“Don’t You Dare Give Up!!!!”

Everything happens for a reason. The good and bad things that come in and out of our lives like birds in trees must never be dismissed or mitigated as anything less than important. Sometimes it is so hard to simply look beyond the now or even the past and live optimistically in the future. It is difficult, yes, but it is possible, and necessary.

The signs are always out there, do not ignore them…LISTEN, LOOK, and choose carefully because not everything that you think is good for you is, and not everything that you think is bad for you will hurt you…challenge everything. Never give up.

Okay, that was my optimistic rant for the day. No actually, this is my good deed for the day! I just know sometimes it gets hard and you never know who is listening, watching, or reading and might need to hear those words of encouragement.

True Story:

I came home from an interview with a major law firm, I really wanted the position and felt as though I needed the position (big mistake, you need food, water, and shelter–everything is a want meaning not having it will not break you). Anyway, nothing else mattered to me that day other than knocking my interviewer dead by showing him how perfect I was for the job. However, he was a terrible interviewer, and appeared overworked, and sleepy (I found out later he was on heavy pain meds for his torn Achilles tendon ::rolls eyes::). Anyway, I did my best and did as I have been taught to do.. persevere unwaveringly. Later I found out that he actually really liked me! I was the top candidate for the position…Then he interviewed some girl the next day and they “bonded” over going to the same college and well you know how the story ended.

After I got the news I was really hurt, more than anything I was just done, tired of the job hunt, the interviewing, the heat (it’s summer in NYC ugh!) and so much more. I then said to myself, “I am done, done, done, done, I give up–for a moment, I GAVE UP!.” Just then my phone vibrated, I had a tweet…while checking my twitter feed I saw a re-tweet by Mary J. Blige originally by Rev. Run (from RunDMC) and it read, simply: “Don’t You Dare Give Up!!!!”

I still remember how I felt in that instant! I looked around thinking, OK where are the hidden cameras, and WTF!? Once the shock of how divinely inspired that tweet was and how kismet it was for me to see it all I could do was smile. I really needed to read that tweet! It really brought me back. It was so simple, so easy for me to have missed, but I didn’t, and it was EXACTLY what I needed to hear! I knew it was the universe giving me a good slap and telling me the best has yet to come.

Well, I am still waiting, some days more impatiently than others, and others more patiently than ever before but nonetheless, I am still waiting optimistically! I am more hopeful today than I was yesterday and hope to be even more tomorrow than today. I know it is on the way. That is the story of my life, one door closes (or SLAMS SHUT with my finger in the doorway) and another opens leading to something magnificent. I am sure it may be much like your story too. So yes, I want to just inspire whoever it is that may be reading this just as I was. What you put out, is always what you get back.Who might you inspire today?

Thanks Mary j and Rev Run!

Cool Quote

“We should emphasize not Negro History, but the Negro in history. What we need is not a history of selected races or nations, but the history of the world void of national bias, race hate, and religious prejudice.” -Carter Woodson

This is an older one I came across last February and shared in honor of Black History Month (a designation I have always had mixed feelings about) I really like it and think it bears repeating…I don’t think I could have said this better…

Black Hollywood and the Lack Thereof

This comedian asks, “Do ‘Lost’ and ‘Heroes’ hate black people?” Although his question is posed in jest, it really begs an important question on an issue that has been on my mind ever since I took a writing for TV/FILM course last Semester. While it is clear, as he points out, that both ‘Lost’ and “Heroes” have some explaining to do, I think the more important and perhaps appropriate question is, “Does Hollywood hate black people?”

Try as you might to suggest otherwise, you cannot overlook the fact that the black presence in major Hollywood television shows and films is very small, if not non-existent.

If you disagree I challenge you to do the following:

1) Look at the recent “Young Hollywood Issue” of Vouge and take note of the complete lack of color on the cover. Despite Gabourey Sidibe being the breakthrough young actress of the year a title well deserved and supported by her many awards and OSCAR NOMINATION she didn’t make the cut…

2) Look at every Primetime (8/7(central)-10 Sun-Fri) show on a  major network, find three shows that have the main story line (the show itself) centered around a black character. For example: In ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ ( a great show btw with exceptionally well written characters) the story focuses around the life of Ellen Pompeo’s character, Meridith Grey, “House”…Hugh Laurie’s character, ‘House’ and so on…

It isn’t like there is a lack of talented, beautiful, and willing Black actresses and actors in Hollywood! So, what is the problem?

Don’t even get me started on movies.

Great luck with task #2! In fact, three is too much, I challenge you to find just one! (The show cannot be canceled and must be a major network so chosing a show on BET that is in re-run does not count…

The Gentleman Inspires

I have to say I am very shocked by Congressman Anthony Weiner’s (D-NY) enraged speech, but not because it was inappropriate, but because it was so inspiring! Anyone who has ever observed a congressional hearing, voting, or committee session at the city, state, and national level knows that passion (especially on this scale) is rare. In fact, if they are even in attendance, you will most likely observe your elected Officials texting, taking photos, sending emails and more, but rarely will you see one stand up and speak from a place of sheer passion, frustration, and truth as Rep. Weiner did!

