CMME 3101 01- Language, Power, and Advocacy

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

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

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