6.17.2021

We kept on working from the last class and specifically decided on the individual topics which we will cover, through showcasing and analyzing the reliability of D-speak in each. But before that, design-wise, I was thrilled to see that one of our teammates had generously created the logo (which btw looks awesome), and moreover, I received feedback about the “What is Doublespeak” page that I had promised to finish last class. Although we do have. A lot of other school tasks, all of our active progress has given me a good boost of motivation. Going back to the topic on the specific article topics, we decided that we wanted a diverse set of perspectives since we believed that each situation handles their motives and use of D-speak differently, and also because having numerous topics would not bore the minds of our target audience easily. While doing so, we also decided to take bio pictures for our website and chose to shoot them at a wonderfully lit forest alleyway that Mr. Paterson had recommended it to us during the class at the beginning of the semester. Luckily, there were no people there, so we took our time in maintaining consistency and coherency in the frames and angles of our photos, while also adding props that would instill a journalist-type vibe. As examples, we utilized both a clipboard to make us look like field journalists, while also having someone hold a “mike” for extra spice. Through these changes, we hoped to garner a sense of reliability from our teenage users, while also giving off a youthful influence through the natural greenery as the background. 

A little off-topic, but as someone who has experienced Paterson’s class for more than 2 years (time flies by!), I was amazed to see progress being made quicker than my past projects. I am glad that all the rinse and repeat that we did during the past school years have finally been put to good use. Moving on, for the latter half of class, we worked on choosing the topics of the website. One of our classmates had a strong desire to talk about doublespeak in scientific situations and is planning on conducting a mini social experiment. I am looking forward to collaborating and joining in, in preparing the video. Other topics include food, advertising, the environment, and politics, but I don’t think that they would need to be separated from each other because all of them are interrelated in some way. As such, I am looking forward to reading what my teammates have collected in their articles. During the planning though, Mr. Paterson introduced us to reliable and neutral journalists who are active on social media. Since my topic was on politics, I was interested in seeing how doublespeak is used by political figures in social media, so it was great to know that I am able to collect credible information from these sites as well. It was also surprising to know that these journalists tend to denounce “real” information via their social media account, due to the fewer regulations compared to authentic news agencies. I could use this as an advantage in analyzing the raw language that these political figures use, which may lead to some new findings in their personalities or biases. Overall, I am truly excited to be working on D-speak busters, as not only would it be useful for my demographic, but it will expand my knowledge on the subtle manipulations in media.