We're Sorry...

In 1995 Jacques Chirac, the former president of france has publicly recognized France's responsibility for deporting thousands of Jews to Nazi death camps during the German occupation in World War II. His statement put an end to decades of equivocations by successive French Governments about France's wartime role, but what difference does this apology really make?

Cultural Imperialism

Throughout the years, the new media technology progresses and finds new faster, easier and cheaper ways of reaching its audiences. This enables to target large groups of people all over the world and to deliver the same information to everyone at the same time. While it is clear that the better access to information and the possibility for individuals to express themselves is beneficial, some threats come with it too; one of them is cultural imperialism.

Smoking on TV

Films and TV programs are rated based on what audiences they are appropriate for. Nonetheless, the classification system is controversial in many cases. One concerns the exposure of children and teenagers to images depicting smoking. Most of such films are rated 12A (suitable for 12 year olds and over), but many believe that they may be harmful and there should be a blanket ban on smoking in films.

Civilization Influence

Nowadays we cannot live without factories, oil drills, vehicles, smart phones, etc. and above all, the Internet. But is this really true? In the past people used to live without electricity and they were content. Have we really been spoiled so much?

Categorization of People

It is common knowledge that people tend to classify almost everything: animals, plants, objects, etc. people also tend to distinguish between each other. But is it okay to do that? Or can it be considered racism?

Believe Falsely or not to Believe at All?

Imagine Christmas: the feeling in the morning that someone has been there... The breeze of mysterious magic in the air... And only a few crumbs where the biscuits have been.

Is There Objective Truth

Recently I had a discussion with a friend. I do not exactly remember how we arrived at the topic, but we were talking about truth and whether there is an objective one.We considered the example of seeing things. We had different opinions on the matter, but now that I come to think of it, I'd have to say that we both had some valid points.

Self-Deception as a Destructive Power

Self-deception is a process of denying or rationalizing away the relevance, significance or importance of opposing evidence and logical argument. It is often used to make life more comfortable, so that the not always pleasant truth does not have to be dealt with, as it might not fit our personal beliefs. Self-deception does not alter realty, however, if we did not run away from truth but confronted it and learn more about it, we could change the current conditions into better ones.

And they lived happily ever after...

American movies which are highly ‘educative’, give a moral lesson and usually tend to end happily. But are happy endings in American movies always happy? Although it may seem so while watching the film, however after they are over, we are left with a strong feeling of unfulfillment.

Determinism

We like to think that we can change who we are, that our actions and experiences shape us who we are, but what if we are already coded to be someone? One such philosophy is described by determinism.

Brands

Mass culture enables the ruling class to brainwash the masses into believing that brands are a necessity. Brands are highlighted in a positive light and everything which is not a brand as seen as cheap and unnecessary.  Brands reveal a certain identity behind the person wearing the brand and is often advertised using wealthy endorsers, such as celebrities.

Marriage

Now that I am in my twenties, it is the time that my friends start getting married, getting children and enter the serious life of commitment. In order not to offend anybody, I will not give my extensive view on having kids, I'd like to talk about marriage instead.

Gold-Diggers

Recently I had a conversation with my friend who asked me the following question: "Do you think that women fall for guys because of their money?" Repulsed and on instinct I said, obviously, "no." And then he started pointing out all the 'evidence', all the girls who marry rich guys and if I would take more interest in a guy in a nice suit or in dirty sweatpants. Basically, he was trying to prove to me that indeed women are materialistic and I am wrong. After some reflection on the subject, here is what I think is true:

Inequality

There are many demonstrations, protests and parades trying to overthrow inequality and prejudice. They reflect people's frustration with inequality (gender, racial or any kind of it) and their strive to stand against it, to take action upon their beliefs. But is change coming? Can a group of people actually make a difference?

Downfall - An Analysis of Hitler

Downfall is not like any other war movie I have ever seen. It brings us closer to Hitler, the man responsible for deaths of millions and an uncle, employer and a beloved leader at the same time.

