English 114B
May 16, 2012
As an
incoming freshman, I was terrified of any English classes. I was
never comfortable with it and just plain embarrassed. I was scared
that I would be placed in a class with a larger amount of students
and that the professor wouldn't have enough time to help every
individual person. Just entering on my first day of class, I was
satisfied with the number of students. But I was still intimidated
to even ask for help from any professor. But as the professor
introduced himself and found out that he was still a CSUN student,
made me that much more comfortable.
As he
started to explain the syllabus, I wasn’t so intimidated because
everything was well plan out. Each progression after another, each
with estimated due dates,and I like how they all some what tied in
together and will be ultimately used to construct an essay. I really
liked how the second semester wasn't so much different, still
different projects and little works but still all tied up to
construct two different essays.
I felt
that I had many questions to ask about my essay, o n grammar, to
organization to sources. I really did get much help on this I feel I
little bit more confidante on my essay writing. One thing that will
always stand out is making me own surveys and using them as sources.
I can see myself still using that. I liked that I had to many chance
to ask my questions. Including the two one-on-one meetings at the
end-of the semesters. Thank you.
Now
ending this course we are faced with our last portfolio. For my first
essay I will be doing an
ethnographic
essay on social media sites. I will try to explain why people go on
these site, why they choose to post the stuff they do, and why they
choose to show or not show certain information. For my second essay I
will be explaining how neighborhood affects identity. I will break
down my neighborhood into salaries, schools, and cultures and use
myself as an example.
Judging Your Facebook
Entering the 21st
century we are conquered through technology. People really don't have
to meet face to face to get to know each other. Business and
conversation can now be done from the comfort of your home without
taking one step out. Social media sites like Facebook and MySpace
bring up a different problem. These sites let you post mostly
whatever you like and mess around with your own profile fixing your
own personal information. Facebook and MySpace can be a perfect way
to reinvent yourself watching the stuff you post, and the information
you let people see. So why do people even go on these social media
sites? In a way you can reconstruct your identity through social
media sites, people want to start over or continue there social life
on these sites. These sites can keep you up dated in people's live,
can update people on your own life, and updated people on music and
media but being aware that it is a social media site so your not only
constructing your own identity they way you would like, but the way
others would like too.
There is to many
people to keep track of and way to many friends to keep in touch
with. Facebook and MySpace offer an solution to this problems. When I
meet new people or new friends one of the first thing we do is become
friends on Facebook. Some times we keep in touch and sometimes we
don't but after all, hey. We're still friends on Facebook. People
like to be social and know what other people are up to, and I think
this is one of the reason's why social sites are successful. Everyone
want's to know whats new or what is going on with people's life. It
makes people really nosy without even noticing it yourself or making
someone feel uncomfortable. People do not like to be left out of
anything, it's just very unappealing. As these social media sites
become more and more popular, people just want to move over with the
group.
These places can be
like an open diary and place to share ideas and common interests.
These can be a place to show people who you really are, what you like
and love. We find people that enjoy these come interests. But the
problem with this can be, posting to caught attention. Many things
come into style and into popularity and people on social sites can
take advantage of this. They can post stuff up to caught the
attention and to be liked. People want to rise the social ladder by
posting popular stuff to caught only the attention. Another problem
with this is that not all post can be nice. Some can be offensive to
something or someone, and it to also caught attention. Music can be
an example of this. Music on your profile is not meant for yourself
to be listening to but for who ever visits your profile. Maybe people
really like county or classical music, but I’ve never been to one
profile with that kinda music. I think people are to scared of being
judge, that it affects their true identity to come out an shine.
Everyone wants to
be liked and accepted. Everyone wants to have a good amount of
friends, and wants to be “popular.” Social media has been causing
problems because of the certain amount of friends you have. Some
people can have up to thousands of friends, and people that have
small amount of friends are usually thought as to be weird or uncool.
The certain amount of friends you have usually come to have people
judge you, usually judge your social status. These problems do not
let people's personality shine. They are judge way before they are
even heard. Identity is being affected because it's not even being
looked at, just the amount of friends you have.
One of the biggest
reasons why these social media sites can be so controversial is
because how easy personal information can be changed. As much as
people don't use these sites for dating purposes some if it still
can. These sites can be use to please people, especially the people
you want to please like a crush. Your conscious of that crush seeing
your post, so you can surround your post or you personal information
on them. You can change your information so easily it's like falling
into peer pressure. You are liking or posting what others are and
you're not being true to your own identity. Also goes for what your
not posting. Many people have secrets or stuff they are embarrassed
about for some reason, and no one is posting that up. It's
reconstructing your identity, including what you like and leaving out
what you don't.
These sites can be
great for media relations. What I mean by this is that it is so easy
to contact people on these sites. There is so many people to inform.
One example is the campaign for Kony 2012. One video was let loose,
and everyone on this site can be informed. This can be good because
it can inform and get people involved, into charity and organizations
doing charity work. This can greatly affect someones identity that’s
trying to look for something good to do.
Social media sites
can be greatly influential, whether good or bad. It can help you
find your identity by finding people like you or it can help you fall
into peer pressure. I know mostly everyone has access to the internet
now a days, so it's up to the person using these sites to be
completely truthful about themselves. It's great place to find
friends and express oneself, and keep growing and learning.
Community Makes Individuals
.What shapes a
person's identity? The truth, I really don't know. But my experiences
can lead me to the answer. Seeing and learning shapes you to the
person who you are or going to be, and this all starts as a child.
