Assignment #4

Italy's Google Verdit Won't Stop Hate Speech

1) What did the article/video say? What did it leave out? Was factual information presented? What did the article/video imply?

This article discusses the use of the internet as a place to spread hate against different groups. It discusses a case in a court in Milan, Italy, convicting three Google executives for 'violating Italy's privacy laws' after a Google user uploaded a video of a young disabled person being abused, claiming this violated the privacy of the youth. Under Italian law, the judge says Google was responsible and could have prevented the video from being uploaded. The article says that such a case could not be tried in America due to rights granted by the 1st Amendment, excepting a rare case. The author believes that if such things wee imposed all over the internet like in Italy, the internet would be much more restricted and worse in the long run. The article implies that while cyber-bullying is not a thing to be condoned, it is a learning experience for children, to look at the lies and why they are wrong and what can be done to keep the hate from spreading.

2) Is there someone or something that is specifically blamed for incidents of cyberbullying? What does the article/video have to say about the medium (i.e. Facebook, MySpace, etc.) where cyberbullying takes place?

No one is specifically blamed for the cyber-bullying. It seems like the blame is shared between the medium (Google, in this case) and the people using it, with the people a carrying a bit more of the fault. The article also says that mediums hosted in the United States often end up with content that was banned by speech codes of European sites.

3) What does the article/video say about issues of age, gender, and race in terms of cyberbullying?

This article is not incredibly specific when it comes to age, gender, or race in terms of cyber-bullying. However, it does say that these incidents should bring more attention to kids' use of the internet and used to teach them about why cyber-bullying is wrong and how to prevent it.

Assignment #3

Never Gonna Give You Up - Rick Astley
From the Album Whenever You Need Somebody - 1987

We're no strangers to love
You know the rules and so do I
A full commitment's what I'm thinking of
You wouldn't get this from any other guy

This song, brought back to fame from the new internet tradition of 'Rickrolling' is used here, not only for its humour value, but for a message. The quote used above is the portion of the song included in this video, and I believe this is meant to be a message of support from the Nike company to Tiger Woods. They are trying to say Nike will not give up on its sponsor despite his scandals, though the first few lines seem to be chiding him a little, reminding him that he 'knows the rules' and that he should not have done what he did. However, they are still 'fully committed' to Tiger, and they won't give up on him.

Assignment #2

http://msn.foxsports.com/golf/story/can-masters-survive-tiger-tabloids-tramp

What does it say? What does it leave out?

In the story, a young man named Andy informs the former Chairman of the Masters Tournament, Clifford Roberts, about Tiger Woods, his sex scandals, his career in golf, and his race, among other things. The story leaves out any information about golfers of our time, as well as much information about the other mistresses Tiger Woods supposedly had.

What kind of factual information is presented in the story?

Some facts presented in the story are about Tiger's career: namely, that he has won the Masters tournament four times and broke Jack Nicklaus' record that had stood for 32 years, as well as facts that were reported about Tiger Wood's scandal - the names of women that were given, what happened, and how the news came to light. Real golfers are used, and Clifford Roberts is also a real person who really directed the Masters.

What are some of the things the story implies?

The story implies that Tiger Woods is the 'greatest golfer of all time', that he really had many mistresses, and that if he were alive today, Clifford Roberts would be very distressed about Tiger's scandals and his race, and why his tournament has become popular.

How does the story address the following issues: fame? popularity? gender? race? the sport of golf in the past? the sport of golf in the present?

The story addresses fame as something that is earned, sometimes by good means, sometimes by bad. Tiger Woods first earned his fame by his skill, while his mistresses earned their fame once his scandals broke out. Popularity is addressed as being quite similar. Gender is addressed as much less open in the past, and still somewhat suppressed. Mr Roberts is aghast when he believes that women are being allowed to play in the Masters tournament. He also is shocked when he finds out that Tiger Woods is an African-American playing golf. (Andy decides to spare the man the shock of finding out or current president is also African-American. The sport of golf in the past appears to have been considered a sport for well-to-do men, while now it is a sport that many people enjoy, no matter what their race, gender, or social standing is.

Assignment #1

1) Discuss ways in which you consume media. Do you visit and how often do you visit entertainment sites? Sports sites? News sites? Gaming sites? YouTube?

I consume several different types of media, mostly social sites. I spend a lot of time on Twitter and Facebook, reading posts by my friends or chatting or doing other things with my friends. I also use YouTube to listen to music or watch videos. I also use several forums, and participate with some friends in some kinds of writing role play games, acting as different characters and so on. Most of my media use is social, connecting with friends and people from around the world.

2) Discuss ways in which you think media can mislead or misinform the consumer. Find a specific example about a person or topic. Discuss how those things influence you.

Media can be misleading because media is a persuasive outlet. They try to persuade you to believe their point of view, whether it is to sell a product or gain attention or simply because the common person is stubborn and believes that they are right. Now that anyone can respond to the media on the internet, there are a million and one points of view, pulling in different directions, and eventually you get lost in all these things people are trying to tell you.

For example, critics like Roger Ebert, who works for the Chicago Sun-Times, will watch films and then review them for the public, rating them with stars or thumbs up to try to persuade us that we should (or shouldn't) watch the film they reviewed. These movie reviews influence what the common person who reads them might go out and watch at the theater, even though this is only one person trying to get everyone to conform to their point of view. Some critics may dislike a film and convince many people not to watch it, while another person whose voice has not been heard may find this film to be delightful with a great message.