Assignment 1

Hi! My name is Emily, I am a fourth year student of psychology at the University of Florida, and I will be keeping a blog this semester for one of my classes. I've never kept a blog before, and to someone as technologically impaired as I am it's a big step forward. This blog is for an English class that I am taking, called Writing through Media. To be honest, I'm not a fan of writing (most likely the reason I left most of my writing requirements unfinished until my senior year) but I am excited about the writing that I will get to do this semester. Probably because it's not like writing that I have done in the past. The purpose of this class and these assignments will be to better understand literacy as it now exists; not only as printed words, but as images and other forms of electronic media.

We live in a period of transition. Media is no longer presented to the world primarily through written text. Everywhere we go we are assaulted by images, icons, logos, sounds, and videos that present some sort of message. These combination of images and words can be used to evoke sympathy, excitement, sorrow, desire, inspiration, or laughter. The purpose of this blog will be to analyze and create meaning through the combination of words and images.

I am already familiar, as most people are, with many forms of electronic media, and have found that I am especially partial to film and photography. There are so many underlying interpretations to be found in each, and each new discovery gives the medium through which it is presented added depth. I love pulling things apart, finding the deeper meaning, looking for what is not most easily seen. Sometimes it takes me awhile, but I can usually get there.

While there is less room for interpretation in this image than certain others, it certainly made me laugh. And reminded me that there are others who are even more technologically impaired than I am!