For my final project, I will display the history and progression of cosmetic surgery since the 1900s. Along with this, I also touch on the surface of the connection between operations and the media. Whether it is the television we watch, the songs we listen to, or the “influencers” individuals look up to, alteration of the body is somehow always present. In the introduction of aesthetic surgery, individuals often hesitated to reveal whether or not they had gone under the knife. However, with the progression of time, people are more open to promoting plastic surgery and influencing younger generations that a seamless face is the only equivalent to beauty.

While researching this project, I grew more knowledgeable about how reliant people have become social media filters to portray the “perfect Instagram face.” I have grown more knowledgeable about the way the media influences this behavior through songs and films and how the youth has become the main target for this content. Because of this project, I know that according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) statistics, 64,470 cosmetic surgical procedures were performed on people age 13-19 in 2015, while 161,700 cosmetic minimally-invasive procedures were performed.

The way I approached this assignment was by first identifying the beginning of the plastic surgery and how it was brought to the United States. Afterward, my focus was on mentioning the idols of the late century and noting their influence on societal beauty in the past and present. And lastly, I close with shedding light on how cosmetic surgery has become idolized in all realms of the media.

I enjoy purpose; Whether it be purposeful music, TED talks, tweets, people, etc. I enjoy having a purpose. And this semester has been focused on creating purposeful content that enlightened individuals on the many goals of media.

Initially attending this class and seeing the times it began and ended, I was skeptical. I wasn’t sure how anyone was expected to lecture for a full three hours, how the students were supposed to be engaged the entire time, or how any lecture could be significant enough to run for three hours. But, I have no problem admitting when I am wrong, and must I say I was wrong times ten…
The first lecture we had was incredibly eye-opening. We watched the Michael Brown story, and at that moment, I learned a lot about the case, the way the media portrayed African Americans, and how well law enforcement really enforces the law in black communities. Along with this, the students were also required to post tweets of substance-related to the lecture.

Michael Brown’s body was laid out in the street for four hours before being covered up by the police… they do not care about us . #humedialit

— NyahSade (@nyahsade) January 27, 2020

From that day forward, the content of the class has only grown to be more intriguing and enlightening of the issues within the world and the media. So needless to say, I enjoyed the lectures and the purpose each class served. I believe since being in the course, I have become much more media literate and grasped an understanding that everything in the media servers a purpose; nothing is coincidental.

Also, since joining the class, I have been forced to watch films out of my norm. Varying from documentaries, movies, and television shows. One show that was watched in class was the infamous Black Screen, to me it was funny since I’ve always heard my friends talking about the show and telling me how I needed to watch it for myself however I just never had an interest in it…well until I had to.

Nosedive was the first Black Mirror episode I saw. Nosedive’, the first episode of Black Mirror’s season three, took this familiar approach to life to the following level. Imagine a form of modern-day Pleasantville where everyone greets one another, smiles are bestowed on you in abundance, and no-one ever speaks ill of one another. Everyone moves through life politely and respectfully and, should a problem ever arise, it’s forbidden in an exceedingly very passive-aggressive manner. Sincerity has become a thing of the past, for an honest comment or a sarcastic remark may quickly end in your numbers dwindling. Yes, within the world of ‘Nosedive’ people were mere numbers: the more “likes” they score, the upper their status in society. The film was full of messages; From the beginning, I grasped the message Charlie Booker was trying to convey to the audience. The over-exaggerated, soft-toned cinema was meant to represent the control social media has on society today. Despite the cliched theme of the film, it raised a question and was extremely thought-provoking to the audience. The comical tone of the scenes created a lighthearted tone for a dangerous situation. I actually preferred the film that way because it made it more entertaining rather than sitting through another dull picture, stressing the importance of millennials putting their phones down.https://giphy.com/embed/Vbo1IF9rVNqvpfCRkc

In my eyes, this film was what the class was all about. Just as Nosedive, the course delivered various thought-provoking messages in a way that kept students on their toes about what was being learned and did it was always done creatively. I genuinely can say I was never bored inside the classroom and learned a lot about being a journalist.

However, one aspect of the class I didn’t enjoy was the weekly vlogs and blogs. I wasn’t a fan of the deadlines or the required word count, mainly because I procrastinate and don’t enjoy writing with deadlines. But since this was expected of the students every week for an entire semester, I had no choice but to adjust and grow accepting on the weekly assignments. I also need to note how much I’ve grown from my first vlog versus my most recent one.