Passion is missing from our politics (especially from the democrats) and political systems. And the consequence is that the Bills that need to get passed do not, and the causes that should stir emotion and advocacy never even produce a whisper. I hope more representatives will follow suit. I hope they will become as outraged as we, the voters, are when we feel silenced, marginalized, stepped on, overlooked and betrayed!

In case you are not sure what moved him to such passion, here’s what happened: the House (because of GOP blockage) did not pass a bill that would’ve granted health care and more to many of the 9/11 first responders and New Yorkers effected by the 9/11 attack. Many of these brave souls have lost so much more than their health in the pursuit of duty, justice and compassion and now they only want help, but the government, their representatives are so wrapped up in Dem. vs. Rep politics that they are willing to turn their backs on the brave souls who refused to turn their backs on those effected on that tragic day.

So sad.

Shifting Gears…

What an incredible semester this has been! Although I don’t like to blog diary/journal style, I am making an exception just this once. As many of you already know this was my last fall semester as a college student. Between sheer bouts of jubilation I do feel a little sad about the fact that in a matter of months I will be a college graduate, a patron of the real world–no longer a real student. Yes, of course, there is law school in a year (or two if the real world is good to me)–but we all know that graduate students are not real students.

Anyway, as I look back on this stressed-filled semester, I am almost shocked by how I made it through unscathed with: a perfect G.P.A., study abroad in Argentina in a week (for a month) and a Scholarship to pay for the entire trip (to name a few things I was blessed with this semester). Yes, there were many sleepless nights, days where I literally woke up and hit the ground running to meet deadlines and more, but between the craziness there was a lot of laughter and joy. This semester I tried something new—I took time to have fun (of course after my work was done) and I really enjoyed it. Instead of thinking only of my academic and professional development, I added a literal personal development and it has made a big difference on the person I am today and how I will carry myself and interact with people henceforth.  There were many friendships made, a few lost (for the better) and one renewed. I only have positive people in my life, people who are willing to be as much of a friend to me as I am to them.

Although the race to the finish line, June 2^nd (graduation) is not over yet, I cannot help but feel accomplished and deeply proud of myself. I will give myself a pat on the back and for any of you who are reading this, if you work hard, play fully, live deliberately, and love deeply and you are still sane and doing things for yourself at the end of each day then pat yourself on the back as well. We deserve it.

Shifting gears…I am sure many of you noticed that I used this blog for a new media class I took this fall, so now that it is over I will shift its gears back towards my own personal use. BCGT will become a blog for pop culture analysis and commentary without the sugar. Not sure what that means? Stay tuned, and keep reading my posts, comment, criticize, debate, agree, send ideas, etc- and you will understand what this all means.

I am very excited to keep this up and while I am in Argentina, I hope to offer pop culture commentary with a Latin twist, ha-ha.

So stay posted…

Someone Else’s Term Project

I truly enjoyed all of the term project presentations. Some were clearly more researched and well delivered than others but for the most part they all deserved high marks.

The presentation that I truly enjoyed was Michael Rands presentation on New Media and Politics. His presentation was very informative and well delivered. He was at ease and he really explored giving his presentation outside of the box when he put us into groups and allowed us to take part in his presentation. It not only made it more dynamic, it made it incredible deep.

On new media and politics he discussed:

New media and the Presidential Campaign, how influential social media is on society and influencing societal change and ways in which new media has been utilized by politics, government, society and more. What’s more, his assertion that although we are more connected and more aware of politics through new media we really have no real power. There is no power behind a blog post other than creating awareness. SOcial media doesn’t imply power. It was a great presentation.

My New Media Project:

After giving my presentation on new media ethics and law, I felt two things: one, that there is so much about the world of media ethics and law that a 10 minute PowerPoint presentation couldn’t possibly cover the breadth of information on the subject. Two, that such a presentation does not truly lend itself to scholarly research as it is based in ideas, concepts, and legal jargon that must be explained and made relatable rather than discussed and analyzed. Essentially, one might be able to analyze and research new media ethics and law and still not be able to understand and convey the information regarding the sector.

Having said that, my presentation sought to discuss and relate common legal pitfalls users fall into when utilizing social media  and web 2.0. Among these ideas are defamation, privacy, and intellectual property laws.

More specifically:

We defined New Media in a subcontext as social media and web 2.0. We defined the difference between ethical and legal issues in new media. New Media and Plagiarism and Fabrication and how they are ethical violations and not legal violations. Copyright violations as a legal violation and how it differs from plagiarism. New media and privacy issues : legal issues such as false light claims, commercial misappropriations, intrusion and more. How to defend yourself in a new media world by avoiding such pitfalls.

I enjoyed giving the presentation and felt like I provided excellent insight, practical, and useful analysis and contextual information on new media ethics and law.

“Wiki So Far”

Of the entire body of web 2.0 new media platforms involving collaboration MediaWikis are by far one of the best. While incredibly basic in form and function, wikis get the job done, and quite well. They are practical and pragmatic for anything requiring group share and collaboration for information, dialogue, and networking exchange. They go where blogs, with their two-dimensional nature (blogowner and reader) cannot. They open web 2.0 up to a fourth dimension and the result is, well, simply look at the most popular mediawiki site, Wikipedia.

