The Avengers, Finally!

Alright so this topic doesn't exactly fit so perfectly with the theme of our blog, new and old media. However, I thought it would be okay to make an exception cause I mean come on its The Avengers. Since I heard about the film I have been pretty excited. The film is simply filled with some cool actors and a great director/writer that I am sure will work well together. Five big screen films have been made to help build the stage for The Avengers, so it's extremely important that it lives up to the hype. We will have to wait until May 4th to know for sure, but it looks as though The Avengers will pull it off.

The Avengers has already opened overseas with an amazing start. The film has already made roughly $178 million with the biggest opening weekend ever in 12 other countries including Mexico, New Zealand, and The Philippines. The Avengers definitely has a great chance to set some new records for the U.S. box office, but it's interesting to see what this movie has new to offer. I think the biggest thing is the amount of major characters. People are obviously also excited for Spiderman and The Dark Knight Rises, but both those films are about one main focus. No other film has yet to bring this many major superheroes to the big screen at once. It's an action movie that has potential to create some amazing scenes. I hope to be able to see it in all it's nerdy superhero glory this weekend. Are you guys planning on seeing The Avengers this weekend?

Hot Problems??

I am an avid YouTube user, and in the past week or so, reactions to a certain video have been everywhere. However, this video is one of the worst  I have ever seen. The video is called "Hot Problems," and consists of two teen girls from LA "singing" about the toils and turmoil of supposedly being attractive. The duo, who call themselves Double Take, have been dubbed the new Rebecca Black by many Internet dwellers, and "Hot Problems" is being called the worst song ever by ABC News. Even though it's so terrible, the video has 9,832,471 views, 448,109 of which gave it a thumbs down. 

The Internet fury ignited by the video has once again brought up the topic of cyber bullying, as was the case with Rebecca Black and "Friday." However, I myself find it difficult to express any type of sympathy for these girls. Being members of a media fluent generation, these girls most definitely know what happens to teens who post these kinds of videos. What else would motivate them to make such a thing but attention? These girls knew the consequences of such a post, but most likely saw the potential five minutes of fame as well worth the hate. 

What's your opinion? Did Double Take deserve the backlash they received for their song? Or are they being too harshly criticized for a little teenaged fun? Let me know in the comments.

~Morgen~

What's Popular??

One of the main ideas we are trying to get in this blog, is to show how new media has changed society in a whole new way.  What is important or "trending" on social websites each week may or may not have connection to what is important in the newspapers that week.  to show this, I have been watching what has been trending on Twitter this week, what people have been posting about on Facebook, and what has been popular in the Wall Street Journal and other news sites.
     This week, Twitter has had many trends as usual everyday but I've been watching for trends that are Madison specific as well.  Some of these trends include the draft, the Dean of Students and Mifflin.  On Facebook, all anyone has been talking about since it came out is the Dean of Student's message to the students on behalf of Mifflin.  There has been re post upon re post of the video itself, and then of course thousands of videos and memes made because of the video.
     In contrast to these things that seem to have been important to those of us who are obsessed with social media, the rest of society has been concerned with other things.  There is one thing that I saw which connected across social media and the news which was the draft.  Other than that, what has been important to the rest of society rests in recent politics, earthquakes in California, international news, and recent unfortunate events which have left some killed.  As you can see, what is important to society in the news is much more centered around the well being of everyone, and what should be important to all Americans.  On the other hand, social media trends are generally centered around raising awareness.  Whether that awareness is something that is funny, or something serious, trends are a way of spreading the word.
     Social media and everyday news can both differ and connect in some ways.  They can sometimes fight against each other, and other times work together.  The main idea here, is that they are different and will remain different, and this difference has effected society.  The effect is neither good or bad, but is has made an impact on all of us, especially those of our generation.

Cover The Night Results

After the Kony 2012 YouTube video went viral, I expected the support for it to grow as time went on. Unfortunately, it seems as though the movement has lost its momentum. Friday was the big day for the "Cover The Night" event that the video was promoting. The goal of the event was to cover cities in posters of the infamous warlord to help pressure the U.S. government to aid in the arrest of Joseph Kony. But in the end, the event did not end up producing the intended flood of Kony posters in many cities, including Madison.

As I got up on Saturday this weekend, I expected to see tons of red Kony posters everywhere. It could have been my high expectations, but it looked as though the event had not gained the members it needed to result in a successful impact. By the end of my Saturday I counted only 3 posters. Most likely some areas are covered more than others. However, I expected the campus to contain plenty of students willing to participate. It's also important to note that Fridays are obviously a big night for partying. I'm also guessing that having the event on 4/20 didn't exactly help their cause, but I think the biggest issue was timing. The YouTube video just came out too early, and by the time Cover The Night came around all the hype was gone. There just seemed to be nothing else to keep the public interest. I think that the video should have come out closer towards the date of Cover The Night. I remember when I first saw the video for Kony. I was so pumped, and I just wanted to grab posters and start putting them on people's faces. I was completely convinced that I would participate in Cover The Night. For me, the controversy regarding the Kony campaign's use of funds and the huge time gap drained my interest. Were any of you guys planning on Covering The Night?

