Different forms of media surround our everyday lives. We have becoming desensitised and less aware of what is constantly circulating around us. What we see with our eyes is one of the most powerful sensory features we use. Sound is most commonly second, followed by smell and touch.

I walked out of the media lectorial with a new ‘filter’. Filter being I opened my perception of my surroundings and broadened it from the usual ‘what do i hear, see, smell and touch’ and I began to become more aware of sound and silence. Sound is very powerful and quite often in modern day society our surroundings ‘sound’ is lost because we are all plugged up with earphones and consumed in technology that we forget to listen to what is in-front of us. If i didn’t take out my earphones I wouldn’t have been able to hear the person behind me laugh, or listen to the traffic lights buzz as the green pedestrian flashed. Sound never goes away, we can never sit in silence (unless you are deaf) which is an interesting concept to understand. When you become aware and ‘notice’ the quiet while trying to be silent, the ‘silence’ becomes more powerful and louder as such. Sounds like a ticking watch and the sound of the tv or computer monitor buzzing gradually get louder and don’t go away.

Whilst walking down the bustling street outside of the state library I became more aware of the media I have become ‘normalised’ to. The billboards, posters and advertising that bombards us became more bold once I began to notice it and look for it. Our city is so colourful and busy full of  media its a reminder of how much media plays in our lives.

Perception.

The selfie is an arising trend that will continue to grow. It has really touched every part of the world with its popularity. The newest addition to the ‘selfie’ is the ‘selfie stick’ where more people can fit into one image and a deeper depth of field. The article from the BBC – http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-22511650 – explores the ideas surrounding selfies.

A selfie isn’t a true representation of an individual. It is different to a self portrait where the individual cannot angle and adjust themselves to appear more ‘attractive’ or better looking. A self portrait is a more authentic exploration of an individual in an image whereby the individual has less control and therefore the inability to filter their image in comparison to a selfie.

Selfies have their place, as do self-portraits, where a selfie is the ‘less informal’ ‘beautified’ version of an individual. The self-portrait is a more realistic representation of an individual as it isn’t done or taken my the individual in the self-portrait and therefore they have no control over it.

If an objective individual was presented with a selfie and self portrait of an person they have never seen before their perception of the stranger would differ depending on the image. Whereby the selfie would determine to be more controlled and filtered to what the person believes to be their ‘best’ angle and lighting etc, where the self portrait would appear to be ‘layered’ and formal way of depicting the individual.

Perception can be explored further and in more depth when one takes into consideration the factors that influence the preconceived idea of a particular individual.

Being new to anything comes with challenges- what determines your success is your approach whether you tackle it headstrong or take the easy road. Throwing myself into a course where I have so many plans and goals to achieve by the end is a strength to put in the extra effort. I believe your environment and your surroundings impact on your ability to learn- therefore being in a room full of people in the same boat with similar interests and issues, approaching tasks becomes more comfortable. I want to learn what my strengths and weaknesses are. I tend to assume rather than ask. For me to understand completely and get the most out of this course I need to speak louder, try harder and make lots and lots of mistakes. I would like to make more mistakes so I can experience more and therefore explore without a narrow view.

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