Millennial Media

Millennial Media: Week Ten

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 19:52:28 -0400

After watching two episodes of Glee last night (Season 1, Episode 1: “Pilot” and Season 2, Episode 16: “Original Song”), I could not believe how dead on Lucas Hilderbrand’s article was about the show’s struggle to progress because of its inability to differentiate the marginalized experiences among its diverse cast. By grouping diverse characters into a single group with a shared experience, it takes away from what makes each character different within glee club and rather brings light to how glee club as a whole is different from other high school cliques. Where I am all for the underdogs banding together to rise to the top, the show’s focus on glee club’s marginalized role in high school that depreciates the individual character development within glee club and thus counteracts the purpose of a diverse cast. I had originally thought that it was a diverse character narrative that was supposed to make Glee new, fresh, and appealing, but rather I felt that minus the musical numbers and Sue Sylvester’s antagonistic yet witty comments, Glee was not too different from other high school based shows like The Secret Life of the American Teenager. Glee resonates the same stereotypes of high school cliques seen in The Secret Life of the American Teenager, which in my opinion, is becoming rather overused in teen television. The high school’s social hierarchy consists of Quinn Fabray and her army of cheerleaders with jocks Finn and Puck, accompanied by their bullying football friends.

Moreover, I was annoyed by the fact that again Glee strives to portray equality among a diverse cast, which not only is not achieved by solely assembling characters with diverse traits into a single group with a common talent, but within this supposed unified group, lies an evident divide. The Pilot episode coincided with Hilderbrand’s observation that in each song, the diverse cast manifested among the background singers, while the lead singers were consistently Caucasian. Rachel says it herself that her and Finn are the assumed lead singers of the group. Where the second glee episode did focus more on individual development among its diverse cast—like the developing relationship between Kurt and Blaine, the element of divide continued to resonate in the episode. Not only does Rachel maintain the role as the group’s lead singer at the Regionals competition, but she is also given the “MVP Award” which I find to be completely unnecessary.

Although I am obviously annoyed with some of Glee’s efforts in conveying its narrative, I did enjoy a few of the encoded jokes here and there—particularly those of Sue Sylvester. I did see some progress between the first episode and the second episode we watched, so let’s hope that Glee continues to go in a successful, “New Direction.”

Millennial Media: Week Nine

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 16:27:55 -0400

“I might have posted something on Gossip Girl. All the girls do it. It’s how we communicate.” -Blair Waldorf

To sum it up, the world of Gossip Girl can be best described as: every man/woman for himself/herself. In a world of deception, lies, and betrayal, survival depends on investigating and exploiting the actions of others through mobile phones and anonymous blogging. In her essay, “Millennial Noir: A New Generation of Ambiguity, Excess, and Social Critique,” Louisa Stein describes this as a network of “femme fatales who are fatal to everyone but themselves.” We see this point validated in the episode “Carnal Knowledge” in which Blair Waldorf’s scheming and conniving takes a strong hold in her attempt to bring down her teacher Rachel Carr after Miss Carr punished Blair with community service and enforced a no cell phones policy. Blair’s failed attempt to spread rumors on Gossip Girl about an affair between Miss Carr and Dan Humphrey leads to her expulsion in which she then goes to no end to get back into Constance. Her key back into Constance is proof—regardless if there’s any truth behind it—which is provided by a cell phone picture of Dan and Miss Carr that is suggestive of a relationship beyond student and teacher. In the process of finding a means of admission back into Constance, Blair ignores the fact that she is hurting others around her when she falsely (at first) exploits her best friend’s boyfriend and lies to her father. In this way, cell phones and social networks assisted Blair, but at the same time, cell phones and social networks did more harm than good. The dual role of gossip in the show as a source of social status and deception suggests a merging of the teen genre with the noir genre. Andrea Braithwaite uses the term “double architecture” to describe this intersection of the two genres. Is the double architecture of Gossip Girl’s narrative purposely implemented to illustrate that the relationship between technology and teenagers is a negative one?

