Gaming addiction and the commercial media

The "Second Skin" videos and the pages we read in Culture Jam were quite interesting to me.  I felt that the videos showed a side of gaming that I really know nothing about since I don't play video games, and havn't even gotten "addicted" to facebook.  However, I did have more time on my hands back when myspace was the popular social network, and I remember coming home from school and going directly to the computer to see if I got any new comments.  I could never really explain why it was so appealing to me, I spent most of my days with the same people who would comment on my myspace and yet the fact that I had 5 new comments was always very exciting. 
Although social networking is different than gaming I feel the "addictions" are similar.  Online you can essentially be whoever you want to be which takes away from the inhibitions most people experience in a group of people.  Ironically this is also what makes meeting people over the internet very dangerous.  I also found the concept of a halfway house for gamers to be quite interesting.  It seems odd but similar to the tobacco industry, alcohol industry and the drug trafficking, success is based on hooking people to what is being sold in order to maximize profit. Liz Woolley described this idea well, "It's designed to get them in there and keep them in there...so when it happens don't be shocked, you're falling into corporate strategy."  This corporate strategy Woolley describes is exactly what the commercial media counts on us buying into on a daily basis as well. 
In Culture Jam I found it to be sad, expected and actually detrimental in the long run that so many huge name sponsors turned away the idea of having a buy nothing day.  I know the sponsors such as CNN make money when we buy products they sponsor.  However, I feel that it would have been beneficial for them to send the message that although they are making money off of us, they at least realize how damaging our blind consumerism is to society as a whole.  I feel that by acknowledging these issues and supporting our awareness, they could have gained more respect and trust from the people of the United States.  I may be wrong but I feel this might have led to more success in the long run than trying to silence new ideas. 

Introduction

Hi everyone!  My name is Molly Kordes and I am a sophomore here at Shippensburg University.  I am majoring in Early Childhood Education which will certify me to teach Pre-K to 4th grade.  Outside of school I love riding horses and I am actually currently renting a farm house that sits on a 60 acre horse farm in Carlisle.  I also love spending time with friends and since I am not living with my parents I love doing things that do not require spending money such as hiking, spending time at Raystown Lake with friends, or simple pleasures like movie nights at my place.  

Intro to Lit is a required Gen. Ed. for my major.  However, now that we have the first day of class under our belts I am looking forward to the subject matter that we will be covering.  I read the book 1984 in high school and the ideas presented were quite interesting and I look forward to reading it again and thinking a bit deeper about the messages it conveys.  I feel that as a college student I will now be able to read a bit deeper not only into 1984, but the other course readings as well.  I also find the way that the class is going to be set up quite interesting and much different than any other classes I have taken.  I feel that the small group work will make it easier to think critically about the subject matter as opposed to being put on the spot in front of the entire class.

When I don’t have a lot of school work to do I love watching television.  I know it’s pathetic but I do love to watch reality TV such as The Real Houswives and Teen Mom.  However, I also enjoy watching shows such as I Shouldn’t be Alive that tell amazing stories of survival in the most extreme circumstances.  As far as music I enjoy listening to almost anything.  The same applies to my taste in movies; some movies that I really enjoy include:  The Notebook, The Replacements, Goodfellas, Pineapple Express, Law Abiding Citizen, Taken, Couples Retreat, and Date Night.  However, I also enjoy watching Disney movies with the children that I babysit.  My past experiences with literature were mostly academic based.  However, I do love reading Jodi Picoult books in my free time, outside of the semester.  I enjoy her writing because the incredible amount of research on the topics she writes about is very evident and she writes her narratives around very controversial issues.  Literature in my opinion is any kind of book that provokes thought. However, I have to admit I am not a very strong English student so I am open to other suggestions!