Facebook Overload

I actually had a dream about blogging for this class last night. So I'm going to honor my subconscious and write another post today...

I don't think we've had a class where we haven't brought up social media, particularly Facebook. It doesn't matter whether we're talking about Foucault or Malcolm X. So I’ve been thinking a lot about Facebook (and social media in general). Yesterday, I found an interesting article on depression. The article gave a list of unlikely causes of depression, and one of the causes on the list was "Facebook overload". Of course, this one stood out to me. Facebook overload is exactly what it sounds like: it's a term for people who spend a lot of time on social network sites like Facebook (but not just Facebook). 

So what do you think of Facebook overload? Are you surprised that some people have linked it to depression?

Cixous – Fifty Shades of Grey

I can’t go a day without hearing about Fifty Shades of Grey. I hear about it on the radio; Saturday Night Live did a skit on it (for those of you who haven't seen it; check it out below: it's hilarious); and my coworker can’t stop talking about it. While I haven’t read this book—and don’t plan on reading it anytime soon—it makes me think of our discussion on The Laugh of Medusa by Cixous and gender in writing. This book is definitely geared toward women. Jo-Jo and Regan from 106.5 even describe it as “mommy porn” and even had their female intern read the book so they could get the proper female perspective.

So has anyone read Fifty Shades of Grey? If so, what did you think of it, and can you relate it to Cixous? If no one has read it in this class, what do you think of Jo-Jo and Regan getting the female intern to read the book instead of reading it themselves? Have you ever avoided reading a book or watching a movie because you thought it wasn’t intended for you (and I’m not just talking about gender)?

My Experience in PRWR – A Puzzling Blog Entry

After reading a fellow blogger’s post, I’m going to take a different approach to this post. I’m going to discuss my experience with the PRWR program. First of all, I’m in the Technical Writing and Information Design track. I’ve done really well in classes associated with my track, but other than Grammar and Editing, I seem to struggle with core classes like this one. My last writing assignment—the one with the puzzle pieces—is proof of my struggles.

I received my undergraduate degree in English, so I’m not a stranger to classes like this one. But after nearly 6 years in the workforce as a Business Analyst/Technical Writer, my style of writing has changed. As a Business Analyst, I’m supposed to write concisely. I tend to repeat things; I choose one word to describe something (i.e., I don’t say construct in one sentence but create in another sentence). I write for my audience. I have to be very literal. And if I can use a bulleted list to explain something, I do. Essentially, I’m not paid to be creative. I’m not saying that this kind of class isn’t helpful. I believe my liberal arts background has helped me be successful in my field. And this class in particular has been beneficial because it forces me to think critically, ask questions, and answer other peoples’ questions. However, I can’t get out of my writing habits when it comes to writing assignments.

So in closing, I apologize if my last assignment was too repetitive and didn’t make you think enough. I wasn’t trying to concentrate on theory. In hindsight, I wish I didn’t even mention Plato at all. I just wanted to share my writing process and maybe get you to think about your own writing process. Our professor actually gave me the idea when she mentioned the essay that someone in a previous class wrote (i.e., the essay where the person said all these things and in the end it turned out to all be a lie). But instead of writing a narrative, I used a form I was more familiar with (like a user-manual approach). So once again, I apologize for keeping it simple. I guess my biggest mistake with this assignment was not considering my audience. Just please keep in mind that there are different styles of writing, and just because it’s simple and repetitive doesn’t mean it’s not effective.

Nietzsche – On Truth and Baseball

Nietzsche’s article, On Truth and Lies in a Nonmoral Sense, discusses truth and makes one question the whole concept of truth. After reading this article, I thought about baseball and what steroids have done to the sport. In 1998, for instance, both Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa broke Roger Maris’s single-season homerun record. Barry Bonds then passed McGuire in 2001. I remember both these record-breaking seasons, especially the year McGuire and Bonds were competing to break the record. I loved following these guys and was always checking the news to see if one of them had hit a homerun. But then the steroid era exploded, and everyone—including me—began to question the integrity of the records that were broken. Did breaking the record mean as much if the player took performance-enhancing drugs? And as more names became linked to steroids in the recent years, I began to question the integrity of the sport altogether. Essentially, I did the same thing as Nietzsche (though Nietzsche would probably question the word steroids in general).

Can you think of any other examples of when you may have questioned something you once believed to be true?

Malcolm X – Free… or not?

I find Malcolm X’s story fascinating. My current project at work is with the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS), so I work with users who deal directly with inmates. One of my users shared some stories with me about some of the inmates who have stood out to her. I bet Malcolm X would have stood out to her if she had encountered an inmate like him. The following passages from Malcolm X’s Learning to Read stood out to me:

“Between Mr. Muhammad’s teachings, my correspondence, my visitors—usually Ella and Reginald—and my readings of books, months passed without my even thinking about being imprisoned. In fact, up to then, I never had been so truly free in my life.” 

“Where else but in prison could I have attacked my ignorance by being able to study intensely sometimes as much as fifteen hours a day?”

I just find it so fascinating that Malcolm X could feel so free even though he was in prison. And I can’t imagine reading 15 hours a day. Interestingly these passages made me think of Facebook.  People spend hours on Facebook, and some people are very free about what they post. What do you think it means to be free? Do you think Facebook allows people to feel free? Or do you think it just gives people the sensation that they are free? Can you think of other ways social media makes people feel?

Frederick Douglass – Speaking out in Baltimore (or let’s pretend…)

The brief introduction to Frederick Douglass’s speech, A Plea for Free Speech in Boston, discusses how Douglass appeals to his audience by emphasizing the city pride: “Notice how he appeals to his audience’s local pride by reminding them of Boston’s traditional respect for individual freedom”.

Since our class contains a bunch of writers, some of you may find it fun to rewrite this essay from a Baltimore perspective in response to legalizing gay marriage. What are some ways that the speaker could appeal to an audience in Baltimore, Annapolis, or any other place in Maryland (perhaps your hometown if you grew up in Maryland)? Is there anything in particular that Maryland is known for? What landmarks or items would you emphasize?

Carl R. Rogers – Having Faith in the Social Sciences

According to Carl R. Rogers, “Our civilization does not yet have enough faith in social sciences to utilize their findings. The opposite is true of the physical sciences”.

Rogers wrote Communication: It’s Blocking and Its Facilitation in 1951. Do you think his statement still holds true today? If not, how has it changed and where do you see it changing going forward? Furthermore, do you think the social sciences will ever be as accountable as the physical sciences?

**Additional Question: Considering Rogers was one of the first authors we read this semester, you may have changed your mind about the answer to the question above after reading Lehrer’s article, The Truth Wears Off. Did Lehrer's article change your mind about how you may have originally answered this question?