◊ Hi there lurkers, readers, peers, wanderers, the professor- bah I want be unique so I’ll address whoever see these as Reader or Wanderer- just to be different! I’ll probably forget to do that.. welp!  ◊

What did you think on the first day of the CT101? Did you like hearing about the course and its creative content? How did it make you feel?

♦ On the first day of CT101, I was a bit- or a lot.. nervous (as I am with the first day of any class honestly). While searching for a class to enroll into, I was told by a peer that this class make blog posts on a website and my immediate thought was “Cool! I do that often enough!” But then reality came crashing down on me and I realized that I may have quotas or word counts involved. (Hoo boy not the word counts!) But after a few minutes of listening to what the professor had to say I honestly thought “Wow this guy is pretty chill!” After taking creative writing last semester, I’m excited to be able to write freely and expressively, plus the addition of using gifs and other tools from the web like Giphy and Imgur is going to make posting very dynamic. So I think this class is going to be very fun!

How does CT101 compare to some of your other classes?

♦ Last semester I took ENG286 aka creative writing, so I feel like I’ll be able to have the same freedom to write how I feel for the most part hopefully. Compared to most classes that I have now– I am surprised this is a question because it is like night and day! I have more breathing room with the way I’d like to write and express how I feel. You can’t really do that with other classes right? Academic writing has to be formal.. and there’s word counts.. and it isn’t easy. This class has the advantage of being digital as well, so it feels like a whole different world compared to my other classes.

What are the potentials of this class? How do you feel about learning new skills that use Internet tools?

♦ I feel that this class has the potential to bring out the inner journalists in us- or the inner blogger that we may have inside- honestly I don’t know the word that can fit what I am trying to say. But I feel that this class can allow us to open our minds more to different possibilities. Being in school for so long I think over time we lose that sense of creativity- or maybe I am overthinking it and I am just crazy, or am I just projecting..? Nevermind. Besides that, I think learning new tools on the internet can also help us unlock a greater potential in this class. The internet is such an important resource in this day and age that I think it will help us all grow in the long run. Its fun and easy to use and can be applied in a lot of places.

 

 

♦ Fun fact: I didn’t know gif meant Graphics Interchange Format until.. five minutes ago!. Thanks for reading, Readers!

 

 

What did you think on the first day of the CT101?

The first day was incredibly fun especially getting to know the professor and seeing all the cool and creative content that we will be doing every week. I also like the fact that there are instructions and video on knowing how to operate the website. It’s even cooler knowing we will be working with GIPHY and IMGUR.

Did you like hearing about the course and its creative content? How did it make you feel?

I heard great comments about this course before enrolling and I felt at peace because I’m always worrying about having bad courses. Therefore, I loved all the creative content that is being offered, it boosts my creativity to produce eye catching content. I am so excited to learn new materials as the weeks goes by.

How does CT101 compare to some of your other classes?

Comparing to my other classes that are so stressful, this class makes me relax, and motivated. I don’t feel any pressure when completing any assignment unlike the other classes. When I have this class, my mind is free, I laugh more especially when on GIPHY. It’s just a breath of fresh air.

What are the potentials of this class?

This class can open a lot of opportunities for me being the fact that technology upgrades every day, more jobs are looking for people that are proficient in areas like digital storytelling to promote their business and if I have these skills, it would be beneficial. So far, I am learning things I did not know how to do so I can only imagine by the end of the semester what I will be able to do.

How do you feel about learning new skills that use Internet tools?

It feels great learning new skills! I enjoy learning new materials each day, and when it comes to the internet its more exciting. Often, I see creative content from businesses, commercial and youtubers and I always wonder how but most are materials we are learning in this class. This course will definitely make me think deeper when creating a content and I am better able to assist anyone that needs creative idea when promoting online businesses.

 

 

What did you think on the first day of the CT101? 

On the first day of CT101 I felt a bit nervous. I did not know what to expect. It is something completely out of my field, but I thought it would be an interesting course to take as an elective for my final semester. Come to find out I have a chill deaf professor, the first professor I have had that is deaf and even taught us some greetings in sign language. It is nice having a professor that makes students comfortable to express themselves and my nerves were gone by the end of class, I was left thinking this is going to be a cool class. 

 

Did you like hearing about the course and its creative content? How did it make you feel? 

What is missing from a lot of courses is the ability for a student to express themselves and on this course, there is a lot of creativity and I love it. It is a space where I can just express myself and not have to be stressed like in many of my other classes. 

