Journal Entry 10: Images

This week’s discussion focused around the topic of television within society today and its relevance and or power that it holds on media consumers. One of the articles pertaining to this week’s discussion focused around comparing the consuming experience of television versus the Internet. The article referred to the two experiences as television, lean back, and the Internet, lean in. What the author meant by this was how when consuming these two mediums, the viewer is taking part is a completely difference experience in which television is more relaxing and the Internet is more active and takes the consumer’s full attention. I can completely relate to this fact and agree with the author’s findings. Since living in London, my experience with television and Internet use has made me have a unique opinion on this topic. When at home in Los Angeles, television served as a form of social bonding. I lived in my sorority house this past year and none of us had televisions in our rooms. Rather, there was one large communal television in which each of us gathered together and watched all of our favorite shows each night. It was a special time in which all of us have the ability to relax, comment on certain aspects of the show and laugh together over the characters we loved on screen. It is a daily activity that I have since missed since living in London. My television viewing experience is entirely different in London. With the limited television channels and overall quality of the television provided in our flats, each of us rely on our computers and the Internet in order to keep up with all the shows we watch back at home. Rather than partake in a relaxing pass time together, we sit on our own and watch our own programs on our individual computers. There is nothing like kicking up your feet on the coffee table and flipping through the channels while watching TV. When it comes to watching television on the computer, it often leaves me frustrated due to our poor Internet connection and is not nearly as comfortable or as valued an experience. When I am on the Internet, it is definitely a lean in experience in which I am actively searching the web and doing a hundred tasks at one time. I will watch my television program online but am often checking my Facebook or email simultaneously. It is a completely different viewing experience. I am less focused and do not find myself fully relaxing as I do when I watch television on the real screen. I am looking forward to my return home when I get to plop on the couch and surf the channels on a lazy day with friends and family together. 

Journal Entry 9: Project Reflection-Museum Admission Fees in London

A couple weeks ago, we had our individual presentations on issues pertaining to obstacles we have come in contact with while living in London. We held meetings with the class as if they were our company and opened up discussion on the topic we presented. One of the topics presented was concerning the recent debate occurring in London on charging admission fees for entry into London’s museums. Ryan’s point was valid concerning the fact that citizens of London who have had yet to be charged for admission into museums would be upset with this radical change. As a student in London, the opportunity to walk into museums without even a thought due to their free admission has largely shaped my experience abroad. Living down the street from the British Museum, I can casually wander in whenever I have free time and when I am in an area with several museums such as Trafalgar Square, I can walk right into any of the museums and gain even more cultural knowledge abroad. Free admission into London’s museums has been culture at my fingertips. I did not realize how special this aspect of London was until this past weekend when I traveled to Paris. Each museum in Paris will cost around 10 to 20 Euros for admission. Paris is a cultural haven and it would have been wrong to not partake in the museums because of money concerns. On that trip, a large portion of my money was spent on admission into various museums around the city and I could see the drastic difference in cultural opportunity between myself and my best friend who is currently studying in Paris. The Louvre is the largest museum I have ever seen. In order to see all of the many aspects of that museum, it would take several trips. Several trips would mean paying for admission each time. That is a substantial consideration when discussing this topic. The opportunity for cultural submergence drastically changes when one is charged for admission into museums. I hope that London chooses not change their policy by beginning to charge for entrance into their museums. It is a wonderful facet unique to London and largely benefits its citizens and students by providing expansive opportunities for knowledge and cultural exploration. However there is one aspect to note regarding London, not all of their museums are free. My parents visited me this past week in London. The two main attractions they were anxious to visit were the Tower of London and Westminster Abbey. Each of these attractions come with an admission fee. There are five of us in my family and in order for all of us to gain admission into the Tower of London it cost almost one hundred pounds. That is almost two hundred American dollars. I was in absolute shock of this outrageously over priced ticket. My real question is: Where does that money go? I came to immediately understand the passion behind the citizens of London who are upset with this topic. I understand how these two attractions differ from the ordinary museum but in no way should their fees be that high. Overall, this past week I came into direct contact with this issue currently taking place in London. My stance on the topic? All museums and attractions in London should be admission free. With the outrageously high taxes citizens of London are subject to, they deserve free entry into their country’s museums.