Elizabeth Byrne Post Class 3/4

Today's class really helped give me a better understanding of the assigned reading. I was unsure of some of the definitions and meanings and once those were cleared up I was able to make a better connection to other material we have read. I don't know if this is too far off- but when we looking at the various Spider-man apparel I thought of Zizek's essay. Our culture has so many things created that are not in the natural form or element such as: decaf coffee, skim milk, splenda etc. I see these things to be created as a means to satisfy our cultures desires. Are all of the Spider-Man (and Disney, Star Trek etc) objects that are made to make one feel closer to the real thing? However Spider- Man isn't real. It seems as though it is bringing the fact characters more to life, yet they are far from real. Then again going back to the fake volcano in Las Vegas- it is something that is very fake but made to seem real. Its something far from real, but satisfying families just as if it were reality.

Another topic that I found interesting was the question if popular culture enhanced communication even if it is not face to face-- I agree with that because today when i signed on to my AIM account an automated message came up about whether or not i wanted to add AIM BOTS. I was bored and wanted to test out what these new "Bots" were. There is one named Jennifer2782, Liv Greene (Facts and Tips on Environmentalism), Prof Gilzot , GossipimGabby (Celebrity Gossip), and IM Street (Finacial "buddy"). These are automated "people" (not really sure) responses where one can actually get quick and accurate answers to a wide range of questions. I actually am not quite sure when i want to go with this, however it made me think of chat rooms, blogs, and how people are able to talk and enhance communication/ gain knowledge through the internet even with an automated service.
I will think about this more and come back and write again when i find deeper/ more thoughtful connections with Jenkins essay!