How does CT101 compare to some of your other classes? 

This class is a breather from many of my other courses. My other classes I must stress over assignments, exams, and due dates. This class I get to express myself through gifs and memes. I get to tell stories and learn how to use digital tools to express myself freely. There is no comparison to other classes, this class is top 1. 

What are the potentials of this class? 

The potential of this class is limitless. Storytelling has no limits and being able to learn how to tell them through different digital tools. It is always exciting and fun to learn new skills. 

How do you feel about learning new skills that use Internet tools? 

I am always excited to learn new skills. Especially with how much we use the internet these days why not learn how to use some internet tools to express yourself. Learning how to use hyperlinks and how to make gifs was cool and interesting to learn and I cannot wait to learn more.  

 

ARE MEMES ART?

A meme is intended to describe an artistic impression on something, commonly it would be pop culture. Taking this into consideration, I would argue memes as a form of art, anything artistically expressed is considered a form of art. Memes parallel Andy Warhol art which appropriated images from pop culture. 

MEMES ARE HERE TO STAY… BUT IS THIS GOOD OR BAD FOR ART?IS THIS GOOD OR BAD FOR COMMUNICATION?

Memes are great for communication as it is a different, unique, and more modern art form. Older generations might place less value in it, but we have to go with the times, and that means, we use memes. Memes express a shared experience/ reference that travel throughout social media.

ARE MEMES SIMPLY JUST FORMS OF SELF-EXPRESSION?OR ARE THEY MORE? WELL, WHY OR WHY NOT?

Memes go beyond just a form of self-expression. Yes, I would consider it a medium for self expression however, we can look at memes as a prism of communication for understanding pop culture

CAN MEMES BE USED FOR STORYTELLING?

Yes, traditionally storytelling requires us to use our imagination to visualize a scene. Memes aid in visual storytelling as they images, and graphics to have the reader engage and think about the general idea based on a small medium. A meme is essentially a graphic worth a thousand words. 

 

 

 

 

I Scream Food!!!!           

I love watching food channels on YouTube. This week I was scrolling and saw a food channel by the name of “Best Ever Food Review Show.” A guy by the name of Sonny that is from the US but lives in Asia for ten years started making food and decided to do travel videos and keeping documents of each experience.

I find this remarkably interesting and helpful because we the viewers will be eager to travel these places to capture our own experiences.

What caught my eye about this video is the fact that he was in my country trying all the local authentic food including our national dish which is Ackee and Saltfish.

He also dives into one of our hottest and most popular go to food in the summer which is Crab. I love Crab

One of my dreams in life is to travel different countries and try other authentic food, so this video is very inspirating to me and I anticipate upcoming videos from this channel.

What did you think on the first day of CT 101?

The first day of CT 101 was really great.  The class was fun and relaxed, and I‘m also excited about this class since it will motivate me to learn sign languages. On the first day of our class first time I got to learn working with GIF. It is fun to work with GIFs.

Did you like hearing about the course and its creative content? How did it make you feel?

The course content is make to so excited. It really fun to work with GIfs and memes. Before the taking this course I didn’t even know that their is lot of other site to find GIfs. To be honest, The first day of class make me feel like “Not what I was expecting from Communication Technology”. That the first class I ever get to change to do my assignment with funny GIfs.

How does CT101 compare to some of your other classes?

Comparing to my other classes CT101 give me more freedom. It the one of the most enjoyable class I ever had. This course giving me to opportunity  to learn how to tune with this internet world.

What are the potentials of this class?

This class would able to become confident communicators and media producers using digital storytelling, which incorporates 21st-century skills.  I think the most potentials of this class to creative use of technology. It would help to focus on one specific topic and feature a particular point of view. So I’m really excited to learn more about this.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT LEARNING NEW SKILLS THAT USE INTERNET TOOLS?

I Feel learning new skill that use internet tools is so important. In last decade  modern technology and internet change so much that If we do not how to use those internet tools we could not better understand of this world. Instance, if someone don’t know who to use Facebook or some other application, might be he couldn’t realize what is happening in Ukraine. 

What did you think on the first day of CT101?

On my first day of CT101, I was curious about what the course would offer in terms of skill and materials. I was interested from the beginning because I heard this course is fantastic, and since that statement, I got even more curious and couldn’t wait till the class started.

Did you like hearing about the course and its creative content? How did it make you feel?

