The most significant thing(s) I learned from JOMC 240

Looking back at my notes and thinking about what we discussed in my JOMC 240 class called Current Issues in Mass Communication, I noticed and remembered that during many class periods we talked about the decline of print media. I would have to say, because of the amount of times that we mentioned this, it would have to be the most significant thing I learned.

What happens if print media completely goes out of business and is digital? I personally think print media will move toward digital sooner than we think, but I also believe that people enjoy reading a physical newspaper, collecting them and being able to recycle them. Older generations especially like it and as we get older reading on a computer may become more complex because our eyes would be looking at a screen too long. Maybe by then our eyes will be immune to it because of how much time we already spend in from of screens. When my generation gets older I definitely think that the majority of us will get our news from a news app, an app that specializes in news from all kinds of outlets and is personalized to what we like or just subscribing to a credible online news outlet and being loyal to that news outlet.

This class also talked a lot about the future and what mass communications issues we have now and how we will deal with them in the future. One thing that we did not spend a lot of time talking about was the environment and how eliminating print media may save the environment, but that also might mean more electricity, which can also be harmful to the environment. We were always reminded in this class that we are the generation that will step up and create the next big thing, the next big way for mass communication to spread around the world, and that our ideas will be bigger and better and innovative and forward-looking. Wow, it's kind of a lot of pressure, but I believe that we will and it will be amazing to find new ways of communicating whether it's through new technology or an alternative to print media.

I believe print media will still be around in my lifetime, but it will continue to decline. With things going viral on video and people being able to collect real-time news with apps such as Periscope and Meerkat I learned that video is becoming the next big thing and is something to watch out for in the future. Ever scroll down your Facebook feed and all you see are videos? Yep, it's coming. When I think about, I normally see a video of something before there is a news story about. First there is a video then reporters are quick to report about it. Video sparks news stories and I believe it would do fine without print media.

I remember toward the beginning of the semester we were asked to track all the media we consumed for an entire day. I pick up the Daily Tar Heel every now and again, but almost none of my media diet included print media. It was mostly on my phone, so that told me the direction that my generation is going in already. I enjoy seeing and reading some print media like flyers for example on the back of bathroom stalls advertising for an event, but in 2025 the back of stalls my have built-in computers advertising those things. I think it's interesting to think about the future in this way and how we are so close to seeing these changes. The funny thing is we can never see the future happening it just does.

Oh and another significant thing I learned from this class are the steps to going viral, but I won't share that on here yet, until my content goes viral and I make millions. Thanks for those steps Professor Robinson, I might actually use them, haha. You da bomb Professor Robinson! (Or should I say JR?)

NDA Nationals in Daytona Beach

My team and I are coming back from our national competition in Daytona Beach and I couldn't be happier. We worked so hard this year and we worked so hard on making our two nationals routines (open and hip hop) the best they could possibly be. I am so proud of what we did at NDA because we performed like a team and felt great about our performances. We did a lot of bonding too and I got closer to some of my teammates that will carry on to next year when I am a senior. Now, the torch will be passed on to 5 seniors, including me, to lead the 2015-2016 team and I am so excited to see what will be in store. I know I will learn so much about myself. Thank you to everyone for your support this year, to our sponsors and most importantly our parents. We couldn't have done it without you. I also want to thank our amazing choreographers for open, Emma and Sara, who are also on the team and our hip hop choreographer Cassandra Pappy! You guys are amazing. Well, now it's time to go back to work and back to reality in Chapel Hill until tryouts next Sunday. Until then, DTL forever and always. ❤️#GDTBATH

If you'd like to see our routines from this year here is the link: http://www.varsity.com/CompetitionVideos/Search/University%20of%20North%20Carolina?q=h1aDRodDpJ78XqMGrGeWseqqEL6jpe76#.VSrQqTK9LCQ

Dances Going Viral

We often times talk about mass communication in ways of writing or technology, but dance has always been a language in itself and a way to communicate as well. Dance is a way for people to come together to either tell a story, have a good time, compete or even exercise. Dances such as the Nae Nae, the Harlem Shake, the twist, the dougie, the 1,2 step, gangnam style, etc. have traveled across the world and were introduced in clubs, streets and dance studios as well.

As a dancer I always love when a new dance move is introduced because I think it's so amazing that people can do so many new and exciting things with their bodies and call it anything they want. Most of these dances have a story or originated from somewhere. I remember the crip walk that kids used to do in elementary school, and once I got older I found out it referred to the gang. Simple movements can go viral as well as anything that is funny, scary or ridiculous. Dancing is sexy and that's why it goes viral. It's sexy when old people start dancing to pop or hip hop music and it's sexy when stereotypes can be broken through dance. Most people don't expect old people to "nae nae" or a white boy to "beef it up," so it's great when these videos can change societies views on ageism, sexism, racism and other isms that exist.  

