352 - Blog #8 - We’re About to Lose Net Neutrality — And the Internet as We Know It

Read this opinion piece from Wired on the impending end of net neutrality thanks to a lingering court case and possible ruling that might see the internet as we know it fall into the hands of dastardly, greedy internet providers.

Give me your thoughts and feelings on the topic and what the consequences of losing a free and neutral internet could be.

352 - Blog #7 - Hackers: The Art of Exploitation

I've always been one to be "iffy" on hackers. I don't like how they can enter your life by finding you online, and find everything on you. This article was a good read though and i think it is very very interesting on how they (hackers) can do it by the strangest of ways.

I have actually seen a hacker in action through personal experience with someone close in my family! Here's the story, in May 2011, right before I graduated high-school and the week of my 18th birthday, there had been emails sent out from my mothers personal email account saying to her friends, family, co-workers, etc that she and our family had been held at gun point while we were on a family vacation over seas, and because of this "our family" needed money to get back home. We found out by personal calls from our friends and family asking what they could do to help. My mom immediately took action. First she tried getting on her Facebook account and she couldn't log in. The email she used to sign in was the one that had been hacked. Therefore she was locked out of her own personal profile and email account, etc. It was noticeable that the hacker put in an extra "E" in "Lesle(E)y" which was part of her username. He even changed the password. My mother made a new account and posted that the hacker was a fake and that our family is perfectly fine, stating that "we were never held at gun  point, please disregard the messages asking for money." Honestly, in my onion, it scared not only her, but me too. Who knows what the hacker encountered through her personal information? Freaky right? I couldn't agree more. WOW! Facebook was notified and deleted the other account as wring theft and we even contacted gmail to let them know her email was hacked as well. All were eventually deleted and the hacker hopefully, to this day, did not win!

352 - Blog #6 - OS X - FREE?

Free is a word that is usually coupled with the words illegal, piracy and virus on the internet. But Apple just released their latest OsX update, Mavericks, for free. Read the article and give me your thoughts on this plan. Is it bold? Is Apple a trailblazer? Is this just another ploy to look cool and then find a way to weasel you into buying more expensive proprietary hardware and software?

I think for being in the 21st century it makes most sense. In my opinion, it does not make sense to keep paying for an upgrade in software on a device you spent thousands on. Apple is a trailblazer for this because updates for their smaller devices such as phones, tablets, etc, are free and downloadable when released on ITunes. I don't believe it is a "plot to look cool" or a way to make you spend more money on a newer product. Apple is ahead of all computer brands by Microsoft and I believe the companies goal is to make more profits off of actually sold products rather than selling software updates. In my opinion it is a better image for the company as well. 

352 - Blog # 5 - Bing VS Google

Personally, I prefer google over bing. It's simple, it's easy, and gives you the best search results. I do think it's best because I am most familiar with it, and I like the simplicity, as I stated earlier. Bing reminds me of the yahoo search engine and I feel like there are to many ads on the side of the page. To much for me! Google is to the to the point, and that's honestly, in my opinion, whats great about it. I like how it also gives you the "I'm feeling lucky" option which brings you to the page on what fits your topic best. Therefore, Google will always be my "go to" search engine.

352 - Blog #4 - The IPhone (Apple's greatest invention) ...a cell phone reinvented.

In my opinion, I do believe we can use a new phone each year from apple, but if this keeps happening, I do think it is necessary to make each model noticeably different. This is may deal with physical differences as well as maybe internal differences. I have been an IPhone user since 2008 and I do agree it is the highest quality phone you could ask for. 

Each IPhone that Apple has made is has minor differences. and every two years has a physical difference.

Therefore, I do believe technology is advancing in a positive way benefitting humans everyday. The advancement in technology is incredible and the apps available on the IPhone can get you through daily tasks 10x easier. As an IPhone user, Apple is far beyond its years. beating its opponents out of the competition. 

352 - Blog #3 - Intelligence in Technology

After reading this article, I don't think we should become wary of technology. To put it into good terms, I believe that after much research and work, that computers, etc. will help us accomplish more than any human ever could. I do feel though that this should be definitely kept at arms length and only there when we need it. These new technologies with the same intelligence, can be very beneficial. It is the 21st century though, and who knows what is going to happen next!

352 - Blog #2 - The NSA & the US government has betrayed the internet. Agree or Disagree?

After reading this article, I do agree with the writer. He says the internet was built freely but some of us have been helping to surveillance it, etc. This ties in with the government, and in a way, it is appropriate that government is accounting for information concerning the privacy of it's citizens. I do understand that the government can seem manipulating and controlling in this way as well.

COMM 403 - Blog #1 - The Relevance of Media Studies through Critical Studies in Media Production and the Consumption Marketplace.

With a rather wide-ranging new category of websites and networks, social media has developed to test what our ideas and concepts of media are. Because of this, through much research, media studies has been proven to be shown in media production as well as the consumption marketplace. To dig in a little deeper into what makes media studies relevant, critical studies (The Frankfurt School) has shown this though the Marxist ideologies.

To begin, Critical Studies (theory) is a “social theory” focused on critiquing and changing society as a whole, in dissimilarity to “traditional theory” focused on only to understanding or explaining it.  The Frankfurt School was formed from pre-modern history for modern art in the early 1930's. Its purpose was built upon neo-Marxist theories and ideologies based on human liberation.  All in all, the school was made for artist who made art for others. Its design was a mixture of aesthetic and practical abilities from those select artists and Marxists intellectuals that attended. This relevance of critical theory has been shown in media production, as well as the consumption marketplace. I would describe this as imagery because we see only what we want to see and this is very noticeable in media itself.

Through the roots of critical studies, media studies has been very relevant in production and consumption marketplace. All are based upon Marxist ideologies dealing with traditional and social theories, imagery, modern art as well as human liberation. Because of these they play a part in the social media world. 

352 - Blog #1 - Introduce Yourself

In my life, I want to be someone with a purpose. Someone who has a goal, and ambition to extend her limits. I find that my major is so diverse and can lead me to many good self-interested career paths. I am hoping to go into the career path of the PR field. I would like to somewhat work into the publicity scene.

As for my self interests, I am a fan of good art, good music, and traveling. I do photography on the side. It is called Ana Lopez Photography. It is amazing for me, because when I take photo's I feel like I am expressing my self to the fullest. When I was 17 years old, I had gotten accepted to Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia. It is one of the most prestigious art schools in the United States. I was rewarded with two scholarships. One solely for my artwork and the other for academic performance. Unfortunately, I would've still had to pull student loans that would put me in debt for more than 20 years. Therefore, I went to Shepherd. Shepherd though, for the past two years, has done nothing but brought me great experiences and I love being involved in the Communications Department.

Communications has opened my mind to the social side of business. I find it so interesting. When I was younger, I used to make news casts with my little brother, and best friends. We would take the family camera recorder, write a script about events, do interviews, talk to "people", and present it to close friends, family, etc with a hope they would love it. It's funny because the news cast was called "What's Up". It played off what we did well. Because of this, this is why I feel like I fit into my major so well.

On the other hand, I feel like my passion for photography and my knowledge communications will help me succeed in my life. I hope that it will bring me opportunities greater than I could ever imagine. I am staying positive, and I know that if I continue to focus on these goals and the things that I love, I will be successful.