GraceC

Week 13 - "Territories"

Wiki Option #2: How do you feel constrained and coerced into specific cultural/co-cultural territories? Be specific and use examples. 

At times, I feel that I am constrained by the cultural territory of my familial roots. My family moved from South Korea to the United States in the mid 70’s and worked hard to achieve the “American dream.” Growing up, my mother and father made sure that I still followed and practiced Korean cultural traditions, even though we lived in a predominantly Caucasian area. Some of the things that I recall having to do include: bowing whenever I encountered another Korean, making sure that I was always lady like (I was not supposed to run, laugh boisterously), and always making sure that education was a priority – even if it meant not having a social life. As I grew older and my parents became more comfortable with American traditions and customs I was not expected to be bound by the original constraints of the cultural territory that I grew up in. As Wise states, there are “some [territories] with more salience than others at particular times, some of which we may not have purchase on or agency in their construction” (pg. 108). I can attest to this because even though I am now an adult and my parents are more Americanized, I find that I still feel obligated to follow the Korean tradition of bowing when I greet someone who is also Korean.

Week 12 "Culture & Music"

Wiki Option #1: Select one song or artist/band or genre of music that you would use to exemplify your personal or a co-culture you belong to and the role it plays in signaling who you “are.” Be specific and use examples.

Unfortunately, it is impossible for me to narrow my choices down to one song, artist, or genre of music that would exemplify my personal or co-culture that I belong to. Music is a big part of my life and as Wise states, “this [music] not only is a communicative act but also an affective one, since we use music as well to alter our own bodily states, our mood, our affect, our intensity” (pg. 78). I have a wide array of musical tastes which include genres such as: classic rock, pop, R&B, country, 80’s, alternative and even Korean music. I feel that each of these different genres of music is expressive of my culture and identity because they represent different parts of who I am as a person. For example, I think that my preference for Korean music speaks volumes about what kind of culture I was raised in. Korean music is a lot different than listening to the different American music because they focus more on the concepts of love, pain, and relationships in their lyrics; whereas, mainstream American R&B, Pop, and Rock seems to be focusing more on money, drugs and sex for the most part which I feel like is the culture I am living in.  

Week 11 - "Consumptionscape"

Wiki Q8: Wise and Kjeldgaard (pp. 71-72) discuss the idea of the “consumptionscape” – how we construct our culture through the act of consuming local, regional, national, or global goods. Within the context of this chapter - describe your own consumptionscape and how it impacts your cultural self.

Thinking upon my consumptionscape and how it impacts my cultural self, I think that the different foods I eat, and the different things that I buy construct my culture in one way or another. I love to try new foods from different cultures. I feel that I am very fortunate to live in such a diverse area where new restaurants with a variety of cuisines, open up all the time because I am given the opportunity to learn about another culture through their foods. By trying new cuisines from other cultures, I feel that I am making myself more aware of different cultures which can come in handy if I should happen to ever meet someone of that particular culture. If we look around, I think it’s not too difficult to find that we are surrounded by things from all different cultures and in one way or another they all come together to help construct our cultural self.

Week 10 - "Cultural Power"

Wiki Q7: Often the media we consume reflects our culture(s). Select a television program or movie that embodies or bridges your culture(s) or co-culture(s). Describe that particular cultural aspect(s), explain why you think that TV program or movie is a good representation of your co/culture, and how this links into the text.

A television program that I think reflects our culture somewhat accurately is “Desperate Housewives.” The reason why I think that “Desperate Housewives,” is a good representation of our culture because the group of women in the show want to portray that they are living a great life in front of the public; yet, they each have their own dirty little secrets. Like the ladies of Wisteria Lane, I think that the majority of the people who live in our wealthy Valley show off more than they really have. Even in these harsh economic times, many people still will not admit that they are close to losing their home or running out of money. I believe that part of the reason is because everyone still wants to feel like they are keeping up the Jones’. Perhaps, part of the reason for this, is the unspoken affect of the cultural power that is present within our society here in the Valley. Wise states that, “cultural power could be the power that a peer group has on your own identity” (pg. 17). I think that this means that if the majority of our population is doing things a certain way, they inadvertently or sometimes advertently, influence the rest of the population to follow suit.

Week 8 - "Ideology of the Internet"

The telegraph changed reality by, for the first time, separating transportation from communication. This had many impacts ranging from the development of monopoly capitalism to the idea of the multilevel transformative nature of technology. Ideology of the Internet - how has it changed reality (culture/communication) in general and for you specifically?

As stated in the Carey text, the greatest change to our culture brought forth by the telegraph is the fact that there is no need for transportation to communicate with other people (pg. 163). In addition, the telegraph made it possible for masses of people to be informed at one time. The telegraph paved the way for the telephone, which eventually led our culture to have one of the greatest inventions of all time: the Internet. The advent of the Internet has allowed the masses once again, to communicate in a multitude of ways without ever having to leave the comfort of their home. Personally, the Internet has allowed me to connect with other people as well as help manage areas of my personal life without having to rely on different modes of transportation. For instance, because of the Internet, I am able to communicate with friends and family members who are far away via e-mail. Also, I am able to handle my finances by paying bills, check account balances, etc… without having to drive to various places and waste my time and resources (checks, ink, gas). Lastly, it seems as though many larger corporations are taking advantage of the usefulness of the Internet and allowing consumers to “live chat” through their websites which also eliminates the need for transportation.

