My Class with Janet Jackson

For this blog, we were asked to read Carl Jung's book, Man and His Symbols. Jung discusses the symbolism in dreams and how we "work out" what we don't deal with in our real life. Our assignment was to write about a dream we had and then discuss some of the symbolism we thought our "unconscious" is trying to tell us.

My dream starts off with me at a gym. The colors of the gym are primarily blue with mirrors strategically put around the walls so people can see themselves working out. I don't see anyone else around the gym. But, it feels as if there are people around somewhere. The gym contains the usual workout equipment and it feels as if it is a big gym that is multi-level. I walk up some stairs to the second floor and discover that I've entered the area where they have a studio with mirrors in the front where classes are taught. Being in fitness, I'm use to seeing this in places I've worked. This particular setup was more of a nightclub that was an open area with a DJ area near the front of the studio. I look around the space and see that people are waiting for a class to start. The sun is shining on the studio floor and I feel a warmth coming through the open doors beyond the workout area. I then realize that I'm the teacher for the class and it's a hip hop style dance class. Then, I proceed to get my music ready. I approach the stereo to test my music and suddenly notice that the studio is filling up with more students. In the center of all the people is Janet Jackson! I begin to sweat nervously, but feel that I can handle the situation. Being a huge fan, I decide that I'm going to play one of her songs. But, then feel that she might get embarrassed and more importantly, I'll look like I'm trying to impress her. I notice the clock on the wall and it's 11:00 am. For some reason, I'm unable to find my music and a stir from the students begins to get my attention. They realize that I can't find my music or something is wrong with the stereo. I start sweating. I think about Plan B. But, I really don't have a Plan B! I look up at the clock and it's now 11:10 am. Still, can't find my music and Janet Jackson is staring at me. I try and figure out what I'm going to do. Thoughts pass through my head... should I make something up? Should I get someone from the front desk to help me? Should I talk to Janet Jackson and ask her for help? I sweat more. I'm calm but embarrassed that I can't get it together. I look up and now people are starting to leave. I look at the clock and it's now 11:20 am. I haven't said anything but I'm hoping that they can tell I'm trying to figure the music out. I'm pressing buttons and turning the power switch on and off. Still nothing. Thoughts run through my head that Janet Jackson is going to say something to her friends that the teacher couldn't get it together. I try and stay calm throughout the ordeal and wonder if this is really happening.

I wake up.

I frown.

I shake my head in disbelief.

I laugh at the thought of Janet Jackson.

I laugh at the thought that I was teaching a dance class to Janet Jackson.

I go back to sleep.

Analysis:
There were a lot of symbols that showed up in my dream. First, the building. I work at a couple of health clubs. But, this gym was multi-level and painted blue. I think this gym represents me. Or maybe my own house for my thoughts about who I am. The mirrors are times that I reflect on my actions and my affect on those around me. Second, one of my fears is relying on technology to work for me. I sometimes get obsessed with checking to see if my computer is on or if the television is working properly. As stupid as they may seem, I still do it. Third, Janet Jackson being in my dream was just weird. Like I said, I'm a big fan and I think I might have been listening to one of her songs before I went to sleep. Or maybe I thought of someone who reminds me of her. In any case, I enjoy her music and her dancing. I always thought it would be cool if I danced with her. Well, I tried at least in my dream. But, the sad part was that the technology wasn't working and I couldn't show off my moves to her. Fourth, the people in the room I believe were people who know me and always support me even at my lowest points. The people in the class weren't mad but they were concerned, just like my friends and family. There was also some feelings of regret. Feelings that I wasn't able to do my best. I think that's one thing that I stress about in life. I try very hard to do many things. I want to be good at everything and sometimes it feels frustrating that I can't do it all!

I didn't give it much thought until writing this blog. It's weird, but I think when we think about what we dream, it gives us a different look at what's happening when we're awake. Sometimes the dreams can be funny or scary. But, I think our unconscious mind does speak to us especially in our dreams!

The Code Revisited

After reading Hall's complete lecture, I wanted to come back and embellish more of my thoughts about how I felt about his view.