I was nervous! And absolutely hated talking in front of the camera for long periods. In the beginning, I would think: what am I supposed to talk about? Why does my voice sound like that? How am I expected to speak for the entire three minutes? I know…ridiculous *inserts eye roll*

But I kid you not, I have grown immensely in that department and in others as well (if I do say so myself.)In all, it has been a great experience being in this class, and I highly recommend all students take it despite their major. I have learned a lot about the media and grown immensely. It wouldn’t be a reach to say digital media in literacy was by far my most favorite class.

From the title alone, I already had an idea of how the reading was going to go. The Dumbest Generation…hurtful, yet interesting. It should come to no surprise that for quite some time Americans have been disdained for their ability in the classroom or their inability to note the start or end of the Civil War. But do we millennials deserve this? Is the reading a bit harsh? Or just overall, a downright over-exaggerating. Well I say, kinda not, yes and no.

Now, personally I don’t believe standardized testing or knowing with the 13th president of the United States totally equates to the learning ability of an individual. I believe “smartness” is measured on more than that. I believe what makes a “smart person” is when knowledge is well rounded. Like you know the term, book smart and street smart. Do understand that street smart makes an individual just as smart as the next since all situations can’t be solved with the answer to pi squared. Not by any means am I undermining people who do know the answers to the questions asked in the book, but as mentioned before, there’s more to life than book knowledge.

With this being said, don’t be confused that I am excusing my generation for not knowing the answer to the date the Civil War ended. I do agree with the chapter to an extent, especially with the observation of the teaching curriculum being watered down from decades ago. Except I blame it on us being spoiled, entitled, lazy, and failures at what’s come to be known as “adulting,” a word invented by millennials as a catchall for the tasks of self-sufficient existence.

Millennials love to complain about other millennials giving them a bad name. Yet we often create this rep for ourselves. I hate to sound like a nagging elder..but I blame this on technology and how reliant we’ve been on it.

Recently, I remember watching one of my all-time favorite television shows: Dr.Pimple Popper. A woman had walked into the doors of her office looking to get a cyst that rested in the middle of her head removed. The cyst had been on the patient’s head for ten plus years and surprised the doctor because she’d hadn’t seen anything like it before. She was not sure exactly what it was or the causes of it. So she was forced to type the symptoms and characteristics of the bump into the old reliable Google search engine. And within due time Dr.Pimple Popper knew of the diagnosis of the client. I kid you not, this aired on television, TLC to be exact.

Being with how comfortable the doctor was with referring to Google in her practice, I could help but think this was the norm in the medical field. Once again, not by any means am I shunning Dr. Pimple Popper for referring to the internet..but I was just shocked. Is this really how reliant we have become on technology?

I hate to be the one to say it, but it must be said. We are handicapped. And it’s all due to the tiny mobile devices we carry with us 24/7. We don’t feel the need to know or study, because we know at the click of a button the answer will be in the palm of our hands. LITERALLY!

Now, I know you may be thinking of other countries that too have the same access to the internet as us. But the difference is with most of those countries most of the technology is assembled outside of the United States or the questions we search on Google are answered by people outside of the United States. We as Americans must admit, we aren’t advance as we think we are. Especially in comparison to countries surrounding the U.S.

As stated before, I don’t believe that book knowledge automatically equates to an individual being the smartest person ever and I do understand no one on planet earth truly knows EVERYTHING about everything. But we limit ourselves about knowing anything about anything because of our devices.

So when reading The Dumbest Generation, I was offended at first but at more times than once, all I could do was nod my head in agreeance at certain things said. The argument was valid and I agreed with this generation not living up to its full potential ( much nicer words used than the book), but I don’t believe our generation is dumb but simply lazy.

Now, it is no secret that the World Wide Web has grown over time since the introduction to society. Actually, to be numerically correct WWW has grown by an astounding 2300 percent in the 1990s alone. Image the growth in percentage today. To give you an idea though, recent studies show that the average person now spends almost ten hours a day online..let us also keep in mind the average person sleeps eight hours a day.

We’re all guilty of falling into the deep hole of the World Wide Web..at least I know I am. Another thing that I’ve been guilty of since like yesterday, was believing the internet & the world wide web was the exact same thing…YIKES!

In simplest terms, the Internet is a network of computer networks, linked together by copper wires, fiber optic cables and wireless connections. These connections let the Internet deliver packets of information between computers on the network. Whereas the Web is a ‘virtual’ space of information. The Web only works because the Internet allows computers on the network to communicate with each other.

