News, trust and “truthiness”

                After reading several of my classmate’s blogs I have found that the majority of people agree that satirical news reports are in fact a form of mainstream culture jamming. They also happen to agree that these kinds of reports have a positive effect on the public sphere because people are gaining both a sense of knowledge and entertainment.

            In Tiziana’s blog she states “They enable individuals to reflect on multiple sides of a problem, rather than to accept dominant ideologies provided by governments and powerful individuals”. By saying this, she explains the tactics used by satirical news shows in order to entertain their viewers. I agree with Tiziana here because it’s true that these kinds of shows take a situation presented to us by the media, and add their own spin to it to make it unique. They are able to alter the news in such a way that gets the viewer thinking and seeing the situation in a different light. This is why shows like these are successful and good for the public because rather than just state the plain hard facts, they allow us to see it from an alternate perspective.

            Alana says “The information that they feed to the public sphere may or may not be completely accurate, but it definitely informs the public of what is going on in the world and can therefore be considered useful.” Although she does not always deem spoofs to be reliable, she does however make a point that these shows are still informative therefore making them useful. I agree with Alana in the sense that I am skeptical when watching parodies though I keep an open mind because there is always some truth behind every story. Evidently, all satirical news shows base their information on true stories yet at the same time adding a twist of their own for entertainment purposes.

            In Haley’s blog she says “Today, many are not as interested in watching the news or reading a newspaper, but through communication from others many will give their attention to something that will interest them or make them laugh.” I feel that she makes a good point here by stating that a lot of people lack interest in the harsh reality the news has to offer and would rather partake in something that provides entertainment. I personally agree with this idea because I myself get bored of the news rather easily. I find that shows with some sort of parody make it easier for people like me to retain information about current events and public issues.  

            In conclusion, I agree with most of my peers when I say that satirical news reportage is for the most part reliable and definitely useful in regards to the public sphere.

http://itsalanalutz.wordpress.com/

http://tizid1995.wordpress.com/

http://hb123na.wordpress.com/

            

Is the Fake news the Real News?

                Culture jamming is a commonly used tactic by media aggressors to alter forms of media in such a satirical way that reveals an underlying message. Essentially, the point of culture jamming is to take what the media presents to us and subvert the message. Culture jamming can never come from inside the media but only from those who create these parodies. “The objectives of culture jamming often include consciousness raising (raising awareness of social and political issues) as well as using the media to criticise the media and dominant culture.” (O’Shaughnessy, 215) An example of culture jamming within an advertisement is the 2006 Queensland Media Transport campaign I found in page 221 of the text. Students from Queensland campus magazine felt the need to expose the ad for its indirect attempt at scaring the public. The actual poster states “Terrorism is no longer a world away” insinuating that terrorists are now all around us. The poster portrays people in a subway station next to an unattended bag. The purpose of the unattended bag is to imply something potentially dangerous, i.e a bomb.  “The jammers wanted to reveal the sub-texts and potential side effects of fear campaigns because they felt that such messages could contribute to anti-Muslim sentiment and racial divisiveness in the Australian community.” (O’Shaughnessy, 220) Evidently, the jammers felt it was necessary to expose the truth of the campaign and restore comfort to the public.

                 I think it is safe to say that satirical news reports such as ‘The Ricker Mercer Report’ and ‘The Daily Show’ are now considered mainstream forms of culture jamming. Shows such as these are no longer as subversive as they consider themselves to be due to rising popularity hence making them mainstream.  I would consider such reportage a useful addition to the public sphere because although these shows rely on manipulating the media they are still making point of it. There are many people out there who get their news intake from these satirical reports rather than the actual news itself. Therefore, at least these viewers are gaining some kind of knowledge about current events rather than being completely ignorant to them. Aside from the learning aspect of watching these shows, people actually enjoy them. For example, I know my step dad is big on those kinds of spoofs considering he is watching ‘The Daily Show’ as I am writing this. According to him, he does not rely on those types of shows for information per se, but enjoys the humour they have to offer.