I agree with Hall that communication is power and those with the power are able to get their messages out to the world. Youtube is a perfect example of a medium that uses it power to connect others with their product. I've had countless conversations with friends about what video is the most watched video from week to week. In addition, we have discussions about what the most popular videos are and why.

Youtube has proven that it has power over us.

But, have we let them control us without our knowing it? Of course, we have! We are a society and generation that relies on media that is fast and quick. We want to be entertained immediately. If we aren't, we quickly move to something that does.

In many ways, Youtube satisfies our need to a quick fix of moving pictures that capture our senses. We are constantly bombarded with videos of people doing things we like, wished we could do, or never imagined doing in our lifetime.

I think the problem our society faces is finding meaning in these images. I worry that Youtube connects people on a superficial level rather than the deep connection we get when we are face to face with someone else. Besides, are the images we see so important to us that we spend countless hours watching them over and over again?

Overall, I think Youtube has changed how we view images in our society. I think it has enabled people to "connect" in ways that we have never done before. But, do these images truly represent who we are or are they just a way to entertain us?

Personally, I think the images represent who we are as a society. We have created this world to satisfy the desire to show the world our personal lives that we weren't able to do in the past. We have now identified with each other that our world is just as diverse as it has always been. But, more than ever, we are exposed to images we have only dreamed about.

Time will tell if our new discovery can take on more than it can chew!!

Concession:
While Rosen argues that viewers of Youtube are mindlessly watching, Hall believes that the viewer is constantly making personal judgements and decisions as to the content and meaning of what they see.

What's the Code?

I just finished reading Stuart Hall's Encoding and Decoding and compared it to Youtube.

Youtube has become a communicative event as Hall stated. Overnight, Youtube has linked groups of people together by showing videos of different worlds, places and people to the masses. I've been able to see things from other countries that I would have never seen without it. Unlike Rosen, the message is something we can't ignore. We are actively engaged in the process of watching videos. We get to choose what videos we want to watch and when we want to watch them. In addition, we can pick our favorites and even post our own videos.

Youtube is both a sender and receiver of information. We have used the medium to connect people into our lives that normally wouldn't be in it. We can get information from everything from the medical field to silly pet videos. I know that I watch it to learn the latest headline news, sports and comedic shows.

Hall asks, "What is content?"

Content is the story that Youtube gives us. There are millions of stories that people are exposed to. I know for myself how I enjoy watching a video only to find myself watching a link to another video. Suddenly, 2 hours have gone by and I wonder what happened with the time. Youtube links many stories together that pull people in to watch. It's not uncommon to have discussions about the content on Youtube. In a way, Youtube has built a community of viewers on not only a local scale, but an international one too!

Hall talks about how the representation of violence on television isn't violence but messages about violence. I thought this was interesting because I know that when I watch violent things on television, I am able to identify if something is violent or not. Scary music, dark lighting, or even nervous actors pretending to be scared, give the viewer the clues to identify violent messages. In addition, our interpretation of these messages is what we have been conditioned to base our decisions on. Now, with reality television, the viewer is exposed even more to the dysfunction of our society and have become desensitized to it's effects.

This leads me into what Hall says that, "Certain codes may be naturalized in to us over time". This is because they give you certain codes that make us think that we are looking at the actually object we are naming. We have been so accustomed to images around us that we have begun to develop certain ideas about objects in our lives. Again, we have been conditioned to agree with what is in front of us as fact because we don't question what we have been brought up to know as truth. Hall's example was the winter sweater advertisement. I agree with Hall and believe I've fallen into this mind-set even without my knowing it. As Hall states, we have identified and decoded a certain number of signs and put them in a creative relation between themselves and with other signs.

Hall finishes his discussion with 3 hypothetical positions. Each one offers ways we have adapted to watching media around us.

The dominant-henemonic positon is about the media operating with certain rules. Their job is to show images within a range for people to absorb and learn from.

The negotiated code is built around certain parameters that the message must be in. The focus is to understand what is right and wrong about what the images are.

The oppositional code is based on showing the opposite of what the viewers actually want.

