ISSN 1945-6557

Posts Tagged ‘ Internet ’

I Am Indignant – These Are the People We Have to Look up to Now?

By Paloma Ramirez | September 15th, 2009 | Category: Issue 5, On the News | No Comments »

Only a handful of artists have truly made an enduring mark on popular culture in the past century; Charlie Chaplin, Elvis Presley, Audrey Hepburn, the Beatles, Madonna, Michael Jackson, to name a few. These are people whose images and work are recognized almost everywhere. They displayed talent, hard work and dedication, and what they created inspired people all over the world. They also gained their fame and popularity long before the age of “new media.” Perhaps it’s not coincidence then, that of all the faces featured in current celebrity-focused magazines and websites, none stand out as potential Beatles or Madonnas. I’m convinced none ever will because with the rise of 24-hour news, internet tabloids and social networking sites, our concept of fame and our ability to recognize and bestow it has been utterly altered.


I Am Indignant: Text Messaging Is No Way to Ask a Girl Out

By Paloma Ramirez | June 13th, 2008 | Category: Issue 0, On Cultural Life | No Comments »

There are many kinds of indignation. There is the violent indignation of a Mets’ fan whose player just struck out and the petulant indignation of a child who isn’t allowed to play with a toy that doesn’t belong to him. There is the passing indignation of being cut off in traffic and the enduring indignation of being passed over for promotion. For this first column, in this first issue, I’m addressing something that is new to me: indignation over the blatant yet socially acceptable abuse of a simple technology.


Your 258 Closest Friends

By Katy Scrogin | June 13th, 2008 | Category: Issue 0, Lead Story, On Cultural Life | 4 comments

An acquaintance of mine claims to have 258 friends. That number could be larger, actually; the figure only represents the number of boon companions who show up on her MySpace page and not those additional pals who might appear in real time but avoid online social networking.