                Conclusively, culture jamming is becoming more and more popular as time goes on and the media progresses. What was once considered to be a subversive approach is now becoming main stream and awareness is being raised.  

 

Sources: O’Shaughnessy, M., Stadler, J. (2012). Media and society. Australia, South Melbourne: Oxford University Press.

Demonstrable Demographics

            In my previous blog entry ‘What the Hail?” I deconstructed the skin care ad ‘Proactiv’. I made point that the advertising strategy used to promote the product was an unsuccessful form of hailing. To recap, the text on the ad said “Got Acne? Just ask your boyfriend what to do. Oh, that’s right, you don’t have a boyfriend.” I found this tactic to be ineffective due to the hidden meaning behind the message.  Evidently the message is negatively suggestive in the sense that it is trying to make people feel bad enough about their skin that it pushes them to actually go out and buy the product. In this blog, I will make note of my peer’s opinions on different advertisement strategies and whether or not they deemed them to be effective.

            In Erica’s blog, she focuses on a Tommy Hilfiger ad that portrays three young adult women sporting that clothing line. She mentions that these women are likely to be college students since one is wearing a graduation hat and the other two are carrying backpacks. She says that the women are looking studious and being a university student herself, finds this unusual because she has observed that her peers are usually dressed quite casual. “When at university or college, our values should be more focused on education and not on our clothing choices.” I agree with what Erica says here because she makes a good point of education being the main focus. It is important to remember that our education as young people should always come as a main priority, before essentially everything. She also later mentions that the ad restricts individuality because it is promoting sameness. Once again I agree with her opinion because truly the point of the ad is to sell a specific line of clothes which sends a message that everyone should wear Tommy Hilfiger because it is the ‘best’ clothing brand.

            In another blog I read by Skyla, she speaks of a Maybelline make up ad. She mentions that Maybelline’s target audience is her demographic being young women typically 15-30. I can say that she is right about the target audience because I myself have seen Maybelline advertisements and without a doubt they are directed at young women. The reasoning for targeting this specific demographic is because young women make up the majority of people who wear makeup. She points out that Maybelline reaches out to femininity which makes the product more appealing to women. She also goes on to mention that the activity the girl in the commercial is partaking in also helps to sell the product. “The activity she is doing during the advertisement makes it seem like she is a free spirit who enjoys every moment life has to offer and is always happy. Now of course this probably isn’t true but problems in life don’t sell and the point is to sell the product. “ I like how she points out the reality behind the commercial as well as stressing the importance of selling strategies. I think both Skyla and I agree that Maybelline and other companies are focused on what will sell the product rather than the reality behind it.

            Lastly another blog I viewed was one by Razan. Razan deconstructs a drinking and driving ad. The ad is meant to bring awareness to people about the dangers of drinking and driving. It is most likely that this ad is targeted at a younger demographic because it is usually young people who make the drunk decision to get behind the wheel of a car and drive. The advertisement hails people’s attention by misspelling the wording in order to get people to focus on the underlying message. As Razan says, the point of the misspelt words is to catch the viewer’s eye and cause them to want to understand what the ad is trying to get across. “Also, what makes this advertisement considered to be effective more than others about drinking and driving is that it actually forces the audience to pay attention to the words and the underlying message. It is obvious enough that you will understand the concept right away but the message is not clear until you actually read it.” It is evident that this ad is not only effective but also successful. The intensity of this ad appeals to me as a young person and forces me to realize the precautions of driving under the influence. I think Razan chose a good ad to analyse because it forces people to be aware.

            In conclusion I came to agree with most of my classmates blogs. I found that the ads they chose were essentially successful in their marketing strategies and managed to get the message across.

 

http://era-nicolexo.blogspot.ca/2013/11/what-hail.html

http://skyr12.wordpress.com/2013/11/05/what-the-hail/

http://razanalkayed.wordpress.com/

What the Hail?!