Perfection

Thanks to editing software like Photoshop, it is easier than ever to create an altered reality, but it is harder to separate it from the 'real' reality. Why do people believe what they see in the advertisements and magazines?

Post-Humanity

There are many futuristic movies trying to predict where humanity is heading and what will become of us, mainly due to the development of technology. But haven't we already reached post-humanity, in a way?

Competitiveness

In a world that we live in today there certainly is a lot more competition around. People live in larger groups, fighting for that job or promotion, competing against each other. But I realized that I do have a larger problem with competitiveness...

Puppy Stores

Look, mommy, look! Isn't he just ADORABLE??? Can I have it? Can I? Please, please, please!
Oh, he really is cute... Ok, let's get one of those...

The New Face of Modernity

Gatekeeping

 

       

Prosumer

We have become much more than just consumers of media messages. The hypodermic needle model claiming that we simply absorb unfiltered media seems to have lost its credibility.

Catharsis

Alienation

There are many types of alienation and, ironically, it would seem that the more people there are and the bigger the population density, individuals become more lonely and alienated on various levels.

Movies Based on Real Tragedies

Lately, I have seen many movies about World War II, people's suffering, pain and the many tragedies of war in general. The last one I have seen is a French movie by the title La Rafle (The Round Up) and, being based entirely on true events, this was the worst one in terms of shocking content, fear and the heavy impact on the audiences. It made me wonder why such films are made and if they should be...

Personality Tests

I never was one to believe in horoscopes, fortune telling or personality tests, but somehow the results were always at least a bit right. So how does it work?

Active Audiences

Throughout the years, television has played a significant role in most of the humans’ lives. In the past it used to be a cool medium, i.e. with no possibility of interaction, but “the rise of new media has introduced entirely new forms of behaviour, involving interactivity and searching, rather than watching and listening” (McQuali, 2010). Now that the shows and channels are available also online, there is better, faster and cheaper access to all required programs, which tend to be more influential, as thanks to the Internet audiences have more possibilities to become active. But what is an active audience and what activities are they involved in? Is there also such a thing as a passive audience?

South Park

All characters and events in this show—even those based on real people—are entirely fictional. All celebrity voices are impersonated.....poorly. The following program contains coarse language and due to its content it should not be viewed by anyone.

Partying

For some people there is a party every night, for some once a week. No matter how many times though, it usually involves meeting up with people, drinking and occasionally dancing. Another thing all parties have in common is that usually everybody has a great time and they are meant for relaxing and letting go of worries. So, obviously it is a bad thing to miss one, right? At least the FOMO inside tells you so.

Speed-Living

"Our lives are filled with details... Simplify... simplify..."

-Henry David Thoreau

Choice Overload

1.     Nowadays everything seems to evolve around the phrase “time is money”.

People speed through their lives in search of, what would seem, the best bargain.

Getting caught up in this chase is easy, remembering to slow down… harder.

Through the constant exposure to advertisements, our emotions, reasoning and decision making process are manipulated. With the overload of information coming at us from every direction, it is hard to select the right one.

The more options there are, the harder it is for us to choose, the more time we waste while choosing and the lower the satisfaction level of having made a good deal.

Legal Drinking Age

There are various age restrictions on certain activities in the whole world. Here, I would like to concentrate on the legal alcohol consumption age. Some people argue that it should be changed, that people should be allowed to drink sooner and this, in fact, would reduce the rates of excessive and binge drinking among youngsters, especially in the USA, where the legal drinking age is 21. But would it really?

Digital Photography

With the rise of digital photography not only the process of taking pictures has changed, but also the attitude towards photography. We live now in an information age and everybody with the access to the Internet can express themselves on a larger forum. Nowadays, mainly thanks to smartphones people have access to digital cameras and are free to visually document their experiences. Fred Ritchin's article After Photography points towards many new possibilities which emerged with digital photography.

Imagination

Almost every day we are exposed to fantasies, either through advertising, movies or the Internet. But what does that do to our own imagination?

