E.L.P.J.'s HU Livin'

I do not believe that we will find salvation in national elections. I see the position of President as a nominal one. But out of everybody running in the 2016 Presidential Election, the most progressive and seemingly genuine candidate is Bernie Sanders. However, one issue I and many others feel he could be more outspoken on is Isreali Apartheid and the state’s oppression of Palestinians. This meme communicates that he himself seems conflicted on it and whether or not to do something effective in the way of solving the real problem by boycotting, divesting from, and sanctioning Israel if made President.

For more perspective on Bernie’s position, check out this article & this one. 

(I.)  WRITE-UP

1.)      Provide an analysis of your media technology use – the range and extent of it – by referring to your media log. This is a good place to explore the general process of tracking your media use for five days and any observations about it. Do not simply summarize the numbers from your log pages. Think about them. Analyze.

Here is a chart, recording my use of various media over the course of 7 days (5 days for Social Media):

As can be discerned from the above chart, I spent time with the following media in this order (from greatest to least):
(1)   Cell Phone                           2,740 m.
(2)   Computer                             2,240 m.
(3)   Print                                      1,050 m.
(4)   iPod/MP3 Player                     900 m.
(5)   Social Media                           615 m.
(6)   Television                               120 m.
(7)   Gaming                                      35 m.
(8)   Radio                                           0 m.

The amount of time spent on certain mediums are often proportional to how essential they are to what I have to and want to do on a day-to-day basis. (Their uses will be expounded upon further in this analysis).
The following questions will be answer below:

2.) Regardless of time spent, which medium is your most preferred and why?

Address the conditions in which you normally use your favorite medium

(alone, with a friend, in a group, etc., and at what times).

If that particular technology stopped working tomorrow, how would it affect your life?

3.) Explain what you derive from media technology in general and your preferred medium in particular – what needs seem to be fulfilled?

It’s hard to determine my most preferred medium, because I enjoy many of them equally — though in ways distinct from each other. They all serve different purposes to me that are equivalently important. My top five most used — my cell phone, computer, print, iPod/mp3 player, and social media — are all essentials to my current way of living, and would fall under the label of “preferred”, while Television, Gaming, and Radio would not. Some of the “preferred” media have more uses than other “preferred” media and/or require more time than other “preferred” media. (For example, I can read something on the computer or on my phone making the time spent on print less than it might be.)

Below, these various purposes/uses are laid out, the conditions in which I normally use all these media are addressed, and the affect certain media not working would have on me are addressed as well.

CELL PHONE & COMPUTER
The form of media I spent the most time using was my cell phone. This is the case for a number of reasons. The fact of the matter is that a cell phone is a central means of communication. I, as well as billions of others, almost always have it on or near me. Anyone who has my number and needs/wants to get in contact with me will find it easiest to do so by calling or texting me. If my phone stopped working tomorrow, I would need to contact people through other media (i.e. e-mail or social media). My computer gives me access to the Internet, which in turn gives me access to the whole world practically. The Internet yields countless other practical uses such as research, playing music, getting on social media, e-mailing, ordering things, and much more. A cell phone is also an efficient handheld, pocket-sized computer that’s easily accessible in any situation. I have the internet in the palm of my hand with it. For me personally, my phone is like a personal assistant too. I’ve set it up in a way that helps keep me organized throughout the course of the day, from the time I wake up to the time I go to sleep. For example, in my Notes app, I have a note titled “TIME MANAGER” where I schedule my day and keep track of upcoming occurrences. I also have a bunch of alarms set throughout the day to remind me of various tasks. My phone also serves as my clock, calendar, GPS, camera, calculator, webcam, and audio recorder and much more.

PRINT
I love books. I am an avid reader, and I prefer anything I read to be in physical copy rather than online or an e-book. I usually read when by myself, so I can focus. Especially when doing homework. From Print, I get knowledge and learn new things and I find pleasure in learning.

I-POD/MP3
(Instead of this medium being labeling “i-Pod/MP3 Player”, I feel it might have been more appropriate, at least in my case, to label it “Earbuds/Headphones”, since, according to the description given in the Media Log, that’s what really distinguishes it from the media of Computer and Phone.) Often, I’ll play music through my speakers rather than through earbuds or headphones. But I did record when I did. I usually use them when in other people are in my room and I want to listen to music privately or if I’m out in public spaces walking around, on the train, or in the library, etc. Without this media, I would not be able to access music as often and would have to wait until I was home or in a place where I could play music aloud.