Throughout time we have known the internet to be ideal for online shopping, watching super cute cat videos when bored, or maybe even to stalk an ex on Facebook that you broke up with over two months ago…YIKES!

But we’ve all seen those pesky ads that randomly pop up during the video of the at playing with a baby monkey. You know the ad, the ad that ‘coincidently’ aligns with your most recent search of yellow Hunter boots and then you see advertisements of rain boots on sale literally every corner you turn on the computer screen. Yeaaa, you know the ad.

This is because Big Brother Is Watching You. This phrase refers to the government’s surveillance of the people with listening devices and cameras, in a totalitarian society, where Big Brother is the head of the totalitarian regime. Everyone in this society is under surveillance by the authorities, which reminds people of an endless catchphrase “Big Brother is watching You,” showing a dictator’s mindset of a Big Brother. Generally, the idea conveys a line of propaganda, meaning citizens have to follow what a dictatorial government wants them to do, and if they do not, Big Brother will know, as it spies on them all the time. The idea comes from George Orwell. He coined this phrase in the third paragraph of the first chapter of his novel “1984.” He writes, “It was one of those pictures which are so contrived that the eyes follow you about when you move. BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU…” Later it appears on posters and television ads as a political slogan. 

We’ve all had the thought in our head that there was a possibility that something suspect was going on behind the screen, yet we don’t allow this stop to prevent users from still using the internet. In the summer of  2014, the number of Internet users worldwide had reached.

3 billion…So what will the future internet look like? Will the number of users progress or digress? Is the future internet?

Well, no one can truly project the future. But in the words of the great  Alan Kay, “The best way to predict the future is to invent it.”

Just as everything else in life, too much of anything isn’t always a good thing. The internet hasn’t been around as long as it may seem. The internet hasn’t publicly been around for even 50 years and yet has a huge impact on the way individuals interact, work, and overall do just about anything in their daily lives.

 I honestly couldn’t imagine a life with the Internet or the World Wide Web and operating without the two. It’s scary how reliant we are on it being so early in the existence of it. And I’m interested to see how things will be moving forward. But moving forward we must all keep in mind the cons of the internet and everything it entails. How it may seem to assist us through things and maybe even ‘protect” us from whatever, it’s beyond me, we must also proceed with caution. Too much of anything isn’t always a good thing.

Now, it is no secret that the World Wide Web has grown over time since the introduction to society. Actually, to be numerically correct WWW has grown by an astounding 2300 percent in the 1990s alone. Image the growth in percentage today. To give you an idea though, recent studies show that the average person now spends almost ten hours a day online..let us also keep in mind the average person sleeps eight hours a day.

We’re all guilty of falling into the deep hole of the World Wide Web..at least I know I am. Another thing that I’ve been guilty of since like yesterday, was believing the internet & the world wide web was the exact same thing…YIKES!

In simplest terms, the Internet is a network of computer networks, linked together by copper wires, fiber optic cables and wireless connections. These connections let the Internet deliver packets of information between computers on the network. Whereas the Web is a ‘virtual’ space of information. The Web only works because the Internet allows computers on the network to communicate with each other.

Throughout time we have known the internet to be ideal for online shopping, watching super cute cat videos when bored, or maybe even to stalk an ex on Facebook that you broke up with over two months ago…YIKES!

But we’ve all seen those pesky ads that randomly pop up during the video of the at playing with a baby monkey. You know the ad, the ad that ‘coincidently’ aligns with your most recent search of yellow Hunter boots and then you see advertisements of rain boots on sale literally every corner you turn on the computer screen. Yeaaa, you know the ad.

This is because Big Brother Is Watching You. This phrase refers to the government’s surveillance of the people with listening devices and cameras, in a totalitarian society, where Big Brother is the head of the totalitarian regime. Everyone in this society is under surveillance by the authorities, which reminds people of an endless catchphrase “Big Brother is watching You,” showing a dictator’s mindset of a Big Brother. Generally, the idea conveys a line of propaganda, meaning citizens have to follow what a dictatorial government wants them to do, and if they do not, Big Brother will know, as it spies on them all the time. The idea comes from George Orwell. He coined this phrase in the third paragraph of the first chapter of his novel “1984.” He writes, “It was one of those pictures which are so contrived that the eyes follow you about when you move. BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU…” Later it appears on posters and television ads as a political slogan. 