I logged into my first day of CT101, which was interesting to me, but I also realized how this course would be a fun experience because it would allow me to try new things, making me look forward to upcoming classes and projects.

How does CT101 compare to some of your other classes?

CT101 gives you more freedom and a calm mindset compared to other classes. It’s a course that provides you and your mind to express your ideas and feelings in good yet funny ways. CT101 is what brings our creativity to the fullest. 

What are the potentials of this class?

This class will provide us with the knowledge and information to help us learn then master the arts of design through technology. This course will also make us tap into our more creative sides and think of ways to design something.

How do you feel about learning new skills that use internet tools?

Skills that use internet tools will help me expand my knowledge about computers and software. This time around, people worldwide use the internet to communicate, research, shop, etc., in their daily routine, which is why it is very important to stay up to date and learn as much as possible.

What did you think on the first day of the CT101?

BRRRRINNGG BRRRRINNGG BRRRRINNGG. Still asleep, my body rolled over to the other side of the bed on its own, grabbing my phone, twisting and turning it in all directions until it was right side up. I managed to open my eyes just enough to press the snooze button but also enough to see the time and realize I had pressed snooze one too many times. It was 7:04 and I was still lying in bed questioning if my education was worth being sleep deprived while I was supposed to be getting dressed and heading to school to make it on time for my 10 am. I know what you’re thinking “but Safiya, CT is online” which may be true but I have classes right after leaving me no time for travel. Even though I could’ve slept in a little later and entered class on my phone and not really pay attention, I wanted to pay attention and find out what the course was about since I couldn’t figure anything out from the name which piqued my interest. I made my way to school and connected to the wifi waiting for class to begin. I wasn’t very fond of the whole 10 am sitch but you win some, you lose some. I didn’t have many thoughts about the course beforehand only thing I knew is that it would be a hit or miss and within the first five minutes, I declared it a hit and as my new all-time favorite class. For the whole hour lecture, the only thought in my mind on a loop was this is the coolest class ever.

Did you like hearing about the course and its creative content? How did it make you feel?

Hearing about the course and its creative content brought me so much joy because it was like I finally had time to do something that I love without having to worry about school because this is my schoolwork. Whether it’s making blog posts or gifs, I’m here for it all. I felt for a while that I was lacking a creative outlet and this class came at the right time which is why I was so happy. Although it may not be the usual drawing or painting I am into, I love exploring and practicing different parts of the creative world, how they work, and making work of my own.  This was the only class ever besides English where I have been excited and eager to do my assignments because I knew that I would enjoy it. This professor is great I thought to myself the whole day after class and proceeded to rant to my one and only friend about how much I love this course and how fun it’s going to be despite only having it once a week.

How does CT101 compare to some of your other classes? What are the potentials of this class?

Compared to my other classes, I feel as if CT is my most breathable course right next to English because I like both equally. They both give me space to voice my opinions whether it is verbal or written, appropriate due dates, and just enjoyable and not stressful at all which are the elements that make a class enjoyable. This class being digital-based leaves many potentials such as discovering or obtaining a new skill or interest of mine which could lead to something much more. Another potential of this course is that since we are going to be creating our own websites and learning how to blog properly, we can create a name for ourselves out there that can branch out to new opportunities. 

How do you feel about learning new skills that use Internet tools?

Personally, I feel like learning new skills using the internet is fun, frustrating, exciting, and very much so necessary. I feel this way because I love to learn new things which are exciting and can be fun when things I like are incorporated-such as memes. However, the internet and its tools are infamous for making me lose my mind from time to time. I get so angry sometimes when my laptop acts up or something is not working or I just can’t seem to figure things out. Besides that, I have no beef with internet tools because I think learning new skills regarding internet tools is crucial in this day and age especially s we advance into the future. This is because we use the internet every single day for a variety of things and have become so dependent so the least we can do is figure out how to use it beyond the bare minimum. 

What did you think on the first day of the CT101?

Well, I thought it was going to be an intense boring class filled with information regarding exams. But however, after the first day of CT101, I felt extremely happy knowing I would learn to express myself using the internet and working with GIFs.

Did you like hearing about the course and its creative content? How did it make you feel?

I am extremely excited because Memes and Gifs are the new trends of fun on the internet. It can also test us on how creative we can be. Before signing up for this course there was a different feeling of anxiety thinking it’s the same basic course but seeing the content and opportunity to be able to create content I am jubilated.

How does CT101 compare to some of your other classes?

