Media 111 – Module 10 – Weekly Essay

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My Final Thoughts on H2G2

Before I took this course, I had only ever briefly heard of the “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”. I had never experienced the story. I’ll admit, when I first started reading the book, it seemed confusing, and not my type of read. However, as I progressed through it, it started to grow on me. It wasn’t after finishing the book, watching the film, and reading up on the influence and impact it has had over the years, that I really began to realize how special this story truly was. The story parodies our natural, endless, undying pursuit of knowledge. Our thirst for information is ingrained in our very nature. We don’t like not knowing the answers to our questions.

The H2G2 device that Ford Prefect is updating throughout his galactic travels also bears great resemblance with something that we use in real life to this day. It’s all around us. We all use it almost every day. The internet. The worldwide web is basically humanity’s version of the H2G2 and we are all constantly contributing to it in our own way. Scientific research, customer experiences, many different forms of art, statistics, and data are just a handful of examples of things that are contributed to our version of the H2G2 on a daily basis.

Douglas Adams’ story has touched many people and has what you could call a cult-following. The story has been reproduced in many different mediums including radio, television, and film. I would highly recommend this book to others! To this day, whenever I am in a stressful situation, I calmly tell myself, “Just don’t panic, Jesse.”

Media 111 – Module 9 – Weekly Essay

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My Responsibility as a Citizen

As a dignified citizen of the Milky Way galaxy, I feel like it is my responsibility to not only respect and embrace others from where I live in the United States on Earth, but to also respect and embrace others who live in different countries, on different planets, or in different galaxies! It’s important to be proud of where we live and what kind of culture or traditions we have, however, we should always remain open-minded and know that these norms and traditions can differ greatly in other areas. That’s a good thing, though! Diversity is awesome! Imagine how boring we would be if the entire galaxy was populated by American humans?? It would probably be destroyed by now. I feel like it also vital that we be open to change and willing to adapt to policies that allow our home to become a place where people of all walks of life have the opportunity to grow, flourish, and comfortably enjoy their lives.

One of the places I have discovered along my galactic travels, is Finland, another country on my home planet of Earth. Finland is a beautiful country! It is known for being the happiest country on the planet, according to an insider.com article by Theresa Christine.1 The article states that Finland has held first place in the World Happiness Report for the last four years! I highly recommend reading the article. It goes on to state that Finland is known for it’s universal healthcare, highly literate population, well-mannered citizens, and one of the best education systems in the world!

If the time ever comes where I feel the desire to move out of the United States, I know exactly where I am moving to now!

Helsinki, Finland. Panoramic View Of Pier, Embankment On Kanavaranta Street, Uspenski Cathedral And Pohjoisranta Street In Evening Illuminations. Photo by Grigory Bruev. Sourced from Adobe Stock.

References:

1.) Christine, Theresa. What it’s Like to Live in Finland, the Happiest Country in the World, 31 Mar. 2021,

https://www.insider.com/life-in-finland-happiest-country-2019-6

Also check out:

https://worldhappiness.report/ed/2022/happiness-benevolence-and-trust-during-covid-19-and-beyond/#ranking-of-happiness-2019-2021

Media 111 – Module 8 – Weekly Essay

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The Animation That Changed My Life

An animated video that I believe enhanced my life would be one that I found on YouTube from the American Museum of Natural History when I was younger where the camera is focused on Earth, but then zooms all the way out to the edge of the observable universe. I was completely blown away by this! I was absolutely fascinated.

I grew up going to church on and off with my parents. I can’t say I was as devout as others, but I believed that there was a God who was watching and listening to us. As I became older, I started to question that more. I started to wonder why there wasn’t any physical proof of something that so many people were convinced existed. After watching this video, it really made me wonder. It made me realize just how insignificant we really are in the grand scheme of things. Our planet is essentially a speck of dust in an overwhelmingly vast sea of nothingness, yet some of us claim that it was all designed and built around us, for us, by some divine being. There are billions of other galaxies out there. Each one of those galaxies contains billions of different stars, which can all have their own solar system and planets.

