Final Reflection

More like J-Scam

Throughout the course, I have been exposed to all sorts of new and interesting social challenges which never before occurred to me. For example, I had no idea what a scam corporations like JSTOR are or how they operate. For those of you who may read this blog and think “What is she talking about?” —I’m referring to the process wherein college professors and other members of the academic field write journals, publish them, and then they and their institutions have to pay to access them! Another interesting issue is how those who are unfamiliar with technology and/or those who can’t afford internet miss out on many opportunities (like the ability to apply for a job online), as well as access to resources like news and other information. I’m grateful that I took this class and can now inform others about these issues, as well as take in new perspectives when trying to tackle social problems.

Buzzfeed is the Internet God of Entertainment

I’ve also enjoyed the writing creations wherein I had to edit a Wikipedia article and a make an original Buzzfeed article. Buzzfeed articles are actually pretty difficult to make because it takes forever to find the right gif or picture to accompany text. Editing Wikipedia articles are also hard simply because of the immense, counter intuitive coding you have to navigate to make any changes. Specifically, I chose to center my Buzzfeed article on an issue that I assume everyone in school knows and fears—citations! Accordingly, I felt like many people could relate to my article. Also, because there are many laughable and absurd examples of what constitutes a citation “red flag,” I felt I could make my article humorous as well. In regards to my Wikipedia edit, I just tried to see if I could create a chart that wouldn’t result in a visual monstrosity. I was pleased to see my “Majority Opinions by Brennan” chart passed Wikipedia scrutiny and is still there today. Overall, I’m very happy with how these creations turned out.

Jezebel is basically my new favorite blog

The blogosphere project, too, has been very informative. What I like most about the blogosphere is that news is often intertwined with humor and political satire. Keeping up with a blogosphere is like getting the news from your witty, outgoing friend. For this project, I decided to delve specifically into the feminist blogosphere, in order to see what issues feminists think are relevant and what kind of rhetoric they employ. What I found is that there is an enormous range of issues being discussed in feminist circles—from “unlicensed silicone pumpers prey[ing] on transwomen” to Hillary Clinton’s possible presidential campaign to supposedly gay prisons in Turkey. I really appreciate the fact that feminist bloggers write about anything and everything that challenges the status quo, especially when the status quo works to certain groups’ disadvantage. I found that feminist bloggers rally behind any demographic which has been historically underprivileged in some way—not just the plights of women. Also, while reading these blogs was at first very tedious (I made a point to write down “read blogs” on my to-do list), as I became more immersed in readings it became much more enjoyable to keep up with them. Today, I read Jezebel because it’s fun and I like the stories they cover, not because I’m looking to see what “these feminists” have to say. Although I don’t realistically see myself keeping with Focal Point, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed Echnide of the Snakes and Jezebel, and I will likely keep up with them.

Overall, I’ve very much enjoyed this class, and I’m glad we have a blog of our own to document what we’ve discussed. In closing, I’d like to share this gem I found on Jezebel in light of the holiday. See you guys Wednesday!

P.S. Spread a Message Coming Soon!