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The Chaos Scenario

Consumers are driving the change in this world. People want to do what they want and when they want and this is directly related to the media culture. There are so many niches and media outlets that they can watch, read, and listen to exactly when they want. The new media distributive techniques and the ways people are interacting are undermining the mass media business model. The Chaos Scenario, by Bob Garfield, discusses mass media predictions for this country and the digital media remodeling that will occur with the media's different modems and the way consumers interact with them. 

The main theory driving most claims in the book is the idea that consumers will become more and more interested in interacting with the media rather than being a passive watcher, listener, or reader. Garfield uses the term "listenomics", which is his term "for the art and science of cultivating relationships with individuals in a connected, increasingly open-source environment" (Garfield 15). Consumers want to connect with each other and create relationships in which they can learn more about the negatives and positives of a company or more details about a show or video. Advertising agencies and companies need to be on their toes and ready to change from the ubiquitous thirty-second advertisement model to an interactive communicative advertising experience. However, there is more factors that go into just creating relationships and interactions on the computer. 

"No body is safe from everybody" according to Garfield. When something is posted on the Internet there is a level of privacy and safety that will be severed. Once something is released on the Internet, there is little chance of it not being able to be connected back to you even if it is deleted. This chapter was interesting to me, for it seems to me that people are oblivious to the lack of safety they actually have when using the Internet. People's shared personal life can be related to the information shared about corporations on the Internet. Companies are not safe from everybody. Sharing experiences and interacting with others is becoming the new fad and all it takes is one costumer's bad experience to be relayed on to millions of people. They cannot control what people say about them and have little safety from negative attention. Also, it always seems like people always want to share their negative opinions more than their positive experiences and poor comments are always remembered more. Companies are put it a very vulnerable position with the new and popular consumer interactive communities. 

Consumers want control and they are starting to drive the decisions of companies more and more. They have power, for a companies reputation can be easily damaged with one very unhappy person. Also, consumers find ways around the things they don't want to experience. No one wants to sit and watch twenty minutes of commercials in an hour-long show, so they will change it or fast forward. But, now the value of an advertisement is significantly lower. If consumers do not get what they want or have a negative experience then they can and will share it. Consumers use listenomics, but corporations need to use it too in order to make prompt positive changes and keep people happy. The relationship between everything is changing, so everyone needs to be aware of the alterations that occur and use listenomics.

Declining Immigration Numbers

Mexican immigration in the United States has finally stopped increasing and may even be declining after forty years of rapid growth according the Pew Hispanic Center. The number of Mexicans leaving the United States increased after 2005 and the amount of migrants coming from Mexico decreased. In 2007 there was approximately seven million illegal immigrants in the U.S. and in 2011 there is around 6.1 million. Fifty-eight percent of 11.2 million illegal immigrants living in this country are from Mexico. The twelve million Mexican born people living in the U.S. are equal to more than all the immigrants in any other country according to Pew. 

Arizona officials passed a law in 2012 to increase the power of local and state police to enforce immigration laws. They want to pressure illegal immigrants to return home. Last Wednesday, the Supreme Court had a debate over the Arizona law. Pew could not say which factor was most important in effecting the declining numbers of illegal immigrants, but an increase in border enforcement, high unemployment, increase deportations by the American authorities, and a continual decline in birth rates in Mexico all can be attributed to the change. Migrants who are employed and live a stable life in the U.S. are certainly staying, but the people that leave or are deported are unlikely to return. 

Julia Preston's article, "Mexican Immigration Is Off Sharply, Ending 40-year Trend, Study Confirms", grabbed by attention because I am aware of the huge Mexican population in this country and I had the belief that the numbers were only increasing. Also, my house cleaner at home lacks legal papers and so I wanted to acquire more knowledge about the current situation in this country. She is an amazing woman and has done well in this country; she works in the U.S. in order to provide for her family that still lives in Mexico. I have a lot of sympathy for her and people that go through similar experiences. Jones would consider this iron core news, for it directly relates to many important aspects of this country. Also, it is news because this is the first declining change in migrant numbers in forty years! I am somewhat surprised this story was not highlighted on the first few pages of the paper though. This story was a little repetitive with numbers and other ideas and I think if this article was on the Internet that would not be the case. d

"Food Desert" in Poor Urban Neighborhoods?

