Farewell, but not Goodbye!

Dear fellow bloggers,

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for reading my thoughts about all things communication on my blog. Thanks for sticking with me through my blogging struggles and successes, especially in the beginning stages as I was attempting to discover the emerging blogosphere and establish my own blogging style.

It has certainly been interesting for me to discover the social effects of citizen media, and the ways in which the blog serves as an effective outlet for personal thoughts and sentiments that have created me, the blogger as a knowledge producer. Being able to actually contribute to the knowledge base of the internet, even if only read by students of CS 400, is still a huge step forward for citizen media as opposed to simply the consumption of mainstream media. I have also found, that by blogging my thoughts I feel more connected to the process of learning and knowledge. Blogging has connected me not only to my own thoughts, those of my fellow classmates, but to the general production of knowledge with is an important lesson that can be applied in many aspects of life. I am now much more critical of the production of knowledge, who produces and by what means through this blogging exercise.

One of my favourite parts about blogging, both writing and reading, has been the hypertextuality aspect. I love being able to click on links that will instantaneously direct me to a website or video so that I can learn more about it. Or, if I already know about the particular topic or term that is being discussed, I can choose to read past and not click on the hyperlink. This allows me to personalize my reading and understanding of the text, something that is missing from traditional media such as newspapers and magazines. Hyperlinking allows for connective writing, so blogs may link to another blog or article to allow for a greater contextualization.

This blogging exercise of connected writing has helped to not only put forth my own ideas and opinions but has also helped to raise awareness as you link to other blogs but also recognize other knowledge being produced in the blogosphere and internet as a whole. So I'd like to thank you my dear readers for joining me on this journey of discovery!

Finally, I liked to share a short video about "Blog Action Day" 2009. This is an annual day that has been happening for a few years now that attempts to harness the power of citizen journalism and the blog to combat the onset of global climate change. This is an excellent example of the ways in which our society and public sphere can benefit from the blogosphere, and the cooperation that can take place.



Thank you again for reading!
Take Care!

Final Project

For my final project in CS 400, I have decided to create a blogging exposé on photographic truth. The blog specifically examines the overwhelming degree to which mainstream media manipulates photographs, for what reasons as well as the resulting effect that it has on the Habermasian idea of the public sphere.

As discussed in class, Jurgen Habermas theorized that the public sphere, "is an area in social life where people can get together and freely discuss and identify societal problems, and through that discussion influence political action." (Wikipedia.org) This paints a wonderful picture of a free-flow of information through society, a theoretical space in society in which the press aspires to gain influence. However, recent technologies have allowed for significant levels of photographic manipulation in mainstream media outlets, which greatly hinders the effectiveness of the public sphere.

My blogging exposé gathers and analyzes specific examples of photographs that have been tampered with by mainstream media for their own purposes. The tampering has significant influences on the portrayal of truth to the general public, which I will be commenting on throughout the blog.

So check it out here:
http://blogger-apicturesworthathousandwords.blogspot.com/

I hope by reading the blog, that you will be able to gain a further understanding to the degree to which the mainstream media manipulates the truth by tampering with photographs and that citizens can actively take action against this through critically engaging with citizen media.