Where I generally believe that in today’s world technology is a source of empowerment, after watching Gossip Girl, I found myself challenged by this notion of “empowerment.” Both Veronica Mars and Gossip Girl’s narratives revolve around technology as a means of justice and combat against corruption; however, Gossip Girl also explores the ways in which we contribute to this corruption through the use of technology. Does Gossip Girl critique the use of technology by portraying it as a vehicle for empowering the presence of corruption in today’s world? Do we “abuse the privilege” (if you will) provided to us by technology?

Photo

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 00:09:17 -0400

Spotted: Confused and rather livid Public Safety officer left without a bicycle at the scene of an...

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 00:08:56 -0400

Spotted: Confused and rather livid Public Safety officer left without a bicycle at the scene of an active fire alarm. After a thorough investigation of the source of a midnight fire alarm, a Public Safety officer calls it a late night when further investigation is warranted for his missing bike. Heads up Middlebury students, two fires have broken out at once and it’s hard to tell which one is going to do more damage. There’s no bike in sight and midnight is the time to cite! If only we could give citations when our bikes “disappear” on campus.

Millennial Media: Week Eight

Wed, 06 Apr 2011 20:40:29 -0400

After watching Twilight, I found that initially, I somewhat sympathized with Bella’s isolated role as an outsider. The viewer is guided through the storyline by Bella’s character, which allows for a deeper understanding of her emotions and her relationships with other characters. We watch Bella struggle with her relationship with her father, which is suggested to be a distant one as provided by the fact that Bella refers to her father as Charlie. Bella has difficulty identifying with others, but strangely connects well with other outsiders like Edward Cullen. This reinforces Margaret M. Toscano’s argument that Twilight mirrors Mormonism’s role as an outsider and struggle to find its place within today’s American politics and religious doctrines. In my eyes, this calls attention to a very millennial characteristic: the unwillingness to conform to the norm. Like Bella, Millennials are considered to be more independent and self-reliant in establishing our identities, which thus makes us more inclined to take risks and act on our curiosities. Because of this, the image of the forbidden fruit on the cover of Twilight in conjunction with the enduring temptation in Edward and Bella’s relationship is applicable to the lives of Millennials. In an unobvious way, we identify with Adam and Eve, which by itself may not seem so millennial, but re-contextualized within an original narrative like a teenage love story about a vampire and a human is very millennial.

The Millennial Generation is not the only generation that relates to this re-contextualized narrative. As mentioned in Cathy Leogrande’s essay, Gen-X and Baby Boomer mothers identify with the Twilight narrative independently from their millennial daughters, but that their common found relation to the story allows for a shared-experience. The underlying issues addressed in Twilight like love, sex, and violence open a gateway for mother-daughter conversations in which mothers then play a more active role in their daughters’ lives. Do we give credence to the widespread relation to the forbidden fruit as the destructor of generational barriers?

Although I had many different observations about Twilight, what concerned me most was the idea that violence and obsession is illustrated as romantic. For me, Edward’s excessive obsession to protect Bella at all times and watch her while she sleeps was a little too characteristic of an over-possessive boyfriend or a stalker. At the end when Edward must give into his utmost temptation and resort to the violent act of sucking Bella’s blood in order to save her life. Bella’s dual role as Edward’s prey and Edward’s prized possession guides the viewer to believe that Bella is in Edward’s control. Is it possible that Meyer’s saga is a form of a gender critique?