There has been an acknowledged association between obesity rates and the neighborhood one lives in. However, this article claims that studies are now questioning the connection of neighborhoods and their food choices and obesity rates. Michelle Obama is very concerned with the poor health of children and she along with many other policy makers and advocates believe that poor urban neighborhoods are "food deserts"--bereft of fresh produce. Contrary, recent studies have found that these neighborhoods actually have an abundance of fast food chains, convenience stores, but also grocery stores and supermarkets that offer healthy fresh items. These studies point to the idea that there is no relationship between the type of food being sold and the neighborhood's obesity rates among children. 

These studies discussed raise questions of whether we are treating the obesity epidemic in an appropriate manner. Improving availability and access to healthy foods may not be too effective. Kelly Brownwell, director of Yale University's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, claims "if you are looking for what you hope will change obesity, healthy food access if probably just wishful thinking".  A study in The American Journal of Preventative Medicine was executed and stated that there was no relationship between the type of food students said they ate, what they weighed, and the type of food nearby. Most food retailers offer healthier options beside the choice of a soda, candy, or hamburger. 

I have studied the relationship between rates of obesity and the financial status of neighborhoods in my politics of food class, so this article intrigued me. Obama's goal to eliminate "food deserts" won't effectively help the obesity rates. The federal effort though will include: improving access to healthy food, upgrading food in schools, increasing physical education time, and educating people on the importance of a healthy diet. This NY Times article was effective for it did a good job discussing the issue, the previous beliefs about it, the contrary findings, and a solution that should be done. If this story was on the Internet it would be slightly shorter, for this article did have a little repetitiveness about the previous relationship and the multiple studies that defied the connection. Jones would consider this iron core news, for it is concerned with the health of children in this country. Also, the obesity rates issue has been acknowledged for quite some time now but the numbers are not decreasing so it is appropriate for another article to be published. 

Expectations

I have really enjoyed all of the speakers that have been coming to talk or Skype with us. On Monday, the young lady from the Ellen Show was able to Skype with us. It was nice to speak with someone who very recently graduated because she could relate to us a lot. She gave great advice about her experiences at DePauw and the job market, thus far. She has had a lot of great internships and she seems to have landed on a job she really loves. Her work life seems to differ everyday, which keeps her job fun and always interesting. Larry's cousin was also able to Skype with us on Monday. He was extremely knowledgeable and the information he was teaching us was certainly current and relevant. The social world and technology is such a large part of this world today, but it will only keep becoming more prevalent. There are many concerns and limitations though that comes along with the use of social media. Lastly on Wednesday, we had the privilege of speaking with another recent alumni. He has had a lot of great experiences in the short time that he has been away from DePauw. His work with PR in politics was interesting, but it is very commendable that he has already been asked back by this university to help them with major plans for the school. The way he connected PR and DePauw was fascinating and the way we are rebuilding our image with renovations on the website, bookstore, Anderson street, etc.. I look forward to the upcoming weeks and hopefully having the opportunity to speak with more professionals. 

FBI: Top Ten Most Wanted List

Every year the Federal Bureau of Investigation establishes a most wanted list. Osama bin Laden finally got crossed off the list last May when he was found and killed. As people make their way off the most wanted list, the bureau has a responsibility to nominate more fugitives to fill their place. It is harder than just finding a high-profile criminal though. Last Tuesday, a man with the name of Eric Toth finally filled Osama’s place on the list. He is a schoolteacher from Washington who was accused of possessing child pornography. 

The FBI has been using most-wanted posters since the 1930's and since this time 464 of 494 fugitives on the list has been captured. The list use to be displayed in post-offices; however, recently the bureau has been using social networking sites and billboards with the decrease in post offices. The types of criminals on the list have been changed though, for now they are not always murderers.

This article was different than many previous articles I have read in the NY Times. It seemed to lack a main point to the story besides the fact that Osama's place was filled on the most wanted list. Unlike many of the NY Times articles I have read, I would have liked this article to be longer and to have given me more background and details about the FBI's list. Also, I would have liked to read about the other nine fugitives on the list. Jones would consider this iron core news, for the list is important to our country and the safety of its citizens. The public typically helps play a role in finding the fugitives on the list, which is why it is vital for the public to know about everyone on the list.  A video on the Internet to introduce the ten criminals on the most wanted list would have been a very powerful add-on.