From my personal experience, it seems as though social media is a prime example of the “new media” of our time. Social media has gained immense popularity within the past few years as different platforms including Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram have been added to it. It is forever-changing and is continuously being brought to new levels through updates. I find myself often discussing the technology present during my childhood/teenage years with my parents and comparing it to what was available to them. One of the key differences brought up time and time again is how I am a part of a generation entirely connected through social media. Unlike my parents, I have the opportunity to utilize this “new media” to communicate with people all over the world in a matter of seconds. For me, it is easier to understand the concepts of social media since I grew up surrounded by it, but for other generations I have noticed that they tend to gravitate towards “older media” due to their familiarity with it.
New Media: Mary Margaret Clouse
The idea that there is a limit to the potential “newness” of media is something I found really interesting. What was “New Media” five years ago has since transformed or been surpassed by something newer, such as how Musical.ly was repurposed as TikTok. In this keyword, the author references the near-existentialism that comes with constant media progress, specifically the concern that “processing speeds” will not be able to maintain an upward trajectory for much longer. If there is concern that technology won’t keep up with media, is it possible that eventually, media may not be able to keep up with human demand? It seems impossible to predict what will come next when considering trends on the internet, or in fashion or comedy, and reading about this keyword made me realize that the same is true for media. The takeover of teen novels and films at the beginning of the 2010s, just to be replaced by Youtube, and then TikTok within less than a decade begs the question: how much can media be condensed? The steady and progressive concentration of media makes me wonder that as we begin to see more “New Media,” will everything become shorter, smaller, and faster?
Mary Margaret Clouse
Hi! My name is Mary Margaret, my pronouns are she/her/hers and I’m from Huntington, West Virginia. Growing up in a small town, I spent lots of time with my family: my mom and dad, two brothers, our dog, two cats, and my amazing grandmother, who I am named after. I intend to major in English here at University of Richmond and potentially go into journalism or law. I love reading, writing, driving around with friends, and listening to music. Some of my favorites are Phoebe Bridgers, The Strokes, Fleetwood Mac, Maggie Rogers, and The Smiths. Like I mentioned in class, one of my favorite films is The Social Network, but I have a long long list of movies I love. I was captain of the Speech and Debate team in high school, so I’m thinking about joining Mock Trial to keep my passion for public speaking going. Another fun fact is that my mom works in a museum (the Huntington Museum of Art, to be specific), so I’ve grown up surrounded by art. When we travel we like to visit different museums, so I love being in cities, especially New York and Washington, D.C. I’m so excited for this class and to expand my knowledge of media, culture, and identity.
me and my cat!
New Media: Thomas Takele
I believe that new media is just as technology, in that it is always evolving and growing and that there is really no way to track all the way back to its originality. In my opinion, media has always been here and will be here to stay. People are always nervous about new things being brought to them because they have found comfort in what they already know and new media is something that questions that. This uncertainty continues until the new form of media shows to be either more beneficial or less beneficial to the majority and this is how they become the media of the present instead of new media. Social media was questioned as it first rose to the scene but as people began seeing its usefulness in the connection of people they began to accept it and use it towards their advantage. After this it wasn’t long before people who didn’t have social media became the outliers. This shift shows the change between old media to new media to the present media.
New Media-Abby Bangs
In my own experience, I believe that an example of the key term “new media” is the constant movement between social media platforms. “New media” is described as the constant advancements in media, which results in the notion that there is no “classic media.” Simply put, there is “new media” and “old media,” however no middle ground, because what is not new, is old. In today’s day of age, social media drives public opinion, education, public actions, as well as perceptions of beauty, behavior, and social status. Since it was created, it seems like popularity within social media platforms is ever moving. From where popularity used to lie in Zuckerberg’s Facebook, now it lies in Tiktok. The idea is that the flowing movement from platform to platform may cause a generational divide because once again, things that are not new, are considered old. In present day, Facebook is considered an old platform, and instagram is now turning more towards parents and millennials, rather than for today’s youth. As social media continues to advance, things become outdated, much like the reading spoke about.
Introduction-Marielle Dibbini
Hey! I’m Marielle Dibbini and I’m from Bronxville, a small town in Westchester, New York. There are five members in my family, me, my mom and dad, and then my two older sisters. I also have a dog named Lucy who is an English Springer Spaniel. I’m not sure what I want to major in yet but I am really interested in Psychology! I was on the field hockey team as well as the track and field team in high school so I like to be active. I love to watch movies in my free time and I am not picky about genre so I will literally watch anything. My all time favorite movies are Get Out and Knives Out and my favorite shows are New Girl, Criminal Minds, and The Haunting of Hill House. I also love to hang out with friends and travel.
