Emma H's WRT205 Blog

We chose our Unit 3 project based on the positive and negative effects of social media.  We had an extensive discourse over this topic in our podcast. In the podcast, we discussed how social media can have both positive and negative connotations.  For example, we talked about the effects of social media on teenagers.  Social media can be viewed positively in the sense that it provides individuals with an effective way of communication, access to information, and even a form of self expression. Nonetheless, social media has its negative aspects. Social media use has been shown to correlate with an increase in anxiety and depression, specifically in teenagers. In the podcast, we talked about one source that Emma Berkowitz used. The source details the negative impacts of social media on the mental health of teenagers. The source Emma alludes to is titled, Social Media is Driving Teen Mental Health Crisis, Surgeon General Warns , by Erika Edwards and Hallie Jackson. Edwards a...

For this Unit 3 Portfolio I collaborated with my classmate, Emma Berkowitz, to create a podcast!  In our podcast you can listen to us discuss the positives and negatives of social media, and social media as a whole.  We discuss our own personal experiences with media, the effects media has on mental health, the outcome it has on teenagers, and how social media can impact a business.  We hope you enjoy it! 

     The Graphic Novel that I chose is called "SUPERHEREOS! Capes, Cowls, and the Creation of Comic Book Culture," by Laurence Malson.  Our assignment for this was to read the first 50 or so pages, and show the impact that they serve to society.  The first 50 pages of Malson's SUPERHEREOS! is the discussion of the creation of comic books.  It dates back to their origins in the 1930's, which we all also know was the years of the Great Depression.  Malson discusses the creation of heroes such as Superman and Batman, and how during the hard times people needed someone to save the day.  The first 50 pages show how even though comic books are pretend, the need for heroes stem out of real world fears, and the need for someone to keep the safe, and help them in a time of need.       We can argue that Malson's work is a form of technology.  The work of comic books begin with the creation of pictures, and combining text and translations...

 In class, we listened to the Podcast by wbur,  Turning Hate on the Internet Into Humor , which explores the idea that many Reddit threads carry hostility.  The online spaces would target certain groups such as the transgender community, expression of racism, and many other negative or inappropriate commentary towards certain groups.  There was however certain people who would step in, as subreddit heroes, and stop the negativity in these posts by expressing humor.  The podcast refers to these negative threads as "dumpster fires," and the heroes who show humor as the "firefighters." The shift in tone in the conversations added light, and also showed that the negativity of these users didn't need to be expressed online, or at all.   In our course, we can use Reddit to show us what is happening in the world around us.  We can use Reddit as a tool for evaluating social issues, and attitudes of people on social media.  I do not use Reddit, as I believ...