Gone going ....Gone!

For my last post I decided to do a wrap up of the course, and the most interesting concepts I took away from it; similar to last class' seminar. It is a little funny to think how far I've come since the beginning of class. I remember saying the first day of class that I've never blogged or read a blog before, little did I know Perez Hilton is a blog. Now I find myself blogging like a pro, weekly throughout the semester for more than one class.

One of the debates I found most interesting was the debate about journalism, and if bloggers were considered journalists. This is a difficult debate, but I do have to conclude that no bloggers are not true journalists. Yes they can be writers or a form of reporting, but I would classify them more as an alternative to journalism. Though blogging is a growing social network, and to get information out to the mass audience quick and easily, it can still not be considered journalism. I find journalists to have a prestige and professional title, which I don't think bloggers should be categorized under; not all but most journalists take their work more seriously, and are doing extensive research and observations to write a piece. By categorizing bloggers and journalists, I think is a mistake, because it will only take away from the professionalism of journalists and thus allowing just anybody to be called a journalist.

Also with viewing the Hacktivism blog and listening professor Werschler's presentation were very interesting. Hacktivism I think is OK, I don't see too much wrong with it when it is used in the right places for the right purposes. Hacking into sites decentralizes power, and takes it away from the government and major corporations. I do not agree with hacking into people's personal information, such as the government and CIA wanting to get access to Skype to be able to hack into others phone conversations. Thirdly, what I found most interesting was the discussion of media convergence and fan cultures. There are many outlets online such as YouTube, blogs and Fanlib.com that were not available to fans prior to the rise of the internet; thus making it more difficult for fans to connect and interact with one another with common interest. I think fan culture is very beneficial to both the fans, TV shows, and the Hollywood producers since it creates popularity and buzz around their film. In closing, great class and great way to end of my undergrad!