West
Talking to people from different cities, states and countries they always have something to say about it. But when i tell them I'm from New York City and you get two reactions, the stereotypes and the bright lights. One side might see as a screaming insufferable in the street and being full of myself with the accent talk to them with. While the other people picture a city bright with lights that plug posters and commercials, trying to slither through crowds of Men and women in name brand and ties. I try not to ruin their ideas of the city because New York is really a place you have to experience yourself to try to describe it. As a person who lives in New York its kind of a surreal experience and every time i go to another city there is really nothing like it. Me being in New York makes me feel small knowing that there are such big industries and opportunities all around me. Its really humbles for me knowing the amount of people around me going on with their lives its really overwhelming. But although i do feel so small in the Big Apple i really want to make a difference in my Environment. I want to leave the shell i was born in and start at my neighborhood. Living in the Bronx, i see lots of problems i just have no control over. The increasing amount of kids my age keeping people awake,some of those kids parents not understanding the fact that keeping kids outside at that age and time is not a effective way to raise them and i quote from parents " they are already old enough to make their own decisions". Those same parents i see on the streets sitting in the front of the bodega next to the apartment building from the time i go to school till the time i come out.Now listen I have no problem with this they can make their own decisions, but when you see kids go to jail or get hurt in the streets i walk to school on, you can say that what i real "safe" feeling. My ideal community is a place where anyone could walk on the streets without having any reason to feel in danger. Of course there are many factors that prevent this from happening one of them being the media that is designed to fear the people that are in the Bronx or portray the Bronx to be a really dangerous place.
Meaning Of Being In A Community
About a week ago we were supposed to discuss in pairs about our own definition of the Environment. I was working with Taylor and discussing what her opinion about what the Environment means, this lead to a conversation about the meaning of life and our views of creation and why i am personally here. But we managed to agree on a few of the definitions we were supposed to answer. The definitions we agreed on were...
Neighborhood: A place you live in and the people that live near and interact with.
Environment: Everything physical and social around me
While we agreed on these we had to discuss each others definitions on. My definitions were...
Community: A group of people that live and are dependent towards each other.
Nature:The natural state of something. A place untouched with human communities and technology.
We agreed on some but had different ideas of what it actually meant. One in particular was the definition of nature. She agreed on the definition were nature was a natural state of something but Taylor didn't think that state parks was considered nature. She felt that because it was fabricated by a human it is not nature. After we talked about this conversation we spoke about our roles in our community and our Environment. I felt that i had a very small role in my environment but i am able to affect everyone around me. This is an example of The Butterfly Effect, which according to Dictionary.com is "the idea, used in chaos theory, that a very small difference in the initial state of a physical system can make a significant difference to the state at some later time". After this we came to the idea of why we are here in the first place. Taylor believes in the idea of Spirituality. The theory that everything living has a energy inside them and when you die your spirit lives on as another. i feel however that the world is chaotic and i have a atheistic view on what happens after we die. This was a really interesting conversation and it goes to show you that everyone has there own opinion on how your environment and life functions.
Neighborhood: A place you live in and the people that live near and interact with.
Environment: Everything physical and social around me
While we agreed on these we had to discuss each others definitions on. My definitions were...
Community: A group of people that live and are dependent towards each other.
Nature:The natural state of something. A place untouched with human communities and technology.
We agreed on some but had different ideas of what it actually meant. One in particular was the definition of nature. She agreed on the definition were nature was a natural state of something but Taylor didn't think that state parks was considered nature. She felt that because it was fabricated by a human it is not nature. After we talked about this conversation we spoke about our roles in our community and our Environment. I felt that i had a very small role in my environment but i am able to affect everyone around me. This is an example of The Butterfly Effect, which according to Dictionary.com is "the idea, used in chaos theory, that a very small difference in the initial state of a physical system can make a significant difference to the state at some later time". After this we came to the idea of why we are here in the first place. Taylor believes in the idea of Spirituality. The theory that everything living has a energy inside them and when you die your spirit lives on as another. i feel however that the world is chaotic and i have a atheistic view on what happens after we die. This was a really interesting conversation and it goes to show you that everyone has there own opinion on how your environment and life functions.
Social Identity and Individual Identity
During today's lesson we were supposed to watch two different videos. One was a Def Jam session was of a Hispanic women. She talking about how she is constantly being "treated like a Puerto Rican" when she much more than that. The other video was a documentary style video describing the types of discriminatory actions the government uses to hinder the cultural diversity. He talked about influence, covering, and flaunting. So after the videos, the teacher gave us 10 or so minutes to write about social identity what it means to you and how you describe your social identity. During these ten minutes i wrote about how the place i live effect not only how i others see me but influences me to who i am. When i was done writing, my partner Izei and i talked about what we wrote. This led us to talk about where we live and how has that affected our lives. She talked about she lived in the Bronx like me and lives in a quiet neighborhood. She described the people who live in her neighborhood as old people and families, saying that there aren't many people that start problems.On the other hand i also live in the Bronx but my neighborhood isn't very quiet. I explained to her that my neighborhood used to be quiet with families but as the kids got older you can see that the children are quickly diverted into a dark path in their lives. For example, there were already two kids arrested in my neighborhood my age as well as doing drugs in their house. I believe that their individual identity was covered up by their societal expectations. They were expected to stay in their class in a lower middle class neighborhood and found no signs for expanding their opportunities to move up. So what they decided to do is accept it.
