion and Rift's comment about the inevitability of changing majors got me to thinking. Am I really happy with the path I've chosen in school? I am ready to take on some form of the communications world when I graduate? Do I have passion?

I found the answer while I listened to Rift speak about his experiences in the writing world. He was persistent. So much so that his first writing job was a yield by a man who just wanted to be left alone. Rift's somewhat obnoxious, but memorable behaviors were his lead into the world of writing.

I would like to think that if I wanted something bad enough I would find a way to make it happen. I would also like to think that is passion.

As Rift continued talking about all the things he'd done I could hear the fondness in his voice. I can hear the same tone (maybe a little more excitement) in my own voice when I talk about the things i've learned while pursuing a degree in communications. I feel the same way about what I want to do as Rift proclaimed to have felt about writing. Would I send forget-me-not's to a potential employer? Possibly (that's pretty catchy, Rift!), but it's more than just a simple gesture. It made him stand out. It showed his passion.

If I took anything away from Mr. Fournier's talk on Wednesday, it is the knowledge that I know iIm in the right place doing what I KNOW I want to do.

Social Media

I partake in social media almost everyday. We all do. It’s not just Facebook or Myspace as many of us first imagined. And it’s not just blogs and Twitter.

Social media ranges from social networking sites, like the above mentioned, to reference sites like Wikipedia and even entertainment found in games like Second Life. There is a long list of social media that has only recently expanded. Social media is seeing a shift from the way we once gathered information through monologues into a dialogue in which the information gatherers directly communicate with the information providers.

We are now forming relationships with social media. These relationships can be business or personal. We are able comment on someone else’s blog or blog our own thoughts. Blogging our own thoughts is what the video ‘Social Media in Plain English’ refers to as ‘making our own flavors’.

Not only are we able to create, we are able to learn from others just like us with their reviews and ratings. It is easier for us to find what we want with websites like MouthShut.com and Yahoo! Answers. This idea of feedback and dialogues did not always exist. According to an article in Business Week, the social media has significantly expanded in the last three years and is what they consider “nourished by users.” In the article, they discuss how consumers are using blogs to communicate and refer to them as ‘the most explosive out break in the information world since the internet itself.’

Social media can be broken into sections. These sections include communication, collaboration, multi-media, reviews, and entertainment.

Communication refers to the nine million blogs currently out there, the micro-blogging sites like Twitter, and the social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace. These are all user interactive and in most cases a dialogue can be created.

Collaboration sites include Wikipedia in which the users submit content, or StumbleUpon where users can rate sites. This is taken directly from the websites ‘about us’ section: "StumbleUpon uses / ratings to form collaborative opinions on website quality." They directly refer to themselves a collaborative form of social media.

Multi-media consists of sites like YouTube, Flickr, and imeem that are created to provide a platform designed for sharing. Users are able to upload videos to YouTube to share with the world. Flickr allows you to upload photos and video that can either be shared with everyone or kept private. imeem is a site that supports viral content sharing like videos and music and is completely free to users.

Sites with the purpose of informing through reviews would be Mouthshut.com and eopinions.com. These sites allow users to review topics ranging from airlines to washing machines.

Entertainment in social media can be found in games like Second Life or World of Warcraft in which the players are connecting to other players through the internet. This connection allows for a dialogue between the players.

Everywhere we turn, we are taking part in social media. Whether it is commenting on a friends picture on Facebook or Tweeting our whereabouts to all our followers (uh, how cult like does that sound?) we are all participating.

generation diva..

I've seen the shows. The ones where the mothers teach their five year old daughters that big hair, a spray on tan, and a cheesy smile will win the hearts of the judges everytime. So, it's not hard for me to believe that the girls who grow up listening to this and even the young girls that watch these shows see that making adjustments to your physical appearance will help you win the hearts of those around you.

