VALS Survey Results

The VALS online survey has put me in two categories: Striver and Experiencer. After examining the definitions of each of these two groups, I don't think I'm too terribly like either one of them. I think that there are certain characteristics that are definitely part of me. Strivers are supposed to be "fun-loving" and "trendy" and their ultimate idea of success is being wealthy. I don't think of myself as at all trendy. I like to dress in a way that I think is attractive, stylish and classic, but following trends has never been something I've been at all concerned with. The money equating success thing is definitely not me either. Sure, I do think that being paid a great deal of money would be a wonderful thing, but my idea of success is sort of an all encompassing thing. I do think that financial stability is important, but to be truly successful, I think it must be paired being respected by peers, and being able to lead a happy personal. Strivers are concerned with approval and the opinions of others. This I must admit is something that I often think (and sometimes fret) about. I think that my personality is a bit closer to that of the Experiencer. The Experiencer is all about "self-expression," sort of hops from thing to thing, favors the "off-beat." I am someone who is obsessed with self-expression, with the strange, whimsical and bizarre. When it comes to drawing energy from certain activities, this category offers up sports, outdoor recreation and social activities. I'm not terribly sporty, but I am energized by social activities and being around friends. Looking at both of these categories, I don't know if I really fit either one that well. I don't think I've learning anything about myself that I wasn't already aware of. I think that this information may be used to determine what kind of person would buy a certain kind of product, perhaps if a certain age group or gender is more likely to fit into a certain category and therefore be more likely to buy a certain product.

Comm 203 Digital Story Telling Project

Our digital-telling project.

COMM203 Digital Storytelling Project from Flare Baroshi on Vimeo.

Group members: Liz McCormick Veronica Victor Ryan Smith Katy Coleman

Love at First Site: My Relationship with Technology

When I was a very young child, the world of computers fascinated me. The idea of the internet and all that it could offer just sort of astounded me. It seemed that anything was possible. Not only the internet, but media in general. I watched so much television that I'm surprised it didn't melt my eyes out of my skull "Raiders of the Lost Ark" style. I listened to the radio news and NPR with my Dad in the car and went to see a lot of movies with my mom. I grew up with media influences all around me. They are inescapable unless you live in an isolated area, I think. But even catching a soundbite of news or a clip of the game or an advertisement before a silly cat video on Youtube, you are being exposed to the media. 

I don't think I can go a day without quoting a movie or referencing something on the internet or television. We human beings have fallen in love with television, radio, the internet, our cellphones, iphones. We're hopelessly devoted to our technology because it makes our lives easier, more interesting, more entertaining. I think we human beings very much like to take in and process information and to gather knowledge and this is what all forms of media provide us.

All of these forms of media make it possible to understand not only what is happening in our own backyard, but halfway across the globe. I engage daily in "the global village," Marshall McLuhan's idea that the world has become so connected by technology that the world has shrunken into a "village" where thoughts and ideas can be expressed in seconds from around the world. When I am on Facebook, I am engaging in "the global village." I've made friends with a Peruvian artist over the internet. Though the distance between us is great, we can carry a conversation over the internet. 

At this day and age, media is always with us and even on us. Right now, you may very well have a cell phone, an iphone, or some other device in your pocket, your purse or by your side. The technology that we have now may act as an extension of our own bodies. Our cell phones, iphones, ipods, etc. act at our eyes, ears, minds and voices to just about any place in the world that we are interested in making contact with. 

I think that I am technological determinist rather than a structuralist. I think that technology causes change. Changes the way we communicate and think. Changes in technology pave the way for futures changes and it just continues on forever.

I love technology. I consume so much information provided to me by modern technology that I don't even know if I notice it anymore. It has just become so much a part of my daily life, that I think sometimes I may take it for granted. Technology is just about any media has fascinated since I was a child and continues to in my adult years. My relationship with technology effects the way I think, the way I communicate, the way I live. I'm in love with it and I look forward to the rest of lifelong relationship.

Creative Commons: My Stance on Copyright/left

                 


While copyright is generally the bane of my existence (I love making music videos and I find it difficult to get a hold of good, copyright-free music apart from Beethoven), I believe that it must exist to protect the creations of artists. I think that the creators of the content deserve recognition for what they've created. When you look at it from the point of view of the creator, you start to understand why they become so protective over their work. I think that Creative Commons is important because it allows someone like me to add my own video to a piece of music without having to worry about having violated copyright. It allows me to take a piece that exists and add on to it legally, making it my own.                                                  

My Bio

My name is Veronica J. Victor and I'm a Communications major at Shepherd University. I aspire to one day be a filmmaker. I've always enjoyed creating things and telling stories, so filmmmaking seemed to be a great outlet for my creative energy. I love learning about film and watching as many movies, music videos and television shows as I can. Some of my other interests include: drawing, acting, fashion/costuming and comics.

The purpose of this blog is to keep track of my Comm 203 assignments. I look forward to future blog entries!