In time I spent in this class, I came to realize that there was more then meets the eye when it came to New Media, and all of it’s various forms. More so than just websites, these were communities, with their own culture. This realization hit me in the very beginning, when we were talking about memes. While a cat meme that says “I Haz Cheezburger” may seem like any old thing you would find mindlessly surfing the web, a meme is so, so much more than that. It’s simply anything than can be replicated. Memes are everywhere, anything from a table to a style of clothing or the hairstyle on one’s head. In essence, memes are everywhere. When understanding that there was so much depth in such a small little thing is really when this class started to catch my imagination.

Being an avid watcher of YouTube, I was naturally very excited when we got to the YouTube unit. As I hoped, we discussed what it was like to be a YouTuber, to be a part of that community, and why or why not it could be perceived as a real job. After all, people do make real money from it. Considering that this, to me, is one of the most exciting facets of New Media, this was a very interesting discussion. Is YouTube the new television? Much like any sort of TV show, subscribers tune in to see their favorite personalities whenever they upload a new video. Understanding this transition of New Media was fascinating for me. It seems that the digital age has so entirely changed the world, and in regards to YouTube, it has definitely impacted the way entertainment is watched by the masses. Yes, of course, TV is still an option, and many people still watch it, but is it as popular as it once was? I distinctly remember the discussion we had when Professor Russworm told the class that she no longer had cable anymore. A Media teacher, no less. I realized then, “isn’t that simply a sign of the times?” When you can watch TV shows on such platforms like Netflix or Amazon, why pay 90 dollars for a cable package? It seems that the Internet is indeed taking over, changing entertainment one person at a time, and that discussion sticks out in my mind as the moment when I truly realized that.

Of course, Race and Gender was a large component what we learned  this semester as well. I was very excited to see that Lara Croft: Tomb Raider was going to be of the subjects to be learned, and I was not disappointed. One of the most interesting aspects of the discussion was comparing the old Lara Croft to to the Lara Croft from the 2013 game. Hypersexuality was decreased immensely in the 2013 game, much to the combined amusement and happiness of myself. I began to hope that maybe sexism is decreasing slowly, thanks to a more socially conscious and interconnected world. This may very well be the case, and it certainly was for Miss Lara Croft.

So to reflect: What did I truly learn from this class? In short, the digital world is a whole lot bigger than people might think. There are layers and nuances to this New Media Age that we’ve only scratched the surface on. I’m excited to grow up in a world that is changing so drastically technologically, and this class certainly opened up my eyes to that reality.