Map Reflections
REFLECTION
After looking at other peoples maps, what i took out that many people have different views in their community both good and bad. What i can also take out is that many people aren't as connected as their family like i am. It honestly really makes me appreciate the fact that i have a group of people that i can go to for help or comfort. A lot more people didn't feel comfortable in their neighborhood like i did. But honestly, there was a lot of meaning behind these maps that i would have never thought about and honestly makes me think about all the flaws of the community and in New York in general. Things like diversity was a big theme in communities and tend to be something people usually want. Asset perception was a topic that sprouted when the idea of inequality and privileges of living in certain places in the community. If i were to share this map or analysis to anyone it would be a family member who lives in the same building as me. Id like to see whether they would agree with me or remembers different experiences and whether they remember a certain experience differently from me
Asset perspective, or the strengths in the community even in a bad neighborhood was something that really stuck to me because i was able to relate to it. My neighborhood in another persons perspective might be dangerous or uncomfortable. Robbing, fighting, and profanity should be something i should be afraid of right? The fact is i honestly don't mind it because of the people i know in the community and the family i am surrounded with. Another topic in our discussion was perception versus reality. Perception and stereotypes of others can mold your view of reality. The most interesting part of our discussion was diversity and whether it hinder or expands on stereotypes. In my opinion having different cultures around you helps learn about their customs and ideals. So when you are educated on the educated in a culture you are probably not going to stereotype. Collecting data this way is beneficial because comparing communities with each other lets you see the opinion of others and the perspective of their maps.I felt this was pretty effective because it is making think about my map and neighborhood and picking out both its flaws and its advantages. If i were to improve this method i would have made a way to see how we could agree on something when we see other people's maps.Other ways we can capture what we are interested in learning about our neighborhoods is if we can see someone else with the same community and see their perspective and see whether the person remembers it the same. Specifically, i would show my mom and my cousin. The reason i would pick my mom is because she has been living there longer than me so she could tell me more about how the community has changed over the years. I would pick my cousin because he is about the same age as me and lives in the same building as i do. Id like to know whether he thinks the same i do about the neighborhood or does something else make him more or less comforting.
After looking at other peoples maps, what i took out that many people have different views in their community both good and bad. What i can also take out is that many people aren't as connected as their family like i am. It honestly really makes me appreciate the fact that i have a group of people that i can go to for help or comfort. A lot more people didn't feel comfortable in their neighborhood like i did. But honestly, there was a lot of meaning behind these maps that i would have never thought about and honestly makes me think about all the flaws of the community and in New York in general. Things like diversity was a big theme in communities and tend to be something people usually want. Asset perception was a topic that sprouted when the idea of inequality and privileges of living in certain places in the community. If i were to share this map or analysis to anyone it would be a family member who lives in the same building as me. Id like to see whether they would agree with me or remembers different experiences and whether they remember a certain experience differently from me
Asset perspective, or the strengths in the community even in a bad neighborhood was something that really stuck to me because i was able to relate to it. My neighborhood in another persons perspective might be dangerous or uncomfortable. Robbing, fighting, and profanity should be something i should be afraid of right? The fact is i honestly don't mind it because of the people i know in the community and the family i am surrounded with. Another topic in our discussion was perception versus reality. Perception and stereotypes of others can mold your view of reality. The most interesting part of our discussion was diversity and whether it hinder or expands on stereotypes. In my opinion having different cultures around you helps learn about their customs and ideals. So when you are educated on the educated in a culture you are probably not going to stereotype. Collecting data this way is beneficial because comparing communities with each other lets you see the opinion of others and the perspective of their maps.I felt this was pretty effective because it is making think about my map and neighborhood and picking out both its flaws and its advantages. If i were to improve this method i would have made a way to see how we could agree on something when we see other people's maps.Other ways we can capture what we are interested in learning about our neighborhoods is if we can see someone else with the same community and see their perspective and see whether the person remembers it the same. Specifically, i would show my mom and my cousin. The reason i would pick my mom is because she has been living there longer than me so she could tell me more about how the community has changed over the years. I would pick my cousin because he is about the same age as me and lives in the same building as i do. Id like to know whether he thinks the same i do about the neighborhood or does something else make him more or less comforting.
AD BUSTING IN NEW YORK
Methodology
I was able to collect my Advertisements, in the capital of capitalism and consumerism, Manhattan New York. Specifically in Hell’s Kitchen, where i saw advertisements on apartment walls, Sides of payphones, retail stores, banks. I also went to the Bronx where i live and took picture inside the train as well as 167th station. Taxis, bracelets, AM New York newspaper, and food vending carts. Finally i managed to get more ads on the internet, arguably the place with the most advertisements. Of course i tried to delete all of my cookies and any data in order for my activity on my computer to not effect which ads come up. I got most of my Advertisements that were on my computer from Pandora.com, a music playing website.I got all of them through my phone usually after school.
