Through digital media I have found that I am able to see a bigger view of the world I live in today. I would see blog posts just like this one about other people living in a different part of the world and seeing that place through their eyes, not just relying on network TV for that world-view perspective. It is amazing to me that we are now able to not rely on TV so much thanks to new media and that the new media provides regular people with a voice. I see this all the time with Facebook. There I see different statuses of friends that voice their opinions on issues and also about news happening where they live or how they see that. Youtube also does this by letting anyone make videos about things they are passionate about and want to get across to masses of people all over the world. I think Facebook has shaped me by letting me connect with people in my hometown and connect better with people who are already living in Provo. Like last night I planned out an event there and it just makes things easier on me by doing that once instead of contacting all 30 people I was planning on inviting. There is a downside to this in terms of how personal our interactions are with one another. I probably have less of that by logging on there, but it somehow just makes it easier for our fast-paced lifestyle in this city, state, and country. The readings helped me reflect more on this idea of place and lifestyle and media. When I read the piece on Chinatown I saw that there can also be a culture within another culture. People in Chinatown, NY, have just a wide history as any other kind of minority group in the U.S. I see this in my own life because I was born in Peru, but mostly raised in Utah. I have troubles finding my own culture because somehow I have a new one and do not even know it at times. I can do, think, and say things like a regular Hispanic person would, but sometimes I can also be American. Sometimes I feel like I`m too Hispanic for the Americans, or too American for the Hispanics. There are advantages and disadvantages to this, but somehow I have learned to appreciate it. Media has helped me get to that point. I have access to news, or shows from my native country, but then I also have a gratitude for this place because it provides my family and I with great opportunities to grow and make a difference. When I saw the pictures of the Golden Gate bridge, it reminded me that even photographs have a great impact in terms of how we view a place, whether it is one that is unfamiliar to us or that we have visited or lived in before. I have never been to San Francisco, but I can tell that it is that place by looking at the pictures because the bridge is a famous landmark I have seen in the news and in movies, like "Homeward Bound". I really liked the photographs, it gave me a different perspective of how a place that can be so famous can kinda morph into different settings.
My favorite part of your post was when you said "Sometimes I feel like I'm too Hispanic for the Americans, or too American for the Hispanics." I loved that, it actually made me laugh. Even though I have never lived outside of the U.S, I have lived in multiple states and I understand that feeling of being divided and not completely able to relate to one area.
ReplyDeleteI also think that it is fascinating how the Golden Gate bridge is such a familiar image to a lot of people. I have never been to California either, and yet I still found it to bring back my own stash of memories and opinions on that specific area. It's cool how the media has made so many iconic places familiar to those of us who have never been to see them.