It’s interesting how new media can change our views and beliefs. The way these views and beliefs expand onto others through new media, and how quickly people’s perspectives can change is fascinating. Social media, especially, influences people to change something about themselves. This is how trends get started, where it may be good or bad, they spread like wildfire. I can’t count how many times I’ve been influenced to purchase something I don’t need because of social media. Besides social media, news anchors also shape how people view politics. Some news anchors are biased, which can create a negative or positive impact on our society. Before technology, information would spread through in-person communication. Now things are digital and more accessible, therefore, makes information spread faster. In McLuhan’s The Medium is the Massage, I noticed on page 48 that the left side has a repeating phrase, “Printing, a ditto device.” I feel as though this is talking about us as people. Since new media influences people to believe or do something, we all start to become the similar with no unique identity. I find this interesting when I tie it back to social media. Everyone is moving to NYC, going to these expensive coffee shops, getting their nails done, taking Ubers instead of public transit, and it seems unrealistic for a native New Yorker who cannot afford these things. These influencers on social media tend to glamorize certain lifestyles, which makes people want to be exactly like them. It is especially why Gen Alpha girls are doing their skincare exactly like these adult influencers, even though they do not need these products at all and may ruin their skin. However, new media also helps us be aware of our world and current events, so we’re never out of the loop. It brings people together and develops communities. Overall, this reading was definitely intriguing. 

Studying session…but got interrupted?

The first animation I watched was the South Park one called “The Spirit of Christmas” (1995). I love watching South Park because I find the show hilarious, and I also find the animation style very unique. I believe they used stop-motion animation and cutouts to create their show. I like it because their artstyle is not highly detailed, but the show is still entertaining. The animation mainly uses solid colors and simple shapes. The second animation I saw was “Mothlight” by Stan Brakhage. Honestly, I didn’t know what was happening when I first watched it. I kept thinking I saw a bunch of bugs on the screen and leaves, and my eyes were hurting while watching. Probably not the best idea to watch this animation at night. The third animation I watched was “#MeToon” by Samantha Bee. I loved this animation because of its clever way of incorporating what the speakers were saying and making a creative display of their words. It reminds me of an animator I watch on Youtube called JaidenAnimations. Her style is similar to this, except she doesn’t show her face in the videos. The final animation I watched was “Hertzfeldt on Blu-Ray”. Even though this was optional, I found this intriguing to watch because he used both drawings and real life elements to create this surreal world. It’s almost as if I was going through different dimensions. I thought the combination of real world aspects and drawings were really interesting.Overall, these different types of animations show me that animation can be simple or detailed. As long as it all has meaning to it.