Millennial Media: Week Seven

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 23:26:21 -0400

It was quite interesting to watch Supernatural in juxtaposition with Secret Life of the American Teenager. Besides their common religious-based narrative, the only other similarity I found between the two shows was that neither narrative resonated with me personally. The superficial surreal storyline of Supernatural makes it difficult to form a personal relation. Never have my friends nor myself been confronted with a pending apocalypse or challenged by supernatural powers. In his essay “Praxis,” Line Nybro Petersen describes how Supernatural plays on the surreal aspect of an alternative, occult reality to attract viewers so that they engage beyond this superficial storyline with the show’s underlying religious messages. It is rather ironic how the unrealistic components of a show contrive a connection with reality—as constituted by the concrete values off of which the show is based. Similar to the role of the occult storyline of Supernatural, I think that the clichéd storyline of the Secret Life of the American Teenager functions as a bridge to the rooted religious and moral messages in the narrative. Petersen’s essay accredits a viewer’s negotiation of the traditional religious messages of Supernatural’s narrative to the utilization of banal religious representations. Similarly, I think that this can be applied to Secret Life of the American Teenager in which the banal religious representations of the extremity of character types with varying moral and religious values serve as a foundation for negotiation among viewers. For me, I found that through the combination of the trite dialogue and the mixture of extreme character types, the storyline was difficult to relate to and quite unrealistic. However, at the same time, I wonder if this combination was intentionally implemented as a vehicle for Millennials to negotiate their religious and moral values like Petersen argues. The Pew Research Center’s poll on “Religion Among the Millennials” exhibits how the Millennial generation is becoming increasingly more unaffiliated with a religious system. Millennials are widely recognized for not conforming to the ideas and interests of others and rather establish their own. Does this mean that the Millennial generation negotiates with religious institutions and practices as a form of conformity? By paralleling religious values that are becoming more commonly rejected by Millennials with unrealistic storylines, do shows like Secret Life of the American Teenager and Supernatural encourage a rejection of religious belief systems? Through characters like the pious, motherly Grace and the magical, superhuman Sam, is the media mocking religious values?

SPOTTED: St. Patrick’s Day at Middlebury… where...

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 00:18:00 -0400

SPOTTED: St. Patrick’s Day at Middlebury… where studying never sleeps and nightlife rarely awakens. And we wonder why College Prowler’s Report Card for Middlebury reads:

Academics: A

Nightlife: D

Step it up Middlebury. Your GPA is simply unacceptable.

Millennial Media: Week Six

Wed, 16 Mar 2011 02:32:58 -0400

I would consider myself to be a general fan of Harry Potter and therefore, I am willing to admit that I have seen Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix more than once. However, I found that tonight’s viewing experience of the movie was altered after reading Sheltrown’s essay on technology’s narrative role in Harry Potter and Ciaccio’s essay on the presence of Christian theology in the Harry Potter story world. Sheltrown’s argument on how technology is key to a character’s construction of identity in the magic world led me to examine how technology is employed to bring attention to character development and further, how character identities are constructed through these technological mediums. Ciacco’s argument about the overriding theme of “the temptation of power”—as paralleled by the historical conflict of power between the Church and the Roman Empire—led me to examine the conflict of power between the Ministry of Magic and the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and how competition played out between characters, which may also be considered a constituent of character identity. In examining these two arguments simultaneously, I was surprised to find a possibility of overlap such that is there a causal relationship between technology and the temptation of power? Do we blame this temptation of power on technology?

Throughout Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, we see Harry organizing and training a small army of fellow teenage Hogwarts wizards to fight against Lord Voldemort. As seen in the secret training sessions, Harry relies on the use of the wand as a vehicle for defeating Voldemort. Similar to Harry, we assume that by nature, technology enhances our natural abilities regardless of the context and that the more we capitalize on the availability of technology, the more empowered we are. Although Rowling stresses technology as a source of empowerment in the Harry Potter series, I believe that she emphasizes this point also as a way to present discourses of technology that may rather challenge the empowering function of technology. After all of Harry’s training—in which we see a growing dependence on his wand and magic, he is unable to defeat Voldemort until he utilizes a non-technological medium that ultimately yielded Harry’s victory—love and friendship. Harry’s richness in positive emotions puts him at an advantage over Voldemort and that the power of this transcends beyond the power of magic and magical technology. This is where Sheltrown’s argument coincides with Ciaccio’s argument. According to Sheltrown, “technology has a tendency to amplify the moral shortcomings of humanity” (63). According to Ciaccio, “Love is a means of redemption and ultimate victory” (45). The narrative of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix creates a bridge for these two arguments. In my opinion, Rowling draws attention to the power of the non-technological aspects of life that people take for granted, like love and friendship.

SPOTTED: March madness. Pearsons girl challenged by stairs [or...

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 00:58:16 -0400

SPOTTED: March madness. Pearsons girl challenged by stairs [or lack there of] after snowstorm…or should i say dedicated student’s voyage to class is not hindered by mother nature’s spontaneity. Twenty inches of snow? That’s kids’ stuff for this New Englander.