When I was eight, I don't even think I knew what mascara was. I'm twenty now and i'm lucky if I get out of the house in the morning with moisturizer on. Sure, i'll get an occasional pedicure or manicure, but no way do I spend $50 on a haircut. I find this article unbelievable, but at the same time I don't know how I didn't see this coming.

I first find it unbelievable that a parent is going to say alright to their 13 year old daughter getting highlights that cost $150 or starting a weekly pedicure habit that is sure to put a dent in daddy's wallet. Who are these parents that are paying to support their tweens outrageously expensive beauty habits?

Then I give myself one of those "oh, duh" nudges and think that this was bound to happen. There is so much in the media that is focused on targeting the 13 - 19 age group that I wondered how I missed it. Every magazine you look at or television show you watch has some gorgeous face all over it, a face touched up to perfection.

Its unavoidable. And what's scarier is that it's becoming more attainable.

The article talks about Dr. Alan Gold, President of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, who says that 14% of Botox users are in the age range of 19 - 34. Seriously? Do people even have enough wrinkles at 34 to justify Botox or do they just like not having the ability to make facial expressions?

We see how the media is affecting young girls, but is there anyway to put a stop to it? Dove is doing the best they can with their 'campaign for real beauty'.

Take a look at a few of the videos put out by dove:

Podcasting...

When I was in primary school, my teacher read The Hobbit to us. We made topic books about WWII and the eco-system. We used pen, paper, and occasionally colored pencils.

A lot has changed in a decade.

According to this article, the British government wants to do an overhaul on the current elementary education. Their proposal would make teaching newer forms of media such as blogging, podcasting, Wikipedia and Twitter mandatory at the younger levels.

Seriously? I got to color pictures and these kids get to update their Twitter pages. Jill, I know how thrilled you must be to hear about such young twitterers, being an addict yourself. But, what's even crazier about this proposed overhaul is the idea of teaching about podcasting. I'm not even sure what podcasting is and i'm in college.

I did what any "self-respecting" college student who lacks information does, I went to Wikipedia. As stated by the trusty site, 'A podcast is audio made available for download via syndication. The files are usually retrieved with software applications (generically known as podcatchers) such as Apple's iTunes so that subscribers can listen at their convenience on devices that have intermittent, slow, or are otherwise lacking Internet access.' Basically - a podcast is some version of a 'broadcast' on your ipod, available to you when ever you feel a hankering to listen.

What's so cool about a podcast is that you can find one about almost any topic you want. According to digitalmedia.oreilly creating your own podcast is as simple as 1. producing your own audio files and 2. publishing them somewhere online. Apparently it's super easy and can be done completely free.

Podcasting has endless opportunities. Anyone with a hobby can probably find at least one podcast about their favorite activity. iTunes, for example, offers more than 100,000 podcasts to users all for FREE. We know that Gen Y loves free stuff...With podcasts ranging from CNN to Sesame Street it's easy to find something you like.

It's cool to see that kids could be leaning how to podcast in school. It's a growing medium that is vastly accessible and having knowledge of these technologies will prove very handy in the years to come.

Job Search...

The internship is in Chicago for the CBS owned WBBM-TV. The internship is for a public relations intern who would work with the public affairs and communications director. Assisting with station-sponsored events, talent appearances, and preparing promotional materials are just some of the duties of this internship.

It seems like a good experience and is interesting because it takes place at a television station. There is a lot of public relations work done at t.v. stations and the skills one might develop here would certainly help when looking for a job. Assisting with station-sponsored events is, for me, the most intriguing part of this internship because I am interested in event planning.

To prepare for an internship like this, simply taking the required classes is not going to satisfy. Although I am working on my degree, I am currently interning at Emmis Communication in downtown St. Louis. Emmis owns four of the major St. Louis radio stations, KHITS 96, 105.7 The Point, KSHE 95, and 97.1 FM Talk. I work with the Emmis Marketing Group, specifically with the Event Management Specialist, Ellie Sertic. I have helped on numerous events for all of the radio stations that include all the planning leading up to the event itself and also creating promotional materials for the events.

