Month: April 2020

Throughout the course I have learned a lot about digital media and gained valuable skills that I can apply in the rapidly growing world of the computer-age. This class has provided us with important theories and techniques to properly analyze, produce, and share digital information with the use of information communication technologies (ICTs). The three main take-aways that I value most and consider to be the most memorable are: creating a website, creating a YouTube video and channel, and concluding the course with the final project. However, If I could expand on that I would emphasize how rewarding it was to promote a real non-profit organization and connect with my target audience of Rutgers University students. 

Prior to this class, I had never created a website. Although I didn’t code the website myself, I found the overall experience of designing, maintaining and applying different forms of media to the site, very rewarding. Now, I can proudly say I’ve built my own WordPress website, and have the knowledge and skill obtained from this course to do it again. Furthermore, it was very satisfying that my target audience for this website and my overall topic was none other than students here ate Rutgers.

The other key take-away was creating a YouTube video. It was an amazing learning experience to be able to use screen-recording technologies (Screencast-O-Matic), to record video, and audio. Also, creating the YouTube channel was an undertaking that will definitely benefit me when I decide to create my own channel. This was a cool experience because we were able to edit and design the channel around our website, with the same logos/images, etc. 

Last, but certainty not least, the final project was the highlight of the course. This project composed of various assignments was very rewarding and educational because as a group we learned valuable skills that can be applied to real jobs, or personal projects outside the classroom. Working as a group had its ups and downs, but overall, we learned to collaborate and count on each other to accomplish the final task. Some of the soft skills I learned from this project was virtual team dynamics: remote communication, collaboration, and team leadership. On the other hand, the technical skills I learned from creating the PSA and podcast was recording, editing, and sharing audio. 

This course has taught me many valuable soft and more importantly technical skills that I plan to use for my own personal projects. This will not be the last website, blog post, YouTube video, and podcast that I will create, but I’m happy this class served a great starting point. 

This week’s post is all about internet memes. From the original meaning of memes (Darwin’s idea), to todays definition there has been many changes, specially those imposed by technology. What makes a meme unique in the words of Davison is the speed of transmission and preservation. They can be stored online and easily accessed and there are no limitations to who, when or where they go. However, the best thing about them is the humor that they convey.

The meme above is a representation of responsibility, or lack thereof. Many of us can relate to the boy sitting on the bench looking confused in response to his parents asking him where all his money went. It is easy to assume that they are inquiring because they gave it to him in the first place. The image on the left is the one that gets me. I can only imagine him contemplating on all the stuff he bought that he shouldn’t have. It is very funny because I been there before, and I’m sure many of us have. Also, this meme relates greatly with my topic on personal finance and my audience. As college students, many of us (not all) receive financial assistance from our parents, but we may not manage that money correctly, and that is why it’s funny, and relatable.

A similar meme with the same caption, “when your parents ask where all your money went,” and a picture of smiling, and unaware Zac Efron also relates to my topic and specially my audience. The meme was posted by a twitter account named “@CollegeStudent’s” which is an account that focus on producing content to a specific demographic as the name suggests. I find this one funny because by the smile and the hand gestures we know that he is unbothered by his spending. Seems like Zac used his parent’s money to buy some new video games rather than what it was intended for.

One of my favorite memes of all time is Evil Kermit. In this meme we see Kermit and the “evil” version of him looking at each other. The evil version of Kermit represents one’s evil conscious who we listen to more than we should. In this particular example, Kermit represents ourselves who has come to the conclusion that we have saved some money, after all it is a smart thing to do. However, our “evil self” suggests that we should now spend it all. Not a smart idea, since the whole point of saving and the goal of my website is to watch our money grow and invest if possible. This is why this meme relates to my topic and audience, because we are always temped to give in to our instant desires, but with smart habits we can over them.

Ideals

The ‘ideals’ or the concept these memes are trying to convey can be seen as a behavior of instant gratification that proceeds humor became we can easily relate. In each example we see how we sometimes make irresponsible decisions and spend money that we shouldn’t. When we look at memes we relate to the people in the images, which they manifest into the reality of our lives and our spending decisions.

Origin and spread

The origin of “when your parents ask where all your money went,” comes from an image of Zac Efron while promoting the 2007 Disney film High School Musical. It was originally captioned “When you’re a college student and your parents ask where all your money went,” but it was then shortened and other images were implemented with the same caption such as that of the boy sitting on the bench.

The spread of this type of meme was followed by thousands of retweets, and various versions. However, the writers at knowyourmeme, claim that, “the images are frequently combined with items people tend to overspend on, most commonly object related to video games.” As a result this was relatable to games and college students alike.

Manifistations

According to Davison, the Manifestation is the “observable, external phenomena…a direct result of the reality of the meme.” In the manifestation of these three memes the direct result of the reality is awareness. Awareness, on the part of the view who has been in the shoes of the boy on the bench, From, and even Kermit the frog. Of course the manifestation is understandable because of the text. These memes can have multitudes of manifestations, but the caption is what makes it a reality, as it brings context and meaning to meme.

The specific manifestation of the chosen memes can greatly appeal to my audience, specifically those who wish to improve their financial wellbeing. Yes, we can relate to these memes, and they can make us laugh, but besides humor, they bring awareness about bad spending habits.

Listen to my new podcast on SoundCloud!

In this podcast I review the online resources of the New Jersey Coalition for Financial Education, a non-profit organization dedicated to the financial wellbeing of New Jersey residents. The resources discussed include: Articles, Presentations, Reports, and Webinars. I also, draw a connection to my personal website, MoneyGrow, which shares the same mission and goal in educating the Rutgers community about financial literacy. For more information about the coalition you can visit them at njcfe.org, and take a look at their informative and educational resources.

I would like to thank my partners Weusi, Ahmed, and Brianna for their collaboration and support throughout this project. You can check out their websites at https://weusibarakachapman.art.blog/ (Weusi Baraka Chapman, Weusi), https://ahmed922.wordpress.com/ (I Learn We Learn, Ahmed), and https://oyster.travel.blog/change-in-the-development-of-relationships/change-in-work/ (Healthy Eating on a Budget, Brianna) and find links to their individual podcast about their take on the New Jersey Coalition for Financial Education.

Background music was obtained from freemusicarchive.org (freemusicarchive.org/genre/Instrumental), with a Creative Commons license. Track info:
Artist: Ketsa
Track name: The Stork
Album: Ra