Millennial Media: Week Five

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 15:33:16 -0500

In Gilmore Girls and Roswell, we see a divide among teenagers due to the characters’ varying societal differences. For example, in Gilmore Girls, there is a social divide within the Yale community as established by secret societies like the Life and Death Brigade. In Roswell, we see a racial divide if you will, between aliens and humans. Similarly, in the social networking world, we see a social divide between Facebook and MySpace—as also discussed in S. Craig Watkins’ essay, “Digital Gates.” In my opinion, the most compelling point Watkins makes is his reference to Putnam’s argument about “bonding” and “bridging” as constituents of social capital. Putnam argues that bonding social capital allows us to connect with people similar to ourselves and that bridging social capital allows us to connect with people who are different from ourselves (i.e. class, race, nationality, etc.). This bridging social capital is evident in both Roswell—a bridging between aliens (Max) and humans (Liz)—and Gilmore Girls—a bridging between non-secret society members (Rory) and secret society members (the Life and Death Brigade). I would like to argue that while there is a difference between bonding within one’s own community and bridging with those in other communities, there must be a third dimension of social capital to classify bonding through bridging as the ultimate form of cultivating connections with others. Through the interactions of characters like Rory and Logan, as well as Max and Liz, it is evident that there are strong bonds between the two characters. However, are these strong bonds as a result of their differences and what separates them or are these strong bonds formed regardless of their differences? Do we accredit the strength of their connections to the magnitude of their divisions?

Similarly, fan pages—like those of Roswell—further demonstrate how people with varying backgrounds bridge with others to create a communal bond due to their similar interest. After reading Louisa Stein’s article, “Roswell Fans Respond to 11 September,” I found it interesting how the bridging of different experiences people had on 9/11 created a universal experience through a person’s ability to respond to others’ experiences and empathize with them. Further, the fans of this community bridged their experiences to Roswell and utilized the Roswell narrative as a means of expressing their emotions and responses through media such as fan art. What struck me the most in the pilot of Roswell was watching Max, Michael, and Isabel watch the reenactment of the UFO crash at Roswell’s annual Crash Festival. I am generally not emotionally responsive to television shows, but it made me sad realizing how much it paralleled watching the planes crashing into the World Trade Center on 9/11. This parallel is uncanny, especially given the fact that the pilot aired in 1999, whereas 9/11 occurred in 2001.

SPOTTED: Week Four

Mon, 07 Mar 2011 02:43:26 -0500

Spotted: Walking-back-from-gym guy challenges a 5-foot diametric puddle after pumping mad iron with his boys. Consumed by an excess of post-workout endorphins, walking-back-from gym guy is feeling rather cool, confident…and courageous. If he could bench press 5 sets of 20 reps of 200 lbs, there was nothing he could not do. If he wanted to climb Mount Everest, he could do it. If he wanted to become the President of the United States of America, he could do it. If he wanted to jump a 5-foot wide puddle, he could do it. Locked in an invincible mindset, he spots the obstacle—the momentous puddle on College St. that he has been dodging all week when walking to library—but circumnavigation was not an option this time. With a 10-yard lead, he prepares himself and breaks into a long-stride sprint with each second amplified by anticipation. He could taste his future victory. With a monstrous leap, he soared an impressive distance in the air; however, it was not an adequate distance. His central landing in the depths of the puddle precipitated (literally) a small wave such that walking-back-from-gym guy and his friends were immersed in dirty rainwater. Looks like it is time to hit the showers boys. Take caution in what you aim for walking-back-from-gym guy, you may find yourself taking home the prize for the big splash instead of the 10-yard dash. It could happen to anyone.

you know you’ve been there, xoxo middlebury millennial

Millennial Media: Week Four

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 00:49:12 -0500

Who would have thought that Harry Potter fandom would provide an unconventional, yet effective source of education? In his article, “Why Heather Can Write,” Henry Jenkins argues that traditional literacy is promoted through media literacy. Furthermore, he claims that there are situations where the media serves as a more effective means of learning like mastering the art of creative writing through fanfiction, for example. Jenkins also claims that through fanfiction, adolescents are not only able to improve their literary skills, but also critique cultural and social discourses and ideologies that relate to them personally. Similarly, in “Writing Harry’s World: Children Co-authoring Hogwarts,” Ernest L. Bond and Nancy L. Michelson discuss how popular culture narratives serve as a basis for personal relation—and further expression—as well as creative thinking. Jenkins, Bond, and Michelson agree that Harry Potter itself provides a platform for fans to personally express themselves in a creative way. Further, they all agree that the Internet’s provision of social networks provides fans with the opportunity to relate to other fans and fanfiction that critiques a similar social and/or cultural discourse.

But how is this done? According to Bond and Michelson, fans’ personal preferences and questions about “narrative gaps” are assimilated into the Harry Potter story line. Through blogs and social networks like “Mugglenet“ and “The Daily Prophet,” the Internet provides fans with an audience and communal bonds. In his essay, “The Very Well Connected: Friending, Bonding, and Community in the Digital Age,” S. Craig Watkins refers to the Internet as what Oldenberg defines as a “third place” where we can “find people, conversations, and activities that make us feel good, connected, and alive” (58). He further discusses how “third places” are appealing to teenagers because it generates a sense of “a place of their own” (59).

What I find most interesting about the essays of Jenkins, Bond/Michelson, and Watkins is that there is a consistent theme of an intersection of the personal with the social. In “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” there are several social issues that could easily be (and probably have been) interpreted, critiqued, and transformed by teenagers in an online community. The Goblet of Fire unites young wizards and witches of different nationalities and races. As pointed out in Dana Goldstein’s article, “Harry Potter and the Complicated Identity Politics,” the incorporation of a variety of races and nationalities can be either argued as the neutralization of race or the promotion of stereotypes. With characters like Fleur Delacour (French), Cho Chang (Chinese), Viktor Krum (Bulgarian), Pavarti Patil (Indian), and Seamus Finnigan (Irish), it is interesting to think about how it would be interpreted by fans. However, I disagree with Goldstein when she claims that Harry Potter “cannot be described as progressive.” Without Harry Potter, what foundation would teenagers have to engage in personal expression while thinking critically and creatively? The progression is within the fans’ passion and how they exercise their passion for Harry Potter. If a teenager challenges traditional literacy through the power of his or her emotional and social investment in popular culture (media literacy), then how can this not be considered progressive?

SPOTTED: Week Three

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 02:46:00 -0500

Spotted: Back-from-abroad boy re-enters the playing field polo style. Ladies, he is back in the game yearning for your name—and nothing screams game time like sporting the signature popped collar or a midnight blue polo sweater just because it is Tuesday. Catching a wave of females during those prime few minutes of walking time before 11am class, he scopes out a familiar face and plans for a casual approach. It was a toss up between the usual “hey, what’s up?” or the riskier “long time, no see,” but his daring mentality trumped all and ventured boldly for the hug. Go big or go home. A short-but-sweet exchange of giggles and dialogue followed with an awkward-but-successful exchange of cell phone numbers. Basking in his moment of glory, he suddenly realizes that he is late for class and instantaneously transitions from a high-spirited skip to a high-speed sprint. Careful back-from-abroad boy, do not let the game interfere with your grades. After all, there is no tolerance for poor grades during polo season.

you know you’ve been there, xoxo middlebury millennial

Millennial Media: Week Three

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 01:07:49 -0500

I may be making a bold statement when I say that Veronica Mars and the Gilmore girls are quite similar. Yes, they are also quite different for obvious reasons—being that Rory and Lorelai Gilmore are far from high school students moonlighting as undercover detectives and that we do not see Veronica Mars managing the Independence Inn or engrossed in Madame Bovary (although I don’t want to make any incorrect assumptions). Yet despite these differences in character personalities and preferences, they all share a commonality in their character’s representation. All three women quintessentially illustrate third-wave feminism through their independence. Again, each woman employs her independence in differing manners and this within itself highlights the modern independent woman as what Francesca Gamber defines as “making a feminism of their own” in her essay, “Riding the Third Wave: The Multiple Feminisms of ‘Gilmore Girls’.”

