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Final Thoughts
Real talk, this course has been the most eye opening experience of my life (in the academic sense, learning that Santa wasn’t real was pretty rough let’s be honest).
Besides delving in to the topics of Mass Comm, I’ve learnt what the subjects truly represent, how they’re interconnected and how they’re applied.
Taking this course has reaffirmed my passion for communicating, and validated that this is truly what I want to pursue beyond high school. I’m so fascinated by the ways we as humans communicate, and how minor details can add so much to the image as a whole.
Delving into PR especially was captivating, as I don’t know that I ever truly knew what PR was. My fear of singlehandedly destroying a company can now be gone, knowing that there is a team working together to ensure the best public relations possible, and I can finally focus on applying this in my life today, as head of my school newspaper and our online presence, as well as how this can be tackled in daily life.
However the theory behind the branches of Mass Comm was perhaps what fascinated me the most. Though it could seem dull to one who didn’t connect the dots, the more I started to think about it, and apply the theory to real life scenarios, the more I was curious to know.
I started off this course, thirsty for knowledge, and that is far from quenched. However, I also started off with a curiosity, and insecurity, both of which I have come to peace with. Curiosity may have killed the cat, however that hasn’t stopped me from continuing, and finding my passion for communicating through the Mass Comm branches. My insecurity, although not entirely gone, has diminished severely as my passion and daily writing helped me get over my fear of judgment, allowing me to truly pursue this new subject of adoration; Mass Communication.
And I can’t thank you enough for that.
Come at me Mass Comm;
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Public Relations - Crisis Management
Though all groups were incredibly creative and resourceful in coming up with solutions pertaining to their chosen firm, SONY was my favorite. Of all the groups, “Minds of the Future” was the most upfront and clear in presenting their realistic identifications, ideas and solutions, the latter also being impressionably plausible.
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Aggregated Stories in Journalism
http://www.buzzfeed.com/alanwhite/how-a-fake-story-ruined-three-peoples-lives
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Buzzfeed, a curator of everything pop culture, is a platform that not only “reblogs” articles and writes news, it also creates its own videos, the most prominent channel being ‘Buzzfeed Violet’. Buzzfeed Violet creates a plethora of videos, relatable to a larger demographic of the millennial generation.
Essentially, the channel creates skits under names such as “Swimsuit Season is Coming”, “11 Things We Do More Than We Admit”, “Weekday You vs. Weekend You”, and other listicle style videos.
A particular subject that’s been expanded upon in regards to most fan fiction is the relationship between the two characters Ashley and Andrew, better known as #AshDrew.
In fact, a whole site is dedicated to publishing and inspiring fans wishing to write fiction about the two. In this, one will easily see a refocus, where the focus is shifted from the overall group, to particularly Andrew, a character that doesn’t otherwise appear as much in the original skits. The emotional intensification has allowed fans to elaborate on the fact that Ashley and Andrew initially appeared in a few skits as having a crush on each other, where after Andrew started focusing on the tech behind the videos, whilst Ashley continued. Fans decided this wasn’t enough, and thus #AshDrew came to be. The recontextualization allows the fans to fill in the gap between the two, and, although they have denied this to be the case in real life, bring the two together, callings that particular Buzzfeed fandom The Shippers (as in when one “ships” as relationship).
A BuzzFeed Fandom: can we just talk about #ashdrew for a bit
I mean can we just talk about how perf this ship is
look at these cuties at work
like every time I see ashdrew on my dashboard I go YAAAAAAAAS
I mean even BuzzFeed Violet made a 6:47 video focusing on ashdrew you guys
come on
how can you not ship them after this:
and don’t even get me started on their whisper challenge I mean
#practicallydating #practicallymarried
I don’t even know why people still don’t ship this I mean I luxury cruise this
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Modern (Family) TV
As TV becomes less and less melodramatic and more and more just skinning the surface of emotions, this Modern Family episode manages to touch upon the nostalgia of most TV watchers.
By utilizing humor skillfully and wittily the show draws in the audience, making them feel engaged and thus they enjoy the episode (mostly). Furthermore the use of mystery and suspense in the episode invoke curiosity in the viewer, resulting in a feeling of almost addiction, i.e. that they feel they must continue watching, in this case, what happens to the oldest daughter, Haley. Similarly the emotions felt by Claire, Phil, Alex, and the remaining family members are relatable for the viewers, thus also cause them to be able to associate the characters behavior and being with themselves.
Visual representation – adds something both in terms of audiences’ relatability and plot – bc there’s constantly the hanging up and calling the next, Claire can tone family members in and out, not only adding to the climax development but also the sigh of relief the viewer feels after all the suspense that was built up.
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Film: Creating a Storyboard
1. Tracking as the detective walks along the road
2. Over the shoulder looking down at the detective after she has rounded the corner
3. Profile as the detective walks up to the door
4. Over the shoulder, knock on the door. Shot.
5. Reverse. Walking down stairs.
6. Shot. Door that was knocked on is being opened.
7. Establishing shot. Zooming in on lit window in the center.
8. Zooming in until this distance is reached.
9. Cut, following over the shoulder as the girl moves down the stairs.
10. Over the shoulder as the girl looks around.
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11. Girl falls down the stairs.
