Couch Potatoes and Gin

This article by Shirky is about how our society used to and still has, loads of cognitive surplus. The argument Shirky makes throughout the article is how society has no idea how to use it. We spend it doing useless things like watching tv, rather than editing a wikipedia article online to better educate the society. However she makes a point with the ones who spend all their time watching tv, saying it's better to do something than nothing. Her definition of literacy would be determining how well people are able to manage their free time and what they do with their surplus and if they manage it efficiently or not. It's definitely doesn't relate to the previous definitions of literacy, but I think it's the most smart approach and one that I might end up using in my paper. A cognitive surplus is what humans have and use in order for them to have free time. Most of the time, it's cognitive surplus thats being wasted. This article matters because it can help open the eyes of our today lazy society, the one constantly making up excuses, being couch potatoes, procrastinating with their work, to get out there and actually do something useful and productive.
Similarities throughout this article include the words time and and surplus. Making them directly correlated because they are the main two things we waste to an extreme level every single day. It goes to waste right before our eyes and we even realize we're watching it, but we choose to continue sitting there on the couch and not do anything.

Goooooooogle

In this article, the author talks about how once a simple thing to do is now so difficult. The author used to love sitting down and reading long lengthy books and articles however now he finds himself trying to distract himself with almost anything. He goes on to blame the internet for changing him and his thought process and how he can no longer focus. With all the information we could ever need and think of at the tip of our fingertips, getting too focused on the information we're reading an article on never seems to happen anymore. With the many articles and sites telling us the answer to our question, we no longer have to think so hard, causing our thought process and work ethic to decrease in skill.
Literacy in this article means similar to the previous definition just print instead of speech. It means the deep thought processing when it comes to text or printed articles and how we need to more deeply analyze into things instead of skimming over them.
The internet has changed the thought and reading process of many people. People take half the time they do nowadays to read an article. The internet is broadening what people read rather than making people think deeper into what they read. The author uses older changes in technology to demonstrate what people thought about changes similar to this and how they actually turned out such as the transition to mechanical clocks. In the end, the author is cautioning us to be skeptical of the internet and its ever growing reach, but not to totally cancel it out, for improving technology can be good int the long run.

Miley Ray Cyrus

I am choosing to do my paper on Miley Cyrus's feed on twitter and instagram. Although she's not one of my role models or favorite celebrities, she sure does have a lot of stuff to say. Interesting at that too. Her twitter is not at all censored and she post literally whatever she wants. There is no one stopping her, thus giving great insight onto what she really thinks and is interested in. She is completely out of her shell on social media and I think this could provide a lot of great information for my paper. She gives a great deal of examples with her explicit tweets and pictures that I could use to ask the question, did social media turn her this way? Or has she always been like this and social media has been hiding her until now? I think there's a lot to go into investigation here and i cannot wait to go in depth in her social media accounts.

I wish I had a real tattoo

When I stalk myself on Facebook...well majority of my tagged pictures include me out at a party or concert with my friends. I would probably say that I go to a lot of concerts and night time events, but it's not over the top and it's not like I make it my first priority. My pictures on Facebook probably make me seem like a party girl who is going out every night when in reality I don't. But I will say I do go to my fair share of concerts and music festivals. The same image of me would probably be portrayed through my Instagram also. Not saying that these photos are inappropriate, but it does represent that yes, i do have a social life. However a different image would probably be portrayed on my twitter account. I would probably come off as sarcastic funny person that's constantly joking about the things that's wrong with the world today. Although i do feel pressured to censor myself on twitter because I'm a very outspoken person and I don't want my followers to get upset or offended.
I think if i was sat down on my dream job and handed my most recent activity, the only thing i would be worried about would be twitter. I would consider the others to be fairly safe because i have family on them and am conscious about what i post. Twitter is my go-to. Which is why it's private. However soon I'm going to have to start censoring 24/7 and being careful since I'm going through spring rush next year.

Applause

I'm sure most have seen the cute KIA car commercials with hamsters. Which is why i was ecstatic when i saw that not only did they make a new adorable commercial but it was to one of my new favorite songs, Applause by Lady Gaga. The KIA commercial is a very motivational advertisement. It consists of a story of 3 hamsters going through a process of losing weight, getting in shape, and in the end going to a red carpet premiere. Giving you the feeling of motivation every time you hear the song. However when you go look at the music video, it's like nothing you would expect. It's full of a bunch of weird props, costumes, and makeup. At one point, her head is on a body of a black swan. There's definitely a lot of things to pick apart in her music video because it's full of tons of symbolism. I think I might run into some problems though when it comes to finding what the music video and the commercial have in common. The commercial is motivational while the music video is full of weird symbolism. However, the lyrics can go both ways and I think i can connect the lyrics to either video.

The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby soundtrack uses a blend of contemporary music and 20's jazz music because they are establishing the stylized past while glimpsing through modern beats. The hybrid comes across most clearly on retro-modern songs that fuse old and new that include people like Jay Z, Lana Del Rey, Fergie, Will.I.Am, and Amy Winehouse. The times of the 20's and the music of today go together well because some of the main interests were the same. As in the fascination with money, power, violence, and sex. Depending on what song is playing in the background, the mood from the music affects the mood in the movie. For instance, if Lana Del Rey is playing, the mood is usually solemn, gloomy, and melancholy. I think one of the main reasons why they chose Lana Del Rey's music is because her feelings in the lyrics of her songs really relate to the main girl character in the movie, Daisy. They both portray a longing romance with a certain guy in mind and no one else. All of Lana's songs are a love story with a real sadness so they relate to each other perfectly. If Jay Z or Will.I.Am. is playing, the mood is upbeat with a catchy rhythm like a party. Their music is also usually very masculine with controlling lyrics, giving you the feeling of power. These songs would probably be played in the scenes of parties and big gatherings. This unexpected music adds to the movie because it takes the audience by surprise. With the popular modern movie intertwined with this 1920's movie, an audience viewer might be a huge fan of Lana Del Rey (like me) and become even more attached and like the film even more just because their favorite song is in it. I think the modern music was a great idea and it's one of the most genius ideas. I won't be surprised to start seeing soundtracks like this with old movies more often. 

Process and Product

My writing process for Unit 1 was different than usual. This new way of writing definitely has helped me notice more strategies and ways to realize the patterns in writing. Noticing these patterns really helps you write more clearly on the topic you're discussing and also gives you more information to write about. Required drafts played a big role in my writing process and they were a big help. Without them I probably would have been really behind on my essay. It also probably wouldn't have ended up being as good because it was so last minute. This new process of having deadlines for drafts of a certain amount of pages has definitely helped me not procrastinate. If it weren't for canvas I honestly wouldn't have started my paper until last week.