A recent study,entitled, “Look at us: Collective Narcissism in College Student Facebook Photo Galleries” by Andrew Mendelson and Zizi Papacharissi, professors at Temple and University of Illinois (respectively), found that college students’ - specifically underclassmen - “central objective …on Facebook was the recording and posting of their participation in the social rituals of college.”
The pair looked at 20,962 photos and 13,543 comments on 333 Facebook pages, examining the subject matter in the photographs, the behavior of the subjects, the aesthetics of the images, the organization of the photographs, comments on the photos, and even what was missing from the photographs. Social and sporting events were the primary local of the pics, parties being the most common.
The study also found that families and academic related activities were notably absent. The two researchers believe that the main point of photos posted was to show others your ideal college life style and the tagging and commenting serve to “reinforce group cohesiveness and closeness.”
Read on for my take on the study.
Late last week, we asked if the pendulum was swinging on State Patty's. Our answer? A loud, albeit slurred, "NO!"
State College police handled roughly 365 calls related to State Patty's Day. University Police dealt with another 55 calls. This wasn't your average Saturday.
Penn Live reports that the arrest count doubled from last year, jumping from 80 to 160 arrests. Between 6 pm Friday and 6 pm Sunday, Centre LifeLink EMS responded to 58 calls.
For those of you looking for a place to stay downtown, please be sure to never rent from Sun Corp. This situation is slightly unlikely, though, as Sun Corp owes federal payroll back taxes dating back to 1998,which accrue to $1.3 million. As a result, the IRS has seized two of the properties which belong to them.
What is it like renting from Sun Corp? Read on for some online testimonies from previous tenants.
TONIGHT! There will be a special presentation presented by the PSU chapter of the NAACP. “Keep ‘em Flying: Honoring the Tuskegee Airmen” is a celebration of the first black airmen. Tuskegee airmen themselves will be telling some really incredible stories about their experiences.
These men had to overcome unbelievable discrimination and racism in America and in the army, but they still flew with distinction. Tonight’s function will also feature performances by Essence of Joy, Spoken Word and Poetry, and the Delta Theta Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. along with a catered dinner, photo opportunities, and live music.
The event takes place at 4pm TONIGHT in Alumni Hall in the HUB. Tickets are $8.00 for students and $15.00 for the general admission, which is a pretty great deal to be able to see such illustrious, brave men talk.
As you may know, the 36th annual Movin' On is happening on April 17. As you may not know, the musical festival has a rich history starting in the yonder year of 1974.
Back in the day, the East Halls Residence Association held a primordial Movin' On at the fields by Beaver Stadium, where students jammed to area bands and watched W.C. Fields and Marx Brothers movies. The event was then called "Good Feelings '74," a name which I definitely dig.
In 1975, the event's organizers joined the Association of Residence Hall Students (ARHS) and tremendously expanded the festival. Each day of the week, a different group of dorms presented a day of activities, collectively known as "Penn State's Greatest Week of Entertainment." The week culminated in the epic day-long Movin' On concert (for the record, the phrase "Movin' On" acknowledges the seniors who are "movin' on" after graduation). Eventually the week-long event evolved into a two-day audio extravaganza.
The organizers extended Movin' On to a two-day concert in 1976. A local radio station played a live broadcast of the acts, and Movin' On raised money for the Volunteer Service Center for the second year in a row. Orleans played in '77; Gregg Allman played in '78.
Again, Movin' On outlives The Spill Canvas and The White Tie Affair. Check out the Facebook event, and get ready to "move on" this April.
Valley of Shadows, the local Live Action Roleplaying (LARP) group, is not responsible for the sudden apparition of feral cats in the area. Though they do don the guises of werewolves, changelings, and other paranormal beings, we must be mistaking them for the "real" creatures who dropped the feline plague upon us.
LARP is actually somewhat similar to Dungeons and Dragons, where each player creates a character that interacts with all the other characters created by the other players. It's not a free-for-all, either; Valley of Shadows, and the characters that make it up, actually participates in a series of established games with set rules, which are all part of the larger World of Darkness universe where all the games are set.
Find out more details about State College's LARPing community after the jump.