Introduction-Abigail Bangs
Hello, Hello! My name is Abigail Bangs, however I can go by Abby, Abs, Abigail, really anything (for the most part,) I don’t mind. My pronouns are she/her/hers and I was born and raised in Springfield, Virginia, which is adjacent to DC. Coming to URichmond was not a long drive at all, only around 1.5 hours; so coming here didn’t feel like coming to university, which was weird. A part of me feels like traveling far for college is almost like a wright of passage, which I know isn’t true. Anyways, I have one brother who is around 2 years older than me, his name is Will. Then my parent’s names are Gary and Mabel, Gary being from Iowa and Mabel being from the Philippines. I have one dog, her name is Bea, and she’s a selective sweetheart. Bea often does not like children, nor does she like other dogs; my guess is that she feels overwhelmed by them but I don’t really know. Anyways, Bea is a husky/shepherd mix, with heterochromia, meaning she has two different colored eyes. I love spending time with Bea, but recently since she’s not at UR, I’ve loved spending time with Emmett the therapy dog, when passing by.
Some of my favorite activities include working out, sleeping, listening to music, watching anime, and most of all, spending time with cherished friends. That last one is a little iffy since I consider myself an introvert with extroverted tendencies, but I do love hanging out with them so it’s okay. My music taste is very much all over the place, where some days I feel like listening to super depressing music, and then other days alternative rock-it varies day to day. However, my top guilty pleasure is listening to anime openings when I workout, or really any time because I correlate them with hype intros to shows, so it in turn makes me hype lol. Anyways, I’m looking forward to class with everyone!
Here’s me in DC lol
This is my mom, dad, and Bea
Introduction–Benjamin Cudmore
Benjamin Cudmore
Hello there! My name is Benjamin Cudmore, but most people call me Ben. My pronouns are he/him, and I am a freshman at University of Richmond (UR). I grew up in Melbourne, Florida and then moved to Vienna, Virginia in 8th grade after my parents’ divorce. So, now I can take a two hour flight to the sunshine state or just drive two hours to be at one of my homes. My favorite film is the Dark Crystal, my favorite book series is Peter and the Starcatchers, and my favorite tv show is always changing. Normally, I am a very social person; however, because I am introverted, my social battery does wear out. So if I seem not very talkative in class once and awhile, please do not take it personally!
My passion is theatre, while I do love to cook, paint, animate, and pursue many other creative activities as well. I am looking to major in theatre while studying at UR, and I hope to make as many friends I can along the way. I am excited to see how learning about the media, culture and identity that surrounds us will impact my writing and perception of my world.
Gwen Savidge
Hi! My name is Gwen Savidge. My pronouns are she/her and I am from Jupiter, Florida. I was born and raised in the sunny state of Florida, always either at the beach or hanging out with friends on the boat. I have two sisters, Ali is a junior at Tufts University and Pryce is an eighth-grader at The Benjamin School. I am very close to my sisters, especially my older sister Ali. In addition, my parents are both from the northeast. While my dad is from Trenton, New Jersey, my mom is from Plymouth, Massachusetts. To complete my family, we have a yellow lab named Marley that we rescued from The Second Chance Rescue after fostering her for 2 months. Other than hanging at the beach, I love to travel with my friends and family. Before COVID-19, my family and I went to South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, and had the chance to stay on a reserve with wild animals and experience the true wilderness. I hope to continue to travel once all the borders re-open. When I am not with friends, I love to watch Bachelor in Paradise, Love Island UK, and Big Brother. While my parents are not a fan of these choices of shows, they continue to watch them with me. Having never moved from Florida, being at the University of Richmond is a new journey that I am excited to begin.
Greg and Jess Savidge. with Gwen Savidge
My yellow lab, Marley
Introduction – Caroline Rowe
Hi! My name is Caroline Rowe and I am from Bernardsville, New Jersey (about an hour outside of NYC). I have lived there my whole life except for seventh and eighth grade when I lived in Charleston, South Carolina. I am not sure what I want to major in yet but am thinking about either marketing or journalism. I have two older brothers who are 26 and 24 and live in Greenwich, Connecticut and New York City. I love playing tennis, trying new fun places to eat with friends, and going to the beach! My happy place is probably Nantucket where I go every summer. I played on the tennis and squash team in high school and was on yearbook. My all time favorite show is Gossip Girl but I love One Tree Hill and Outer Banks as well. I love all kinds of music but I especially like country music and John Mayer. I am looking forward to this class and all our discussions!