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Simulacra/Hypermediation & Power Relations Discursive Formations Blog Post

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November 13, 2022 Simulacra and Hyper-mediation- Virtual Reality  -      T he recent pandemic helped give rise to a new way to pass the time alternative to the normal video game on screen. Virtual reality has become a much more immersive experience in recent history, with extremely realistic graphics and hyper-immersive gameplay. VR has become so prominent in the lives of some, one can look at this as a great example of simulacra in our present era. Big companies are even working to make the experience unlike anything other, an example being Mark Zuckerberg and his company Meta. Though this might not be the most enlightening example, the different ways people use VR can shed light on just how much we are able to create and simulate to give users a reality they can choose what to do with. Originally, the most interaction players could have is through a single screen, with a controller that is not as natural when compared to the means in which users use VR.  Wether through immersive movi
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Gender-Sexuality and Semiotics-Psychoanalysis

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November 6, 2022 Gender-Sexuality Analysis- Dennis Rodman and Gender Non-Comformity - The 90's basketball scene was dominated by Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, but besides the obvious attention a winning team would receive, eyes were also regularly on Bulls power forward Dennis Rodman. Rodman was commonly known for his eccentric style and open objection to typical gender rules.  With a constant spotlight on the team, Rodman's style was always a conversation amongst the other basketball greats. He was obviously self aware and could see the turmoil and criticism that was caused with his personality, and enjoyed being the topic of conversation. His action were often viewed as self-centered or just to gain media attention, yet he was one of the only athletes at this time to truly live his personality and challenge gender rules of a hyper-masculine idea of the common male professional athlete.  Interviews were not uncommon for Rodman; one of the most memorable and eye-opening
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Social Movement and Idealogy Analysis

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October 30, 2022 Social Movement Analysis- The Extinction Rebellion  -   The social movement known as the Extinction Rebellion first started on October 31, 2018 in Stroud, United Kingdom, and focused its attention on climate change and the dire need to begin cutting emissions globally. Its origins and ideas first came from the mind of Roger Hallam, an organic farmer who was studying for a PhD, studying social change via the means of civil disobedience. Hallam's first experience with climate change came during a rainy season in 2017, where his and numerous other farmers had their crops decimated by the torrential rain. One of the key aspects of the Rebellions actions is non-violent civil disobedience; what started with Hallam's Spray painting at King College calling them to divest from fossil fuel soon turned into social movements surrounding non-violent calls to action.  One of their most prominent displays of anti violent calls to action took place in London, where large group
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Narrative- Dramatism & Culture- Constitutive Analysis

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October 16, 2022   Narrative-Dramatism Analysis of Netflix's Mindhunter - An analysis of Mindhunter , a show inspired by book "Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Special Crime Unit", follows the true story of the beginning of the FBI's Behavioral Science unit, which helped study and document serial killers and psychopaths in the 1970's. The show follows two protagonists, mostly focused on Special Agents Holden Ford and Bill Tench, who begin working together after discovering similarities in their studies and interests. The two work in the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, in 1977 They end up in a number of various locations based on their work, as investigations take them across the country.  The show itself does a great job of setting up the plot and attracting viewers in the very beginning, with events that take place that set the tone for the rest of the show. At this beginning stage, the Psychology Division of the FBI was not well respected within the sys
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Textual-Genre & Visual Analysis

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October 9, 2022 Textual Analysis:  President Abraham Lincoln  speaking to the 166th Ohio Regiment: August 22, 1864 An analysis of Lincoln's speech to the 166th Ohio Regiment as they were about to depart back home. This  speech was given spontaneously and without preparation; despite its shortness in length, Lincoln's words showed his ability to address the public without the need to prepare beforehand. In this short speech, he says, "I suppose you are going home to see your families and friends. For the service you have done in this great struggle in which we are engaged I present you sincere thanks for myself and the country. I almost always feel inclined, when I happen to say anything to soldiers, to impress upon them in a few brief remarks the importance of success in this contest. It is not merely for to-day, but for all time to come that we should perpetuate for our children’s children this great and free government, which we have enjoyed all our lives. I beg you to r
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Audience and Neo-Aristotelian Analysis

October 2, 2022   Audience Analysis: An Analysis of Hispanic Californian Voters in the 2020 Election - An analysis of Hispanic Voters in the 2020 election, one of the most divided elections our lifetime. Description of this election and voter population comes from Univisión Communications, Inc. In this election between Democratic candidate Biden and Republican Donald Trump, we see an increase in the number of hispanic voters, as well as claiming a 3% increase in total voter turnout; 2018 saw Hispanics claiming 23% of the voter turnout, versus 26% only two years later. Of this 26%,  39% were aged 18-24, only a single percentage difference from the prior election. A majority of Hispanic voters in California leaned towards Biden, with 32% claiming Democratic Party affiliation, and 17% claiming Republican. 26% claimed independent. Though these numbers seem relatively far apart, younger voters made up a large portion of Democratic-leaning voters, while older generations made up a larger por
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