NO COMPARISON! after the first day of CT101 I already rank it #1 class in my book

What are the potentials of this class?

Getting to work with a generational tool like GIFs and IMGUR. Creating content, sharing it with others to express my feelings on certain matters also, content can be competitive because students view the Thursdays classes work also. When viewing multiple students’ work can help me create my post. When viewing some students’ work can motivate me to do as much or even better because sometimes, we have to push ourselves for perfection.

How do you feel about learning new skills that use Internet tools?

GIFs can help boost the effectiveness of your social media and content marketing. Because of the way the brain works, the information presented within or alongside GIFs is more easily retained by consumers due to its association with the GIF. GIFs can help your brand come to life. Engaging with your community on social media is one of the best practices for social media success. It humanizes your brand, which encourages interaction. Interaction, in turn, promotes the growth of your community by introducing you to the communities of those with whom you are interacting via their timelines.

What did you think of the first day of the CT101?

We had our first class using Zoom. The professor gave an introduction to CT101. I had the opportunity to meet each and every one of my classmates. I think it was fun and chill. To be honest, I’m also excited for this class since it will motivate me to learn sign languages. 

Did you like hearing about the course and its creative content? How did it make you feel?

When I originally signed up for this class, I assumed it would be a class where we would just write an essay about how technology is enhancing communication, but I wasn’t prepared for the fact that we would also be required to be creative. As an introvert, this class will allow me to express myself more freely and be more creatively without having to worry about what other people think.

How does CT101 compare to some of your other classes? 

CT 101 is, without a doubt, the most enjoyable class I’ve ever taken. I THINK THIS IS THE ONLY CLASS THAT ALLOWS ME TO FINALLY START CREATING WHILE STILL BEING ABLE TO SHARE MY WORK FOR EVERYONE IN MY CLASS SEE.

What are the potentials of this class?

Digital Storytelling exposes me to visual literacy and shows me how I can use it to improve my learning. The class will allow me to build my own digital narrative in a hands-on environment. Digital tales may be told in a variety of forms, including text on a website or social media platform, narration and pictures in a video, and narration in a podcast. Digital tales have a storyline, characters, and themes, much like a novel or a documentary. So I’m really excited to learn more about this.

How do you feel about learning new skills that use Internet tools?

To be honest, I avoid social media because of the negativity, but this class has been fantastic.  I’m  learning how to make social media fun and creative.

 

Are memes ART?

Yes, I considers memes to be a form of Pop Art and draws a parallel to Andy Warhol’s work, which often involved appropriating images from pop culture.

Pop art is an art movement that emerged in the 1950’s and flourished in the 1960’s in America and Britain, drawing inspiration from sources in popular and commercial culture. Different cultures and countries contributed to the movement during the 1960’s and 70’s.

Memes are here to stay… But is this good or bad for Art?Is this good or bad for communication?

Memes are good for art. Memes, in all forms, are an act of condensing information. The digital horizon demanded new symbols that transcend language barriers. Instead of attempting to represent subjective reality, memes collage shared experiences for a single purpose which is sharing. It is not who created the original meme but rather how its meaning has been transformed or imposed on by who is sharing it.

Are memes simply just forms of self-expression?Or are they MORE? Well, why or why not?

Personally speaking, Memes are a way of expressing culturally relevant ideas and thoughts.

According to behavioral science Memes are an extremely sophisticated form of communication.

Can Memes be used for storytelling?

Yes, Because the storytelling process is mostly left to visual storytelling. Visual storytelling always involves the use of graphics, images, pictures, and videos to engage with viewers in an effort to drive emotions, engage intercommunication, and motivate an audience to action.

My favorite existing memes are?

The reason why those two memes are my favorites is because they are short, witty, relatable even though they are all unique, most memes tend to follow similar patterns in the characteristics they possess and the effects that they have on their audiences.

What did you think on the first day of the CT101?

On my first day of CT, I was excited but skeptical about what to expect of the course. While I have heard about the class before, I was worried that it wouldn’t be fun and would only involve the boring parts of technology. My feelings changed rather quickly.

Did you like hearing about the course and its creative content? How did it make you feel?

Upon joining our first Zoom session, I loved learning that the course would involve doing fun and creative assignments. It definitely gravitated me more to the class and made me look forward to upcoming projects.

How does CT101 compare to some of your other classes?

Compared to my other classes, CT is way more chill and exciting. Other classes don’t really require much creativity and individuality. Working to make something cool for this class makes homework time much more compelling. Otherwise, I find myself scrolling on TikTok all day.

