Group Reflections

Group 1: (The Effects of Electronics)

So Group 1 decided to discuss the effects of the overuse of electronics in our current society, and the type of popular culture they chose was a magazine. They title their magazine TYTL or The Young Technology Label, and as far as I am concerned, they nailed it. For the amount of time we were given, they really did a fantastic job, so much so that if they continued this magazine outside of the classroom I would consider reading it. The magazine was both informative and engaging, with fun puzzle games to keep your attention, they really did a good job. In truth I never knew that internet/ cell phone addiction was such a problem, one that was actually being discussed out in the world. I mean, 1.6 million car crashes a year as a result of cell phone addition, with over three thousand resulting in death. That is real stuff.

 

Group 2: (Your Mental Heath and You)

Now I really enjoyed this groups project; as someone who has suffered from serious anxiety issues in the past, I truly understand the importance of tools used to lower stress, anxiety, and depression levels. The Zine that they created was gorgeous and really helped to get their message across; especially the sections on music, art, and literature therapy. Music can incite such emotion bringing some to tears by releasing bottled up emotions, and as far as literature therapy goes, its one of the best forms of self therapy. Just the simple act of writing about your day has been proven to lower stress and depression. I wish everyone in this group had brought the same passion to their sections, it felt like some of the latter sections were rushed and even though their means of relaxation were spot on, I didn’t learn much from them.  Although over all I loved this project.

 

Group 3: (Podcast on Food Insecurity)

This group really went above and beyond, I thought nobody would choose a podcast as a media form because it takes a lot of planning, and generally you need experts to record. However, this group did it all, plus their topic is something I have a personal interest in. now, I already knew most of what was discussed during their podcast due to my own personal research on the matter, but there was one thing that Jessica Cole brought up that I didn’t know. I never realized there was so much talk going on recently about food security in higher education; I mean, you always here the jokes about a college students diet, but you never really understand until you’re actually living it. It’s true that financial aid doesn’t really account for the cost of food for students, but I don’t really think it is something you can solely blame on our financial aid system. For one, the cost of education in our country is quickly getting out of control, and the cost of living has been increasing in Portland at an alarming rate over the last decade.

 

Group 4: (Group Game – race equality in Hollywood)

I literally didn’t write a single note down about this group because I was so immersed in the game. It completely captivated me to the point that I forgot it was a group project I would have to write a reflection on. It was a fantastic game, bot creative, entertaining, and informative. They covered a lot of concepts that although not unknown to someone who watches Hollywood movies, but things that aren’t really discussed in depth. The more I played the game the more I really understood how much of a racial separation there is between lead actors in movies. Plus, the fact that it extends past the actors and into the executives who control Hollywood. What really surprised me was the bonus question; I never knew that 94% of all Hollywood executives were white, that really sucks, and shows how little progress the industry has taken towards race equality.

 

Group 5: (My Group)

My group was awesome, obviously we killed it so I’m going to move past us.

 

Group 6: (Cultural Diversity):

I thought that this group had a really interesting social issue; there is a lot you can learn about other cultures when you look at their food, clothing, and holidays. However, I’m not really sure what the popular culture form was, it looked like a power point. It was a good power point, but I’m not sure if you can classify it as a type of popular culture. Moving past that, I thought it was really interesting some of the points they brought up about cultural food, and how eating is generally a social gathering. People get together to enjoy a meal, and it brings them together; so it makes a lot of sense that if you wanted to learn more about a certain culture you should enjoy a meal with someone from that culture. Same thing goes for cultural Holidays; if you really want to learn about the values of a culture what better way than to experience traditions steeped in religious significance.

 

Group 7: (Life 2.0)

This group was fantastic; the game was meticulously thought out, and fit their social issue to a T. I actually considered doing a Life type game for our project and every idea that I had considered was included in Life 2.0, and then some. They included people of all different races, and did the research needed to figure out what kind of education was statistically more likely for a person of that race and gender. They research the type of jobs most likely to be acquired by each level of education and even included the types of housing usually offered to someone with a certain income. I also was really impressed with the wild cards, or the cards that had random things happen to players like win the lottery or go to the hospital. I was really disappointed I didn’t get to see this game demonstrated because in my opinion this group worked the hardest on their project by far, and I am including my group in this.