HW for Sun 3/15 (REVISED: Wed 3/18)

Assignment for Sunday–this is long but contains important course content: please read all of it!

  1. Connecting the dots; linking items in a list.  You’ve probably noticed that we are spending a good deal of time working on our ability to describe carefully what we see and what we hear in time-based media (music and/or video).  My aims in doing this are two-fold (at least):

–to help you improve your ability to write cinematically so that you’re able to install images and sounds in the imagination of your reader (this will help you write a compelling narrative for Essay 1)

–to help you write more carefully about “texts” that other people have made, including songs, videos, and writings–the latter of which can be even harder to write about than the former (this will help you write creatively and critically about media and your research in Essay 2)

What I want you do now is look at your list of visuals or words that you took notes on while watching or listening to your media choice from last week.  I want you to connect these terms in a paragraph or two, using complete sentences.  There are numerous ways of connecting details of this kind, but for now I want you to write sentences that show us how these visual or sonic details are connected IN TIME.  What comes first? What comes next?  What comes before?  What comes after? What comes at the end?  Below are some linking words and phrases you might find helpful in forming your sentences:

–“____title____,” a song/video by ___author name___, starts off with_____

–A moment later, the sounds/visuals change to ________

–In the middle of “____title_____,” we notice that _________

–This part of the song/video reminds the viewer of an earlier moment in which _________explain similarity between two parts____.

–We begin to sense that “____title_____” is ending when _________

–__AuthorLastName___ ends the song/video with ____________.

  1. Reading for Thesis Statements & Definitions. We are transitioning toward Essay 2, which will introduce you to several fundamental facets of academic paper writing (in a fun way, hopefully): thesis statements, definition, question-asking, research, and logic/idea-connecting.  WIth that, return to the readings on internet addiction I suggested for this past week (#7-9a) and choose 1 of the following prompts to write about

    A. Thesis Statements
    .  A thesis statement is a debate-able claim made by a writer that his or her whole essay revolves around (if it is a thesis-based essay, that is).  “The wooden chair is brown” is not a great thesis (at least if the chair appears to most people to be brown) because it is factual rather than debate-able.  “The wooden chair is uncomfortable” works a bit better as a thesis because it is debate-able; however, it is subjective–comfort is in the eye of the beholder–and doesn’t give specific reasons that would make clear to the reader why the wooden chair is uncomfortable.  “I’d propose that many schools may well have stopped using wooden chairs in classrooms because of the associated costs, the effect on the environment, and student complaints of discomfort”; now here is the best thesis so far (although it’s probably far from perfect): it offers a debate-able theory as to why schools have stopped using wooden chairs (debate-able because someone could disagree with this theory), and it gives specific reasonswhich support the author’s thesis.

That said, not all thesis statements are clearly stated at the beginning of an essay–in fact, many aren’t stated clearly anywhere in a writer’s essay.  So instead of looking for a sentence that sums up a writer’s thesis, we have to read their whole essay and then think about the different points they make, add up those points, and decide for ourselves what the main point or thesis is.  With that, I want you to re-read Lauren Duca’s “The Viral Virus” and write a paragraph in which you tell me about 3 points she makes in her essay and what you think the thesis (her biggest or most general/overall “point”) is.

B. Definition of Terms.  Another very important thing to keep in mind when doing college-level reading and writing is how certain terms are defined–by writers who you are reading and by you yourself when you are writing.  In academic writing, you will often notice definitions of key terms and ideas that are longer than dictionary definitions–way longer.  In fact, entire essays and books have been written by academics trying to better define certain ideas.  For an example of this, you could do a quick search for articles and books on the idea of “trauma”; you will find many different ways that people (especially since Freud) have attempted to define and understand this concept.  OK, this is why I had you read these other texts on internet addiction–they revolve around how this term is defined.

First, re-read Block’s DSM article on internet addiction, then re-read Lane’s “Addicted to Addiction” and respond with your observations on the following:

–how does Block define internet addiction? List at least three points he makes in trying to define what he means by this term.

–what do YOU think of Block’s definition of IA?  List any thoughts or questions you have about any part of his definition.

–what does Lane, in his article “Addicted to Addiction” think about Block’s definition of “internet addiction”?  Give us a quick sense of any problems Lane notices with Block’s ideas.

