This post is due by Tuesday, February 11 @ midnight for full credit.
Email late posts to rob.williamsATmadriver.com for partial credit.
Read our MEDIA@SOCIETY book, assigned chapter above.
In a SINGLE blog post below, provide for the chapter:
1. A single sentence, IYOW, that captures the chapter's THESIS (main argument).
2. THREE specific pieces of supporting documentation - ideas, concepts, stats, data - to bolster your thesis for the chapter. (Use 2 - 3 sentences for each.)
3. A single PERSONAL story of 3-4 sentences that connects the chapter directly with your own personal media experiences.
4. A SINGLE specific question you have after reading and blogging on the chapter.
Game on,
Dr. W
We all use media to explore the outside world, but we also can explore media from the outside world.
ReplyDeleteThis chapter uses metaphor to examine media. Often, the media is negatively credited with being the cause for many problems in today's world. It is one of the most popular scapegoats in our modern society. By understanding that media is a very current experience and by looking at it using the metaphors listed in this chapter, we can truly appreciate the socioeconomic impact of the media on everything we say and do. The most important way for us to see media using metaphor is as narrators. Although media can be interpreted using metaphors of it being interloper, propaganda, or information-based, the best and most inclusive way of viewing media is as "modulating or mediating change through narrative." (47). This chapter continues to look at media not as our way of seeing the world, but as something affected by the world like anything else. The connections to the key principles of capitalism, democracy, and technology again help us to fully embrace the interplay of impact between the media and the world around it.
I found this chapter most relatable to my media life because I often do not examine it from an outside perspective. We see media as a tool to reach other goals, like finding out the day's top headlines or seeing last night's craziest NBA dunk, but we rarely see it as an entity affected by us. In using the metaphoric examination done in Chapter 2, I was able to more fully appreciate media as it influences my daily life.
How can the use of metaphor and critical process in Chapter 2 impact the general, societal image of media?
1. In order to better understand media and its complexities, we can view media through metaphor.
ReplyDelete2. Chapter two concentrates on using metaphor to better comprehend the influence which media has over us in our lives. We tend to think media as forces of manipulation, mostly affecting us negatively. However, media can be a positive influence by using metaphors " Media serve us as stand-ins for our deeper concerns, and we can explore the more specific concerns that we project onto the media" (33). Such as using media as information, propaganda, curriculum etc... (33)
3. I related to this chapter because I tend to blame media for manipulating us into believing we should be a certain way. However, after reading this chapter and understanding the use of metaphor I found myself appreciating media more than I have in the past.
Will these metaphors help society as whole to grasp the influence which media has over us and will we take more control over the media in our lives?
1.) Thesis:
ReplyDeleteIn observing the media, we find that it tells stories through which we find metaphors that we can then contemplate.
2.) 3 Supporting Pieces of Documentation:
- Under the main heading "Media as Current Experience", it is explained how we experience the media in both our political society and our technological culture.
- Under the main heading "Media Influence Metaphors", the metaphors of media are listed as "media as interloper", "media as information", "media as propaganda", "media as commerce", "media as distraction", "media as curriculum", and "media as art".
- Under the main heading "Media as Narrators", it is stated that "thinking of the media as narrators and moderators of change offers us a metaphor that we believe is a more accurate and productive description of what the media are actually up to." (p. 47)
3.) Personal Story:
Through the years, the media have become propaganda on several different levels. Skincare product commercials are a prominent example of that for me personally as well as several other friends of mine and people our age. Every time I tried something that didn't work (or did for a while until my skin became immune to its effects), I'd believe the next brightly lit commercial with the fake before's and after's, and I'd belive the next magazine ad presenting an extreme close-up of a perfectly symmetrical, gorgeous, PORE-LESS face. Even though a little voice inside my head (and many of our heads, I'm sure) asked me, "Seriously? What's going to be so different and magical about this one?", there was a dominating voice speaking much louder, saying, "This commercial is just so darn funny, those girls are really pretty too! I like her hair...I should totally try out this foaming face wash!"
