The Media and The Miss USA Pageant

The Media Representation of the Miss USA Pageant 

This past Sunday, The Miss USA Pageant aired live from Louisiana. In previous years, I never paid much attention to the pageant itself, but more the results of the pageant. However, now that I have participated in several pageants and have taken several communication courses, I was interested in how the media represented the program. 

Overall, I wasn't overly impressed by the pageant. There was a lot of instances in which the way the young women were filmed and portrayed made them seem uneducated. It seemed as if they were marketed more as objects rather than, people. First, they often would cut to commercial breaks featuring the girls dancing or posing provocatively. Second, the judges would mention in interviews that the whole pageant was really based off of beauty and nothing else. Third, the women were required to compete in a swimsuit portion in the contest. Before the actual individual competition, the women came on stage and performed a scandalous group dance in their swimsuits. Finally, there is no talent portion to this contest. It is solely based off of poise,facial beauty, and physical fitness.It was evident that the judges and the company itself stresses the fact that women must be close to perfect. 

On another note, it is interesting to note that E!news who is a sponsor of the pageant and shares hosts with the pageant released an article focusing on Miss Indiana and her body type. They took a positive approach to her "normal" body type and complimented her endlessly. It is weird to me that E! would take this stance against a company they support. 


In short, I have nothing against the Miss USA Pageant and I think it presents many opportunities for women all around the country and world. 

Are There Solutions to Cyber Bullying?

It's both a gift and a curse to live in a time in which personal computers are considered normal, and in some cases a necessity. By the end of high school,I feel as if most teenagers have purchased or have received their own personal computer. Thus, teens all over can be connected to their online social lives just by the click of a few buttons.

Throughout high school, I noticed that cyber bullying was a huge issue. I recall my junior year was particularly bad; as people w would send viral text messages discussing the most recent "Facebook fight" or aggressive status updates. These altercations would often start with one person, and then as time went on more people would join in, adding hurtful comments or defending their friend. 

Our school tried to solve this problem in multiple ways. First, they had their own Facebook account and attempted to add most of the student population. They felt that this would help them survey all online activity. If they found a picture, comment, or status, inappropriate, they would call you into the office. Often times, it was hard for the school to find everything everyone was doing on Facebook. And not to mention, it was obvious who the administration was on Facebook. Next, they would hold occasional assemblies. I felt as if these were least effective because the only reason students were excited to attend assemblies is because they got to miss class. Finally, our school had to implement a hotline in which parents could anonymously call in, leave a message regarding any inappropriate behavior or bullying issues and the school ensured impose the proper consequences. More often than not,I found my peers were uncomfortable with their parents complaining. 

There was also one instance, in which a friend of mine printed out a Facebook fight she was involved in a took to the office in hopes of putting an end to her on going cyber bullying experience. The school didn't do anything about this issue except issued a detention for the bully. My friend was even mocked for going to the office with her parents; she was looked at as being a "baby" and immature.

Overall, I haven't quite decided what the solution to cyber bullying is. It is hard to imagine being able to put an end to this issue all together, as a whole.    

Communication City: What Does Art Say About Our Culture?

This past winter term I was enrolled in Intercultural Communication; a course that shared much about communicating within the American culture, but also communicating cross culturally as well. Overall, I was able to learn things about communication and different cultures that I would never know if it weren't for Intercultural Communication. Not only did this class teach me things I can apply to my every day life, but it was also possibly one of the most interesting classes I have taken at North Central thus far. With that being said, I wanted to dedicate this particular blog post to focusing on a specific lecture from this communications course.

About half way through Intercultural Communications, we started discussing the topic of art and how it relates to particular cultures. We focused on the different types of arts in a variety of cultures and we looked at what these photographs, sculptures, and paintings shared about the culture to the outside world. It was argued that one way an American could grasp and learn the values and beliefs of the Nepali culture was by simply looking at a portrait or painting done by an prominent artist, and vise versa.This notion brings me to my main point.

The pictures below are sections from digital art called Communication City, by the artist group eBoy. Carefully observe the pictures, zoom in on particular parts, and perhaps Google the full picture. Then, ask yourself, "What does this piece of art say about the American culture"?

Blog Prompt 2: Is Our Soceity Addicted to Google?

I use Google in some way, shape, or form everyday.
Even right now, I am blogging only because of Google.

Until this prompt was posted, I had no idea how often I used Google. However, in order to fully answer the question asked in the prompt, I came to the conclusion that I must deeply reflect on how often I use Google on a day to day basis. The result: I use the search engine way more than I thought and probably way more than I should. I found that I would "Google" almost anything and everything; I would search addresses to businesses, I would search for more information on recent news, and even search how to spell basic words. Furthermore, I realized that most of my classes and school activities used g-mail, Blogger, and Google Docs to help us exchange information and communicate effectively.

In short, I have come to the realization that our society is not addicted to the search engine, but rather our society has become too reliant on it. Without Google,  we could survive, yet it would be difficult for us to do so. We would have to revert back to our old ways of communication and old ways of gathering information. This might be an issue for our culture today, as we have gotten acclimated to the fast pace tempo the internet offers us.  

Blog Prompt 1: A Personal Reflection

For our first blog post, SPC 260 was called to closely read an interview conducted by Rebecca Blood. After, we were instructed to write and reflect on our own personal reactions to the interview.

At first, I did a quick scan through each of the interviews, not knowing which one to pick. I was unable to identify  interview subjects and had no idea what each interview was even about. Finally, by random, I chose to read the interview with Tiffany B. Brown. Almost immediately after I started reading her interview, I began to regret which link I clicked. I found my mind wandering as I began to think of things like "What time is practice again" or "What should I eat for dinner"? But, as the interview continued, my attention shifted back to the article as Rebecca Blood prompted Tiffany Brown with more interesting questions.

While reading on, I discovered that I was wrong in my initial judgment of this interview. This interview isn't boring or ordinary. In fact, it is quite the opposite. For starters, the format of the interview itself is unique. Rebecca Blood interviews fellow bloggers about blogging. This is an approach to an interview I would have never thought of. In addition, the format also provides readers with a chance to read up on a subject matter that interests them. Instead of reading a step by step instruction guide, this interview provides those who want to know all about blogging with the right answers. For instance, from this interview I learned several new things about creating and running a blog. First, I found that running a blog is a real time commitment. In the interview, Brown with the right inspiration it is easy for her to update her blog multiple times a day. However, in an average week she updates her blog every two to three days. I knew that blogs took patience and time, but I was unaware having a blog is almost like having a second job. Next, I discovered that enabling comments and feedback is pertinent to blog popularity and increase in traffic. Initially, I wasn't fond on the notion of allowing comments, yet this interview allowed me to realize that everyone wants to have a voice and provide their personal opinion or experience with the subject. Allowing members of the community to do so sparks conversation and then brings attention to your blog. Finally, I learned that blogging can lead to opportunity. Gone are the days where blogging is just a hobby, now blogging can to lead to new employment opportunities. Tiffany Brown writes that blogging is a way of self-promotion and I could not agree with this idea more.

Overall, I liked reading this interview. It was rough to get into at the start, but once I continued to read my interest started to grow. I am glad I was introduced to an interview about blogging because it provided me with information and tips I can apply to my own blog and future career.