Make-Over Shows

I feel like there are more and more shows on TV that show people undergoing a makeover. Only recently have I discovered shows like What not to Wear, Love, Lust or Run and Style by Jury. Funnily enough I haven't seen a single male participant. The shows are basically about women having stylistic problems, they dress inappropriately for the situation and wear no or evidently too much make-up. But what do these shows teach us, and why are they so appealing?

Art

The above painting is considered one of the most famous pieces of modern art. People go to the museum, stare at it and they feel emotions they didn't even know they had. The perfect balance of the colors complimenting each other, the even distribution of lines intertwined with glorious magic.
A piece that helps you understand life and is able to shake your perception, maybe even completely change your personality...

...or is it?

Language-Mix

There are around 6,5000 spoken languages in the world. Every one of them is different and creates a different reality. Language determines our perception, it helps create the world around us. Here are my examples illustrating this phenomenon.

Black Friday

Black Fri·day

noun

1. (in the US) the day after Thanksgiving, noted as the first day of traditional Christmas shopping, during which crowds of consumers are drawn to special offers by retailers

Id, Superego and Ego

Freud would have us believe that we are 'naturally evil'. Driven by our drives for sex and violence which, if it wasn't for the superego, would turn us into savage beasts. How true is it? What would we be if it wasn't for the moral restrictions, laws and regulations imposed on us?

Afterlife

According to many religions a soul is the immortal essence of a living thing. Our bodies die, but the soul 'goes on' to 'heaven'. Personally, I don't believe in this, but let's say it does exist and we do have souls, is that really such a great thing?

Disney

What do you see on the above image? A group of perfect girls, intelligent, beautiful and fighting for what they want and what they believe in? Or rather an army that can kill your personality without the need of weapons or physical violence, one that is capable of leading you towards self-destruction?

The Journey of Life

"Life is a journey, not a race"

Ideology and Discourse

Discourse and ideology talk of the correlations between power and knowledge. They are used to understand how knowledge is used in order to control others.
These terms are very often used in discussion, but what exactly do they mean?

Disability

 Defined by its discourse, disability holds a specific place within the media. The way in which it is talked about and portrayed creates a borderline separating people with impairments from people considered healthy or ‘normal’. Especially motion pictures influence society. Through entertainment they shape attitudes and define what is socially accepted.

Dying Media

I have heard that the books are a dying medium. So is the radio, newspapers, analog photography, etc. Some of them are already hanging on by a thread, like the gramophone or the videotape. Everything seems to be shifting to digital. But is that such a bad thing?
I believe that as long as we remember the past media and appreciate them, there is nothing wrong with making life easier through the new ones.

Loneliness

Being alone doesn't have to be sad and depressing. It can be treated as an extra space for you to get to know yourself and to think of anything that you feel needs a closer analysis.

FOMO

FOMO is the slang abbreviation of the Fear Of Missing Out. How many times have you caught yourself throwing aside whatever you have been doing and rushing to meet your friends who just started having fun without you? Because how could you miss out on such an opportunity of... well, endless possibilities!

Narcisism

With the arrival of the social media, there came the selfie. But what is the reasoning behind taking a selfie? Is it reasonable that people sometimes feel that at a certain moment the world should know what they look like? And is it okay to feel good about yourself without necessarily being narcissistic?

Gender Inequality

Throughout centuries women have been denied the same rights as men. In modern times their position in society seems to have shifted: they can pursue their own career, engage in politics and have gained independence. However, even though women appear to be equal to men, they are not presented as such by the media. Perhaps the best, and most drastic, examples are provided by the music industry, where women are often objectified, presented as inferior to men and reduced to their sexuality.

The Public Self

Nowadays we live in an information age, where almost everybody is able to express their opinions, beliefs and attitudes and target mass audiences. Most of the people have an ‘online-Self’ on various Internet portals, which they use to communicate with other ‘online-people’. But do the social media really help in self-development and the interaction with other people? Is the ‘online-Self’ congruent with the real Self?