               

                The ad I chose to deconstruct is a skin care product meant to eliminate acne called ‘Proactiv’. This product is generally targeted towards the young demographic. The reason this product is directed at teenagers is because it is typically teens that face skin problems due to puberty. Often times Proactiv commercials use celebrities to promote their product. For example, I have seen stars such as Avril Lavigne and Jessica Simpson in these commercials. Celebrity endorsement is a good selling strategy because who doesn’t want to use the same products as the stars do?  Not only is this a successful tactic but also a believable one. In reality, half of these celebrities probably didn’t even have bad skin but pretend they did in order to sell the product and in return, receive a sum of money.

                I’d like to focus on the Proactiv ad I found on google that portrays the product as well as the saying “Got Acne? Just ask your boyfriend what to do. Oh, that’s right, you don’t have a boyfriend.” Personally I find this message offensive and degrading on so many levels. I’m not getting defensive because I have overly bad skin or anything, but for those that do this message is insulting and definitely lowers self-esteem. I’m not entirely sure if this ad is real or fake but regardless it sends out the wrong message to young people. Obviously it’s no one’s fault if they have acne, it’s just something we as humans get, and yes some more than others. The tactics used in this ad to make someone feel bad about their skin is no way to get them to buy the product, it’s more likely to have them lock themselves up in their room and not want to come out due to embarrassment. This ad specifically is evidently unsuccessful in its marketing attempts and should not even exist in my opinion.

                “We live in a culture that stresses individuality, encourages us to believe that every person has unique qualities, and puts forward the view that we have control over who we are, what we do, and how others see us, but this view is questionable.” As mentioned before, the ad I chose sends out a hurtful message that conflicts with this quote from the text. In today’s society we are constantly reminded that it is important to maintain our individuality and be unique, but clearly that is not truly the case. I may be digging a little deep here but let’s look at the ad I chose, it’s basically telling us that if you want to be a somebody you have to have good skin. This strays from the concept of individuality because it’s sending a message to teens telling them that clear skin is the norm and all people should have it. Realistically, good skin isn’t everything nor does it affect who someone is on the inside. “‘Representation as a cultural process establishes individual and collective identities, and symbolic systems provide possible answers to the questions: Who am I? What could I be? Who do I want to be?’ (Woodward 1997, p.14)” (O’Shaughnessy 191)  This statement by Woodward concludes that we establish our identities through symbols exposed to us through the media. It is important that we see through the negative messages such as the Proactiv ad and focus on the good ones in order to build respectable identities for ourselves and those around us.

 

The Media we want?

Do we get the media we want or do we want the media we get?

           In response to the question, I have concluded that in today’s society we want the media we get. We as consumers are already exposed to multiple forms of media and only continue to want more. Some of the main forms of media that we see today are news reports, celebrity gossip, and newspaper and magazine articles. I personally enjoy most of the media that is produced and assume that this is how many others around me feel as well. Although we do not choose the media that is produced, we seem to appreciate the information that is available to us. I think that people just naturally feed on information and will jump at the chance to get their hands on it. 

           “…The media do affect what people think, what they believe, and how they behave. The media construct our values for us and have a direct effect on our actions.”  (O’Shaughnessy and Stadler, What do the Media do to us? Pg.43) This quote shows that without knowing it, we are mentally affected by the media. The media tells us how to act within society and we become used to this indirect guidance. Seemingly, we become comfortable with the media we are exposed too and continue to want more of what we are getting. It’s almost as if the media is our guide to everyday life and without it we would be lost in society. The media acts as a foundation to show people how to survive in today’s world in such a way that is seen as normal or acceptable.  