NO SOLICITORS.

Gen Y is coined as the hard-to-reach marketing group. In fact, marketers have even joined the name calling of Gen Y when they describe us as "the untouchables." It's true. We are harder to pin-point, but once you've got us - we're pretty loyal.

Millenials are considered the biggest group of spenders since the baby boomers. I've heard numbers of our spending habits thrown out anywhere from $150 billion to $200 billion in just a year! That's some serious cash flow. Which is why marketers are so interested in targeting us.

Instead of employing the usual techniques, companies are catching on to what gets us interested. They have started putting their messages in places where Gen Y is most likely to be. Of course the internet comes up, since Gen Y is always on their favorite social network or catching their friends latest video on YouTube. Marketers are also popping up at places like snowboard tournaments. According to a USA Today article Mountain Dew has figured out a way to reach Gen Y effectively. They call it the "Pavlovian connection". Mountain Dew hands out samples of the drink at these 'extreme' events. "There's a Pavlovian connection between the brand and the exhilarating experience," says Dave Burwick, a top executive at Pepsi.

They've got it! Gen Y wants an experience. We want to feel like we are getting more than just a drink. Recently I have seen Monster energy drinks out on the street being given away after concerts and at festivals. Gen Y LOVES this because it's free. If we like what we are tasting it's possible we will actually go buy the product next time we have to stay up until 3 am to write a blog post.

Other than giving us things for free, marketers have discovered that concentrating on smaller groups is working well. If you work to satisfy a group of teens, they are more likely to talk to their friends and rave about their experience with the product or company. Personally, I am a huge fan of personal referrals and generally tend to purchase things I know have worked for my friends.

Apple won Gen Y over when it created the 99 cent song. Instantaneously you could have the music you want without having to purchase an entire cd. I thought this was awesome, so I invested a little more money in Apple, buying an ipod. But that wasn't all. The computer I sit here typing on is, guess what - a Mac! I was so satisfied with my experience at Apple that I continued to buy their products. They drew me in with iTunes, but kept me. I am also a prime example of peer referrals. I recommend the products to anyone who asks.

Apple has it figured out, you draw them in with something they want and keep them with other great products and service. Many companies out there could learn a lesson from Apple. It doesn't matter how hard you try to reach us "untouchables," if you can't keep us your efforts are lost.

Retouching

In this high-tech world where anything can be manipulated with a few clicks of a mouse, it is hard to look at a picture and determine if what we are seeing is real or enhanced.

Photo-retouching refers to the process of warping an image until the desired result is achieved. I say that it is easy to manipulate a photo with a computer, but retouching has been done since photos have been around. At the start of the 1900's, photo manipulation was used as a form of propaganda. Compiling collages and enhancing parts of photos was something used during the wars and especially practiced in WWII against the Nazi Regime.

Computerized manipulation saw one of its first big controversies with the retouching of a 1982 National Geographic cover in which two pyramids were moved closer together to fit vertically on the page. Due to issues such as this one, the National Press Photographers Associaion (NPPA) set a code of ehtics for photographers. In this code of ethics, the NPPA advised photographers to be weary of photo manipulation for published photos that can mislead viewers or misrepresent subjects.

When we speak of photo-retouching, we are most likely talking about the magazine covers or billboards we see in which the models are made to look flawless. This type of retouching constructs ideals and leave the viewer having trouble differentiating between fact and fiction. Such retouching is a strong factor in the self-esteem issues of men and women.

Lauren Collins wrote an article for The New Yorker in which she talks about photo-retouching and its guru. "Pixel Perfect" describes the work of the infamous photo-manipulator, Pascal Dangin, and how he deals with a photograph that needs to be 'retouched'. In the March issue of Vogue, Dangin altered one-hundred forty-four images, one-hundred seven advertisements, thirty-six fashion pictures and the cover. Dangin was quoted in the article saying, “I think retouching is too much when it reaches the point of disfiguring. I want people to have an understanding of the skeleton and musculature and how it works. There is nothing worse than looking at an ankle or a calf that’s wrong. This is what bad retouching can do—you see in magazines girls having their legs slimmed and they no longer have tibias and femurs, and it’s weird.”

