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Week 16 Rumination

This week's discussions centered on how humankind has utilized media and corporations to expand culture and irreparably affect the world's ecosystem. Globally, the landscape has been permanently affected by man-made constructions and art, which can be both beneficial and detrimental. Initially using ancient techniques like metal and wood prints, image circulation had to develop over time. Next came the Gutenberg press, followed by lithography and half-toning, which brought us to the point where everything is mass produced and practically all images can be found online today. Many improvements were made at the end of the 20th century to broaden and speed up the process of the distribution of images, including the use of digital processes and the development of the internet. The abundance thesis focuses on the staggering amount of content and how it is reproduced to reach an ever-increasing audience, and the power thesis focuses on how media reflects global power dynamics and is governed by the highest and most powerful members of society. These two theses are related to the globalization and expansion of images. With the end of the cold war came the globalization of media and images, which was characterized by an increase in cross-border migration, the development of international marketplaces for trade, the emergence of multinational corporations, etc. Nations also started to increase their influence through "soft power," which was the ability for one country to infiltrate the political philosophy of another country through communications communicated across borders that can encourage people in nations with different economic systems to trust and embrace capitalism. As a result of globalization, people may now share their opinions, ideas, and businesses on a much wider scale. This includes all facets of life, including music, television, art, literature, and film.

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Week 14 Rumination

This week in class, we discussed scientific looking and chapter 9 of Sturken & Cartwright. This chapter sounded like it would be interesting to learn about. I found it interesting to read about the many imaging technologies used in the twenty-first century and how technology has developed in the past. One of the first subjects we covered in class was the invention of Boeing Man, one of the earliest three-dimensional human models to be rendered by a computer. This technology was developed for tech-related social objectives and to simulate an aviation cockpit. Anatomical and surgical theaters were my favorite topic to read about. We discovered that one of the earliest depictions of a human as a symbol of nature in the universe was da Vinci's Vitruvius man. This image, which was produced for both technical and artistic reasons, is highly well-liked. I have frequently seen this picture in public places like schools. The anatomy theaters was another subject that I thought was related and fascinating. While they dissected and operated on the bodies of criminals, these were utilized to instruct and amuse the students. The notion of dead bodies and the morbidity of a crime fascinated people. Although we no longer have anatomical theaters, body museums are a very similar concept. A good illustration is the picture of a skinless pregnant woman lying in an unusual position in the museum. The Body Worlds Exhibit features this artwork, which has raised many moral dilemmas. I now know much more about the various ways the human body has been understood and discovered throughout history thanks to this week's conversation. Although I've never really gotten into technology and the human body, it was interesting to learn about. I thought it was quite instructive, and I appreciated all the cases we looked at and talked about.

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Week 13 Rumination

This week, we discussed chapter 8, which included rhetorical still life. The Obama Hope picture was the topic of our lengthy conversation. This image of former president Barrack Obama is very recognizable. We discussed the various interpretations that the same photo was used to create in the remixes, as well as how each remix was created. One instance is when the model walked down the runway while sporting the famous image. The author had no clue how this picture would go viral. Although there were many wonderful ways that this picture was seen, there were also some drawbacks. We discussed the Obama Hope portrait that had been transformed into a zombie in class. People that disagree with him supported this picture to express their feelings. I honestly really enjoyed and could understand this week's chapter. I enjoy learning about subjects that have been around for a while, especially since I can now understand the information much better.

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Rumination week 12

This week we talked about modernity, postmodernity, pastiche, and parody. Parody interested me, because for some reason this old movie called Enchanted came to my mind. I had forgotten about this movie that i had loved when i was younger, but for some reason it had popped in my head.Parody is to create an amusingly inflated replica of a genre, artist, or writer.This movie is about an animated princess is introduced into the live-action world by an evil queen, a Disney fairy tale is brought to life in contemporary Manhattan.Through the use of live-action filming, conventional animation, and computer-generated images, the movie pays homage to and parodies Disney's animated films in a number of different ways.

#rumination #visual communication #parody #enchanted

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Week 11 Rumination

Materialism has grown and grown in different ways over the years. Back then, nobody cared about what they wore or brands and now it has become so big that it can affect people's mental state if they can't afford or wear certain brands when that is considered popular and trendy to society. According to S&C, being authentic and not "conforming" to any particular brand or any brand at all becomes a brand in and of itself. Though it initially perplexed me, I was eventually able to appreciate what the authors were getting at with their use of instances with more reading. If a person does not own name-brand goods, society has been programmed to view them in one of a range of ways. They will be perceived by society as being either poor or unable to buy name-brand products or they risk being perceived by society as someone who chooses to defy the "social norm" by avoiding all brand-name purchases. It is sad to see that the textbook calls "self-branding " is having your own unique style and wearing your own brands you like not just what the trends are in a particular time is not "in" these days. These illustrations and justifications of brand culture and self-branding, in my opinion, are crucial to the further justification and definition of these concepts. But I also believe that society has learnt to categorize everything because people are afraid of being left in the dark, rather than just accepting things as they are. Think about it with Dior, Marc Jacobs, Lululemon, there are many other off brand items that are the exact same as these brands. For example, I got a Marc Jacobs perfume for over $100 once and compared it to a similar scent from target that was $15 and I ended up figuring out they smelled the exact same one was just a name brand the other wasn't. A lot of times people can be judged for using off brand and the less cheaper brand when brands can be the exact same material or scent, whatever it is and depending on the brand and popularity it's considered what is cool in society and if you don't have those particular brands, you aren't considered a normal person to society or a popular person, etc.