Getting back on Track

De Bono's thinking Hats:


In today's class we discussed De Bono's thinking hats. This made me re-think all of my ideas from different perspectives. What would be the most persuasive? What made it so? What other techniques could I use to make it more powerful? Have I used the right symbols/imagery?

Thinking from different perspectives and mind sets really helped me improve small things in my ideas that will create a better impact. I need to read up a bit and do some more research because I'd like my poster to be as powerful and original as possible. I've been very stressed and distracted lately so I feel like all my ideas I'm churning out are just crap, so I need to dedicate some real time and see if I can re work my ideas and come up with something I am proud of. That's my goal this week so I'm all prepared for interim!

Confused and Not liking my work

Today is class we refined our thumbnails

I'm finding it very hard to have really good, strong ideas with imagery, I think I need to make my message clear in writing before I try and express it visually. I need to figure out what it is I actually want to say and put across. I also need to think simpler, and more powerful.

I've been distracted lately so I will be throwing myself into this to try and catch up with the ideas that I need because I feel like everything I am producing right now is terrible. So I will just restart my brain and try again tomorrow.

I'm worried that my topics might be off track so I'll be asking my tutors tomorrow what I should do. E.g. stick to just social media and delve into apple corporation

Links for Social Media!

APPLE:

Why apple sucks:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilhrQwSuUAU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPvsPBPuTo4

http://apple.cansuckmyballs.com/

Obsessed with apple products:

http://www.livescience.com/6391-apple-obsession-science-ipad-fanaticism.html

http://listcrux.com/top-10-reasons-why-people-are-obsessed-with-apple-products/

https://nz.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20101130173350AAxjlce

Mac vs. PC add:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5Yt30wrbl4

BULLYING:

http://www.internetsafety101.org/cyberbullyingstatistics.htm

http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/bullying-on-social-networks

http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/cyber-bullying-statistics.html

https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-cyber-bullying

Against Social Media

I realise I have done a lot of bouncing back and forth between topics but I have decided to do against social media.

This is because I have a lot more ideas for being against and there's so many different branches I can go off. So I'm going to research some topics and be specific about what part of social media I am against.

I am leaning towards being against technology particularly apple as it is the main source of social media because most people are on iphones with their snapchat, facebook, twitter, instagram etc. For this I'm thinking of using a pastiche of how they advertise, or the apple logo by itself with a rotten apple or poisoned. Saying we are using technology too much or that it's not what it seems to us.

The other point is cyber bullying via social media. My argument for that would be along the lines of, yes social media connects people, but who is it connecting? The bullies to the victims, because there is no escape for them anywhere because of social media.
I'd put this message out by using really strong imagery to shock to audience.

Changing Topics

I have decided to change to social media as the more I've read up about voting, the weaker my argument seems. It seems that not many people are against voting so much as they don't care, are indifferent or just forget to vote. With voting it seems that people are ranting about people in power and it seems that because their vote wasn't the victor they then get bitter about voting. I've been keeping social media in mind while thinking of ideas and I've realised that social media will create a more persuasive poster. This is because in my mind I've been able to come up with better arguements for social media than against voting.

However I am yet to conclude whether I'd like to be for or against social media. Therefore I'll be brainstorming ideas for both in my book.

Links for research

Researching
People and their reasons not to vote:


http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/apr/29/10-good-reasons-not-vote-ukip-nigel-farage-europe

http://www.strike-the-root.com/content/five-reasons-not-vote

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1401/S00162/forgot-or-not-interested-main-reasons-people-dont-vote.htm

Choosen Topic

I have decided to choose voting (against).

I have chosen this because I think it's a compelling argument that has the potential to not only be persuasive but cause revolution in the way we think about voting. I am excited to brainstorm as already lots of ideas are forming in my mind. I'd like to do something that shows visually, everything we think we know is not as it seems. Our assumptions about voting can be proved wrong as it's only propaganda in the first place that makes people vote.

Debate

Today we split into 3 groups. Social Media, Voting and Superstores.

My group was superstores and we were against them. The idea of our group was to talk about the quality of the products, the shopping experience themselves, and putting money into the economy.

A lot of good points were made and it didn't matter which side you were on, it mattered more how persuasive your argument was. Hand gestures seemed to really help as well as speaking with confidence and a loud, clear, authoritative voice. People used ethos, logos and pathos to grab people's attention and get them to listen to what they were saying. Rehearsing also helped because people who stammered or paused lost a lot of attention and respect from the audience almost immediately.

It was great to see how fired up and involved people could get in the arguments. Which makes me realise that I need a strong, clear point of argument before I can transfer it visually.

Social Media is anti-social

Look Up
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7dLU6fk9QY
I could go on about this video for a while but basically my attitude towards it is that I disagree. Some points are valid, everything in moderation. But technology has allowed us to connect with people in a way we never have before. This affects me because my brother and dad are overseas and I can viber them, send them pictures, skype, call and email all because of technology and everything is instant.

Other videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwKpOCFiDcI
This was one man's response to the video. A parody which says technology is very useful and is not our enemy, it also is interesting because at the end he reveals he has an american accent and says the charm of an english accent, editing and cheesy rhyme persuades people to suddenly freak out about having technology

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zEgUeWLxRI
This is another parody that copies the costumes, lighting and editing techniques as well as the rhyming pattern. It is against what the original was talking about and says how technology is used everyday and it's apart of our lives and it's not a bad thing at all as it makes contact between people easier.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6CTu_Zmn8E
Youtubers react to look up
This is people who live in technology, it's their job. So seeing their opinions was interesting because they were all against it, they understood the message but they didn't agree that it was that terrible.

Other sources:

http://www.debate.org/opinions/can-social-media-make-you-anti-social
This is interesting because people are using technology to debate the act of social media online. So technically all those against had to find this site through technology. People on this sight are more against then for social media.

http://multichannelmagic.com/03/does-social-media-encourage-anti-social-behavior/
This person is sarcastic and I don't like their tone with me. But at least they say it should be used in moderation rather than saying not at all

Voting (against)

Russell Brand video against voting
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YR4CseY9pk

I think the points being made are really interesting and I agreed with a lot of the stuff that Russell said. Especially about politicians not changing the things that matter in the world and only looking after the corporate people. I also believe in his simple statement that voting doesn't make a difference. Some really interesting imagery could be played on that.

Other related videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIW_Y7MJ2Ms
The interviewer agrees a few things Russell had said in the interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8y1e-z1JA0
celebrities used to make people vote. Using Ethos as a trusted source, we know these celebrities and we trust what they're saying is right and good and that they are trying to help us

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxsQ7jJJcEA
George Carlin expresses his view on why he doesn't vote. "it's meaningless" and "if you vote you have no right to complain"

Other Sources:

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2014/02/russell-brand-wrong-if-you-dont-vote-you-just-wont-matter
A news article that disagrees with Russell Brand

https://www.facebook.com/do.not.vote
A facebook change against voting