Annotated Bibliography

 Annotated Bibliography

Text ONE: (academic text)
John T. Warren & Deanna L. Fassett (2011). Chapter 3: Public Advocacy: Commitments and Responsibility.
SAGE (Eds.) COMMUNICATION A Critical/Cultural Introduction (pp. 37-58). Chicago, USA: SAGE Publications, Inc.

In this chapter of the book, the authors, J. T. Warren (Professor of Speech Communication at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale) and D. L. Fassett (holds a PhD in communication pedagogy from Southern Illinois University) identify what public advocacy means and what the responsibilities of speakers and listeners are. They also describe the role of power in communication in general and in advocacy in particular, as well as defining logical mistakes and explaining how to avoid them. The authors express and discuss their personal arguments, ask the readers questions and justify their information by referencing all of their arguments, opinions and procedures. The authors’ style is conversational, it doesn’t influence anyone, and the approach encourages critical thinking. The facts are very credible and the examples are relevant and trustworthy.

Communication means taking responsibility for your messages and arguments but also for your silence. Communication has never been about just talking, it is also about writing, drawing and expressing yourself throughout your gestures and actions. Today, we have many ways of communicating, such as texting, sending e-mails, using the social media (such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.), which is discussed in the three articles below. Words are more than 'just words'. Words build, shape, sustain, position, and make an opinion about a topic which needs to be chosen very carefully, especially in writing (in either e-mails, text messages, notes, books, articles, etc.) so that the writer gets understood as he/she wants to be comprehended. 

Text TWO: (Media text)
Mellors, W. J. (date unknown). Text communication for all (DUST). WM Services UK. Retrieved from: 
 http://www.hft.org/HFT06/paper06/10_Mellors.pdf

Walter J. Mellors, the author of this article, reports and informs about text communication services. He writes about a guide that has been developed on Duplex Universal Speech and Text (DUST) services. The DUST services are communicating text, speech and video. Mellors begins his article with explaining what text communication services are and what the advantages and disadvantages are. Mellors continues by writing about how people use text communication, telecommunication, real time interactive communication and how, when and how they are used. He thereafter presents the DUST concept and describes it advantages, how it differs from other implementations and what contribution it will make to everyone that uses it. Text communication services such as chat, instant messaging, SMS and e-mail are now mainstream services and can be understood and interpreted in many different ways. A lot of elder think that because of the new technology and new ways of communicating (such as texting, e-mailing and using social media services), spoken communication and handwritten letters are being threatened. That is something that is written and discussed in the two articles below.

I believe that communicating via texts, e-mails or social media services is getting over-analyzed and that it has both a positive and negative side to it. The negative side is that the younger generation exploits it too much and is therefore negatively affected by for example misspelling or being unsocial. One of the positive sides with using this relatively new technology is that a message can be sent and received quickly from both individuals and companies.  

Text THREE: (Media text)
Hather, M. (14 August 2010). Twitter, email, texts: we don't talk anymore! The Guardian. Retrieved from:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/aug/14/texts-twitter-email-children

Michelle Hather, the author of this article, is a mother of three (3) and talks about her everyday lifestyle and way of communicating with her sons. She tells the reader about how her mornings looks like, by turning the computer on, first thing in the mornings to make sure she ‘doesn’t miss anything’.  She reflects about how she more and more communicates via texts, emails or social media services to her sons as she believes they ‘’have more chance of reaching his brain than actual, face-to-face human- being exchanges.’’ as she writes in paragraph number four (4). She seems to ‘blame’ her children to have sucked her into their hi-tech way of doing things. She is now communicating to them via message boards, phones and computers – just like their friends.

She worries about the family situation and is scared that her sons are not going to be capable to communicate as well as she did at her age because of this ‘modern’ technology, but what I find interesting in her article is that the way she is writing and explaining her lifestyle, she doesn’t seem to try to change anything in their way of communicating. She goes on and does whatever her sons do and doesn’t try to teach them how to communicate and spend time as a family, without all of these devices (mobile phones, computers, Xboxes, etc.). This kind of behavior is discussed in my last text choice, article number four (4).