What are the potentials of this class?

This class can not only teach us a lot about how to use technology for design, but it can help us tap into the more imaginative aspects of ourselves. I can speak for myself when I say that it’s not something I do often or is encouraged of me in school or work, which is why I don’t think I’m very creative. So, I appreciate the opportunity this class gives me.

How do you feel about learning new skills that use Internet tools?

Learning new skills that use Internet tools is super important in our day and age, as technology seems to be consuming all of us and it’s needed more and more everyday. Especially with social media, such as Instagram and Twitter. Someday, I do see myself working in digital media whether it’s in journalism or something else. It’s good information to hold on to. So I’m excited for what’s to come in the course.

Assignment #3 are memes art?

some sources claim that memes are a work of art because of their cultural such as the page named newsrecord which claims and says “In this regard, memes in fact serve as a generational expression of art. Art evolves with its medium, and has continued to do so in the internet age. Where previously an artist’s materials were often limited to oil paints and graphite, the digital era has led to a more versatile medium”.

However there are counter arguments who opposed the idea of memes being a form of art for example, the page SpookenVision has stated “There is, however, a counter-argument that says memes can’t be art because they have no artistic value and were made for cheap laughs. And that’s true: memes have a short lifespan and can only be popular for so long. Memes of 2018, like Ugandan Knuckles (seen above), only lives in a short lifespan because of the environment. In the case of Uganda Knuckles, it lived only until virtual reality (VR) users were able to learn how to make better online avatars. Memes about video games die out as soon as the next big video game hits the shelves. Political memes die out as soon as the politician becomes irrelevant, like many of the Hilary Clinton memes, compared to Donald Trump memes that are still used because he’s now the President of the USA.”

This is a picture of Uganda knuckles a meme from 2018 that came out from a VR game to socialize with people, which is a 3D model made by someone in a software, and here when it comes my opinion when memes are art, since art can be everything that express any sort of emotion or message, memes like Uganda knuckles could fall into the categorization of art since, it kind of sends a message of cuteness or just a funny form of a character that we all know from our childhood from the show of sonic.

I don’t think that memes hurts art in any single way since memes are not a valuable custody, that you can buy and hope that anyone would get the message or even appreciated since memes are everywhere.

I Think memes are great way to communicate between individuals and share feelings and emotion, usually a lot of memes are about peoples feelings and those memes become relatable to them due to their experiences in life, for example the meme that I created about finding the room is probably a meme that more than one can relate to since it happened to me in my other class of CT205 which is in the same room.

I do think that memes can be use for story telling, since a lot of memes are used from shows that already have a story by themselves, for example this panel from a show call JoJo can be use for a lot of story telling.

the template by itself comes from a manga panel, that has a lot of stories and battles therefore in theory you could use all of them as a form of memes and piece of media to express emotion, plus the template of the meme is a piece of art by itself since is a drawing.

Things that make me happy on the internet 🙂

I am an AVID horror and gore fan. Anything scary makes me happy, that might sound odd but the adrenaline rush that has my on the edge of my seat is addicting! Haha of course I would be terrified if any of the stuff I watch or read was to happen in real life but I love that I can find something on the internet that makes me have a heart attack at three on a random Monday morning.

Another thing that makes me extremely happy is cooking shows! I started cooking when I was six and I immediately fell in love given how much I adore food. Now wouldn’t it be interesting if there was a show that included both horror and cooking? And I’m not talking about those “spooky” cooking or baking shows but one that genuinely makes your skin crawl!

I sound like a total psychopath :/

 

This week’s assignment:

Let’s begin!

I’ve found this website that seems to have more meme templates.

Last night’s news has left me feeling a bit hollow.

In researching the question ‘are memes art?’ I found several sites with varying opinions.

There was even a YouTube video that covered the topic.

In my opinion, memes can be considered art. After all, art is in the eye of the beholder. And if someone likes a meme, no matter how silly it is, why can it not be considered art? Some works of art don’t even look visually appealing, but they are highly prized in the art world.

Take for example the above piece by Jackson Pollock called Number 5, 1948. It was sold for 140 million dollars! But what makes this different from a meme?

Memes can be used for storytelling. The following meme called ‘Loss’ while viciously mocked does tell a story.

Stories in the end are just a collection of experiences that people relate to. Here are a few of my favorites.

And my personal favorite: