Going Exploring

The truth is, RTF 305 wasn't a class that I selected on its own to take. About two months and two weeks ago, in the midst of orientation nervousness and the daily panic of almost never being able to find my way back to Jester at the end of the day, I met up with my counselor and signed up for a FIG. Part of that package was this course, Introduction to Media Studies, and it was for that reason I ended up in one of the super-tiny-desk-equipped chairs of the auditorium on the first day of classes at 10 a.m. -- or, rather, 10-ish, thanks to my inability to not get very, very lost trying to get places even if I do have a map. Or two. Plus Google Maps.

 Of course, there was more to this decision than just whether or not it came with the group I joined. I wasn’t sure what media studies really entailed, but I wanted to find out and had a feeling it would help me with my freshman first semester goals of building a solid foundation for the rest of my time in college. Admittedly, there've only been three classes so far, but I’m already very sure that this course is helping to spur progress in not only my journalistic thinking -- I am a journalism major, after all! -- but also in my everyday life. While it's often said lately that print journalism is "dying," I strongly believe that the truth is that it's just being reinvented, chipped off and molded into other things so that it can serve an even broader purpose as the world around us changes. This is one of the concepts that inspired me to study journalism, in fact; I’d like to become a part of this evolution of print journalism beyond what it is and has been. I hoped -- and am still hoping -- that this class will help usher in more and more knowledge about the other mediums of the media that all journalists will need to adapt to and combine and separate in a variety of combinations. This could be something much different than just the idea of extinction, but instead an opportunity to pioneer new ways to convey what print journalism always has, while also allowing us a better chance to update the process and find ways to create something more streamlined and able to merge it with technology and other mediums to create something that can work more efficiently and artfully to carry out the duty of informing the public, as well as others like entertainment and more.

I feel and expect that RTF 305 can help give me a true multimedia experience where I can experience aspects of communication that are unfamiliar to me, so I may start to learn how to use them effectively and creatively. I also believe that it can broaden my horizons as a member of society, and to help me better appreciate other mediums like ... well, film, radio and television. With this I hope to gain a better understanding of the sources of much of the information both my society and I receive, so that I can better think for myself about the issues presented to me at any given time. I mean, I'm pretty sure my horizons are being broadened already! I've always wanted to have my own blog (I technically tried once when I was a lot younger, but I feel like maybe ones that explode with Counting Crows songs and pixellated red balloon embellishments the instant you access the homepage probably don't really count). It'll also force me to overcome my own insecurities about dealing with other mediums, so that maybe sometime before the end of the semester I'll be able to blog like a pro without feeling nervousness set in with every. Word. I. Type. Ahh! 

I’ll admit I haven’t really read very many blogs, although especially now I’m getting more interested in seeing more! One that I have tried reading and really enjoy is this blog, by a band called Born Ruffians. It’s not much news, or feature, or super serious writing, but I always feel like the personality that shines through in their posts, the majority of which are written by bassist Mitch Derosier, give a really refreshing, fun, look into the lives of a small handful of musicians. In my mind, it stands as a lively example of how even the tiniest bit of communication has the power to connect people in ways they otherwise wouldn't be, as Derosier's posts help give shape to the band's identity and to reveal people much more real and much closer than those who are conveyed to listeners through their music alone.