I’m a cable lover. In fact, I just ordered cable service for my new apartment next year. It’s not that I love cable programming. It’s the convenience that cable provides. I sit down, click that “on” button, and relax. There is no searching for shows online or video buffering. My entertainment is there whenever I need it.

Choosing from this:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyLatih2HwA[/youtube]

versus this:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPnufnUeeLI[/youtube]

I typically did not prefer the latter.

Before taking “Race, Gender and New Media,” this was pretty much my outlook. For me, it was cable or nothing unless I missed a show on television that I really wanted to see. It’s not like the course makes me feel differently about having cable, but it did give me perspectives. There are other entertainment sources. There is new media, and Google is not the consumer’s best friend.

As a computer science major, it isn’t too often that I can find pleasure in using the computer. I do so enough for work. But as we transition more into the digital era, it is only inevitable that television follows suit. Is cable really just a thing of the past? As I dialed up AT&T ready to make my service purchase, I hesitated. New media had gotten under my skin (as did the suspected AT&T price tag), and I second-guessed myself.  After understanding the value YouTube offers, and the passion web series creators put into their series, I felt this sudden impulse to put down the phone, invest only in Internet, and show the support I knew I should for these emerging medias. I knew that web series could suffice my entertainment needs, and it didn’t hurt that they were good too – just maybe too short! However, something about the computer as both work and play did not sit well for me.  I ended up getting both — the best cable and Internet package that my budget could allow.

In thinking about my hesitation, it wasn’t that much of a surprise to me because I enjoyed these new medias we discussed in class. With the topics discussed in “Race, Gender and New Media,” I can understand my connection with the material. I can now understand how race and gender can play such a grave role in media enjoyment. The web series my group researched were great because I related to a few of them. Being both a female and a minority, I can understand the want for content that appeals to both my gender and culture. I had never really put much thought into that before. Although, I grew up as a gamer with the latest systems, and I’ve watched a lot of television in my life thus far, I never strived for better content or representation – for less hypersexualization or gender and race neutrality. I never noticed a problem. As I leave the course, I am coming out with a greater awareness of these representation problems. Although, I’m still stuck with old technology and cable programming for now, the hesitation is a good sign that being a cord-cutter, a person without cable, is imminent. The hesitation is a good sign that I’ve taken something valuable from the course.