12. Zooming in on her hand as she lands on the floor.
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The Future of Advertising According to John Green
As communication evolves over time, advertising is perhaps one of the most affected groups. Constantly having to be at the forefront of their industry, coming up with new, innovative ways of communicating a message to their targeted audience, advertisement is adjusting constantly. In today’s society, filled with interactive mediums, allowing endless opportunities for communicating, John Green brings up the subject of targeting vs. engaging. Targeting, what YouTube advertisers currently spend most of their energy and capital on, is comprised of elements such as the ad prior to the video, sponsored content and so forth. Engaging is more like what’s prevalent in “Generation Like”, i.e. engaging fans and investing in the community, making a certain product a part of this community. In fact, community is what Green believes is advertisers’ best bet. By supporting the community, sales will often multiply much faster as the consumer suddenly becomes the biggest promoter, as seen with Abercrombie & Fitch’s success in branding their clothing.
A problem that advertisers face, namely, is that the more digitally focused their ads become, the supposed new platform of ads, the easier it simultaneously is to ignore these ads. Thus, in order for them to reach target audiences easier, engaging and investing in these communities through merch, events, and overall appealing to their habits, the advertisers open up the dialogue and expose their product in a much more efficient manner.
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Photo
Graphic Interchange Formats (GIFs) are a small loop of images typically allowing the viewer to convey the tone of the situation, otherwise limited by the written language.
This particular GIF regards a classic scene from High School Musical 2 as Zac Efron/Troy Bolton sings about something along the lines of everyone being mad at him #thestruggle, however composed to perfection and lyrics flowing like no other because his feelings are just that strong.
The GIF manages to cross culturally communicate this, however with some of a bias towards the American/Disney viewing ideology, as those familiar with the context of the scene will probably appreciate its humor the most.
It also assumes the information that one’s familiar with “brb”, musicals, as well as their overstated emotions and need to break out in perfect song.
One can analyze the GIF through the social, compositional and technological interpretations, as one needs to make sense of what, how and why the GIF is communicating.
What the GIF is suggesting, according to the social interpretation, is essentially the metaphorical violin playing sympathetically to Efron as he rants about his feelings and the hardship of life. This dramatic exaggeration then serves as the signified whilst Efron and the text serve as the signifier. This paradigmatic choice of “brb”, has a connotation of being typically mentioned under the breath such as “brb dying”, and as seen in the GIF, “brb singing about my feelings”. The text thus also serves as an anchorage, being somewhat of a punch line.
The compositional elements are apparent in the spatial organization of Efron and the text being white and in the middle. This white text can therefore also be contrasted with Efron’s dark apparel, and the otherwise neutral, green surroundings. Lastly, the shot distance/POV is from afar highlighting the sense of perspective – and insight to the silliness of the situation – that the viewer is presented.
Zac Efron in High School Musical 2
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Why Mass Comm?
more like why not
“And this year’s ‘Sharkie Award’ goes to the girl that so remarkably portrayed human transformation in less than two minutes…” And for a fleeting moment, I thought, “this is what I want to do”. For me, a child of three mother-tongues, I learned early on that expression is both an art and a science. Expression, combined with language choice is where art begins.
The summer of my sophomore year, I attended Brown University’s journalism course. I started on my quest for journalism, interviewing Matt Bai – then New York Times Magazine writer – and solidified my interest in creative expression. Having always loved words and putting them together, my deep appreciation of writing crystallized. Bai later became a mentor to me, coaching me through my transformation to digital journalism.
Knowing that digital journalism was the path which I wished to travel, I furthered my journey to Stanford’s Newsroom by the Bay digital journalism program. I found my passion for digital communication, as I combined it with my need to fit in, or rather, to ”Change It Up”. This is where I created my project by the same name (bit.ly/ChangeItUpStanford), documenting the human transformation and condition; why embracing change rather than shying away from it is so crucial, something I related to deeply as I myself was in the midst of moving from Amsterdam to Washington D.C. I continued the project from Palo Alto, CA to rural Muhanga, Rwanda (bit.ly/ChangeItUpRwanda) as I tried to understand what effect change had on the lives of us humans, regardless of our economic, educational and social standpoint. This project shaped me so tremendously, as, besides winning the camp’s “Sharkie Award” for outstanding achievement, leadership and initiative, it also led me onwards with one of my deepest passions: the future of communications.
I took ‘Mass Communication’ because I wanted to know more; trapped between the moving walls of making a choice before high school draws to an end, my choice seemed crystal clear, yet I couldn’t be more frantic about whether I was making the right decision. Is communication really what I want to pursue? Which branch of ‘Mass Communication’ do I want to delve into anyway? How do I even know that this is something I’m interested in when I’ve never taken a class that even touches upon the subject beyond journalism?!
All those questions and choices brought me to BU. I’m here to solidify my interest; my desire for more; thirsty for knowledge. I have a love for communicating and spending hours pinpointing exactly which word is missing or would describe the situation better. Words that don’t exist in English frustrate me to no end. I wouldn’t have that if I didn’t know those words in other languages. I’m way too fascinated with people’s stories to write them down and keep taking notes. That’s why I love to film that experience and share it with others too.
I have a love for communicating. Communicating through all subjects that go under the umbrella of ‘Mass Communication’. My role as the online editor, and now editor in chief, of my school newspaper has allowed me to be in charge of the PR, social media, and everything digital, ensuring that the online paper functions at its best, only deepening my passion for the subject of digital communication. However as much as I love that task, I, still, want to know more. I want to master my social media and PR skills – how do I handle a crisis? How do I carefully word public statements? How do I get the message out there in an efficient manner?
Overall what I hope to get out of the course is simply to learn and absorb as much as I can. I want to know more about ‘Mass Communication’, what it entails, whether this is right for me, or what else may be.
To me, this is a decision point and I hope that this course will help me decide which path I truly wish to travel.
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