  1. Developing Questions for Essay 2. In preparing to do a bit of research, it can be helpful to develop a list of questions you might consider trying to answer.  What I want you to do here is write a series of questions about 1-2 of the social issues you identified in a song you’ve selected to work on.  The paragraph can only be questions, but there are different kinds of questions I want you to use.  For instance, I want you to ask at least one “why” question that asks for reasons why something is the way it is.  I want you to ask at least one question about  the connections between two ideas related to the issue you are exploring.  I also want you to ask one “how” question that points towards the way the artist has put together the song.

In Kanye West’s “Ultralight Beam,” what are the connections between the sampled recordings and the lyrics?  What is the connection between the history of racism alluded to in the song and the faith indicated by the lyric “this is a God’s dream”?  Is Kanye religious?  Are his listener’s religious?  Why and how is he connecting racism and religion?  How and where does Kanye use moments of silence in this track?

  1. Readings for next Wednesday’s assignment:K-Hole “Youth Mode” and Jerry Salz, “Art at Arm’s Length” (#10-11).

15 thoughts on “HW for Sun 3/15 (REVISED: Wed 3/18)”

  1. “I gotta find peace of mind (Live)” a song by Lauryn Hill Starts off with pain in her voice. She begins to describes she wants to forget about the man she once loved. The man who constantly reminds her that she is nothing without him. She continues to tell us how broken she is with how the pain this man has caused her. A moment later, the sounds change to a more uplifting beat. She talks to us about a lasting relationship, finding someone who loves her despite herself. In the middle of “I gotta find peace of mind” we notice that she is ensure as to how someone can love her so purely and real. She questions her own insecurities and maturity. This part of the song reminds the viewer of an earlier moment in which she was constantly emotionally and mentally abused in the beginning of the song from her past love. It begins to affect her new relationship her doubts if someone can really and truly love her. We begin to sense that “I gotta find peace of mind’ is ending when the guitar speeds up and she reiterates to free her mind and it is possible to love. Hill ends the song with a slow acoustic guitar strumming. She gives thanks and praise to god at the end and the song fades away with the applause from the audience.

    2a.) Point 1 – Social media can persuade people to use sharable content (listicles) to claim false identities. Focusing on mental health conditions. Many people claim certain disorders based on social media content. Thus degrading the importance and seriousness that actual medical professionals diagnose people with.
    Point 2- This “self-diagnosis” of any mental disorder is “toxic misinformation”. It can potentially be more harmful by making a person who was properly medically diagnosed with a mental disorder feel uncomfortable with their own issues by seeing their mental disorder broadcasted for likes and views.
    Point 3- Many websites such as WebMD can play a role in how we identify as well too.

    3.) In Lauryn Hill’s “I gotta find peace of mind” why did Hill only sing with an acoustic guitar? Why did Hill use the exact phrase “I have no identity”? Is this song based on her real life experience? Why does she praise God at the end? How does her faith with god relate to the song? Does she lose her faith in the beginning of the song when she asked “Will my devotion last?”

    1. Brittny,
      Nice work with trying out the templates for writing about music on this Lauren Hill track you’ve found. The questions you’ve developed are also compelling. It seems that you might be interested in exploring further what the song is evoking when it comes to Hill’s faith—or more broadly, the questions the song raises about why (and how) people turn to God for help, perhaps even if they are otherwise secular. This seems possibly linked to a person’s sense of identity (or lack thereof) as well. Keep thinking about these issues as possibilities for Essay 2.

      Regarding part 2, we will go over strategies for writing about texts like Duca’s. My main thought is that we can tie these points together into a paragraph in which you use Duca’s name (first her whole name and then her last name) to discuss the different points she is making. And then, there is the question of what her MAIN POINT or THESIS is.

      Tbc,
      M

  2. 1) “Motions,” a video by Aaron Cole, starts off with a conversation amongst friends in a car. A moment later, the sounds changed to that of the track, and the visuals to a house party setting. The video continues to portray an energetic session with young people dance together and enjoy themselves. In the middle of “Motions” we notice that one of Aaron’s ‘friends,’ (who was introduced in the opening scene) had intentions to take his love interest from him. We see him execute a plan and manage to get some alone time with her. We begin to sense that “Motions” is about to end when Aaron sees the betrayal, and decides to leave the party. Throughout the entirety of the video, the accompanying music maintains a positive, uptempo sound/mood, up until this shift in the very end. The music trails off as Aaron walks out the door in slow motion.
    Questions

    2b) In his DSM article, Block describes internet addiction as a “compulsive-impulsive spectrum disorder that involves online and/or offline computer usage.” In his attempt to justify his use of these terms, he elaborates and tells us that this group of people “consists of at least three subtypes: excessive gaming, sexual preoccupations, and e-mail/text messaging.” In other words, they are primarily those who find themselves falling into those three categories. He goes on to explain that all of those who fit the description suffer from the four following conditions: excessive use, withdrawal, tolerance, and negative repercussions.