Take a look at these pictures. The celebrities photographed in them have very different before and after shots.

In a world where everything around us is digitally enhanced, it is hard to know if anything we are seeing is ever real. According to this video, it takes more than some make-up and hairspray to create the kind of look that goes onto a billboard.

Electronic "ink"?

So most of us have heard about the Kindle. If you haven't check this out. It is a wireless reader device, as the website says, that lets you read books, magazines and newspapers on the six inch screen. It claims to use an electronic paper technology that 'eliminates the eyestrain' of reading on a computer. Great stuff, huh?

According to an article in Fortune Magazine, the Hearst Corporation plans to release it's own electronic reader in hopes that "it can do for periodicals what Amazon's Kindle is doing for books."

Wait a minute...does this mean we are going to eliminate not only newspapers in their original form, but magazines as well? According to this article, magazine publishers are looking for a way to bridge the gap between the declining print revenue and the online revenue. These e-readers would lower costs for publishers, and eliminate all the waste created by printing on paper. The costs of putting out a periodical might be reduced by up to 50% by switching publication to the new e-reader.

I have to say that as much as I like saving the environment, there is something about flipping through the pages of your favorite magazine that just wouldn't be the same on a screen. On the bright side, this device is rumored to be about the size of a standard sheet of paper. According to the article, "the larger screen better approximates the reading experience of print periodicals, as well as giving advertisers the space and attention they require."

It sounds like the experience will be close to the same, but it will allow you to use wireless technology to download participating newspapers and magazines in seconds. The new e-reader is believed to debut in black and white and then move to color as the technologies develop. There is no price speculated for this device yet. Hearst plans to sell the e-readers to the publishers and make money from selling magazines and newspapers on the gadget. They are leaving the branding and payment models up to the publishing companies to decide.

Overall, it's a pretty intriguing idea. It would be very convenient to have magazines and newspapers available at my fingertips fast and practically weightless.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes...

Guest speaker, Bob Wigginton graced the class with his presence today.

I sat and I listened. I agreed with a lot of the things Professor Wigginton had to say. Having spent 25 years in the newspaper industry, he made some valid points.

In reference to the 6,000 jobs lost in the newspaper industry in the last two years, many blame the economic crisis we now face. I think it is more than the crisis. In a world where, as Professor Wigginton said, "It is vital that we understand the issues," a need for journalists still exists. Nonetheless, the question still lingers as to why journalists are losing their jobs.

With new media outlets constantly growing, Gen Y is doing less of the traditional news gathering and instead focusing their attention on-line. According to a survey done by the Carnegie Corporation, the average age of the newspaper reader is 53. Newspapers are just not as popular as they once were. Gen Y uses other sources for information. The need still exists, it is just switching to different medium.

So newspapers are getting rid of journalists, but that doesn't mean there isn't a place for them. There will always be a need for news in some form, whether it's paper or electronic. Other media outlets will not survive if they do not have a newspaper like source to get their information from.

There are some major downsides to the changes in the newspaper industry. As professor Wigginton said, "Newspapers are controlled by Wall Street." This is ownership style is concerned with making money, which has led to a number of cuts. These cuts are causing newspaper quality to decline. We are seeing backpack journalists hired to fill the missing spots, but it is hard to achieve quality when you are trying to master all aspects.

Moving to the web is something that a lot of newspapers have done. Sure there is still circulation of the actual paper, but news is now available online as a supplement to the paper itself. This slow transition to the internet is a smart move for newspapers. As Generation Y ages, the demographic of news readers will change. Adapting to this change is going to be the most important factor in keeping newspapers, in paper or electronic form, around.