I think all 3 positions offer a construct for us to look at media in a new way. After reading some of their definitions, I was struck with the idea that we move back and forth from each position. I think in that way, it helps to keep our minds active and our focused on what we really want in our lives.

I need my iphone...

After examining many different forms of media and what really spoke to me, I thought of the iphone. I was reluctant to get the iphone because a lot of my friends had the phone. 2 years ago, I had the Motorola Razor. I thought this was the best phone because I could get everything I needed. I used that phone everywhere I went and thought I was so cool. Not a lot of people had it at the time so I felt very “in”.

Fast forward to the introduction of the iphone.

I remember hearing how this new phone would be the best phone ever invented. Some of my friends actually stood in line to get their phone so they could be the first ones to get it. I thought it was all hype and ridiculous because I thought that a phone couldn’t get any better. For the next few months, my friends raved and bragged about their iphone and how they couldn’t live without it.

Well, you know what happened…

My phone died and I was forced to get a new phone. The phone representative told me how great the iphone was and persuaded me to get one.

Wow, was I impressed and amazed!! I had a phone that could do more than my dinosaur phone. The best part was that I could now talk to all my friends about how I couldn’t live without out my phone and how I understood what they were talking about.

These days, our world is inundated with commercials about the iphone and how great it is. I couldn’t agree anymore about this. The phone does everything I need and it’s really cool. Actually, it’s very cool!! I truly believe that I have been influenced by the media to purchase this product. The ads have given true meaning to what having an iphone gives me. Plus, the commercials reinforce why I have to have this phone in my life. I think everyone should have an iphone. That’s the way to go and to be cool.

Have the images from the media seduced me to buy the iphone? I think so! I love that the commercials tell me how to use it in different ways that I haven’t even explored. The commercials are short. It’s almost like a short tutorial about the product. Everytime I see a commercial or an ad, I pay attention because I think I might learn something.

The iphone has trained me to be a dedicated user to them. I wonder what they will come out with next to help me on this communication adventure?

I need my iphone 4G!!!

What You See Isn't What You Always Get?

After reading The Image Culture by Christine Rosen, I was struck with the idea that what you see is not always what you get! Throughout history, society has been tricked into thinking that what they saw in photos was reality. But, the truth, was that many photos have been altered to sway the public into thinking the way some governments want to be portrayed. This makes me think about how many times I have been fooled into thinking a photograph was real when it was fabricated to sway my thoughts about it.

She continues to discuss how catastrophes around the world are suddenly given to us as if we are there. It isn't uncommon these days to see natural disasters or the struggles people face. In the past, we were reluctant to see these events unless we read the paper. Now, our lives are filled with visions and pictures of people and events we wouldn't even be aware of. Everyday, our society has become filled with pictures that we have become desensitized to the actual severity of what is in front of us. I think this has made us believe that these problems aren't as bad as they really are. More importantly, we are now so reluctant to care about the world unless we feel it is an emergency.

She talks about Photoshop and how it has become the norm of our lives. Again, what we see isn't what is really there. Since Photoshop was invented, new pictures of people and places have come up that are based more on a perfected reality rather than the mundane reality we live in on a daily basis. Magazines in stores are filled with people who are suppose to be the perfect ideal. They are shaped, colored and contoured so that they represent the perfect human being. I fear, that while this image may sell magazines, it misleads the consumer to believe that these people are perfect. The fact is we are so use to seeing this that we have now come to believe that it is true. We have been programmed since birth to see these images and take them for fact.

The last thing that struck me was about television. Now, they say that there's nothing like a "live" sports game. But, I have become so conditioned to watching sports on television that when I am at a "live" game, I miss the instant replays and the commentary of the announcers. Odd as that is, I am the first to tell you that I do miss that when watching live sports. I look forward to seeing that playback. I've been to a few tennis matches and was hoping for a playback of the shot the player hit only to be disappointed that it didn't happen. It makes me now wonder if other people feel the same way as I do? Have we all become so affected and conditioned by television that anything else is not real? I think television has conditioned us to believe that life is more colorful and exciting than it really is. When we don't get that digital image or that instant gratification, we are left with the boring images in front of us.

What's next?

Who's Using Who?

