Blog Post #1 (Intro and Reflection)

Hello! My name is Megan Witt and I am a senior at Kutztown University. I am majoring in Advertising and Graphic Design as well as minoring in Professional Writing. I am currently a design intern at Sahl Communications in Bethlehem handling all graphic design and advertising elements of the company. During the school year, I am the lead Graphic Designer for the Keystone Newspaper at Kutztown, along with a student worker for the Disability Services Office. On weekends and breaks, I work as a Sales Associate at Apricot Lane Boutique. I like to keep busy designing and working with new people all the time. In my free time (when I have it) I enjoy reading, going to see new movies, writing, and doing anything outside.

As I approach my last year of college, I look forward to graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, and hopefully landing a job at a magazine or advertising agency. I strive to do something everyday that builds my skills or adds to my passion for art and design.

While I enjoy my major and being so involved, being a young adult in a connected world with constant communication can be overwhelming at times. After reading the "Shifts and Changes" post on ponderingprof.blogspot.com, I came to the conclusion that maybe I am not the only person that believes that media is slowly taking over the important aspects of life. Granted, my entire major and passion is guided around media. There are no forms of advertisement that are not in some form of media. However, from a personal standpoint, I do agree that people are using social outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, etc. to fulfill their basic needs. Referring to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, after a person has their physiological needs, safety, and belonging needs satisfied, the last are esteem and self actualization. It seems to me that in this day and age, these last two needs are mainly achieved through communication behind a computer, phone, or television screen.

I wonder what life was like without the internet and constant communication. I would like to believe that rumors were less aggressive, that bullying was not as intense, that relationships lasted longer, and private information was kept...well...private. Technology continues to grow, and although I am grateful because it allows for advancement and change, I am equally disappointed at what it does to society as a whole. Maybe like all fads and phases, the technology age will die down in the next few years and we can get back to being more productive, more active, more creative, and more private.