    I personally like Block’s definition of IA. I admit that there is room to get more specific with the description, but I don’t think that that level of specificity is necessary. The way he describes it is as any other medical or mental issue: a group that exhibit certain behaviours and experience certain symptoms as a result. It’s general enough that it encompasses all who fall into that bracket, yet specific enough to distinguish it from other medical/mental issues.

    Lane does not believe that Block’s description of “internet addiction” is appropriate, as it suggests that it is a mental condition when that is simply not the case. Lane disagrees that it is a formal condition that calls for medication, but instead believes that it calls for an increase in human interaction. He definitely sees it as an issue, but just not one that belongs in the same tier as other conditions like schizophrenia and paranoia.

    3) In Aaron Cole’s “Motions,” why does it open with him telling his friends to be on their best behaviour at the party they were going to? Shouldn’t the need to say that already tip you off with a red flag? Seeing that they need to be warned, and Aaron, presumably, hangs out with them often, does that mean that Aaron is of the same wild nature? Is it true that he has several different women? How does Taneesha feel about Aaron? Why was she able to switch up on him so easily? Did she ever show that she was actually into Aaron, or was he just believing what he wanted to? Was this the first time that the antagonist has blatantly disrespected Aaron? If this was the first instance, were there any signs that would have hinted at his duplicitousness? How will the two move on from this experience? How often does Aaron find himself in the company of “fake” individuals? Is he usually able to spot the fakes early on? Does he only realize when it’s too late? Why does his song about deception have such an energetic positive sound to it? What is the purpose for him declaring his self awareness emphatically in the hook?

    1. David,

      This is a really great post, and I hope others in the class read it carefully to derive inspiration from your work. A couple quick thoughts:

      –regarding your questions about the Cole track: it seems like you’re interested in the psychological mechanism of “projection” (some psychoanalysts would call this a “defense”) that Cole uses when he demands that his friends be on their best behavior. More broadly, you could think of this as one of several forms of “deception” in the song. You could look into this more for Essay 2. (There’s also another cluster of issues surrounding polyamory and fidelity that you could look into as well.)

      –in Part II, can we connect Lane’s critique of Block a bit more to the lack of specificity in Block’s definition. You note that the lack of specificity doesn’t bother you, but why does it bother Lane? What are some of the dangers he thinks are entailed by Block’s lack of specificity?

      More soon,
      M

  3. In the song “JAB TAk’’ by Manoj Muntashir. The music video starts off by showing three friends, two girls and one boy who are going to visit the Taj Mahal on a rickshaw. One of the girl and the boy seem to have a crush on each other so then they try to sneak and hide from the other girl. Then they climb on top of a hill just have a romantic moment but the other girl keeps on interrupting their moment. Then the boy seems to confess his feelings towards her by holding her hand. After that they both go on a beautiful romantic long ride to the beach where they share more romantic time.

    2 a) Pont#1: Everything we see on social media we tend to relate it with our personal lives.

    Point#2: People self-diagnose themselves very easily based on the information they read from social media. A lot of times people self-diagnose themselves with very critical diseases or disorders such as Anxiety disorder. This kind of critical diagnosis should be given only by medical professionals who are qualified to diagnose a patient.

    Point#3: Social media is a great way to fool the minds of people and advertise many things. For example the self-diagnose website call WebMD can diagnose someone with any disease or disorder and make them believe they need to buy medicines. This can increase the profits of the pharmaceutical companies.

    Thesis: We should not believe everything we see on social media.

    3)
    If the girl and the boy knew they like each other why would they bring that one extra friend with them on their trip? What does the Hindi word ‘’beintehaa’’ mean? What does this line ‘’Sau Sawere Liya, Sau Sawere Liya’’ mean? Does she like him only because he is a popular athlete?

