"the medium is the message"

This is one of my favorite concepts from the class because it makes you look at media forms differently. For example, when a person reads an article in a magazine like Newsweek they know that the article was written by a fairly reputable reporter. However, if a person reads an article in a magazine like the Inquirer that person should know not to take what they read too seriously. Therefore, it's probably a good idea if a person analyzes the medium the message is being sent out on before analyzing the actual message.

This idea can be applied to some of the media news coverages there is. For example, a news media like FoxNews is more conservative so many of the stories they cover will be from a conservatives point of view. This also means that this news station will only do stories that people who are conservatives think are important. It will ignore all others. Therefore, if a person sees a story on FoxNews they must know the source and analyze the message from this perspective. It was much easier to have a broader definition of what a medium is. It was easier to place all news television stations under one category. Now many of them are created for a specific demographic. This makes analyzing mediums much more complicated because now a person muct consider which point of view the news station is covering.

the thing I enjoyed the most

I enjoyed the hands on experience we were able to get. The cultural paper and the journal made me look at communication and at things in ways I would of never thought of on my own. It's one thing to read about it but it's another thing to actually get a chance to study how it works out in 'the real world'. I helped give context to some of the terms we learned.

What I enjoyed least about this class was in direct contradiction with another thing I enjoyed about the class. I enjoyed how I didn't have a class meeting to go to. Working on my own was enjoyable but I did miss the person-to-person interaction that comes from a classroom setting. Perhaps it's because it's what I have been used to for so long. However, taking my classes online does give me the flexibility to be able to find a job and not have to worry about it interfering with my school schedule.

I don't think I would change anything about the class. I wasn't too excited about doing the cultural paper, but once I did it I was very happy with the results. I learned some important lessons that are going to help me in my personal life and not just in my academics.

Without Words

I found nonverbal coommunication to be the most interesting concept for me mostly because I had never thought of it being as relevant as the book explains it. The journal assigment made me pay attention to the way we communicate without using words. I found this communication to be important because it shows how people form close relationships through communicating. This doesn't necessarily have to be using words. When I studied people for the assignment I realized that nonverbal communication is something that brings people closer together. For this reason, I think that it's an imprtant subject to study. It allows us to see the benefits of strong communication first hand.
There are other forms of communication that don't look important but actually are. For example, people use many signs to explain what they are thinking without using words. Even though, that sign may mean something else in a different country they are still used by a wide variety of poeple to signal the same thing. Everyone in the US knows that putting your index finger to your mouth means you want that person to be quiet. This helps form communication bonds. People use language to communicate. People use nonverbal communication for the same reason.

the games we play

I think if you're in a good relationship the games you play will benefit both people. If this is the case, you both won't mind playing because you know how it will end. When there is always one winner and one loser is when the relationship can become a burden. In this case, neither player is too eager to play since they know the outcome will not satisfy either one. I think strong relationships do involve some kind of game playing. It's the outcome that determines whether or not the game is worth playing. If the game is worth playing both people become willing participants. This strengthens their rekationship and helps people get closer to each other.

The way that communication is not a game is that in a game there is typically only one winner and one loser. If it's a game then it's better to think of yourselves as a team that is working to achieve the same goal. This will make playing the game easier.

Our Holidays

One of the ways we use communication to"build worlds" is by celebrating the holidays listed on every calendar. Without being told, people gather every fourth Thursday in November to celebrate Thanksgiving. Everyone knows that on this day they have to cook and eat turkey. The same can be said about a holiday like Memorial Day. Both these holidays have a set structure on how we celebrate them. Other countries also have holidays that help distinguish them. For example, instead of Halloween people in Mexico celebrate something called "the day of the dead". It's similar to Halloween but celebrated a little differently. If you looked over every country I'm certain you will find at least one holiday that's not celebrated in the United States. This is one way we "build worlds" through communication.

Mixed Methods

A concept from chapter thirteen that I found interesting is the idea of triangulation. The book defines it as, "the process of approaching a research question from multiple perspectives." (375) This shows how a researcher isn't confined to only one method. For example, a researcher may conduct a survey in order to justify the results obtained during an experiment. This allows the researcher to use a wide variety of tools in order to conduct their research.

The problem with using ethnography as your research method may make you feel like a liar and might cause you to hurt someone. When you go 'undercover' to do the research there is the possibility that you will end up forming close relationships with people. If they found out that it was all for an experiment they will probably not be too happy about that.
One possible solution is to find an informant who can help you gain information about the people in the area you are researching. Doing this would eliminate the need to go undercover. Playing an overt role may not work because as the book mentions, "when people know they are being watched, they may try to impress the observer." (379) This is the reason why finding an alternate way (such as using an informant) to gather information may be the best solution.