Text FOUR: (Media text)
Gunther, R. (27 February 2011). Can text messages damage intimate communication? Psychology Today. Retrieved from:
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/rediscovering-love/201102/can-text-messages-damage-intimate-communication

Randi Gunther, PhD., is a clinical psychologist and marriage counselor practicing in Southern California, USA. In her article she writes about how couples, because of text messaging, struggle more and more to understand each other and understand each others feelings.  She gives an example of a couple that has troubles communicating and to connect emotionally because of text messaging. She explains that emotional connection relies on facial and corporal expression and voice intonation, and that because of communication via ‘modern technology’, messages can usually and frequently be misunderstood and misinterpreted. Randi Gunther explains about the discussion that the couple, Michael and Ashley have and that it is because of the text messages that they argue.

In her article she does seem very hopeful and looks into the future positively and makes us understand that technology is going to improve even more than it already has, but that until then, we have to learn how to communicate in ‘the right way’ to NOT be misunderstood by our partner, colleague, boss, friend, or even family member. This article resembles a lot to my third (3^rd) article choice, relationships gets affected in a negative way because of this new technology (especially sending text messages). We all have to keep ourselves clear and write clearly so that we do not get misunderstood and can get in any kind of trouble. 

Sure moms deserves some extra attention, right?

Only a few people are as vulnerable as mothers. 

Mothers must stand aside, behind, and above, without actually being able to do anything. They have to stand and watch as Barbie dolls are replaced with mobile phones or when the girlfriends get replaced with boyfriends. When their teenage daughters return home late at night, drenched in the scent of cigarette smoke and beer breath; that always means trouble and fights:
“Therese, come here and let me smell your breath”
“But I just had a sip of a beer, and the cigarette smell is because everybody around me smoked, WHAT ELSE WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO? JUST GO? NO WAY! Leave me alone.”

And that continues... Everything goes really badly for a few years years. Then it flattens out a bit... Things gets better, they are not yet entirely undisturbed, but still relatively relaxed. 
And suddenly, IT happens. 
I WANT TO BE WITH MY MOTHER. 
What? 
Well, I really want to sit at home with my mom on a Friday night, on the couch, with my feets in her knees, with a typical ‘mom music’ in the background (you know, the kind of music that you hated, but now thinks is really good).

The world is quieter and you feel that everything will work out for you. That is what your mom says at least, and you believe it. From the claim that my mom does not know me, to call mom and ask, “what do you think about it, really?” If mom says this is so, then it is so. 

My mother probably did not know that when, as a teenager, I yelled at her “you're ruining my life, what the hell have I done to you?” I still thought she was the best. That’s what I told people, even when I was 14. Because she was there, and she still is. 

Sometimes I find myself to behave in the same way as my mother, especially when I talk on the phone to someone that I want to make a good impression on. I then speak with a sweet, soft voice. It used to make me crazy when my mom did it, yet I now do the same thing myself. And when I do it, I get  a little satisfied with myself “Mom would have said the same thing, so it must be good”.

Given that it is Mother’s Day on Sunday, I would like to dedicate this short story to my mom because she’s my favourite woman. Smart, strong, wise, beautiful, cool, stubborn, funny and awesome are just some of the adjectives that comes to my mind when I think of her. 

My mother means everything to me. Sure we’ve had our battles and so on, but in the ‘big picture’, I feel that we are closer than ever today. Thanks for being there for me mom, I love you!

You are the world's best mom because...

... you are always there for me.
... you support me in difficult moments.
... you believe in me.
... you helped me with my homework.
... you cook the best lasagnes.
... you love me even when I don't deserve it.
... you held me when I was afraid of the dark.
... you've given me a wonderful childhood!
... you always wish me well!
... you comforted me when I was little and sad.
... you comfort me, even today!
... you taught me how to eat. 
... you taught me to never start a fight but always fight back.
... you taught me how to drive.
... you taught me SO much about life!
... you are YOU!

Love you Mom!!!

Work = No stupid thoughts

Of course I work to make money. And to have fun. But I find that I also go to work to not have to think about the questions that don’t have any answers to.

Everyone hope that some day, they will find and get the job they love, the ‘dream job’. A job where you own a lot of money and at the same time use your skills and love it. But because a lot of people don’t have their dream job, there has to be several reasons to why we work.