I just watched Postman's Interview on Youtube and found it very enlightening. He mentions how cyberspace is a metaphorical idea which is suppose to be the idea where your consciousness is located where you're using computer technology on the internet. In this fast paced world where technology is moving faster than we can keep up, I think he makes a point of saying how cyberspace was for us to communicate with each other. No longer are we communicating via face-to-face contact. We now have the internet, cell-phones, and texting as the next generation of ways of communicating.

The internet has now provided people to talk to other people around the world from there homes. At first, this idea scared me because it feels like I'm inviting other people into my home and personal space. But, Postman says that you can be anyone you want on the internet. I think this is a true statement because you can edit, change or even embellish your vlog to your liking. I've tried making a few vlogs since taking English 414, but haven't posted any for fear of actually posting something that will be frozen in time. I think a lot of people feel this way for fear of exposing themselves to the unknown faces who may see them. I've had the opportunity to watch a few vlogs and have been impressed that the people are brave enough to post themselves. I wonder if I'll be brave enough to do that?

Postman also talks about the end of face-to-face contact with others. We no longer have that with the advancement of new ways of communicating. He thinks this could be the end of community life. I thought this was an interesting statement because I feel that people who vlog are people who are building a community. They have an audience, they get recognized, they build friendships and they also build bonds. But, I don't know if this is real. Personally, I like seeing my friends face-to-face. It's something with having that person physically there that is different than talking with them through texting or email. I don't get to see there reactions if we're talking face-to-face and they can't see mine, too. The one technology I started using was Skype. On this technology, you can talk and see the person's face. You can see their expressions, hear their voice (real time) and see them laughing. These are things that texting or emails can't do. I think it's important that we don't lose our "community" of friends and become a world where we never see each other.

He ends his interview with asking 3 questions:

1. What is the problem to which this technology is the solution?

2. Who’s problem is it actually?

3. Is there a legitimate problem that is solved by this technology, what problems will be created by using this technology?

For me, the last question was the most important. Our society is always finding ways to do things faster, quicker, and better. But, in doing so, it has caused a backlash of people going back to the basics. For example, the E-card is something that has become more popular in recent years. But, I like getting hand written cards especially from my mom or dad. They in turn like when I write them something in pen and not in an email. It might be "old school", but I think there is some merit in taking the time to write a letter or card, put a stamp on it and mail it to someone. It's too easy to just open your email and send out a "quick" note to someone. On the other side, I struggle with the same idea because writing a note would require a tree to be cut down which would be bad for the environment, the paper used would have to be recycled, and the pen used would have to be manufactured putting more toxic chemicals in the air for us to breath. It makes me wonder what other things in my life I've done to make my life faster, quicker and better for the sake of saving the planet but becoming more detached from the real world?

The Machine is Us!

Wow! The Youtube video of "Michael Wesch: The Machine is Us/ing Us" was amazing! I really had to stay focused to watch everything. The production of the video was fast moving. A few times, I had to stop and blink my eyes because there was so much information. I thought I wouldn't be able to keep up. There were a few times I paused and had to go back to watch it.

I liked how he started with pencil and writing, then erasing what he wrote. The images quickly changed to more of a digital format that we are use to seeing on computers. He talked about the creation of HTML then XML. He showed how they both changed how information was sent and received. The new format made it more user friendly for people to search and share ideas over the internet. Texting, Youtube and flicker were also mentioned as ways people communicate today.

I enjoyed how he brought us into his world by quickly changing words and images. This made me have to process what I saw very quickly. But, it made me realize how quickly I had to take what I saw as fact. It was only when I finished watching that I could sit and process all of it.

I think the most important part of the video was the caption of "who will organized this data". For me, it brought it back to people. People or "users" are the ones who will not only organize but more importantly create what we see on the internet and the world around us. He says that we teach the machine what we want it to know. In effect, we are teaching each other how to communicate faster and in a language we can all follow. But, he says we need to rethink a few things such as copyright, authorship, ethics, love, family and ourselves. I couldn't agree more with this statement because we are moving so fast with new technology that I have to wonder if we ever stop and ask ourselves if it's a positive thing for our lives. Do we ever stop and question if it's right?