Academic Prompts

I chose this song because, in Big Freedia’s words, “It’s a feel-good song, y’all” I am almost positive the secret to a fulfilled life is gratitude. Exercising gratitude can lead to what I feel everyone longs after. The instrumental in the song is pretty upbeat. There are very few lyrics. Big Freedia continuously says in the background, “Be thankful” This type of music is called Bounce Music. It’s native to Louisiana. Lucky Daye is a new R&B artist. Big Freedia is a long-time and trendy southern artist. BJRNCK is an up-and-coming R&B artist. Every day I start with a playlist called The Wake-Up. I made it myself on Apple Music. The goal of the playlist is to produce a happy vibe or good energy. The playlist is characterized by a fast tempo song that makes you wanna dance. Music narrates life, and anyone who believes differently hasn’t lived long enough.

The blogging has been a little confusing for me. I understand it is supposed to be about media, but I find it challenging to find media pieces to write about. I also have a difficult time defining media. The media seems broader than I initially thought. When I think about what media is and how to combine it with my interest, I feel like the two don’t marry as they should. Currently, I’m obsessed with art. Actually, I’ve been obsessed with it since I saw Kehinde Wiley’s collection of work in the Oklahoma City Art Museum. I’ve been asking myself how does black art shows up in media and how can discuss this on the blog. I know of a few documentaries I can cover, and I will. I’ve been wondering how black artists show up for themselves via mainstream media and the impact it has had on their careers. This is something I’ll be talking about on my blog. I also posted my response to the Distortion of Sound film. I thought that was so intriguing because I never knew I was consuming a lower quality of music. I’ve always preferred live music, but I never understood why. Distortion of Sound explained the why.
Every writing assignment in college has strict guidelines but not this blog. The freedom the blog offers is a breath of fresh air. It shows creativity and a space to express personal interest. I am almost positive that’s why I fell in love with journalism. In journalism, one can be objective or write about rumors. The field of writing depends on what the person wants to pursue. This blog follows in those footsteps. The rules are to cover a piece of media and no plagiarism. Simple.
The most exciting or fun part of the blog is the aesthetic. I highly enjoy changing the themes. The blog offers the chance to independently learn about a piece of media and expound upon it. I always enjoy the process of learning something new.

Distortion of Sound

1. What were musicians most concerned about?

The musicians in the documentary were most concerned with the quality of music being diminished. They highlighted multiple times how before music began being converted to MP3 it was more enjoyable. The ignorance of consumers concerned the musicians as well.  Music consumers rarely notice the difference between older ways (i.e. records players) of listening to music and newer ways.  Musicians expressed the amount work put in to produce good music only for it to be loss in the compression of audio files.

• How do you listen to your music? In what format and why?

Originally, I was obsessed with the top tier subscription to Tidal. I specifically chose Tidal because Jay-Z owned it. Later, I found out the premium subscription offers a better quality in music.  Currently, I’m obsessed with saving money, so I subscribed to Apple’s $4.99 student plan.

• Have you experienced quality issues with listening to music? Explain the issues and what you do to deal with this.

Yes! The difference between Tidal’s Premium and Apples quality is huge. However, quality headphones aid in a better experience. 

Specifically, the internet emerged in the 1960s out of necessity for discrete military communications. After it’s invention for that purpose the use of the internet took on a snowball effect. Eleven years later emailing was born. Shortly after microprocessors bore smaller in home computers. This allowed the entrepreneurial stage to begin. When the Soviet Union was dismantled the primary reason for the invention of the internet was ending.  A large amount of people had already began to implement the internet into every day life. As the 2000s arrived the internet could be used to access news, social media, music and a plethora of other media. 

Primarily, the most intriguing question in media is how and why it dominates the narrative of many countries and the world.   Outside of an educational setting or scholarly conversation it seems taboo to acknowledge the hold that the media has on most people. From cable television, Instagram to radio there is a constant output contributing to the way society thinks. Secondly, where do I fit in this broad 🌎  of media and how would I like show up? It’s common for people to seek refuge behind a screen. Many use Facebook as therapy, a way to express themselves but what about creating change through social media? The students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas Highschool answered this question after their school fell victim to a mass shooting. They organized and admittedly advocated for stricter gun control laws, but where does conscious social media interaction start in every day life; without tragedy? Lastly, when doing absolutely anything we may as well be outstanding at it! What are the tools needed to excel in media? How is high engagement garnered while keeping high moral?