A couple of months ago I sat in my couch and looked at a Norwegian television show called ‘Skavlan’. Alain de Botton, an English philosopher who wrote “The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work” was the guest at the show. During that time, he talked about why we work.

From hard-work to desire

In the past we have been working to make money. To go to work wasn’t supposed to be a pleasure or a way to improve and grow as a person. You were considered lucky if you had a job that wasn’t unbearable, and that gave enough money to feed all your family members’ stomachs.

But in the 1700s, people changed the perception of work. From just being a necessary thing to do, it suddenly became a meaning of self-realisation and spiritual nourishment. As Alain de Botton said in the show, the same thing happened to love. The marriage would no longer be a practical arrangement, but something that would give us the passion and understanding.

I personally recognise myself in the description of the self-realisation description. I want to be creative at work. Be able to do something that feels good and be able to use my talents. I am fortunate to do so in my work. But if you don’t have that, why do you work?

It is probably to find a meaning in life. Alain de Botton says that the meaning is found among a lot of things when you do something that is beneficial to others. Nobody wants to be a ‘parasite’ that lives on the efforts of others, without self-help. Because then you will feel guilty and start feeling self-loathing.

When people complain that their job is boring and does not feel meaningful, it is a sign that they don’t understand what significance it has for others. They are also apparently not aware that they are creating something they value.  Alain de Botton argues that it is increasingly common that people think the job seems pointless. And that is probably a management culture issue. Companies want to have productive staff, but nowadays, you cannot whip people to get them to work harder, as they did in the 1700s. No, nowadays people have to feel desire to work for wanting to perform well. Whether the job is boring or not. It is now the manager’s job to make people feel that the work they do is important for anyone. A difficult task for you as a manager.

You don’t have to think

Finally, the most surprising reason for why we work. According to Alain de Botton, we work to avoid thinking. We humans are here on earth for a very short time. Around this fact raises many concerns. Why am I, such a small person as myself, doing in this vast universe? Soon enough we will all be equally compressed as a fossil in a museum, as Alain de Botton described it. This type of thinking can do so that it spins in the brain of anyone!

I remember when I was little, I though about how the universe was. So big and without an end, I was told. I could not believe that though, everything will of course end somewhere. That idea led to the next question: what’s behind it?

You get it, because there was no end, either did my questions about the universe.

As an adult I don’t think about this anymore. But I have a few friends who don’t work. They have some ‘crazy’ thoughts sometimes. I kind of envy them for the time that they have, but when I heard Alain de Botton, I am grateful for the job that I have. My friends are a lot more anxious that I am.

So thank you dear job for your help. I cannot say that you are perfect. But I get paid,  I feel useful and I have a lot of fun while working!  But above all, I don’t have any annoying thoughts that have no answer. I don’t think about the universe's end anymore. I am too busy reading and writing emails, organise, serve and run events!

Media Use & Production Diary

THE OBJECTIVES:

Over a ten (10) days period I logged use and production of various types of media. The purpose of this was to find, look and analyse my media use and the implications of it. 

THE DATA (table):

I found it quite difficult to group media types into separate categories as today's electronic world makes media more accessible. For example, newspapers can be found on the internet, smartphones or tablets. 

But I tried to keep it relatively simple and grouped the media into four groups (print, television, Internet and audio). I then added subcategories and my own production. 

DETAILS:

Print Media

Books

Although grouped under 'print media', books can now-days be accessed in various methods. I usually read books that are printed. During the period that I recorded my media use, I mostly read books, texts (on the internet) and PDF files for my studies.  

Newspapers

Everyday, I catch the CityCat (boat in Brisbane) from the CBD to the university. Before I get on the boat, I always make sure to grab a free newspaper (mX) and read it through before I get to class. I unfortunately do not read the newspapers on weekends, but if I do, it is The Australian on my iPad. 

Television

I have never watch much television, but I try more and more to do so. Therefore, the poor amount of television during my days is usually in "the background" while I am cooking or doing other things, including other media use/production such as surfing the net, writing assignments etc. 

News

The 7pm Project was the news program most watched but some days I could turn on the television in the morning and have a quick look at some morning talk shows.

Entertainment

Entertainment included television shows that I turned on while cooking or doing other things. I rarely have time (or take time for myself) to watch a movie or "sit down and relax" watching a television show. 