4.) Why is it that even those of us who are able to see right through the projection of a particular story by the media still buy into the sham?
1. Many of the common media metaphors fail to take into account the complexity of media and their role in society, but viewing media as narrators of societal change offers a more accurate depiction of the role of media.
ReplyDelete2.
• Some view the media as a form of propaganda and believe that their sole purpose is to transmit persuasive messages. However, it is evident that the media is not the insidious influence on consumers it is sometimes thought to be as "only about 10 to 15 percent of new products succeed in the marketplace any given year" (38). It is thus evident that this perspective fails to take into account other factors other than the media that affect consumer spending or lack thereof.
• Media as art or as distraction are also faulty perspectives as it is possible to critic media without being influenced by what one considers enjoyable and admirable art or a valuable use of one's time. It is unreasonable to assume that the time that a person spends utilizing a form of media that we don't understand is a waste of time (44) just as it is a mistake to dismiss an entire genre of media because one does not understand the intricacies and complexities of it (46).
• Media a narrators reveals, however, that the media can moderate change in our society. One example is that sociologist Robert Putnam found that 21st century young people are more "socially tolerant" (50) than previous generations. The stories the media tell "about women working, about African American families, about gay people- have had something to do with our increased tolerance toward others" (50) thus revealing that media can both reflect and by a force for positive change.
3. I've grown up as an avid viewer of The Simpsons and I have appreciated its ability to reflect and satirize American culture over the years. It supports the metaphor of media as a narrator as it offers stories that are true to 21st century American society while also offering alternative perspectives. In a recent episode, Homer Simpson was given a device modeled after Google Glass by Mr. Burns and later discovers that each employee's camera feeds directly to monitors at the nuclear power plant. This episode combined fears about the consequences of emerging technologies with concerns about our cultural shift toward surveillance and presents these relevant issues in a way that entertains and challenges viewers. Its ability to offer enjoyment and thought provoking material has made it an appealing to me and an important medium in American society.
4. If corporations provide what the consumers pay for, how will our desires influence what media we are able to access in the future?
1. It is possible to explore media in terms of how it affects our everyday life (from our own happenings to society's structure as a whole) by analyzing how we tell stories about the media, and therefore exploring how we use the media as metaphors to construct our own social realities.
ReplyDelete2. -Journalism, an aspect of media that is abundant sought after in order to discover information, is becoming less and less objective, and therefore presenting a limited range of facts with added opinions, thus creating an ignorant individual in society that does not seek multiple sources from various authors.
- Democracy, being a fairly new government of the western culture, was originally established to give everyone a fair say, so that when the "common people" could organize their own country, there would be fairness and equality. That being said, democracy meant to educate each individual objectively by presenting them with news, including journalism, but also through shows and other forms of media. However, with rapidly progressing alterations, the news has gone from objective to subjective. This does not allow each individual that is meant to participate in the overall government of the United States to be equally and justly informed, thus making democracy viewable as possessing faults as a societal structure.
- Much media of current times can be classified as propaganda, including the Super Bowl Budweiser commercial, and often individuals don't realize the extent to which they are being affected. That is not to say that all forms of media are bad, for they are not, but it is good to be aware of the different effects of media upon oneself before spending money on something simply because the commercial appealed to you while the product will never live up to that initial liking.
3. In my own experience, I've realized that while I was in high school, the media pertaining to stores such as Abercrombie, Forever 21, American Eagle, and various other stores always represented a fabulous life where all of the models looked beautiful, had lots of friends, and became popular in school. I remember wishing I could be like them and begging my mom to buy me clothes from these stores even though they were much more expensive and we could barely afford it. I remember the logo was everything, the moose from abercrombie was actually something my "friend group" would check for on other girls to see if they were "cool". I find it rather sickening now when I think back, realizing now that I should have found friends that liked me for who I was and not the clothes I was wearing. Yet, at the same time, I can't help but wonder if the financial aspect has become such an essential part of fitting in in high school because of all the media that is presented to kids at that age that are generally for more expense purchases.