TELEVISION
I don’t have a TV in my dorm room, owing to the fact that I’m not an avid TV viewer by any means. I may watch something once in a blue moon, but I am not consistent with anything. I don’t feel compelled nor would I really have the time to be if I wanted. The only reason I have anything recorded for it in my log is because I watched a show on Netflix over at someone else’s house during the weekend; something I couldn’t have done (because I don’t have Netflix) and more than likely wouldn’t have done (if I could) by myself. The only time I really watch TV is when I’m doing so with others, and typically because they make the suggestion to.

VIDEOGAMES
The same thing goes for video games, maybe to an even greater degree. I used to be a video game lover as a kid but I gradually grew out of it as I turned my attention towards other things that interested me, such as music and writing. I usually only play videogames when I’m hanging out with my little sister. The only reason there is anything recorded on this log for it is because I played my roommate in a game of NBA 2K that my friend (in another room) owns.

RADIO
Before I got to college, back when I got driven to school in the car, I would listen to the radio almost every morning to some degree depending on if I rode with my father or mother and if I was or wasn’t listening to my own music. I never really got into it that much but I enjoyed it. However, this was the only scenario in which radio existed in my world. I rarely ever listened to radio outside of this setting of car rides to school with my parents. Therefore, since I have no car here at Howard, there is no radio for me. I am part of the student radio station, WHBC, and I have my own show on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but that’s me doing the radio, not listening to the radio. That’s why my log reflects 0 minutes of Radio listening.

4.) Tell me what technology you chose to give up (to make it extra clear, make it boldface) and explain what it was, specifically, that you gave up. Discuss other types of media or activities you replaced that medium with, if any.

5.) Address how difficult it was to give up one technological medium for two days.

    ◦ Was it harder than you thought it would be?

    ◦ Did the particular days you gave it up matter in any special way?

    ◦ Did not using your favorite medium affect your interpersonal relationships with others?

    ◦ If so, how and why – was it because you felt bored, anxious, out of touch, or something else?

    ◦ How might increased awareness of your general media consumption habits change them going forward?

SOCIAL MEDIA
The medium I chose to give up for two days was Social Media, which for me meant giving up Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (although I also have a Tumblr, I don’t really use it anymore anyway). As a result, I gave up a pretty important means of communication and source of both education and entertainment. The majority of the people I engage with on Social Media are family, friends, artists, and/or activists, so I typically leave Facebook with something of value from posts that they make or share. This way I’m able to keep up with people I may not talk to on a daily basis. It honestly wasn’t that hard. During the period of time that I gave this medium up, I made more time for reading books, writing, and listening to music. It wasn’t a conscious thing I replaced it with, but needing something to do, it is what I did. Since I only gave it up for two days, on a weekend, it did not affect any of my interpersonal relationships with others. If I had given it up for an extended period of time, it more than likely would have though, due to the fact that its my only means of contact with many people. I was busy doing other things anyway, so it didn’t bother me much at all.

(II.)  COST ANALYSIS

The only thing that costs me financially is my Cell Phone, which has a monthly bill of $300.

(III.)  MEDIA LOG

I attended the Ta-Nehisi Coates student Master Class on Oct. 7 (at 11:10 AM). Coates’ words were inspiring for me as a Howard student. He reminded me to make sure I take advantage of all the time and resources I have at this school and on this campus and that I can and should seek to broaden my perspective and expand my universe as much as I can while here and after I leave. The fact that he came to Howard and was once in our position helped make the talk very personable. It was awesome to see that even after all the acclaim and success his book has had, he’s still extremely humble and down-to-earth. He was easy to talk to and profound without trying to be. I could tell that he was genuine with every word he spoke.

Learn more about Ta-Nehisi Coates

Purchase a Copy of Between the World And Me 

1.) Anatomy of a URL

Rank the following URLs in order of authority:

(1) http://www.random.gov

(2) http://www.columbia.edu/~jrandom

(3) http://www.random.com

(4) http://random.blogspot.com

Romantic Circles is an .edu URL, which shows it has educational value and is more than likely legit.

2.) Finding the Author

Find out who authored the information on the website that you have selected. Is there one single author? Is there a group of authors? Is authorship restricted or unrestricted? If you cannot find a named author, can they get other clues about where the content came from?