    1. Redoanul,

      Thank you. Here’s my thoughts, in reverse order:

      3. There is a lot to be explored in your first question, which you could investigate in your Essay 2: you might look into why/how people have difficulty expressing their desire for each other (is this why they needed to bring along a third friend?); you could look into exhibitionism—the desire to be seen by a third person (or, more broadly, other people), or you could look into the “Oedipus complex” or “Oedipal triangle” and see if you think any of these issues relate to what’s going on in the song.

      2. The points you’ve summarized from the article are fairly spot on and specific. Can you use them to make your paraphrase of Duca’s thesis more specific. Her thesis is more focused than the sentence you’ve made here (which is rather broad).

      1. See if you can go back to the templates I gave you and work through your description of the song a couple more times–just try to get the wording a bit more accurate. I have confidence that you can do that to revise this on your own and will be pleased with the results. 🙂

      M

  4. The song is Hurt By Johny cash. It was originally performed by nine inch nails. the song start by depicting a buss of a poor man with a basket on his back. The following scene show a fruit basket and fruit surround it.Then we are finally grace with Johny cash presence. He is sitting on a wooden chair wearing all black and playing the songs notes on his guttier. Throughout the introduction of the song the camera is zoomed in in his face to show his pain. House of cash is shown which a museum depecadte to Johny cash is shown mid scene the American flag is waving in the distance. The camera remains on cash’s face until its cut told black and white flashback. within these flashback we saw him on stage performing for fans, a photograph of his ex-wife,Broken plaques, his old home. the song end with piano solo montage with different thing like christ on a cross, birds flying and him dancing with his ex wife. within the last 5 seconds of the song we see him close his piano and the video cut to black.

    2A.
    Depression is not a medical disorder but a state of emotional imbalance.
    Depression is a globally under-recognized and neglected disorder that is nevertheless a serious medical condition.
    Basic symptoms of depression can be diagnosed even among young people and teenagers.
    Depression has a great bad influence on self-appraisal.

    3.
    In Johny cash “hurt” why did he cover that song? what in his life would he. change to be happier? what did a country singer see in a song originally sung by a industrial rock band? was he sick during the recording of the song? the time where his voice sounded broken was that a artistic choice? are the cover and the original sung similar in the way they are interpreted? what was the emotions when he first saw the video?

    1. Joseph,

      Thanks for your post. Your description of the Cash video is stellar in terms of the images it gives us to visualize. However, I think your writing will benefit immensely from running this through a spellchecker of some kind. You can try putting it in a Google Doc and downloading Grammarly (even the free version is helpful); that should help give you some basic ideas for cleaning up the spelling and grammar. Your ideas are good and deserve to shine in sentences that look profesh. 😉

      2a. Go back to Duca’s article and see if you can rethink what you’ve written here. Her article isn’t about depression, per se, but rather an online phenomenon–one that has to do with mental health, for sure, just not exclusively depression.

      3. All valid questions. But if I could, I’d suggest you try to direct your questions toward “themes” in the song rather than at Johnny Cash himself. Sort of like what we did on the white board at the library when we were trying to think of ideas related to the content of the song–ideas that aren’t necessarily limited to Johnny Cash but which relate to the lives of many listeners, possibly even us. Can you think of some questions having to do with the way(s) the song processes some of those “bigger” issues that we discussed at the library?

  5. 1. “Glory”, a song/video by John Legend and Common, starts off with a subtle yet moving piano accompaniment of singer/songwriter, John Legend, playing only a bunch of chords while beginning the song saying, “One day when the glory comes, it will be ours
.it will be ours. Oh glory”. The visual, at that moment, of John Legend playing the piano while solely having a light-bluish background with the spotlights on him illustrated to the listener/viewer of the particular message that he and Common would have wanted to project in that they wanted us to focus directly on the hopeful reassurance that the oppression and systematic racism/discrimination would one day be overcome. A moment later, the sounds/visuals change to a more upbeat pace while still having the same chords being played as the tempo to the song. The visuals in place shift from just solely John Legend to rapper/songwriter Common while still maintaining that background image of the different spotlights on him. Also, numerous scenes from the movie, “Selma”, depicted visuals of actors portrayed (such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as well as other protesters and sympathizers) engaging in marches and group gatherings as well as facing the harsh depicted realities of police brutality and discriminatory acts from their Caucasian opposition.