4. How often to we buy things because we have subconsciously noticed them previously on ads such as the sidebars of Facebook and other similar sources?
An important step in understanding media is to analyze how we use the media as metaphors in our lives.
ReplyDeleteMedia become metaphors for concerns about where we are headed as a society (and as a result, are frequently used as scapegoats). While there are some that fear an authoritarian regime that uses media as a tool to control its messages, there are others who embrace the use of media to reach the masses and reunite people in activism. “The media, especially when regarded as new technologies, are heir to both hopes and fears (Campbell 32).”
When we use the media as metaphors, we must acknowledge that these metaphors portray both positive and negative angles. This reinforces how complex media are. The key metaphors that should be addressed are: Media as interloper, as information, as propaganda, as commerce, as distraction, as curriculum, and as art.
Perhaps the best metaphor for understanding media today involves seeing media as mediating change through narrative. Thinking of media in this way offers a vision of a more accurate description of what the media are really up to. Viewing media as narrators really helps to understand the complex and interesting nature and effects of media influence.
When reading this chapter, one part really stuck out to me—the section on the costs of media and progress. “The story of progress, then, is frequently told as a story of loss—the loss of a world that seemed simpler, kinder, and somehow more authentic (Campbell 32).” This hit home for me because (I guess being a particular nostalgic person) I spend a lot of time thinking about how the huge presence of technology and our dependency on it is overall not good for us, and I sometimes wish we could go back to a world where people would you know, talk to each other at the bus stop instead of continually perusing Facebook. But this helped me see the subject in a new light: that we tend to see “back then” as simply better, without considering the positive parts of the progress we’ve made.
When did media literacy become recognized as something necessary and start to become popularized?
1) Media can be analyzed and understood through the use of metaphors, which examine how media works through the use of narrative to facilitate change.
ReplyDelete2) Examples
a. Media often become a scapegoat for problems in the world, leading people to believe that changing trends in the media will eliminate those problems. The book describes this idea as being a misplaced metaphor because it doesn’t take into account what changes are desired and what other causes may be contributing to them. Each metaphor discussed “both highlights and suppresses” different aspects of media (33).
b. Like us, media are storytellers that give perspectives which change over time. Trends in media come and go, and as these trends change so do we. Rather than criticizing media as an outside force, we should look at it as something that is intertwined with society which “narrate[s] the stories that we as citizens construct” (33).
c. The media as distraction metaphor separates media into good and bad forms. The book favors the view that we should reflect on how the media we consume “gives meaning to our everyday lives,” allowing us to enjoy media while also effectively critiquing it (43). Rather than criticizing some media as inherently bad, we should consider what each form has to tell us about ourselves and our culture.
3) I find it interesting that though I recognize that media is greatly influenced by capitalism, I still buy the products advertised, even when I don’t have great need of them. I can connect with the media as commerce metaphor because it does seem that many products on the market are made solely with the intent of turning a profit. However, I think the book is right to say that not all media is controlled by big corporations who have only monetary interests in mind. Just as media aim to make money with their narratives, they also have to serve the interests of the populace, discovering what is interesting and what matters to them.
4) Can the metaphors and critiques described in this chapter be applied to all of media history, or are they mostly focused on the way media is perceived today?
1. Media can be metaphorically used as many things in our lives.
ReplyDelete2. Media are perceived as “interlopers, influences that come into our culture from ‘out there’ to shape our lives” (page 34).
Media can be used to influence the information we are given, as manipulative propaganda, as a store, as an escape from everyday life, as a form of education, and as an artistic culture.
Media should be seen as narrators of change. “We see media as a collection of changing cycles and story forms, which have been enabled and constrained over time by various communication technologies” (page 48).