I have no doubt that journalism will continue to be a valued profession (no worries Samantha!). However, it will be interesting to see how the newspaper industry is doing in ten years.

Citizen Journalism

Thanks to the large number of emerging technologies, we all have the ability to be a 'citizen journalist.' There is no journalism training needed. With tools like blogs and the internet, we have the ability to create our own source of media.

The internet has played a huge role in making newsworthy events available to the masses, sometimes before the news catches it. Sites like YouTube take citizen journalism to a new level, allowing us to post videos almost as soon as we see them take place. We are no longer relying only on the 6 O'Clock news for updates, instead we are looking to the internet to see raw footage on posted videos.

The question as to when this shift from traditional media outlets to the new ones occurred is not entirely definable. According to Mark Glasser, who wrote 'Your Guide to Citizen Journalism,' the shift sped up around 9/11 when so many people were witnesses to the events and had stories to tell and images to show. Their experiences became a major part of the story, a part that the news could not tell as well as the story holders could.

News channel websites are picking up on this media shift and many reporters now have blogs, like this one from News Channel 5. Along with these reporter's blogs, viewers are also able to blog their thoughts on the sites.

However, not all of this new media we are seeing is 'citizen journalism.' There is a fine line between informing your peers and posting random things on the internet. Simply posting a video on YouTube does not mean you are contributing to informing the masses. Collecting, reporting, and analyzing information is the role of the citizen journalist. Audience participation such as blogs or photos is considered analyzing and collecting information. Participatory news sites such as NowPublic are also ways people can be citizen journalists.

I wonder what really caused the growing popularity of citizen journalism. It might have something to do with our need for constant information, available at our fingertips. Sure, we have 24 hour news channels, but with the click of a mouse we are now able to view millions of videos and pictures. We also have the ability to read the opinions of others on newsworthy events. We have the capacity to be so tuned in with the world and the opinions of those in it and that might really be what citizen journalism is.

The Medium is the Message

Having never heard the name Marshall McLuhan before, I did what any product of Gen Y would do and went straight to Google.

I found that in all my searches, a common phrase accompanied McLuhan's name - "the medium is the message." That sounds familiar. I thought about where I had recently heard that phrase. I racked my brain for all the useless sites I scan and the bad television I watch. I finally realized I had heard the phrase while watching Degrassi - I said bad television. This phrase from a man I have never heard of is hitting mainstream teen culture. One of the teachers was telling a scantily dressed girl selling sports drinks to students that "the medium is the message." The teacher was telling her that it did not so much matter what she was selling, instead the way she barely covered herself was making more of an impression that the drink.

This is what McLuhan was trying to tell us by saying "the medium is the message." McLuhan argues that the content we receive is not as important and the vehicle transporting it. The medium directly influences how the message is perceived. McLuhan was ahead of his time, writing books and essays from the 1950's to the 1970's. He captured ideas on paper that had never even crossed some peoples minds at the time. This book Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man from which the phrase "the medium is the message" is taken is just one of the great works published by McLuhan.

McLuhan's ideas on the 'global village' are very relevant today. The concept of "electronic interdependence" focuses on the media connecting the world though mediums such as the internet. It is astounding that a man growing up at a time when the internet was not standard as it is now and world news was not quite how we receive it to have insight to such notions.

I wonder how McLuhan could have predicted that we would have the ability to be so connected to the world. Currently, we have the potential to know what is going on not only all over America, but all over the world. The internet is a great tool for this.

I am able to find information about current events in other countries with a simple Google search. I can find friends from other countries with services like Facebook or Twitter. The internet allows me to be connected in ways that are not possible with face to face interaction. We know how much snow England is receiving right now because of "electronic interdependence." With out the means to find all this information we would be stuck in an era that would not be as full of potential knowledge.

Yes, this concept of the 'global village' has it's down side. We lose the face to face contact in some cases. We are relying on a computer to spit out our information rather than our parents. However, as much as they would like to think, our parents don't know everything. The internet allows you explore beyond your dimensions. The world comes closer, so close all you have to do it type what you want.