New Apps Are on the Rise

With just about anything you can think about doing there is probably a mobile app for it. Apps are made everyday and their ubiquitous nature is forever growing. There are 5 apps I read about that you should watch out for, Snapseed, Google's photo-editing app, which is revamped with new features, Mixkit, which allows you to make your own mixtapes, Photojojo Disposable, which takes you back to disposable camera days, Something Good to Read, which gives you reading lists based on what your followers post on Twitter and a gaming app called Yahtzee with Buddies. The great thing is that they are all free to download! 

I am particularly excited about Photojojo Disposable and Somethig Good to Read. Photojojo is an app that is forward moving, but at the same time stuck in the past. I picture a lot of older people using this app because it acts just like the disposable cameras that we used a long ago. When you download the app it gives you 27 shots to take and when those shots have been taken the app will send you physical copies of them. Of course you'd have to pay for the copies ($12.99 for 27 shots), but I'd absolutely use it. For people like me who like to have physical pictures instead of stored iPhone and computer pictures this would make my life a whole lot easier. I like to scrapbook too, so this would help a while lot. I also take so many pictures on my phone that I am afraid to delete because I don't want to lose those memories. This eventually causes my storage to be full and me having to transfer my pictures on to my computer. With this app I wouldn't have that problem and it would help me be more cautious about the useless selfies I take on my phone, and would encourage me to take more meaningful pictures. The only thing with this app is just like a disposable camera I can't see the pictures until I get the physical copies, which could be an issue because I wouldn't want to waste my money on a picture that turned out to be a blurry mess. 

Something Good to Read is brilliant to me because whoever we follow on Twitter interests us in some way. We read their posts, retweet, favorite and reply, but usually nothing further than that. I think it would be really interesting to figure out what articles this app would think I would find interesting based on my Twitter feed. It could say a lot about me and my friends. 

When I see apps like this all I can think of is why didn't I think of that. With technology we are always looking for ways to make our lives easier and apps like these show that with the power of technology anyone can create something that makes life a little easier. 

First Proclaimed Hologram Protest in History

About 2,000 angry people took to the streets in Madrid to protest about a "gag law," which makes it illegal to burn the flag and protest outside of parliament. The only thing was they did it in hologram form. The protest was everything a normal protest would be like with people holding signs and chanting. People all around the world sent in 2,000 virtual images to "NoSomosDelito" meaning "We are not crime" in order to put on the hour-long hologram protest. The law will go into effect on July 1. 

This is so cool to me because it literally allows everyone's voice to be heard when they can't even be there to shout for themselves. Even people who the law may not affect can send in virtual images expressing their dislike of the law. This first proclaimed hologram protest is something the policital world could really benefit from, epecially with the 2016 presidential elections coming up. Candidates could possibly show up at your door and speak to you about their platform instead of maintaining that wall between you and the television. It will make it much more personal. 

I also think this is could be a new form of civil disobedience that Martin Luther King Jr. exercised during the 1960s. However, this time it is virtual. It is a refusal to obey certain laws of the govenment and is nonviolent. How can people hurt holograms? They aren't real people. I think holograms would be something to look out for in the near future. They will be everywhere before we know it, like iPhones. 

The Ethics of Videos

When was the last time you scrolled down your timeline on Facebook and saw a video that you watched, but were either shocked, terrified or disturbed by the end? It happens to me quite a bit because I am always waiting for something to happen at the end. When the ISIS beheadings of some American journalists happened, some news organizations decided to let the video roll on their websites without people on clicking it. Others had a disclaimer and some had the video at the end of the story where you could choose to click it.

In the mass media world today, videos are becoming very important for how people receive information. Moving images intrigue people, get them to watch a little harder and catch something that someone else may have missed. So many videos were taken by citizen journalists in Ferguson. These videos were often times shown on news organization's websites as well.

The ethics comes in when people can or cannot choose to watch a video. Not everyone wants to see the beheading of a person when they are scrolling down their Facebook timeline or going to a news website. It would be even worse if a child were scrolling and saw this. It just isn't ethical. People are starting to understand more with videos and if this is where news is headed then it must be plan for making readers and consumers choose what they want to watch.

Tidal

Jay-Z just bought a music streaming site called Tidal and boy it looks nice. I just visited the website and I really considered paying that $9.99 a month because the first thing I saw was a new video of Beyonce that I immediately clicked on, but then I reevaluated my life. As son as I clicked on it a pop-up window came up that had two options, "sign-in" or "Try Tidal now." I decided I'd wait until it came out on YouTube.

I'd much rather wait until the music video comes out to the public for free than to pay to watch it at this very moment. It's just like waiting for a movie to make it to "YouTube On Fire" or for it to go on Netflix. As sad as it is to say, people do not value music as much as they did in the past. People leak new albums and refuse to pay for the music of their favorite artists who have worked so hard to make it.

As far as Tidal being successful, I think some people will use it, but most will not if they can keep getting their music for free. Poor artists, I can only imagine what it must feel like to work that hard on an album just for people to leak it and download for free. I think Tidal would help solve this issue for some artists if they use it the right way. Please please please just don't take away Pandora! I am way too spoiled and have way too many radios.