Growing up in your own community gives you those situations you can
learn from and people that can aspire you to be or aspire to be
completely opposite like. A community can help a child become a
strong and successful adult, but can also do the complete opposite. A
community helps construct a person and shape identity by offering
many things: different levels of schools and education, neighbors and
friends, culture, and resources.
The San Fernando
valley, where you can start from the west side of the valley to the
east, and see two completely different communities, but even smaller
Pacoima and San Fernando are my community.
According to the
Los Angeles Times, Pacoima is the neighborhood with the least diverse
ethnicity. On a daily basis, Spanish is my main language, Vicente
Fernandez are the artist that I heard everyday, and Latinos are my
people. This is what I have grown up with and what I have come to
learn and follow. Here, being Latino isn't an ethnicity, it's a way
of living and a way of thinking. Community helps build your identity
because it can introduce and teach you about your own culture, and
even if your own community is more diverse than mine it can teach you
about other people. In my culture I learned the importance of family,
friendships, and religion and I have I continued to learn about it
and implied it through the people of my community. Community affects
identity by learning through other people, and can use help, like
religion for example. Religion is very high in the community; mostly
everyone goes to church and participates in it's activities. But for
myself growing up in the community and having to deal with all these
activities, affected me and my identity. It always taught me how to
interact with people and strangers. But most of all taught me how to
be respectful and kind to all, and this I think my community for.
Growing up in a
community you'll spend plenty of time with friends, and neighbors. In
my situation, I made my neighbors my closes friends. I spend mostly
all my time with them, so I encountered many situations with them and
I learned plenty from them. Everyone's community will have all kinds
of different people in them. So depends which people you meet and
make friends with, that will depend on how useful the information
they teach you will be. A child or person will be somehow influence
by someone else, whether threw experiences or just their personality.
They will absorb this in some way, and affect or influence them in
some way that can greatly affect identity. For example if a child is
surrounded by highly polite and respectful neighbors and friends,
there is a huge chance that they'll learn how to be polite and
respectful too. The opposite too, if they are surrounded by criminals
and disrespectful people, they can get influenced to act in the same
way. In my situation my neighbor's were not involved in school and
did not care much of there grades. For a while I feel in that hole,
just cause I saw it, and just didn't care much. The community will
give you many people to encounter and you can learn and take
something from everyone. Whether the experience or information
absorbed is good or bad, it can affect your identity and future
decisions.
The San Fernando
valley has a vast variety of incomes. According to the Los Angeles
Times Porter Ranch has the highest median of income and Van Nuys with
the lowest median of $41,000 and Pacoima a close second with a median
of $49,000. The amount of money a community receives and the median
incomes can have a huge impact on the community. This can affect many
resources the community can offer, or may not offer. This can have an
impact on a person identity because if someone is trying to do
something bigger and better for themselves or trying to get some help
in something, it may not be possible because the poor community can
not afford it. For example many communities can have a large amount
of drug and alcohol abusers, and they may be seeking help. They may
be looking for help to completely change and turn their lives around.
Help like clinics, therapy, and drug help is not offered to much, and
not free. If received there may be a chance for a change of heart,
and a healing of identity that can make a new person. This help can
influence a person's identity and overall change a person.
Also median incomes
and the wealth of the community can have an effect on the educational
systems of a community. Many programs may have to be shut down or not
even offered because of not enough funds for the community. For
example, some schools can offer services of a psychologist for
children in need. Many children may be seeking for this help and can
not find it nor afford it. This service can deeply help a a child's
personality. And if not received if necessary, can affects a child's
identity all the way into adult hood.
In the city of
Pacoima services like Pacoima Beautiful and Project Grad, offer
community involvement. Pacoima Beautiful helps clean up parks, plant
trees and flowers, and helping the needy.
This can help a
person find the love to look out for people, the community and
themselves. Some communities may not have the funds to have programs
like these, not even giving people the chance for community
involvement. Community involvement can have a huge impact on a
person, it can make some more kind heart and giving them the feeling
of looking out for someone rather than themselves. This can teach
people discipline, affecting a person's identity greatly. It's going
back to the elementary idea of sharing, and caring for someone. In my
situation, Project Grad offers college help to teens. They offer
help, information, and scholarships to teens. I can say this was one
of my biggest influences to my identity and decision to stay in
school. Never too late to change a person or influence someone, and
through community involvement being kind having respect, and staying
in school or some things to be absorbed.
In the San Fernando
valley, Pacoima is the neighborhood with the lowest rate of residents
having a four year degree. Education and being surrounded by educated
people can have an effect on a person's identity. It can affect a
person’s plans for the future, and influence a person to think
about everything a little more closely, which can greatly influence a
person's identity. Some communities may have better schools, or more
resources to offer students like computer labs and libraries.
Knowledge is power, a can have one of the greatest affects the
construction of a person's identity.
Also in many
communities, resident's outlook on life can be different. In low
educated communities, the outlook of life can be vastly different
from a highly educated community. A low educated community may not
have much hope for more education such as college or actually doing
anything big or important in life. This can instil in a person's
mind. One, I can do anything, because others around me have. Or two,
I can't do much cause mostly everyone I know doesn't go to school. A
communities outlook on life can affect a person identity to be a hard
worker, or completely lose outlook on life.
The community has
people to observe, plenty to offer and much to teach. Identity has to
be constructed by what you learn and who you follow. The community
you grow up mostly can offer those things. Whatever a community has
to offer it's up to the individual to decide what they make of it,
and how you let it influence you.
Work cited
"The
San Fernando Valley." Mapping
L.A. Web.
29 Apr. 2012.
<http://projects.latimes.com/mapping-la/neighborhoods/region/san-fernando-valley/>.