Watching this animation got me interested in science and space. I then discovered people like Richard Dawkins, Neil Degrasse Tyson, Lawrence Krauss, Christopher Hitchins, and Sam Harris. Today, I fully identify as an athiest. I strongly believe that religion and deities are things that humanity has fabricated ourselves due to the inability to go through life not knowing why we are here or where we go afterwards .I have a different line of thinking. I think as a species, we naturally tend to think too much of ourselves. We cannot imagine our existence without there being some meaningful purpose or reason for it. I can imagine that. I also don’t have a problem with it. I am perfectly okay with all of this happening by some random chance and just making the best of it while I’m here on this planet. I don’t need to believe in a magical being or a place in the afterlife in order to have a moral code and behave while I am alive.

When it comes down to it, I am glad that I have the views I have today. They are liberating. It’s quite possible that I wouldn’t have the views I have today if I hadn’t have watched the aforementioned animation.

Media 111 – Module 7 – Weekly Essay

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Movement in Film & Video

You learn something new everyday! I had no idea that Vincent Van Gogh, the famous artist, struggled with mental illness. Not only this, but he incorporated something into his works of art that nobody else had done before, probably without even realizing it! He was able to display fluid turbulence in his paintings. This baffled many brilliant minds for years to come. Van Gogh wasn’t anybody special. Some of his most famous work was created while he was a guest at an asylum! This shows that anybody can go on to be produce great works, no matter what your story is. This is definitely inspirational. If I was trying to create content that inspired and moved people, I would try to create unique works of art.

The same goes for movement in film and video. The viewer is given a chance to see that anything is possible if you put your mind to it and great things can happen sometimes to any one of us if we are willing to put in the effort. Those great things can even happen by accident as well! The story of the invention of the Post-It note was a great example of this. Go out there, be yourself, and inspire!

Media 111 – Module 4 – Weekly Essay

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Bad Photoshop and Star Wars Innovation

Right-wing propagandist view of Biden's America vs. Trump's America
Right-wing propagandist view of Biden’s America vs. Trump’s America.

Influence via Photoshop – 

First off, I would like to begin by saying that I am a very non-political person and am not taking any sides here. I consider myself to be a centrist. I personally feel like using Photoshop to influence individuals to vote a certain way, is completely inappropriate, biased, and unfair. I would go as far as saying this photo is right-wing propaganda. For starters, I feel like we have seen events from both sides of the image happen under both of the different presidents’ tenures. I remember a time when cities were on fire under Trump. I also know there have been happy times under Biden. Both of these individuals have their ups and downs, pros and cons. Something else that really stands out about how this was photoshopped is how the “artist” manipulated colors and levels. You can see on Biden’s side it’s very dark and gloomy, while on Trump’s side it’s very bright and warm. This work of art sends a biased and one-sided message. I feel like biased and one-sided messages can influence people in negative ways.

How Art Advances Technology – 

Art advances technology. In the case of Star Wars, it would appear that the brothers, John and Thomas Knoll, came up with the desire and drive to create Photoshop because they needed a program that would better and more efficiently help them express their works of art. Over the years, as Photoshop is used more and more, other artists find areas that are lacking or come up with new ideas of features to add to the software that would help them with their art. I am just using Photoshop as an example here. I would say that this concept applies to innovative technological advances in the arts as a whole.

Media 111 – Module 3 – Weekly Essay

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Color Use and Challenges

For starters, the infographic provided on this page really helped me compare UX with UI in a whole new light, but yes, color absolutely makes a difference! The whole idea behind universal design (UD) is that there be ease of access. The product should be developed with everybody in mind. Anyone should be able to access it and use it without hitting roadblocks. The goal is to make it as easy to use as possible.

One of the things that makes it easier to use is using colors properly. There a decent percentage of people out there who have some form of colorblindness. This makes it harder or them to distinguish between different colors. We want to keep that in mind when drawing up our color palettes for projects. We want to avoid using colors that are commonly associated with colorblindness right next to each other because they can blend with each from a colorblind individual’s perspective. We also want to make sure that we also use a high contrast color palette. This makes it easier for the user to read and see information.