We’ve all had the thought in our head that there was a possibility that something suspect was going on behind the screen, yet we don’t allow this stop to prevent users from still using the internet. In the summer of  2014, the number of Internet users worldwide had reached

3 billion…So what will the future internet look like? Will the number of users progress or digress? Is the future internet?

Well, no one can truly project the future. But in the words of the great  Alan Kay, “The best way to predict the future is to invent it.”

Just as everything else in life, too much of anything isn’t always a good thing. The internet hasn’t been around as long as it may seem. The internet hasn’t publicly been around for even 50 years and yet has a huge impact on the way individuals interact, work, and overall do just about anything in their daily lives.

 I honestly couldn’t imagine a life with the Internet or the World Wide Web and operating without the two. It’s scary how reliant we are on it being so early in the existence of it. And I’m interested to see how things will be moving forward. But moving forward we must all keep in mind the cons of the internet and everything it entails. How it may seem to assist us through things and maybe even ‘protect” us from whatever, it’s beyond me, we must also proceed with caution. Too much of anything isn’t always a good thing.

It all seemed perfect. Too perfect. The bright pastel threads, cheerful grins, and radiant phone screens that locked into a perpetual cycle of likes, star ratings, and faux Facebook charm appeared faultless. Like no error could possibly be made. Yet, while everything seemed perfect in the first five minutes of the opening episode of Black Mirror, everything towards the end began to take a turn for the worst…or maybe the best? Well, that’s up for you to debate.

‘Nosedive’, the primary episode of Black Mirror’s season three, takes this familiar approach to life to the following level. Imagine a form of modern-day Pleasantville where everyone greets one another, smiles are bestowed on you in abundance and no-one ever speaks ill of one another. Everyone moves through life politely and respectfully and, should a problem ever arise, it’s forbidden in an exceedingly very passive-aggressive manner. Sincerity has become a thing of the past, for an honest comment or a sarcastic remark may quickly end in your numbers dwindling. Yes, within the world of ‘Nosedive’ people are mere numbers: the more “likes” they score, the upper their status in society.

Lacie (Bryce Dallas Howard) is an ambitious woman who has set her eyes on an apartment in an exceedingly prestigious lifestyle complex. It’s disgustingly expensive and nauseatingly superficial, but her mind has been made. She must become a resident here so as to succeed in the contentedness she has been striving for a long time. There’s only 1 problem: she’s a 4.3 and also the complex only accepts 4.5 residents. But Lacie is optimistic. With the assistance of an analytic coach who schools her altogether the possible ways she will reach a 4.5 in an exceedingly short period of your time, she believes she will make it happen. All she must do is befriend people with a better rating; once they engage along with her, a rating from them can automatically boost hers. 

Having always hung on to a quiet obsession along with her former childhood friend Naomie (Alice Eve) – a shallow bully with a solid 4.7 – whom she frequently stalks online, she figures it should not hurt to succeed in RE-befriending her. To Lacie’s surprise, Naomie calls her and asks her to be the maid of honor at her wedding. With the marriage guest-list being made of a hoard of exclusives, it’s the right opportunity for Lacie to bring her rating up by impressing them along with her speech – the content of which doesn’t actually come from an area of truth, but desperation. But along the route to the event, her rating continues to drop, causing lots of hiccups along the way.

From the beginning, I grasped the message Charlie Booker was trying to convey to the audience. The over-exaggerated, soft-toned film was meant to represent the control social media has on society today. Despite the cliched theme of the film, it raised a question and was extremely thought-provoking to the audience. The comical tone of the scenes created a lighthearted tone for a serious situation. I actually preferred the film that way because it made it more entertaining rather than sitting through another dull picture stressing the importance of millennials putting their phones down.

There isn’t much to discuss my dislikes of the film. I mean, overall I believe the Booker did a brilliant job creating an intriguing film, but I wouldn’t go so far to call it moving. As I previously mentioned, the theme has been a reoccurring one in many films this decade, therefore, possessing a sort of predictable storyline in films that follow this theme. Despite that, this film did have some predictable moments but still held a great level of surprise for the audience. With all being said, there’s not much to dislike about the film unless you’d want to be a total shrew and tackle the chosen background music played during intense scenes… but I’m not, so I won’t.