Say what you will about Wikipedia not being a real body of information and information exchange, but one thing you cannot say is that it is not simply incredible. While many professors warn their students against using wiki platforms for information, one cannot deny that at its most fundamental roots, Wikipedia is an outstanding source for information especially information pertaining to pop culture.

This is because the user is also the contributor, the editor, and the innovator. While there certainly are pitfalls to using wikis for information, the benefits overshadow the pitfalls by far.

In our Principles of New Media Class we have had to tackle what can often become a tedious, tiresome, and cumbersome task: maintain our own wiki on new media and web 2.0. While we each have our own sections and contribute information across our sections boarders and beyond, one thing remains true, a wiki, is much more difficult to maintain than a blog and possibly a website.

In my own experience with our wiki, it isn’t difficult to add information, delete, or modify, but what is difficult (sometimes) is getting everything to match up accordingly, avoiding common mistakes that can lead to plagiarism, and simply having the dedication to maintain not only your section but others as well. In this regard, I must say, wikis are not really for me. I do however recognize and appreciate their multifaceted nature and think that for offices, and spaces where information exchange on a collaborative basis is necessary, a wiki just might be the only way.

My section of the wiki on New Media Ethics and Law is quite detailed and it is difficult to gather data, edit, and contribute without any help, but alas, it is coming along. I hope to have a full section for users to arm themselves with knowledge about not only new media ethics and law, but the multidimensional avenues with regards to the law that new media has created.

The Next Big New Media “IT”…

The fundamental problem with trying to come up with new media platform that doesn’t already exists is that it seems as though all of the great ones already exist, the bad ones failed, and the ones yet to be developed are locked in the minds of some average Joe who hasn’t discovered a need for something related to new media.

Just look at the iPhone and Blackberry application worlds for evidence on the above mentioned claims. There is truly an application for just about anything you can imagine (at least for the iphone). Some of these new media applications are based solely on some innovative thinker turning his/her idea into an application for the world of multifunction web-based smart phones to engage. Others are simply the product of someone needing a service and saying, hmm, how can I make it happen, through web 2.0 so that everyone can access it, whether free or not.

What’s more, it becomes a race to production and perfection. In this web 2.0 western world, if you think of it, chances are someone else has too! If you are currently in research phase and developing it, again, chances are someone is doing the same. Not to mention those new media users who sit back and wait for a platform to be developed so that they can inspire and expand upon its functions, or completely copy the fundamental concepts used by the original designer and apply them towards a better, more utilitarian platform.

Take this specific idea and expand it to the wider, more general realm of web 2.0 and new media and you can see why it is so difficult to “suggest a new type” or even expand on ones already created, but in the spirit of hypothetical situations I shall try!

If I were to create a type of new media that doesn’t currently exist, it would most likely have something to do with micro-blogging. I think that blogs, as fun as they are, are so hard to keep up with. They require a lot of work despite the fact that they are very easy to start and maintain. They require diligence, patience, and require a sense of journalistic prowess. Having said that, micro-blogs such as Twitter do not require the same amount of input and maintenance. They are much easier to use, and in many ways achieve the same effect—sending, sharing, and receiving information.  I would establish a musical version of twitter where you simply share, send, and receive what you are listening to right now with about 15 seconds preview. Music evokes so many emotions and is something almost everyone engages in, in one form or another. Instead of “what are you doing” it will be “what are you listening to.” You can send people a song to remind them about a time you shared, or simply show what you are listening to at any given time. What’s more, you can send and receive songs just as you would messages to share the same message you would via Twitter!

Privacy and Confidentiality Issues in New Media

Privacy and confidentiality have always been fundamental issues when it comes to media especially with online social media. With regards to online social networking the problem of privacy always comes down to how much information is too much information to put on the internet. Whether it is photos, personal information, professional information, etc. internet users constantly straddle the line of appropriate and inappropriate.

Considering online social networking sites such as Facebook and Myspace, one must always be careful when it comes to publishing personal and private information. Posting pictures of yourself and or others on Facebook enters into a dangerous area of privacy because these photos can be utilized in any way not only by Facebook, but users who have access to a photo album. This is especially the case when it comes to social networking sites that utilize photos and videos rather than text to network; these include but are not limited to Flicker, TwiterPic, and Youtube. Posting photos and videos to these sites where anyone can access them via Google and other search engines which consequently puts privacy at risk, especially if a person in the picture is unaware that you are posting it.

What’s more there are many other ways in which privacy and confidentially become fundamental factors for the dangers of online social new media. The best way to combat this is to put as little personal information online as possible. Ensure that you have the highest security settings for online social networking sites, and if you have the slightest doubt about another user or the platform it do not engage! You must have the most safeguards up when it comes to the internet. So much information is freely out there via blogs and more, you just have to make sure that you don’t put anything on the internet that you wouldn’t want broadcasted on the evening news!