           “The direct effects model of media audiences assumes that media consumers accept the intended meaning encoded in media messages with relative passivity, and that the relationship between media producers and consumers is predictable and asymmetrical.” (O’Shaughnessy and Stadler, Texts, Meanings, and Audiences. Pg. 99)  As mentioned before, people are appearing to accept the media as it is. It has come to the point where people unknowingly agree with the messages the media sends out. This is because the media is so constant within society that it is essentially unavoidable. After seeing or hearing the same information over and over again it’s hard not to accept it as truth. Since the mass media has been in existence for so long it has been able to produce itself in ways the appeal to the public. Regardless if people think they agree with something or not, they subconsciously accept what is provided to them. 

          In conclusion, consumers have become reliant on the media and what it has to offer. As a consumer I know that I continue to want the media I am already getting, because it’s really the only media I know. 

 

1F25 Blog Response 1: Media Impact on Others

Kara Balsdon                                                                                                   October 1^st, 2013

1F25 Blog Response 1: Media Impact on Others

Topic: How significant do your classmates believe the impact of the mass media is on their worldviews, and does this change your impression of the media’s impact on you?

Response:

In my original blog entry, my stance towards the media was essentially negative. I mentioned that I dislike the amount of media that exists in our society. I happen to think the amount of information that is available to us is excessive and overwhelming. I also stated how I dislike the media’s involvement in people’s lives as well as certain forms of censorship.

While browsing through my fellow peer’s blogs, I often found myself reconsidering my thoughts as well as comparing similarities and dissimilarities between my views and the view’s of others. I noticed that my classmates also feel that the media significantly impacts their worldviews. For example, in Alexandra’s blog, she mentions that she greatly relies on the media for information and awareness. “The impact of mass media on my view is a positive impact. I use the Internet everyday as well as watching the news every day. Those are the two-forms of mass media that I am consuming, but also learning from.” Evidently, she relies on these forms of media to not only gather information, but to utilize these tools to benefit her in everyday life. I myself have to agree with what she has to say. The internet is an extremely important tool in my life and without it; it would be difficult to function properly in such a technologically advanced society such as this one. As for the news, I don’t watch it often, although when I do I feel privileged to be exposed and aware of the information and stories the news provides.

In another blog I was reading, Abbey says “Our generation today has become obsessed with all types of mass media so much so that we would be lost without.  It has become a daily routine to constantly check our phones, laptops or tablets. I know that I am so obsessed with it that I am always refreshing the twitter page, just to see if there is new information seconds after I have last refreshed the page.” Following what she has to say, I could not agree more. Nowadays, people are literally consumed by the media. I know this because I myself am one of these people. It truly is a routine to constantly be checking our phones for the latest news or updates. Personally, as a teenager, I am frequently checking my phone every few minutes to see if anything new has appeared on my feed or if I have received any new messages. Abbey later goes on to say that the media has made people not only ignorant but selfish as well. I have to say I agree with this statement because we truly have become more focused on meaningless information rather than serious events going on in the world around us.

“For instance, magazines are producing more stories than ever – celebrity gossip is a huge part of the media. Although it is essentially unnecessary to know in depth into the personal lives of celebrities it is however, interesting. The media has a way of portraying people, such as celebrities, in a negative light. This goes hand in hand with the issue of censorship. As we all know, censorship is the government’s way of hiding the truth.” What she has to say about celebrities and censorship is very similar to what I mentioned in my blog. I also mentioned that it is unnecessary to know personal details about the lives of these people and even in a sense, intruding. Razan and I both agree that the media generally portrays celebrities in a negative light because they focus on the off-putting aspects in order to produce what they consider interesting stories. She also mentions how the government uses censorship to hide the truth. I agree with this statement and also feel as if censorship can be unfair because it sometimes leaves out important details.

Evidently, these few peers I mentioned and observably many others happen to feel that the media has greatly impacted their worldviews. Some see it as positive, others as negative, but regardless everyone feels as if the media has significantly impacted their lives. After reading the blogs of my peers, I have reassessed the way I perceive the media and have opened my eyes to different views.

Links from other student’s blogs:

http://alexandradeyman.wordpress.com/

http://abbeyunyi.wordpress.com/

http://razanalkayed.wordpress.com/