    In the middle of “Glory”, we notice that the video shows the climatic scene regarding the movie in which there appears to be a standoff between the Civil Rights protestors and the police department that were assigned to prevent them from getting across the Edmund Pettus Bridge that they were on. The drama that ensues is further promoted by the buildup in the drums that are not being played as a part of the current music that is accompanied by the song. This part of the song reminds the viewer of an earlier moment in which measures were taken to discriminate against Blacks in their rights to do things such as vote and etc. as well as the gatherings that were occurring at African American churches to inform its congregations of the injustices that were going on and the steps they would take to fight against the oppression through nonviolence. We begin to sense that “Glory” is ending when Common transitions from talking about the struggles they have faced to the progressions they have made with the fight against injustice. Common and Legend end the song/video with the word, “Glory,” repeated several times while the music is drowning out in what appears to be a triumphant sound with the trumpets.

    2. A. Thesis Statements.
    In Lauren Duca’s “The Viral Virus,” she primarily discusses the concept of how social media has a drastic effect on one’s self-identity. First, she brings up the idea that as social media users, we tend to associate the propaganda that is being published as a means of associating the components of it with the dimensions of our personality. Second, Duca argues that while users may indulge in the fact that shareable media content can reduce their self-consciousness in how individuals believe the world might view them, they are ultimately falling into a trap when they begin to give major attention to mental-health conditions that other social media users might claim to have based on certain actions performed without the proper diagnosis of a medical authoritative figure. Third, she discusses how social media websites and corporations particularly drive these mental-health condition notions into the mind of a user for simply click-bait; it primarily may not have any total relation to the problems of a social media user at all, but it, rather, generates revenue for the amount of clicks those specific links receive. All in all, I believe Lauren Duca is trying to convey in her essay that the more an individual isolates their mental capacities through a means of relatable circumstances, the lesser one can truly figure out what and who their real identity is and what they can become.

    3. In Chance the Rapper’s “I Might Need Security,” why did Chance name the song after Jamie Foxx’s stand-up special “I Might Need Security”? Why did he use the same phrase “FFu-u-u-u-u-uck you, fuck you-ou-ou-ou, Fu-fu-fu-fu-fu-fu, fu-fu-fu-fu-fu-fu, Fuck you, oh-oh” as well as the same manner in which Jamie Foxx used it during his piano performance in that same comedy special? Is there any correlation between Jamie Foxx’s special and Chance’s message within the song? Why does Chance take a more political approach to this song with the mention of Chicago’s governor and the looking into of murder investigations? What message does he convey with receiving praise before one dies? Why does he mention the Illuminati and Baphomet product placement? What is a Baphomet product placement and what does it have to do with spiritual warfare? What is his overall goal in producing this track in the matter that he arranges it?

  6. 1) “Tru”, a song by Lloyd, starts off with faint guitar acoustics in the background while talking about how he has lost it all down from his friends and family but he learned how to grow from his pain and struggle. A moment later, the sounds of the guitar and a beat takes over as loyd begins to apologize for for all of his mistakes and regrets in his life. In the middle of “Tru” we notice that his pain and hurt gets deeper as he talks about losing his child and raises his sisters baby to help cope with his pain. This part of the video reminds the listeners of an earlier moment when Lloyd talks about losing it all down from his friends to family (his child). We begin to sense that “Tru” is ending when the beat slows down and he says “and all i wanna be is tru” as the music slowly faints away.

    2) In lauren Duca’s essay “The Viral Virus” she makes many points about viral post and self diagnosis.

    -one of her few points in her essay was that many of popular websites such as buzzfeed, webmd, and huffington post all use their popular platforms to generate believable and relatable articles to drive in money from people who believe in their self diagnosis that they got from their articles.

    -Another one of her points in this essay would be that these popular websites conform with what we find more believable to essentially make money off of how gullible we are.

    -one of her last points to sum it up was that we could be stressed, extroverted, or have any disorder but we shouldn’t let social media change who we are because of what they may say we have.

    The thesis statement for this essay could be that as gullible as we are we shouldn’t believe everything that we read online

    3) In Lloyd’s song “Tru” why did he give so little details about what happened to him? How did Lloyd find the perfect beat to match his feelings while writing his song? What happened to make him feel like he need to apologise for being himself? After losing his child and raising his niece does he think that it’s too late to have his own child now? After writing this song and getting everything off of his chest did it help him mentally? Does he feel accepted now that he has told the world about what was going on?