According to the sites history, Romantic Circles was launched November of 1996 as a collaborative project. The page was published by Michael Gamer and currently has two general editors, Neil Fraistat and Steven E. Jones. (Former editors include Donald Reiman, Carl Stahmer, and Laura Mandell.) Currently, the page has two site managers Dave Rettenmaier and Mike Quilligan.

3.) The Author’s Authority

•   What is the author’s education level?
•   Does he or she have a degree? From what school? In what subject?
•   What is the author’s previous writing experience?
•   How much does the author probably know about the topic or topics on which he or she is writing?
•   Does he or she deal intimately with this subject in daily life, or only research it for the purpose of writing about it?
•   If relevant, has he or she performed experiments and independent research projects on this topic?
•   Does the author have a neutral perspective on the site’s subject matter, or is he or she trying to promote a particular viewpoint?
  
  A quick Google search will convey to us the following information. Neil Fraistat has a PhD in Literature from the University of Pennslyvania. He was the editor for a collection of 13 essays by leading scholars called Poems in Their Place and also published Shelley’s Prometheus Unbound With Other Poems as well as The Complete Poetry of Percy Bysshe Shelley. He is currently a Professor of English & Director MITH at University of Maryland, College Park. Steven E. Jones has a B.A., Highest Honors, from the University of Oklahoma. He is a Professor of English and Director of the Center for Textual Studies and Digital Humanities at Loyola University Chicago, prior to which he worked at Columbia University and University of Oklahoma. His research focuses on Romantic-period literature, textual studies–the production, transmission, and reception of texts of all kinds–and digital humanities, the intersection of computing and the humanities. He has been extensively published and awarded for his work and has given many talks, presentations, etc. over the years. Based on all of this information regarding their education, we know that they are very knowledgeable about what they’re is writing on. As teachers, they also connect to the material on an even deeper level, considering the fact that they have to break it down for others, and probably on a daily basis. They are extremely qualified and their site is therefore trustworthy.

4.) Sponsorship

•   Is there an organization that is in charge of the site’s content, or that funds the site’s operation?
•   Does this organization have a vested interest in the site’s subject matter?
•   What perspective do they want people to have on this topic?
•   Are they likely to encourage the author(s) and editor(s) to give a skewed presentation?

Romantic Circles is published by the University of Maryland, an institution of higher learning that has a vested interest in educating, especially in regards to something as non-controversial as Romantic age literature. (There’s not much one can do or would want to do to “skew” the reality of that).

My Prezi Presentation on the history of Soundcloud.

Convergence is the assimilation and integration of conventional media (i.e. TV, radio, newspaper, etc.) into the new media (i.e. the internet). Convergence is changing communication on a professional level in many ways. As Jeff Greenfield articulates in “Media Convergence”, a video on YouTube, “At root, this revolution [i.e. Convergence] has shifted massive amounts of power away from the providers to the users of information.” The National Science Foundation expands on this in their article, “NSF and the Birth of the Internet”, giving the examples that “People… shop online, talk to friends, research diseases and dozens of other innovations. News and entertainment media [are being] transformed as consumers began getting their news, art and entertainment online.”

On a social level, it has and is continuing to change the way that we interact with each other. On the positive side, we can now make connections to people, not just in our locality or where we physically travel, but all over the world. Through social media, we make new friends and acquaintances, some of whom we may never meet in real life. On the negative side, however, this concentration of social life to the cyber world has made personable every-day human interaction a lost art for many, particularly those of the generation born in this digital era. Since these videos were made, Convergence has only grown and will only continue to grow with time. At this point, it is in no longer a question of “if” or even “when”, but of “how far can and will this go”.

Works Cited

Welcome to the Official Blog / e-Portfolio of Eric Powell!

My name is Eric Powell. I am an 18 year-old emcee, poet, writer, actor, and student attending Howard University. I major in Communications (specifically Media, Journalism & Film with a concentration in Audio) and minor in Business. I live in the DMV area, and come from Bowie, Maryland. My ultimate goal – and what I deem my life’s mission and purpose – is to change the world for the better. This I intend to do initially by teaching through my music and poetry. I hope to reach and spark the minds of the masses, especially of my generation, in order to assist in the fostering in of a new age of worldwide revolution, both in thinking and action. I will also use my art as a platform for more direct activism and education.

Check out my intro on Vine: https://vine.co/v/eTtzttTzWZ9

Check out links to my Social Media for this Blog Here…