Everything played out well and the actors and actresses all did well with playing their point in the film. Lacie was an absolute sweetheart who of course would be the audience all-time favorite in the film along with sweet, loveable Susan. Versus Naomi, who may or may not be all that likable by the crowd. These three women in the film represent the social classes, statuses, and people of today. So depending on whose watch, the favorites and fewer favorites of the audiences are subjective to change. Overall I recommend this film to others wholeheartedly. It’s most definitely something that’d get your mind wandering and you’d find yourself binge-watching the rest of Black Mirror’s episodes.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Recent studies have shown 1,084,722,222 texts are sent every hour in the United States.

Initially beginning this assignment, I believed gathering the picture of individuals on their cellphone was going to be tough. But the more I took time off my phone and watched the people around me; I noticed how many people were always on their phones despite the environment.

But when I say people were on their phones, I don’t mean they were talking on their phone…out of all the pictures I took randomly, none of the images displayed a regular voice conversation between two persons. I kid you not the rarest sight was seeing someone having an actual phone conversation & not the part where ALL people were carrying their phones around. In one picture, I noted a young girl on Facetime with her friend, after continuously going back and forth with her friends via text, I finally questioned why she didn’t just call. She looked at me and said, “phone conversations make her nervous.”

Now I too am a millennial, and I also prefer texting over phone conversations, depending on the person. I believe that text messages allow people the opportunity to draft, edit, and gloss their responses before send-off, which can be both a good and a bad thing. For this reason alone, I believe texting will continue to be the number one form of communication for a while & this project has helped me see that.

Times have changed and this has been noted. Apple-bottom jeans have been replaced with Lululemon leggings, the overstretched wife-beater our fav R&B singers used to sport while crying in the rain have been replaced with Nike thermal sweatsuits, and most importantly we no longer have any use for those dreadful throwaway cameras.YUCK!

The coming of selfies hasn’t been an extremely new one. I was today’s years old when I found out the first “selfie” ever taken was in 1839 by a dude named Robert Cornelius. He referred to this image as the “first light picture ever taken.” It was actually one of the first human portraits ever. And from that point on, Robert had created a self nation for all twenty first century to indulge in.

I mean, let’s face it. The generation loves a good selfie. It doesn’t matter the day, location, or occasion; a stop will be made for millions of selfies under the perfect lighting. And after we finish our selfie shoot, we must review the collection and heart the most worthy ones to be exposed.

Why do we do it? Well, researchers surveyed subjects on their social media habits.They found that snapping and sharing wasn’t merely an exercise in narcissism, but an act of self-care. Taking the photo encouraged mindfulness, while the sharing promoted social interaction. “I’ll stop and take a photograph of this insect sitting on my computer or something. Just taking a moment is very salutary, I think,” one participant tells scientists at the UK’s Lancaster University and the University of Sheffield. Looking at photos gives the subjects a sense of purpose, and planning to take them was a motivational force, the researchers say.

According to researchers at Brigham Young University, there are three types of selfie-takers in the virtual universe. They’re communicators, autobiographers, and self-publicists.

Communicators utilize their selfies to interfaces with their supporters, energize conversation and dispatch cause for discussion in the comments.

Autobiographers use Instagram to monitor their lives and post selfies as an approach to impart their new encounters to their devotees – paying little mind to what they think. They don’t require criticism in the manner communicators do, or just offer the cleaned, consummated, altered selfies as self-advertisers do. Basically, they’re sharing the posts for them, and don’t generally mind what their supporters think.

Self-Publicist  uses selfies to share a positive, specific outlook of their everyday life.

I am aware that the birth of selfies has created a controversy between generation Z and X. Still, personally, I believe its all trivial. Its a picture. You feeling good, you looking good, you snap a pic! You feel bad, looking even worse, people still snap a pic. The selfie could go in many directions and serve many purposes, which is the exact reason why I love them. It’s apart of expression, progression, and to some compression (yes, you can apply pressure through a good selfie). And there’s been many years in the dark age where pictures were unheard of. Meaning all should be able to take as many selfies as they please for the old and the new.

I am aware that the birth of selfies has created a controversy between generation Z and X. Still, personally, I believe its all trivial. Its a picture. You feeling good, you looking good, you snap a pic! You feel bad, looking even worse, people still snap a pic. The selfie could go in many directions and serve many purposes, which is the exact reason why I love them. It’s apart of expression, progression, and to some compression (yes, you can apply pressure through a good selfie). And there’s been many years in the dark age where pictures were unheard of. Meaning all should be able to take as many selfies as they please for the old and the new.

 You know what they say, a selfie a day keeps the doctors away. 🙂