Internet

I find it quite difficult to divide what you are doing on the internet into groups, but in the 'social media' subgroup, I related it to social media wedsites such as Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, Flickr, Instagram, Messenger, Linkedin etc.  

Social Media

Having a smartphone and an iPad, I regularly find myself using sites such as Facebook and Twitter a few times during the day. 

Other

Other includes 'everything else' than I did on the internet, such as news sites, internet banking, research etc. No site was more outstanding than another, which is why I do not specify any.

Audio

Music

Every time I leave my home, am studying or am driving, I listen to music. Music is something very important to me, I hate silence. I listen to it via my iPhone or my computer.

Radio

I rarely listen to the radio, only when I am driving, which is not very often because I do not have a car, but I usually get to drive my works' car during the weekends, and therefore listen to music during that time. 

Production

I found that my media production is much less than my media use. 

My media production consists of Facebook updates, internet chatting with friends, writing to my family and friends (that are overseas) on Skype, university assignments and workplace documentation.

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CONCLUSION:

   Media is a big part of our lives. We use it for communication, entertainment, business, education, journalism, common knowledge, news etc. 

   In regards to my own media and production use, the data above shows us that music and social media (such as Facebook) is my main aim when engaging with different types of media. 

   My lack of time (being a university student and an employee at a catering company) shows us in the data that I do not read or watch the news enough to be able to know everything that is happening around me. 

   As a communication, PR and journalism student, I know I should spend more time reading the newspapers, watch the television news and listen to the radio news; which I intend to do, but being a first year, international university student requires a lot of extra work in terms of finding all the right information and writing in an academic english level. 

   I will start to watch the news more regularly, once I find myself confident enough with the university and my english level to leave my studies aside and watch the news. 

BLOGGERS AND JOURNALISTS - NOT THE SAME THING

The journalism profession is not really like a doctor's or an electrician's where you need a certificate to clarify yourself as one. But maybe it should.

A   F E W   M O N T H S   A G O , a friend of mine received a friend request on Facebook from a 'journalist'. There had been nothing strange about it, if it were not for the only time they had met was when he interviewed her. She hesitated for quite some time and finally decided to accept. She now regrets it a bit, but not enough to remove him. Should she?

The point is that people have great respect for journalists, but they also want to keep them from a distance. Journalists 'can' criticize people in what they do, just like people criticize the journalists without feeling that they mess with an actual person. 

Future journalists are trained side by side with the future PR consultants. Bloggers, with no training or expertise in journalism, call themselves journalists and 'real' journalists are forced to have an extra job to pay the rent. A blogger is NOT a journalist!

I write two blogs, one personal and one for my studies as a communication, PR & journalist student. During one of my first lectures, one of my lecturers at the University of Queensland said we could call ourselves journalists. Still I cannot call myself a journalist. It partly has to do with this responsibility that you get when you say you are a one. Sure, the profession is not like a doctor's or an electrician's where you need a certificate to classify yourself as one. But maybe it should be. 

A journalist is not the same as a person that has some texts published in a newspaper. It is not even enough to have read a journalistic education. I do not call myself an event manager although I have read an event management program. 

To me, a journalist, is a person working within journalism, knows the responsibility that entails. Someone who is withholding critical and well briefed. A person who always tries to see things critically and struggling against being fooled. A person with beliefs about ethics and morals, someone who is curious and always open to learn more. Anyone looking for the truth even though it can be a tricky way there.

Quite simply, a person who loves to be wrong. 

I am a student and a blogger but I hope I can be wrong many times during my studies and my career, to be able to improve myself and maybe one day, call myself a journalist. And for all the 'real' journalists, please continue to do your great job. Let's criticize each other to make us progress!

Never has journalism been needed as much. True, interesting, neutral and investigative journalism. 

It is required, now more than ever!

WELCOME

Welcome to my blog!

Let's be clear from the start: This is my writing, not someone else's. My blog contains the values, theories and perspectives that I think are important. I think it's dangerous to pretend disagreements don't exist; I will therefore share these struggles as they come along with you and invite you to write to me if you disagree (or not) on my ideas and statements.

What I'd like to do here is create something like a dialogue with you. I will write from my own ideas, my own values, and my own opinions. Should you wish, please contact me on tess_much@hotmail.com

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