  7. 1) “Playing Games”, a song by Summer Walker and Bryson Tiller, starts off with a soft moderate guitar melody followed by Summer starting that she can take care of herself and achieve her own goals on her own. A moment later, the sound remains the same for a little but gradually becomes upbeat as the bass replaces the guitar. She begins to explain how she expected love/attention and not materialistic items in a relationship. In the middle of “Playing Games” we notice that she questions her partner’s actions and how they do not match up to what he says in the relationship. This part of the songs reminds the viewer of an earlier moment in which she was reminding her partner that she never asked for anything fancy but just basic responsibilities in a relationship. At this point she is fed up with having to keep reminding him of how to handle his part in the relationship and is willing to let him go. We begin to sense that “Playing Games” is ending when the bass abruptly stops and the sound of a cymbal of a drum set drags out for about three seconds and then is replaced by the guitar from the beginning of the song. Tiller actually ends the song with his lines that represent the male role that can be better than her partner and providing reassurance.

    2b) In “Issues for DSM-V: Internet addiction” , Block defines internet addiction as “compulsive impulsive disorder” which consist of excessive gaming, sexual preoccupation and email/text messaging. Technology is basically an obsession that people rely on in everyday life. I definitely agree with Block’s definition of internet addiction because an average person can not go a few minutes without checking their phone whether it is to check the time or text someone. In the article “Addicted to Addiction”, Lane believes that Block’s definition of “internet addiction” is a little dramatic. Block believes that the remedy for being addicted to the internet is being put on medication. Lane feels that a actual remedy would be to do “physical exercise” and to build ” emotional connection to the real world and weakening those with virtual one.”

    3) Why does society create expectations that only females are expected to live up to it?
    Why is it a trend for males to think that materialistic items will keep a happy and healthy relationship instead of effort?
    How did Bryson Tiller’s lines create reassurance?

  8. “Love Yourz”, a song by J.Cole, starts off with the calming sounds of a piano on the beat. A couple seconds into hearing the sounds of the piano on the beat J. Cole comes in on the song singing “Ain’t no such thing as a life that’s better than yours.” His voice was very passionate like he was trying to express the importance of being humble and grateful with whatever you have. A moment later, his voice changes to a more serious tone where he talks about it was for him growing up and that despite that he didn’t have much he still had more than a lot of other people in his neighborhood. In the middle of “Love Yourz”, we noticed that even though he remains humble, he has breaking points of his own. He raps about how sometimes he feels like letting go some days when he doesn’t have it all together but he looks to god to keep his humbleness and to keep pushing through. Towards the end of the song he talks about other men that you see on tv and social media in their flashy jewelry and designer clothing that may make those who don’t feel like less than. To help fill that void for them he brings the song to a complete end with the lyrics “But you ain’t never gon’ be happy till’ you love yourz” reminding people that happiness comes from loving what you have and appreciating it.

    1. Block defines internet addiction as something deeper than just an internet addiction. Somehow he manages to define internet addictions by using all of the other addictions that come with it. That makes it interesting but somehow offensive to the reader. His definition was a bit harsh and implied too much. For example implying that a person with internet addiction may also have a sexual preoccupation addiction. He defines internet addiction into separate groups based on society.

    2. Lane doesn’t agree with Block’s definition of internet addiction because it creates a false diagnosis which is a “self diagnosis” of mental illness. She believes that the false diagnosis might make it hard for people who actually suffer from mental illness. Which I agree with because people like to self diagnose themselves without actually suffering from the illness making those who do look like they may be lying about having it.

    3. What is the difference between his life today versus his past life? How would those you crave the lifestyle he is opposing to in his song, view the song or him as an artist? Being that he is a celebrity, with lots of revenue does that contradict his lifestyle or lyrics in the song? Why does he believe being broke is better than rich?

  9. 1. “Kevin’s Heart”, a song/video by J. Cole, starts off with a short walk with Kevin Hart, the actor, cruising through town in his car. A moment later, the visuals take a turn of event as he enters a grocery store. The whole public crowd stops and stares down at Kevin as he casually shops around but he can’t help to feel self-conscious. The video continues as the song talks about guilt relating to Kevin being unfaithful to his wife and the temptations he gets to cheat “can’t see myself when I look in the mirror” ” She my number one I don’t need nothing on the side, said that I was done for good and don’t want no more lies. But my phone be blowing up, temptations on my line”. In the middle of the song, we notice that Kevin stops at a convenience store trynna pick up a baby stroller and a mom stops and sexually harrases Kevin while making her son take a picture of both of them together. This scene makes you remember that Kevin has a family and brings you back to the topic of him not knowing how to fix his relationship with all the pressure he has to deal with. We begin to see that the song is ending when he has a short conversation with a friend at the restroom. He is telling him: “we are only human, we make mistakes.. learn from them man. you get what I’m saying?”
    then the lyrics accompany the video perfectly by playing: “what’s done in the dark will always find a way to shine, I done do so much, that when you see it you might go blind”

