Gaming

Growing up I was allowed to play computer games and have some little portable games such as solitaire. When my younger brother became older he was allowed to have a Game-boy and an Xbox. Gaming is becoming more and more popular. With all the negativity associated with this technology it was nice to hear a different perspective about gaming possible changing the world. I feel that some of the claims in the article were a little unrealistic, but I agree with the motivation. Playing a video game gives people such strong motivation to win. It would be amazing if that motivation could be used to get people to do good and help the world. There are some computer games that do have some positive outcomes. In middle school my class would play an online game where we had to answer questions and each right answer would send a certain amount of rice to a 3rd world country. It was not that fun considering all the questions were scholarly but it was a great way to pass the time. However, if a really popular video game such as Grand Theft Auto 5 could get a sponsor who agrees to give so much to charity with every hour played a real difference could be made. Some ideas are a little far fetched but combining such addictive, motivational video games to helping the world has potential.

TV & Exaggeration

Indiana has only had a few television debuts. We had a show in Muncie called Armed & Famous where celebrities became cops and helped patrol Muncie. However, the show came on the same time as American Idol so it only lasted one season. There was a girl from Indiana that made it onto America's Next Top Model. She showed Tyra her pen collection and started balling off set. Then there is Amber from Teen Mom who just makes Indiana look so classy. Most of the time Indiana is made to look like a hick state full of trashy people. The people from here who have managed to make it onto TV have reinforced that stereotype. Having a show about cops in Muncie was not showing all the good traits about this town.. I am from Muncie and although I am not always fond of the place when people generalize all the locals and say "ugh Muncie locals" I cannot help but get offended. Not everyone from here is like the people you see at Wal-Mart wearing their pajama pants in the middle of the day. This generalization based on the exaggerated traits of some locals is insulting to those who both those who fall under that stereotype and those who don't. This applies to Honey Boo Boo and the Real Housewives of New Jersey. Many people from Jersey dislike these shows because they show the norm to be an exaggeration and very unrealistic to what it is really like to be in Jersey. Those individuals suffering from poverty most likely dislike Honey Boo Boo for giving people in similar situations a reputation.

Binge Watching

I have participated in binge watching many times. When I was 16 and I was snowed in over winter break my dad picked up a bunch of seasons of Grey's Anatomy. I watched them back to back over several days. It was the only thing I had to do all day. Now that I have access to Netflix binge watching is much easier. My boyfriend and I watched all the seasons of Game of Thrones in 2 days right in time to start the third season. We also watched all the seasons of Breaking Bad in a matter of 2 weeks right before the finale. There is something about the way these shows end their episodes that always makes me want to watch another. Other shows do not follow a serious story line and each episode is independent of the others. I will have shows like these in the background as I do homework or when I am bored. However, if I watch the more serious shows I have to devote my attention to that show. The do this on purpose by leaving such big cliff hangers. It is like they took episodes and split them in the middle so that you are always left needing more. I actually watched the entire season of Orange is the New Black in 2 days. I just kept wanting to watch one more. When I got to the end and realized there was only the first season available I was upset. These shows are created to bring viewers back wanting more. I see them leaving these cliff hangers and yet I fall for it every time.

girls in tv

In the TV shows I occasionally do watch, I have noticed that most of the women follow a few certain body types. Modern family for example, one main character is voluptuous and viewed as a sex symbol, while the other is thin and is shown jogging quite often. The teenage daughters on the show are both pretty thin, however the show has gone to lengths to cover the younger sisters fuller chest. They are trying to keep her looking young and juvenile instead of curvy and sexy like her aunt. Why do they not have more diverse body types on the show? Body types that are more average should be put on the show as another norm. There is an overweight man on the show, but not a woman. I feel these shows and the media in general give unrealistic standards to women everywhere. If these TV shows would put more average body types on the show I feel it would help women everywhere realize that they are normal. The shows should send a message to love one's own body as it is. On a related note there are a few companies doing just this. Dove is a great example of showing how diverse women are and how beautiful it is to just be yourself in your own skin. I feel this message needs to be spread more and to stop the self hate women have towards themselves for not looking like these women in the media.

Last week we covered social networking sites mainly Facebook, and how so many people put so much effort into the persona they have on Facebook. We talked about how people end up lying so much about their lives on Facebook they end up like Catfish. In many ways it is known as being negative to have so many friends on Facebook and not in person. Most of the time this is true but what if you can't have friends in person? My aunt had a disease that left her bedridden a majority of the time. Sometimes she had to stay in a nursing home because she required too much care for my grandma. She has always been a social butterfly but her body did not enable her to have those relationships in person. Through Facebook she was able to have a social life and to be herself despite her illness. She could chat with people, see their lives through their posts. She was on there all the time.
My mother hates social networking sites and sees them in a very negative way. When my aunt passed my mother wanted to see all the things my aunts Facebook friends were saying so she made a profile. What she saw truly surprised her. The Facebook community was very much saddened by the death of my aunt. My mom assumed this whole time that these virtual relationships were not real friendships. Now she realized my aunt had a family here that truly cared about her even though almost all the communication was through technology. Facebook can have such a negative reputation of having friendships that aren't real or aren't as pure because they are not in person. But just because they aren't in person, it doesn't mean they aren't any less authentic.