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Opinions.

 

Hang the DJ

Dont panic, your
mixtape Is still good

By Elliot Chan, Staff Writer

Mees are love letters,
journal entries, and
famous last words sung by your
favourite artists. After all, who
can express your emotions better
than Justin Timberlake? Since
the beginning, music has bound
people together with mysterious
links. In today’s world, with
such a wide spectrum of music,
nobody can tell your story better
than you. Still, finding the right
words to express your thoughts,
feelings, and desires is best left
to the professionals.

A mixtape doesn’t have
to be a romantic gesture—it
can just be a gift. Technology
has changed since the days
of recording audio tracks off
speakers with a cassette tape
recorder in a quiet part of the
house. It took such effort then.
As a gift, it showed you cared;
for yourself, it was a work of
art, showcased during parties
or regular commutes to work.
Now, burning a CD or loading

songs onto an iPod is as easy

as pushing a button. The idea
of physical music is laughable
to some, but like receiving a
postcard, a properly crafted
mixtape can evoke all the
emotions you want it to. People
are scornful of purchasing new
CD albums, but everybody still
appreciates the tangibles.

Like old photographs,
mixtapes can stir up memories,
both good and bad. The songs
take you back to a moment in
your life, so if you want friends
and family to remember you,
make them a mixtape.

Looking through someone’s
iPod is like scanning a
bookshelf. A lot of judgment can
be made about the person and
their taste. Therefore, a mixtape
is like a reésumé: it should
show off your sophistication
and diverse audible palate.
Anybody can be a DJ, and most
people are. Whether you do it
recreationally or professionally,
the point is to do it. Create.

To those who say mixtapes
are cheesy, you're right. The
same way buying flowers is
cheesy, the same way taking
your mother out for lunch is
cheesy, and the same way calling

Print worthy

What are the duties
of print media in a
digital world?

By Natalie Serafini,
Opinions Editor

uch as it pains me to say

this, newspaper and print
media journalism is a dying
form. Talk to a journalism /
media major, anyone who works
for a newspaper, or someone
who reads newspapers, and
they’ll tell you the same thing.
With this sharp decline in print
readership comes a scramble to
turn that descent upside down,
and these tactics to increase
readership can bring into
question the duties of media:
trying to pique the interest
of the public can sometimes
involve pandering to the
public, which isn’t always in
line with the expectations of
print media. While most media
outlets tout the importance
of communicating honestly,
educating, and enlightening,

increasing readership sometimes
necessitates that you entertain.
It’s generally understood
that media will maintain a
certain standard—a kind
of journalistic integrity that
extends past being accurate,
objective, and fair. Unless you
want to fall down the rabbit
hole to the realm of People and
Us, there’s a standard in what
gets covered and how it’s dealt

friends just to check up on them
is cheesy. There’s nothing cheesy
about showing someone how
much you care.

With all that being said,
a mixtape shouldn’t be a
compilation of random songs—
your iTunes can shuffle if that’s
what you want. A quality
mixtape should be like any good
story: it should have an arc, a
climax, and denouement. There
are those who go to the grocery
store and buy a card for a friend,
but then there are those who get
out the coloured crayons and
glitter to decorate their own. A
mixtape should have your mark
on it. It should be something
you wouldn’t want to lose in
public. There should be a part of
you in the tracks.

Mixtapes are personal
creations. It doesn’t matter
what musical taste you have
or how similar it is to others’—
your compilation will always
be unique. You might not be
creating music, but a set list that
suits your taste and expresses
your emotions is something a DJ
on the radio or at a dance club
can’t do for you.

is one of them—but with
the understanding that the
pages won't devolve into the
equivalent of journalistic smut.
Journalism is meant to
communicate information,
whether or not said information
is educational and enlightening.
Sometimes this information isn’t
entirely honest (see tabloids)
and obviously that goes
against the purpose of media.

newspapers anymore, and |
can guarantee that a substantial
portion of those who actually
pick one up flip directly past
the informative sections

to the crossword. There's
nothing inherently wrong with
that—I myself pick up the 24
specifically for its easy-on-the-
brain crossword puzzle. It’s
only concerning to the extent
that newspapers will provide

Its doubtful that the New York Times will slowly evolve into

6G

20 pages of crossword, but particularly in an ever-growing
competition, with papers yellowing and collecting dust with

the ages, youre going to get papers pandering.

with. Hard-hitting journalism
at its finest should be thought-
provoking and important; it
should cover difficult issues,
and do so with class and
eloquence. There’s certainly
room to be light-hearted and
humorous in-between—there
are some delightful examples
of print media that do this,
and I’m proud to say that I
think our own The Other Press

Pandering to the public—maybe
printing more sensationalist,
eye-catching stories—while
not necessarily noble, isn’t
disreputable. Still, there’s a
stigma attached to reading
tabloids, magazines, and the
like, and a certain sophistication
to such classics as the New York
Times.

Let’s be honest, though:
not many people pick up

what readers are paying the
most attention to. It’s doubtful
that the New York Times will
slowly evolve into 20 pages of
crosswords, but particularly in
an ever-growing competition,
with papers yellowing and
collecting dust with the ages,
you're going to get papers
pandering. Just as there’s
nothing wrong with sometimes
ignoring the world news, there’s

 

Photo courtesy of newrambler (Flickr)

nothing wrong with newspapers
bulking up the sensationalist
sections to catch the eyes of
readers flipping through to the
Sudoku.

Maybe there will be a
slight turn away from political
coverage and other discussions
of serious issues in the coming
years. I’m decidedly against any
kind of decrease in coverage
of something so important,
especially considering my own
political illiteracy. But I also
recognize that readers are the
bread and butter of print media,
and that I as a reader am often
drawn to stories about cute
animals and other light-hearted
topics. It'll be interesting in the
coming years—and IJ remain
optimistic that the world of print
media won't die out, even if it
gets slightly emaciated—to see
whether or not print media will
change, and how it will change.
I imagine there will always
be a certain niche for papers
dedicated to various subjects
(a greater news, arts, or fashion
focus, etc.), but even in the battle
of the bindings, papers won’t
completely abandon difficult
issues in exchange for readers.

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