Starting with the more obvious example of Veronica Mars, her independence is a manifestation of resentment from her peers—that resulted from her father’s involvement in Lily’s murder, the absence of her mother in her life, her confidence in her father, and thus her refusal to succumb to social pressures and alienate herself. This last point is key in that yes, she may be alienated at school by others; however, she did not choose to alienate herself by moving away or avoiding people and places. This choice creates a foundation for her independent character, which is further developed through her master investigative skills, more specifically without aid from others. Furthermore, the episodic flashbacks of Lily and Veronica’s friends contribute to a serial narrative that allows viewers to further explore Veronica’s character and its origins. In this way, Degrassi is slightly similar to Veronica Mars in regards to the “long-term ripple effect” through a serial narrative that highlights how an “individual’s issue becomes a wholly social issue,” as described by Ross in her essay, “Defining Teen Culture: The N Network.”

In comparison, Lorelai and Rory Gilmore depict contemporary feminism in conjunction with each other as well as on an individual level. In the pilot episode, Rory says to Dean that her mother named her after herself because a lot of men did it, so women should be able to also and that “she says her feminism just kind of took over.” This within itself is unmistakably feminist (Gamber points this out in her essay as well) but at the same time I feel that it takes away from the independent female that “Gilmore Girls” is trying to manifest. It is true that Lorelai is defining her own identity as a female by doing something that is uncharacteristic of women; however, she takes away from her as well as her daughter’s independence by giving Rory the same name. In addition, at the end of the pilot, Luke tells Rory to not drink coffee because “you don’t want to grow up like your mom,” to which she responds, “too late.” It is fair to say that Lorelai and Rory are independent women, but in some sense is it possible that they are somewhat dependent on each other? On an individual level, I think that Lorelai is very independent for raising a child on her own at the age of 16 without the help of her parents or the father. This independence and her ability to be on her own is underscored in Season 5 Episode 6 when Christopher—Rory’s father—is left to take care of his baby on his own and turns to Lorelai for help. It is ironic, yet intriguing how a male is portrayed in a stereotypical female role and even more so, finds himself to be dependent on a woman. Lorelai’s sarcastic remarks towards Christopher breaking things into steps for him like, “take off clothes, get in shower, turn on water,” for example, hints at Lorelai’s greater abilities in comparison to Christopher. This switch in gender roles is an interesting approach to reinforcing third-wave feminism.

SPOTTED: Week Two

Sun, 20 Feb 2011 17:30:00 -0500

Spotted: Blue-tie boy approaches eye candy within a mass congregation of circa 1500 frolicking students at Middlebury College’s Winter Carnival Ball—an assembly of our favorite Spanish T.A.’s, football stars, quidditch world cup champions, and proctor crushes in a single room with a common goal: to get their “bump and grind” on, if you will. Operation bump and grind is in effect as blue-tie boy briskly whips off his jacket, chucks his fruit punch, and confidently heads towards his domain: the dance floor, on a hunt for his prey: the female species. In his so-called empire, he locates his queen and aggressively grabs her—only to be disappointed that she instantaneously resists his effort and proceeds to dance with the royal enemy: gold-tie boy. Change of reign in the domain, blue-tie boy? Don’t get too blue; you will find your queen. Good luck blue-tie boy. It could have happened to anyone.

you know you’ve been there, xoxo middlebury millennial

Millennial Media: Week Two

Wed, 16 Feb 2011 10:59:01 -0500

While reading the first chapter of S. Craig Watkins’ “The Young and the Digital,” I found myself underlining certain words that caught my eye, such as “versatile,” “integral,” “independent,” “control,” and “liberating”—of which all referred to the computer or Internet. Watkins continues to discuss how teenagers have become more independent from adults through their access to and familiarity with the Internet. It is interesting to think that it was likely that our generation at a given time knew more about something than our parents did (finally), even if it was determined by being fluent in AIM acronyms or avid users of keyboard emoticons. Our early teen years were consumed of instant messaging and e-mail, when our parents continued to mail hand-written letters. This is also true in Veronica Mars, when Justin receives a letter from his long-lost father in which Veronica then researches information about him on the computer. Does the immediacy of the Internet and e-mail give greater importance to what is being researched and/or communicated? Conversely, does the lack of immediacy in the postal system downplay the importance of what is being communicated?