Content Analysis
The themes i decided to use where they portrayed the message of “the future” of the niche of products, times the ads have said all/everything, and have described their product being able to do things “all in one place.” According to the spreadsheet 28.6% had the theme of future, 14.3% use the word all or everything, and 14.3% also use the subject of “all in one” doing everything in one device. From observations from the many pictures you notice that there is a theme of simplicity. People are probably attracted to things that have less words because it is supposed to be easier to read and doesn't strain the eyes. Easier to read the more the message goes across. There is simplicity when there is a playing colored background either black or white usually a monotone color. They also show one picture that completely draws the attention. Whether it is the product or person/people itself/themselves, a model, The words itself, or sometimes the competing product or person.According to the spreadsheet 71.4% of the ads had more or less 10 words in bold. With colors 42.9% of the ads had monotone color background. However, while some like simple pictures with straight forward messages others might want to use “over the top” pictures or pictures with a bigger message. Pictures that use exaggerated examples of their product or scenarios where what would happen if you don't have said product. Or even pictures of the item in an extreme way. It doesn't necessarily have to have to have an extreme idea , in fact using jokes light heated connections, and epigrams can be used in this theme.Even if there aren't any pictures using hyperbole in advertisements can make it over the top. Going go the spread 28.6% of pictures used multiple colored backgrounds, and 28.6% of the ads had jokes, hyperbole, epigrams, and light hearted messages. Of course there are in between in these two polars. Another subject in these advertisements are the idea that they are centered by you. Saying that it is made for you, this is personally made to please you, or it can be designed by you. Using terms such as “Now Playing You” or “ Everything you love” is a great example of marketers trying to “focus” on the customer. According to the spreadsheet itself it deciphered that 28.6% of the Ads used the word you and your. That, Like most ads there are opposites to said ad which is something is wrong with you and we are here to fix it, either with a product, or treatment. This is more of a persuasive ad because its trying to convince you there is something that you need change about your life. Using models with people who look happy because they are using the product, or beautiful people that use these product. The great spread said that 19% of the ads had celebrities, 23.85 of people were happy in the ads expressing that we are happy when they are using the product. Finally marketers that show prices in their ads try to convey a sale or its cheap. Out of the ads 14.3% showed prices, and another 14% show that it is on sale or it shows says that its free.
Visual Representation
The Next Big Thing Critical Content Analysis
In the Bracelet given out to both customers and employees by Samsung that states “The Next Big Thing Is Here” there is an covert message. The reason i chose to pick a there is a common theme of innovation, change for the better. The idea that if you were to obtain said item, your life will be easier, your daily routine will function more efficiently and in turn making you feel you are part of the future. Having the next big thing shows that you are ahead of everyone else.They are holding the next big thing. Even though there are no visual messages but the samsung brand name the message itself can be perceived in different ways. The concept of the word “next” in this advertisement is a very interesting because it explains that there is already the big thing in the market. There is a product that is currently in the lead whether it is from samsung or not but they are expecting us to buy the next one just to be “ahead of the game”. This is an example of Perceived obsolescence. Switching the current product or current fully functioning device for a different product because it the next one. And its sad that these large corporations trick people that because our society is driven and is rapidly changing by technology, we must always be part of the future and falling behind will ultimately lead you to fall behind socially as well. Also this is directed to middle class working people. People who are interested of being ahead of the majority look to this as a sign of happiness, making the daily grind just a little more interesting or more efficient. This form of advertisement encourages materialism. It makes people focus or divert the idea of obtaining happiness is not by being together, being with someone you love, or doing something you love. Instead corporations influence people into thinking by having these material goods will make you happy. It bases you perception of happiness with the trends in your culture.And the people that make these trends are Brands like Samsung. However they are not only company that does this, the new Surface has the catchphrase of “This Is Not Just a Laptop” emphasizing this is not just you contextual devices, this devices can replace all of your fully functioning items for a smooth 700 dollars. Samsung have been using this slogan for a while and now has 2 spots in the top 5 most sold phones in the U.S.
Discussion and Final product
Advertisements are an increasing use to spread publicity for a product. But at this point in time it is an excessive method that at times can be stereotypical, sexist, racist, materialistic, and express social inequalities. In the capitalist society of the United States where at every corner you are constantly reminded about sales at retail stores, where models are plastered on building walls, a place where you can't look up with being told how Geico can save money on your car insurance. Or the fact that your phone should be replaced even though its fully functioning. Raising children with the teaching that beautiful people wear expensive clothes and the more you are like them you will be happy, and cooler. It affects the way we see the world. Ads mold the way we interact with each other. They make us conscious about our physical appearance, reproduce social inequalities, and taints the way we go through life. Teaches young kids what they “should” live or work for instead of finding it themselves. So the questions that emerge are; will we continue to use these advertisements to sell products? Will companies continue to grow in power by using these schemes? Will be break away from consumerism by shining light to this potentially corrupt practice? Or will we ignore and continue promote social malpractices, and other problems that these types of advertisements spread?