3. Media are mentioned as a distraction and escape. In my personal life, when I get too stressed or upset about something, I generally turn to music to relax. Whether it’s blaring a song in the car, listening to James Taylor while sitting near a lake, or jamming out while in the gym, music always makes me feel better.
4. With the growing technologies and media, will there be even more of an influence/overtaking of media in our daily lives?
1. People can know about Media well by exploring Media Metaphors, but we just have a correct knowledge about Media when only we treat Media as narrators.
ReplyDelete2. 1) Media will be influenced by democracy and capitalism. The viewpoint of the media will be influenced by political view, profits, and religion. The obvious example is about censorship. When media outlets show the TV shows, movies, book, or other form of media, they must abide by the rules of censorship. If they do not obey the regulation of censorship, their production may delay showing. Of course, if investors did not get the profits from media productions that they invest, they will withdraw the many and the productions will be disappeared.
2) We all misunderstand the real Media or just learn a function of Media when we treat Media as interloper, information, propaganda, commerce, distraction, curriculum, and art. We just recognize that advertises lure us to spend more many, social Internet spend our more time, and the media cause many problems. However, we ignore that we can control ourselves to distinguish which we need and which are good for us. Medium is a tool, and it is not a cause to make our life bad.
3) Media is not a single outside force to enforce people waste time or hurt them.
3).Media may be narratives. Although all form of media did not avoid the influence of politics, religions, and profits, the media as narrator metaphor will help use know about cultures, politics, economics and other thing by a more objective, rational view.
3.In china, people believe stars. Stars always do advertisement for productions, such as diet pills, skincare, and professional hospitals. In 2010, a beautiful Chinese actor name Fang Bingbing advertises for a type of diet pills, but supervision department discovered that pills would harmful to our body. I have to admit that I had bought this type of pill because this actress is so beautiful. After this, I did not believe advertisement.
4.We know we can choses that which media form is good for us, however the question is what exactly influenced our opinion. Is the story is more attractive or is it just fit our view and push us to believe and take action?
1. Media tells us stories about ourselves and the society that we live in.
ReplyDelete2.-"The metaphor sees the media as extensions of the marketplace, penetrating our homes just to sell us products, addressing us only as consumers and not as citizens" (p. 40). The media gives us ideas of things that we need, as these products will make us socially acceptable and "normalize" us. We rely on the media to tell us what we have to do to fit in.
-"By trying to sell us on themselves, the media must offer us content that we actually want; the marketplace is impersonal, but it is also designed to please" (p. 40). The method in which media targets its audience makes us feel as though products are being geared towards us as individuals. However, media is actually targeting a wide group of individuals. We feel that we are being individually targeted because the media has told us stories about who we should be and how we can become these people, and we all receive these messages, so that when we see things that will assist us in being who we should be, we feel individually targeted.
-"Taste is not 'intrinsic' to us - we aren't born with certain tastes in say, music, clothes, ideas, or movies" (p. 49). People are born as "a clean slate" in a way. We have not developed our own tastes, which media influences. The media is responsible for teaching us what we like; the stories we hear in the media impact our likes.
3. Nearly the entirety of a film class I took was spent discussing the ideological messages that were evident within the films. Every film has messages that we subconsciously process. Each film would show characters with either "desirable" or "undesirable" qualities, and the characters with desirable qualities would be rewarded, while the characters with undesirable qualities were punished. For example, the main character of Wendy and Lucy is a poor woman with masculine traits, and since a masculine, poor woman is portrayed in the media as a bad thing, she was punished.
4. Can we get ideological messages from places other than the media?
1. The main argument of this chapter was that media is persuasive and tells stories in different ways to persuade the audience.
ReplyDelete2. “It may not be a perfect reflection, but maybe no “single” true story about the world exist.” (45) This quote shows that the media will do anything to persuade the audience, including bumping the content up by using hyperbole to create a more interesting story. It also shows us that the stories are all not precise giving the reader the idea that all media stories are exaggerated or changed around.