It sounds like the UX contributor would be more responsible for the basic framework of the product while the UI contributor would be more in charge of the graphic design portion. Therefore, the urgency of color usage is probably more pertinent to the UI professional, but is still important for the UX designer to keep in mind. The proper use of colors in the interface design also help create and embolden a company’s branding identity and make the product more appealing to the user. This creates a more memorable experience, therefore could lead to the consumer recommending it to another potential user. 

Colors can have meaning or messages of their own. Especially in the aspect of product and company branding. I feel that the GPP of a robot could relate to it’s color because it may influence their general overall attitude and moods. For example: if the robot was gray or blue, maybe it would have a depressed personality? If the robot was red, maybe it could be angry or dangerous. If it was green, it could be happy and go-lucky. Maybe not. Maybe I’m wrong about that and there is a better answer to that. You be the judge!

Media 275 – Module 10 – Social Media Marketing Assessment

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When it comes to being a metaliterate prosumer and a good digital citizen, I feel I have learned how to be responsible, respectful, and accountable in my methods of delivery and engagement on a social media level. I have learned how to do this using a variety of tools such as Facebook, Instagram, Blogging via WordPress, and so on.

https://www.hermannbros.com
www.facebook.com/hermannbros

I was already using WordPress to build and maintain the website for Hermann Brothers Logging & Construction. However, during this class, I have increased my knowledge and skill with the platform tenfold. I built my own personal blog with WordPress and incorporated some widgets into it as well as linked social media accounts. Now, I can write about something and share my feelings with my audience there as well as my audience on twitter. I can do this with the click of a button!

www.instagram.com/hermannbros
https://www.linkedin.com/company/hermann-brothers-logging-&-construction-inc./

I am proud to say that since beginning this class, I have enriched and strengthened my social media marketing strategy and have created ads for Facebook, Instagram, and more, and had unbelievable results from it. I am directly and effectively interacting and engaging with a community of commercial truck drivers who may potentially be interested in coming to work for Hermann Brothers thanks to the insight I have gained from this course.

Hermann Bros. Facebook Ad

Media 275 – Module 10 – Weekly Essay

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What Has Changed For Me?

I can’t say that a whole lot has changed for me since I started this course. I feel like I had already put in a lot of the work in my social media effort before this class. However, I feel that my knowledge has been expanded and my skills have been refined. I have learned how to use new social media platforms that I had no idea how to use before. Learning how to use these new platforms will help me expand my social media presence and audience.

During this course, I have also learned how to engage my audience and connect with them on a more effective level. I have learned new tools and techniques when it comes to my social media endeavors. I have learned that there is a difference between marketing and advertising, and what that difference is. I learned the importance of creating meaningful content for my audience instead of always trying to sell them something.

I must say that I learned a lot from the required textbooks for this course. I still have lots of reading to do in them both, but I have already learned how to use a template when creating a social media marketing strategy and how to build a unique blogging site with the power of WordPress. I am very thankful for all that I have learned in this course from the instructors, the classmates, and the readings!

Media 275 – Module 8 – Weekly Essay

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“My Perception of Social Media”

My perception of social media has not changed much since taking this class, for the most part anyway. I was already well aware of the benefits and capabilities of having a strong social media presence and marketing strategy. However, I have learned of new various tools and methods to employ in my own personal strategy. I very much plan on using these tools in my management and strategy when it comes to the professional business accounts of Hermann Brothers.

Two main things I’d like to touch on. The first is blogging. I had no idea how useful of a tool blogging could be, or how it really even worked in the first place. Taking this course, along with Intro to Digital Video, has forced me to utilize WordPress and become an amateur blogger. By using this feature, in conjunction with the reading of the required textbooks, has taught me a lot and given me the drive and desire to keep blogging, even after I am done with the college courses.

In this class, I have also learned of many new social media platforms that I was not previously aware of. I have also learned about how they work and the benefits of using them. I am particularly interested in a few of these applications including, but not limited to, Twitter, Flipboard, and Pinterest. I am very excited to play around with these a little more once I have some more free time on my hands.