His Holiness The 14th Dalai Lama Joins Twitter

If I said the Dalai Lama was a social networking enthusiast most of you would not believe me. It's alright, I would not believe me either.

They say seeing is believing, so check this out.

That's right. The Dalai Lama has a Twitter account. And that's not all. Apparently he is on Facebook and Myspace as well. Imagine that - the spiritual leader for Tibetans and political leader in India of the Tibetan Government-in-exile is catching on to the internet social services. The Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama is in control of all accounts and is responsible for all updates on the sites.

It seems that not only Twitter, but other social networks are becoming so popular that even world leaders are getting in on the action. Media professionals should be aware of the growing popularity of these sites and how they are being used in new ways. Advertising on these sites is growing and some sites, like Facebook, offer access to niche audiences.

One of the "tweets" sent out by OHHDL since belonging to Twitter said, "His Holiness thought it was prudent to make his office assessable to a more youth and technologically advancing audience." They've certainly got the right idea. Media professionals take note: if you want to reach out to Generation Y, you have to know how to.

Social networking sites like Facebook, Myspace and Twitter are new media outlets capturing the attention of millions. These sites will continue to grow and evolve and the professionals better be ready to keep up. Businesses have started

Generation Y is so in-tune with all of the new technology because we are the ones creating it. Facebook creator, Mark Zuckerberg, is a millennial who came up with the social network in his Harvard dorm room. Zuckerberg knows that media professionals need to start paying more attention to the newer media outlets and created thus created Facebook Ads. While in New York speaking to marketing and advertising executives, Zuckerberg said, "For the last hundred years media has been pushed out to people, but now marketers are going to be a part of the conversation. And they’re going to do this by using the social graph in the same way our users do.”

Making access to our attention so easy means we are bound to see more from media professionals coming soon.

Well You Can Say What You Want...

I’m all for the idea that one can express their opinions and feelings without being persecuted for it. I’m down with hearing what others have to say and I’m glad that I don’t have to agree “OR ELSE.” Freedoms of the press and all included in the first amendment were wonderful ideas. Not being jailed, or worse, killed because of your religious beliefs is pretty excellent. Way to go America!

The first amendment gave Americans something else that not many others had at the time and that was a freedom to do or say as they wished to a certain extent. I think the idea of this was great. Freedom of the press, meaning the freedom to criticize the government when it is not fulfilling its duties without being punished is exceptional.

Where is that same freedom today? I am positive it still exists; the Bill of Rights is still intact, yeah? That’s surprising because it seems all the stories coming from Washington are put together in a way that only shows the good side.
Where were the stories that went inside and dug out the truth? I thought that newspapers were to inform us and to ‘expose’ the truth. It seems that the press is not so free as much as it is fed now a days.

I can’t entirely down the freedom of the press idea because when carried out correctly can very noble and an excellent way to inform. We are lucky that we have the ability to print, within reason, what we want to on the front page of a newspaper and all following pages for that matter. I believe it would be more beneficial to the United States citizens to keep practicing the expression of ourselves through the first amendment and ignore the suppressors out there.

Indian Idol?

I am no stranger to the international scene. I grew up in England experiencing a different culture most of my childhood. No matter how different the culture seemed to be, my very homesick American mother could always count on the media to keep her up to date with “home.”

The same seems to be the case with international Lindenwood student, Sakshi Bagai. We sat down to talk about the media in India and I was quite shocked to hear that it is not really all that different from the United States.

Adopting popular shows such as Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and American Idol is becoming more common in India. This might be because Indians look up to western culture for examples.

“Modern generations are changing the culture,” Sakshi says about the move from traditional music to more contemporary popular music. The younger generation is so influenced by western culture that Rock music and Pop are dominating the radio airwaves.