    2b.
    -In Internet Addiction By Block, he defines internet addiction as a “compulsive-impulsive spectrum disorder”. In his research he explains that the people who are are addicted to the internet, suffer from the conditions known as excessive use, withdrawal, tolerance, and negative repercussions. To follow up on details, the users who suffer from these conditions are mainly known for excessive gaming, sexual preoccupations, and e-mail/text messaging.

    -I generally like the definition Block used on IA because addiction is a mental issue and I think its appropriate vocabulary because like any other addiction if the user gets it taken from them, they will start to feel symptoms of withdrawal. I don’t see any issues with block categorizing IA as any other medical or mental issue. It’s general enough but not overly complicated.

    – Lane, on the other hand, thought that Block was giving out unreliable diagnoses (only giving out one reference as proof for his research). Lane believes that block is blowing this problem out of proportion by saying there is a high risk in treatment. He also says that internet addiction should not be categorized as a disorder.

    3. How does the song relate to Kevin’s life? Is the song really about Kevin hart’s affairs? why does J. cole say drugs and money are an escape from your problems? What inspired J. Cole to compose this song? Does he have experience with cheating? What’s his perspective on the lyric choice?

  10. In the song “Stand By Me” by Ben E King starts off with a soft rhythmic beat to set a calm tone for the listener. A moment later, you could hear drum snares followed by Ben saying “When the night has come, and the land is dark, and the moon is the only light we’ll see.” Ben E King is setting a vibe for his listeners. Being with a female with only the moonlight visible is seen as romantic. In the middle of “Stand By Me”, Ben E. King makes it clear to us that he is in love with a female by saying “No I won’t shed a tear. Just as long as you stand, stand by me.” This statement proves that no matter the circumstances, he will always be happier with his female by his side. More specifically, he would be devastated if she wasn’t. We begin to sense that Ben. E King is now contempt in his feelings with a lady now standing by his side. In the end of the song, the instruments in the background lighten up in a way and in my opinion give a feeling of joy.

    2) One point that Lauren Duca touched on was the specific advertisements that are specifically generated to one’s liking. By accessing private phone data, social media platforms are able to show relevant links in hopes that the viewer might look into. Duca states. “The more explicit mode of self-expression has led to the proliferation of identity-bait articles, cooked up not to be especially informative but to be shared as condensed bits of the whole you.” Having your own personal interests show up while browsing other content can raise one’s anxiety and fear of having their privacy invaded. Also, attempting to self diagnose on the internet can lead to unnecessary worry and panic due to misleading information. If you question google as to why your arm feels weak and you will be told that you are in danger for a heart attack. While this can be true, for most cases it tends to be a little extreme.

    3) In Ben E King’s “Stand by Me”, why were certain lyrics stretched out? Why did the main chorus in the background only start at half of the song? How does Ben E King incorporate moments of straight instruments versus vocals?

  11. In “Treat You Better”, by Shawn Mendes at the start of the video, there is a couple arguing in a car, at a motel. In the middle of the guy talking, the girlfriend leaves the car and goes into a room. While this happens, there are clips of him beating her up against a fence appearing simultaneously. Then, Mendes’ finally appears in a motel room and starts singing the song. Throughout the song and video, things escalate like the boyfriend’s abuse, mistreatment and cheating towards the girlfriend including Mendes’ feelings escalating. The words “I know I can treat you better, Better than he can” are obviously in reference to that couples’ relationship. Some questions I had in response to the music video was Why did he choose domestic abuse for the video? How does it connect to abuse?

    Jerald J Block defines internet addiction as “a compulsive-impulsive spectrum disorder that involves online and/or offline computer usage and consists of at least three subtypes: excessive gaming, sexual preoccupations, and e-mail/text messaging”. He means people who have a need to constantly play video games, check their phone, use social media, etc, may have an internet addiction. I personally think internet addiction is highly possible especially in this generation. A question I have is, does that include having an addiction to your phone or any piece of technology? Christopher Lane disagrees with Block’s solution of treating internet addiction, which is with medication. Lane also questions about the severity of this being considered a mental disorder.

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