Week 6 - "Nostalgia for the Future"

Carey (p. 152) states that “we are awash now in nostalgia for the future.” It what ways does your “nostalgia for the future” impact your present? That is, unlike nature, we construct our worlds teleologically (designed or directed toward a final result). How are your actions now designed to create your specific future? Please avoid generalities dealing with education to get a better or good job, make you smarter, etc.

     I think at this point in my life, more so than ever, my “nostalgia for the future” impacts my life greatly in the present. I recently celebrated a birthday which has me inching closer to my 30’s, which in turn has made me think about my future more than I used to. When I was younger, the “nostalgia for the future” was simpler; it involved getting married, getting a good job, owning a nice home, and having three kids. Now that I am older, the “nostalgia for the future”, is not so much a feeling of “nostalgia”, but more of an “anxious” feeling. Because I am getting older in age, I realize that all of my actions, good and bad, will have an effect on my future. With that being said, I still have to work towards my goals for the future, which happen to be the same as when I was younger, but with more urgency and thought. Some of the things that I have to take into consideration to achieve my specific future would be to finish school so that I can get a better job, save money so that I can buy a decent house, and take care of my body so that I can handle giving birth and raising three children. If I can continue to keep my “eyes on the prize” and ensure that my daily actions (how I spend my money, what I eat, exercise, etc...) are supporting my goals, I know that I can obtain the future that I have always dreamed of.

Week 4 - Cultural Self

How will new technology affect the development of your future “cultural-self?” Using technological developments of past “communication revolutions,” project into the future. Think about how culture in the past might have been influenced by the technology of the time and how new technologies (say in 15 years – 2024) might impact our personal cultural selves. Try to use specific, rather than general, historical references or concepts from the text.

                I think that new technology will affect the development of my future “cultural self” in many positive ways. With the advancement of technology, our culture has progressed drastically within the last few decades and so have I.

                Technology has allowed us to reach out and connect to the world in many different ways as evidenced by the great inventions in the last century. The invention of the telegraph transformed into the radio, making it possible for millions of people to hear the news all at once. After the radio, came television, computers, and then of course the Internet. All of these inventions have given people the opportunity to learn and experience new things within the comforts of their own home. In addition, the new technologies have shaped our culture to what it is today. Without these technological breakthroughs, I would be living in a primitive world.

      In the next few years, as technology becomes more advanced, our culture will be more advanced too. However, if we are unable to keep up with technology, we will find ourselves lost and at a disadvantage which is why it is important to stay up to date and continue to learn about new technology so that we can feed our “cultural selves”.

Week 3 - Value of a College degree

What is the “value” of a college degree? Why did you choose to attend college and what are your expectations (specific or general) for earning a degree?

     I am thankful for my previous college experience because I now value my education a lot more and strive to excel in my classes. I realize that most of my classes may not help me in my future, or be relevant in the career path I choose. Nonetheless, I don’t think going to college has ever hurt anyone’s future; it can only make it better. In the end, I hope that by getting a degree in Communication Studies, it’ll help me to find a job in Human Resources.

     The reason why I chose to attend college is because I want to make a better future for myself and do something I enjoy for a living. After graduating high school, I went straight in to college. However, I ended up dropping out because I lacked the discipline needed to succeed. I didn’t think dropping out was a big deal at that time because I was able to get various full-time jobs which I thought paid pretty well. Thinking back, in comparison to my friends who were in college and in part-time jobs, I was being paid pretty well. But the tables turned when they graduated and I was still stuck in my dead-end full-time jobs. My friends were making twice as much as I was and they had jobs that they actually enjoyed. After a six year hiatus, I was determined to go back to school and get a college degree.

     I think the “value” of a college degree is priceless because it can open many doors for you in the future. In addition, many career fields require at least a four-year degree to even be considered for an interview. A college degree is more than a piece of paper; it is a symbol of perseverance and a thirst for knowledge.

Week 2 - Communication Ritual

What communication rituals do you practice? Interrogate a media based communication ritual - trace its origins - where did it come from? How did you create/adopt this ritual?

      A communication ritual that I practice all the time is text messaging on my cell phone. I love to text message, even more than talking on the phone, e-mailing, and talking face to face to people. I was not always into text messaging and really did not get into it until I got my most recent cell phone, the LG Voyager. My cell phone has a full QWERTY keyboard that allows me to text message quickly and accurately. I like to text message because I can message someone almost anywhere whereas e-mail and face to face communication can be limited.

      I think text messaging gained popularity in the last few years because of all the new cell phones that came out with the full QWERTY keyboards. These keyboards are smaller versions of the full computer keyboard and make it easier for people to type messages instead of the traditional cell phones which had three alphabet letters on one number. In addition, because young teenagers have increased text messaging to avoid getting into trouble from their parents and teachers, they take part in creating this new uprising trend of text messaging.

     The origins of text messaging probably can be traced back to the invention of the telegraph. After all, text messaging is just the act of sending a short message from one person to another, or even to a large number of people.  Like the telegraph, text messaging has evolved and in addition to text messages, people can send video and picture messages through their cell phones as well. It will be very interesting to see how messaging will develop in the next few years.