Another point Watkins makes that is also interesting is how the Internet appealed specifically to the Millennial generation because of its active qualities and demand for engagement. Watkins juxtaposes the participatory function of the Internet with the passive television experience and discusses how teens are “digitally migrating” from the television to the Internet. For this reason, ABC Family seems to not necessarily fight this digital migration, but rather embraces it. According to Louisa Ellen Stein’s “Word of mouth on steroids: Hailing the Millennial media fan,” ABC Family converges media as a means of enabling viewers to engage and expand the diegesis of a show. For example, Kyle XY’s websites alongside the show’s technological narrative demonstrates how the Millennial’s engagement with technology outside of the show is actually reflected in the show, thus making Kyle XY easily relatable. The show targets Millennials through incorporating this idea of engaging with technology as demonstrated by Kyle’s character. Watkins explores the Internet’s impact on Millennials and how it has shaped “how they learn, live, play, and communicate with their peers.” Similarly, in the first two episodes of Kyle XY, Kyle learns how to basically be a human being mostly through his interactions with technology. He learns how to live in the real world through the media world. Nothing better exemplifies this than when he was playing on the computer at clickandlearn.com. Yet there was another interaction Kyle had with a computer that was almost somewhat metaphorical. This was when something malfunctioned with the father’s computer and Kyle described the computer’s text as logical and more comprehensive than verbal language. Is this supposed to say that we as Millennials are in fact “addicted” and “overconnected,” as stated in Watkins’ book? Is there a possibility that we identify with or have more knowledge about what is going on in the social networking world more than what is going on in the real world? Or are we like Kyle in that we use the media world as a vehicle for understanding the real world?

It happens to all of us. It happened to Toula.

Sun, 13 Feb 2011 17:56:46 -0500

It happens to all of us. It happened to Toula.

SPOTTED: Week One

Sun, 13 Feb 2011 17:54:00 -0500

SPOTTED: Ross brunch-diner navigates his way through a sea of fellow ravenous Middlebury students, on a mission to find a familiar face with whom to sit. Lost among the chaos of the college dining experience and the pressure of social norms, he slowly patrols the paths of Ross, his glance oscillating from left to right. Without success, he pauses, looks around, and admits to his awkward social situation through a subconscious pout. He then nears an empty table on which he tentatively sets his plate and continues to scope the scene for a friendly face. Unwilling to give in to his social predicament, he looks at his phone, abandons the plate, and journeys towards the food area hoping to prolong the possibility of finding someone with whom to eat. Good luck lonely Ross brunch-diner. It could happen to anyone.

you know you’ve been there, xoxo middlebury millennial

Millennial Media: Week One

Wed, 09 Feb 2011 11:03:21 -0500

What stood out most to me in the pilots of Freaks and Geeks and Veronica Mars was the portrayal of the main character as an outsider. The opening scene ofFreaks and Geeks introduced a series of several different high school cliques, which emphasized the division among the student body. The intersection of the groups of students with a single student (Lindsay Weir when she stood up for her brother Sam) further promoted Lindsay’s role as an outlier. Similarly, Veronica Mars is conveyed as an outcast in her high school environment. This is proven by the fact that her character is depicted in isolation for the majority of the episode. Her voiceover narration also generates a sense of alienation as if she has only the audience with whom to share her thoughts. At the same time, Veronica’s isolation creates a sense of independence. As seen in the pilot, she is able to fend for herself and does not hunger for people to associate with like Lindsay does. Although both characters are represented as outsiders, Veronica’s tough, self-reliant nature suggests that she is confident of her identity, whereas Lindsay struggles to identify with others. In the book Teen Television, Braithwaite discusses how Veronica’s tough and isolated character specifically within the high school setting highlights social differences especially among women. Even though Lindsay and Veronica contrast in multiple ways, I feel that both characters successfully engage with the audience. In my opinion, Lindsay Weir is a relatable character—especially among teenagers—in regards to her struggle to discover her social niche. In a similar way, Veronica Mars engages with the audience by sharing her thoughts through her voiceover narration. In Teen Television, Bolte explains how Veronica’s independence inside and outside of high school and her ability to analyze the social world from an outside perspective triggers viewer engagement with her character.