Access Magazine

I actually wasn't planning on picking up the new issue of Access today. However, I happened to find myself with some free time in between classes and spotted an issue sitting on a table nearby. I said to myself, "Eh, why not? I don't really have much better to do..." So yeah, I picked it up and began to peruse. The first article I read was entitled "Hyphy Goes Holy." Now I'm at least a little interested and/or intrigued with this whole Bay Area pride thing coming out of Oakland and making its way through the rap scene. The article shed some light on a band taking a new approach to hyphy... which, in my small understanding of the subject, means going crazy when your hyped up on drugs and alcohol. The group, O.R.C., encourages a clean and drug-free alternative to the hyphy scene. The article was well written and told the story very well.



Next I flipped over to the "Addicted to Myspace" article and couldn't help but laugh. The article did an excellent job of telling the Myspace story and made me question a few of my own Myspace happits as well. While also providing me with some sort of sick and twisted hope knowing I'm not the only one who has an addiction.



Overall I got a great feeling from the magazine. I've read issues in the past and was less than inspired from most of the stories. I felt like this time the writers did their research and went the extra mile to get the good story and do the job well. Good work Access team! Keep it up!

What type of media consumer are you?

Media to me can mean a multitude of things. From the music that wakes me up in the morning, to the commercials I see on TV, or even the movies I watch during the weekend; they surround me in pretty much every aspect of my life. The various types of media can enrich our lives just as well as they can hinder it. Often much of the information we need can be right at our fingertips. WIth a single click of a button we can read stock reports on the internet, find out when and where our favorite movies are playing, discover the history of our country, read about the latest news, or even type to friends across the world. But when does it become too much, when do we lose our connection with the real world and become lost in a craze of technological 'conveniences?' In this class, as I delve in to the realm of media and how it affects me and the society I live in, I hope to gain a better understanding of how and why it affects so many of us the way it does...