A Modern Engagement

Hey everyone! Today I will be talking about a trend that I have been noticing in my own life: weddings. It doesn't apply to me yet, and most likely doesn't to many of you either, the digitizing of much of the wedding process has caught my attention. My cousin got engaged over winter break, and I was recently invited to view the happy couple's website. Some may find this conceited, but I think it's great.

Weddings are traditionally very costly and elaborate affairs, but some of that cost can be cut out by digitizing part of the process. For instance, I've always though save-the-dates were a waste of paper, but having a website with the wedding's information eliminates that need. Even if physical invitations are sent, the website cuts down the information that needs to be included, thus saving money.

But even more than the monetary benefits, I love the idea of a wedding website because it allows guests to get to know more about what they're actually celebrating. My cousin's site includes small bios for each of the wedding party, explaining how fit into the life of the bride and groom. There are also extensive bios for both bride and groom, which is great for getting to know the side of the bridal party you've never met. It's a lot more pleasant to attend a party when you're not completely ignorant of half the guests.

The site also includes details about the rehearsal dinner, ceremony, reception, and honeymoon, as well as providing helpful lodging and travel information. The bride was even able to contact several hotels and other lodging options and secure reduced rates for guests, making it easier for all the people the couple wants to be there to be able to.

Although marriage seems veryveryvery far away for me, I hope this digitizing trend continues. God knows I have enough expenses to deal with as it is!

~Morgen~

iTV!?

Just when you think Apple cannot possibly come out with anything more, they can and do. Rumor has it Apple is coming out with their very own television. Yes they have their " Apply TV" but this my fellow readers is an actual TV.  According to Forbes.com, Apple is taking the Television where no other company has taken it before.Taken from the article on Fobes, " Apple is working on a television set with an iTunes-integrated touch screen remote and Siri-like voice command technology." In addition, the TV will come with an Apple- branded game console that is similar to Microsoft's Kinect video game console.  The Apple television set is supposed to come out at the end of 2012. I believe this  TV will set the new  standard for all future televisions. I mean, who are kidding, it was only a matter of time some company comes out with a television set like this. There was a point in time where "touch-screen" devices were  simply too good to be true. Now a days, if a technology company doesn't carry a touch-screen device, they might as well consider themselves passe! I think this new Apple TV could be really cool and models as such will become the new norm of watching television. However, this just seems like a huge Ipad that you can hang in your living room. Television can be watched from almost any technological medium these days so realistically, how different is Apple's television set going to be from anything else that is out on the market?! What are you thoughts on Apple's rumored television set?!
Here is where I got the article from:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/adriankingsleyhughes/2012/04/15/rumor-apple-working-on-tv-with-integrated-voicemotion-controller/

Unknown Knowledge

   

This week I've realized a lot of things about our generation and how lucky we are.  I'm in a class for my major where once a week we hear from different managers/executives from all different types of retail companies.  And every week we hear about how right now there are more and more jobs opening up based off of the knowledge that the people of our generation possess.  Jobs that don't even have a title yet, or a description, or a base pay.  But the thing is, they are willing to pay.  To pay for the knowledge of how people connect, new media ideas, our predictions for what is going to be the next big thing, and most of all our unmatchable skills in technology and social media.
     To us, social media is an everyday, all day thing.  Through our computers, ipads, and smart phones we have access to social media all the time and are constantly using it.  Through this use we gain a set of skills unlike any other generation has had before.  And for a lot of companies, those skills are crucial to selling and connecting with their target market.  Connecting with your target market is number one on the list of what successful companies have to do throughout their business lives.  For anyone who has studied retail, and many who haven't, you can tell who a company's target market is based off how they advertise and connect with their customer.  If a company doesn't have any use for a Facebook or Twitter then they are clearly not targeting a younger generation.  But, those that are trying to target a younger generation will suffer horribly if they do not keep up with social media and all its demands.
     This is where we, as a generation, come into play.  We are the target market, not just as consumers but as employees as well.  We have the knowledge and ability to take a company to the next step with the kind of knowledge we possess.  So, this is my advice to everyone in college right now.  When looking for companies and jobs after graduation, remember that they might need you as much as you need them.  You can help each other to gain more knowledge and move ahead both in business and life.