Welcome!

I thought that before we get into the business side of things, that I would tell you a bit about myself and this blog.

I am currently studying Public Relations and Advertising at UNSW, and as part of one of my subjects – MDIA5003, Online and Mobile Media – we have to blog about our thoughts on the weekly topics. Of course, if you are a fellow student in the class or indeed one of the lecturers, you already know this, and if it is the latter and you’re looking at my blog to mark it, may I mention what a marvellous class I think it is.

This blog will primarily be about my thoughts on the weekly topics including the readings and the lectures. Hopefully I will be able to make some links to PR, advertising and journalism where possible (or anything else I can think of along the way). So this might sound a little bit boring, but bear with me! I’ll try to keep it fun rather than serious and academic, and I think there will even be some fun topics!

Today in class we discussed the idea that people either consider the new media environment, specifically in relation to social media, as either utopian or dystopian and through the course it will be best to judge on a case-by-case basis. I feel that I strongly agree with both versions! On one hand, social media provides an amazing space where ideas can be shared, like in the coffee houses of old. I find it incredible to think that there is so much knowledge at the end of our fingertips (or in the ‘computer in our pockets’ as our lecturer described smart phones today). On the other hand, I do believe that social media is creating negative behaviours in people. That the general attitude is that the only things worth doing are the ones worth tweeting about and, well you know, selfies are a thing now.

Check out this comic ‘The Social Media Generation’ by Marc Maron for a bit more of a negative take on Social Media:

http://zenpencils.com/comic/129-marc-maron-the-social-media-generation/

I have chosen a blog name to reflect my varying thoughts on social media. Media, in all its forms is very much a menagerie (if we take the word to mean a large, perhaps a little out of control variety, rather than a group of exotic animals). The main point is the variety not only of platforms available, but also in the way they’re used and have the potential to be used.

Anyway, that’s enough of my waffling on for one night. Hopefully this blog will become a space of sharing my thoughts about the potentials of online media, and hopefully it wont head down the dystopian route. I guess that will depend on how hard I study this semester. Stay tuned for my comments on this week’s reading, which will hopefully be up in the next few days. Or, failing that, a selfie.