Blackberry Torch vs. iPhone 4 Controversy

There is a lot of media out there lately about which is better, the iPhone4 or the Blackberry Torch. I personally believe the better one is the Blackberry Torch, and I have many reasons for this opinion. First off The iPhone4 seems like a toy to me because it has so much to do on it, and it keeps people entertained 24/7. Yes the iPhone4 is nice, and could keep good company during a boring car ride - but you should not be hooked to all the apps on your phone all the time. The Blackberry Torch has options to download apps, but I have only downloaded one which is called "Who is it?", this app makes the light at the top of the Torch flash a different color when someone specific texts me, there are 10 diffeent colors. Which leads me to my next point that the iPhone4 does not have a flashing light reminding them that they have a notification. Even though the iPhone4 has facetime, the Blackberry Torch has a sliding keyboard so you have another option for typing which is good for everyone. Even though there are many, many other points as to why the Blackberry Torch is better than the iPhone4 I think some of the main reasons are: it helps me keep my scheduale (with work, school projects, appointments, etc), lets me search the web fast and efficiently,managnes my e-mails right from the handheld device, has an amazing camera and video camera equipped with flash, and of course it has BBM.

Media Constructs Reality (#2)

From magazines, songs, to movies and TV shows, media has constructed reality all over the world. Examples of this from magazines would be in Cosmopolitan, because some of the things that are in that magazine seem crazy and no one I've ever talked to would be down to try the things that they say too. Songs by Eminem, TI, 50 Cent, The Game, Lil Wayne, and etc. construct reality by their lyrics and their meanings. An example of this would be when the rappers are talking about using violence and drugs as a solution to their problems. Movies such as comedies (rude jokes and rascism), action movies (unrealistic stunts), thrillers (bad guys being very intelligent). TV shows that this shows up in is definatley in CSI ( known as the CSI effect) this constructs reality because it makes the audiece believe that it is possible to solve a crime in 40 minutes. All of these examples construct reality because it makes people believe that anything is possible now a days, and that you should do some crazy things to help yourself find answers to your problems. People cannot seem to distinguish between fiction and reality because there is just so much media constructing reality out there! It's everywhere we look (magazines, music, news, movies, TV shows, etc). Some people such as media students know that this is happening, but other people do not get the idea of what's going on. Its come down to the jurors having a different about real life scenarios after they've watched the shows a couple times. The world needs to be aware of what is happening with the media and how its constructing our reality!

Audience Negotiates Meaning (#3)

I believe personally, that if a movie is going through the process of test screening it will be good for the audience, and they will be getting what they want. I believe in this because if a movie is getting test screened at least 3 times, and a maximum of 10 with different audiences each time then the researchers are doing something right and useful each time. Since the researchers are watching how the audience members react to certain parts of the movie, it helps the producers to know what to take out or put in, etc for the movie. Also there are many different types of people in each audience, so some will like certain scenes more than others - therefore giving the producers lots of feedback, good and bad but still making the movie enjoyable for everyone. Test screening for comedies, action flicks, and thrillers are very crucial because it can really help the producers make decisions about the movie. Such as jokes that people don't find funny or may find offensive, confusing parts, unrealistic action scenes, or just plain stupid scenes in their movie.


I love the first Jaws, and Jaws 2 is okay, but Jaws 3 was a joke..



If I could have been part of the test screening for Jaws 3, I would have defiantly made it look like I was really annoyed and hated the movie. I wouldn't laugh at the corny jokes that are in the movie, I would act really confused at the stupid script, and laugh really loud and obnoxiously when the 'mother' shark appears for the first time because it's so stupid that its funny. I would try my hardest to make sure that the observers recognized how dumb I thought the movie was. If I was the producer, I would have not even produced the movie or I would have changed a lot of things such as the corny jokes, crappy acting, and VERY FAKE sharks. Jaws 3 is a very good example of why test screening should be happening in media.

Photo Retouching

This is a video that I found appropriate for this topic ;





Here are some photos that are photo shopped as well ;






In my opinion, photo retouching has gotten way out of hand. Yes it is 2011 and the technology is amazing and lets us do amazing things, but retouching about 99% of advertisements out there is unrealistic. This affects many different people, but especially the young women. The pictures that they see in magazines, billboards, and the internet are not a reliable source of letting them see other women's beauty. It perceives them to think that all women look perfect (whether it be their hair, eyes, lips, cheek bones, neck, breasts, stomach, thighs, etc) and that they should look like that too. This is definitely wrong because there is no way someone can be as 'perfect' as the photo shopped models are. Young women around the world are struggling to be like the photo shopped models and are hurting themselves physically, mentally, morally, and emotionally. The little knowledge I have about Photoshop helps me realize that the women in the magazine are not real! So therefore I do not put the stress on myself about looking "perfect' like they do. Although many people disagree with the photo retouching, it does have a few benefits such as special effects if you’re doing a movie, or just wanting to have one perfect picture of yourself, but i believe strongly that it has gone too far in our society.

Media and its Effects

For me, media plays a huge role in my life. There are bad effects of having media in my life as well as good effects. Some of the bad effects would be me not knowing how to manage my'media diet' properly. I love to listen to music, watch the news, read magazine, listen to the radio, etc. But enough can do damage to my own personal thoughts. The way that it's good for me is hearing and seeing other peoples opinions and reactions to things that are happenening around the world. Media has an effect on just about everyone whether its from watching the news, or reading the paper. I think media plays an important role in our lives and is a good way of bringing us together as one. With this being said one should know how to control their intake of media and know the outer questions such as ' why are the doing that?' , and 'whats going to happen next' . Studying media is a good thing to do so you can be aware of whats around you, because its very popular in the new decade. I think media does not have 100% control over my life, but it certainley does have about 60% of me.