Bollywood is the Indian equivalent of our Hollywood and ‘news’ about the actors fills as much of our television screens as it does in India. American movies are quite popular as well. Sakshi said, “People line up on Fridays to see the new releases, American cinema is very big in India.”

Having just witnessed Superbowl Sunday in the U. S., Sakshi could relate that back to the game of cricket in India. “It is a very big deal when India plays someone like Australia. You see so many advertisements on the television.”

It seems to all be very alike at this point, until we hit the subject of news. News has its local and national segments, but there is a stronger focus on international news. The news is also raw, sometimes showing things we might never see in the U.S. The topics of news in India are also different. There is more of a concentration on politics and the economy.

With surprising similarities in taste of bad television like The Bachelor, and a ridiculous need to know all the details of a Hollywood or Bollywood actors life, it is interesting to see our connections. But what do they learn about Americans through the media? Coming from a very conservative society in which women are always covered up, they believe American girls reveal too much of their bodies. Sakshi also said that her opinion of Americans before moving here for school was one of openness and being blunt. However, after living here she feels that there is much to learn and not all the assumptions from the movies are correct.

"People try to put us d-down...Just because we g-g-get around..."

I think The Who said it best.

Millennials are an easy target for older generations to pick on: we are seen as lazy, careless, and inexperienced. In my generation’s defense, we have a different set of values than our parents or their parents. Older generations don’t give us the credit we deserve. We are a well-educated generation energetic about things and constantly working to make things better. We are fast paced and open-minded, which is more than some of the older generations can boast.

We are so faced paced, we require instant satisfaction or we move on to the next thing. This is both a good and bad thing. It obviously is upsetting to older generations who have worked their whole lives one way to achieve a goal and then a millennial waltzes in gets a different answer than the one they were looking for and walks right back out to find it another way. As much as older generations hate us for it, it is what makes us so adaptable to change. We are always looking for another way to do something. Like the 60 Minutes segment said, we “only take yes for an answer.”

Another practice that older generations are finding trouble understanding is millennials moving back in with their parents after finishing school. We hear the “back in my day” story about how their parents tossed them out with $20 and a college education and told them they were on their own. That’s probably why so many parents are all right with letting their kids move back home. The baby boomers were being thrown out by their parents and now feel the need to nurture their children longer. Really, it’s a smart choice in economic times like this. It’s more affordable to live at home and in an economy on the decline it will save many from making big mistakes.

I think there is much more of an effort being put forth for the baby boomer generation to connect with the millennials. I logged on to facebook the other day and saw a friend request from my mother. Weird. But it shows how baby boomers are being forced into technology to keep in touch with the changing world. If more baby boomers were okay with learning about the new technologies, it would sure make it easier for everyone to stay connected.

We will continue to be chastised about our so-called laziness and sense of entitlement because this is nothing new. Our baby boomer parents rocked their generation’s expectations and values in the sixties and seventies. They were considered too extreme and too much into sex. Now look at them. They are quickly trying to figure out how to keep up with the millennials. This is a smart idea on their part. Leaning how to effectively communicate with us is going to make us less frustrated with an un-technological generation and hopefully make them more understanding of the way we do things.

PASSION is a very definite seven letter word. For someone so indecisive, it becomes a scary word. 

There are lots of things I like. I enjoy music, movies, food, good television, bad television, books, the white house, rain, and oranges. However, I would not stretch so far as to say I am passionate about any of those things. I am not saying that when I am involved with said things, I do not have passion. I am just not passionate about one thing in particular. 

That being said, I suppose I should introduce myself. 

I'm Jessica. I am a junior at Lindenwood University, majoring in Mass Communication with a concentration in public relations. I live in University City with three of the best people on this planet. (That might be somewhat biased ... especially considering I do not know everyone on the planet.) I spent a good chunk of my childhood growing up in Surrey, England. I'm pretty keen on live music and trivia and I like to tie dye. 

Currently my favorite YouTube video is "Hey Jude."