“It is instructive but ultimately unproductive to see the media as outside forces. It is instructive because these metaphors give us vital information about what we fear and hope for, but unproductive because these metaphors ignore that we are always creating new media forms; participating in different media stories in and through the media.”(47) This quote shows us that the media persuades the audience with fear, and creates a story full of fear towards where we live. It also shows that stories can be changed to be told in different ways, in this case the news tells their stories with fear to the audience.
“This is especially true of media criticism that has focused on the negative influences of advertising and public relations.” (38) This gives us an example of negative persuasion from the news. People of developed the idea that watching the news they will see that people have died, and our brains have been influenced to believe that we want to hear the bad events more than the good. This shows that media develops negative stories that persuade to the audience to watch the news.
3. My personal story to this chapter is about how growing up I didn’t have that media always in front of me, like a cell phone or a laptop. I would have to go to one’s house of even call a home phone and actually have one on one contact. I wanted to write that technology has pushed us to not be as social and interactive as we used to be. I grew up playing outside with my friends, and I watch the new generation, or the generation below me, always on their phones, and its sad to see that our generation can’t go without a phone or laptop, and we have come a custom to having a cell phone in hand which is what is sad.
4. Will our society become what the book called a “hunger games” society? Always looking for negative media like harm, fights, and what not
1. By using the media to create change or to better society, we can eliminate some of the blame or problems we attribute to the media.
ReplyDelete2.
a. The media displays a false reality to society. The real-lives are hardworking people or the “everyday person” are treated with little relevance as over-dramatic violence and sex dominates. If this was changed perhaps more people would be against it.
b. Many people believe that the media, especially news outlets, only present objective views rather than remaining neutral. It fails to allow people to create their own opinions. However, this what attracts people and what builds their interest in current events.
c. The media is causing our society to become less social and active citizens. If we can actually watch or listen to meaningful or beneficial things when we are in the media, perhaps this will make that time more worthwhile.
3. Throughout my high school years I would always spend a lot of time surfing the web or on social networks like Facebook and Twitter because I had a fear of missing out. Although this did not negatively impact my grades, I realized that they were still a distraction. In “Media in Society”, it states that it is not so much that we spend a lot of time on the computer that’s the issue, but that the time we spend on the computer is not worthwhile. Spending time on Facebook didn't contribute to my education or help me to attain any knowledge, instead I could have been learning about things that were going on in other parts of the world.
4. Wouldn't the news become biased either way especially if there are neutral news outlets as this would spark more people to voice their opinions and possibly create their own news outlets?
Thesis: Media not only tells us the stories, but helps us to shape our own.
ReplyDelete1. Media is much of how we get our news. "News, as a form of culture, has been invented and reinvented" (36). With the changes in media and technology, we can see that the way that people interact and find information has changed drastically, thus changing the way newspapers and organizations put their information out.
2. People now have the ability to create their own news and stories. Now more than ever, access to the internet allows a person to express their thoughts and stories freely online with blogs and social media. Not only do they allow us to shape our own stories, but they persuade us to believe theirs. "Mainstream media aren't forcing us to like the stories they offer. They are not directly beaming messages into helpless, empty minds. Instead, a constant and sometimes messy feedback cycle operates, where what media offer are responses to change--in what people will read, watch, listen to, participate in, and finally, buy" (49).
3. Media also has the ability to teach us and help us educate ourselves. With things as simple as search engines and as advanced as school online, it puts the person in control of their education and knowledge. Now the person has the ability to decide how they can educate themselves and the knowledge the obtain.
Personal Story: I feel like with the internet now, I have a lot of access to different things. One of the things that I am most into right now is watching documentaries. With the internet and Netflix, even YouTube sometimes, I have access to so many movies on different topics. I can finally watch all my whale documentaries (after continuous googling and research about them) as well as finding different topics I never would have thought about. I have been able to see what has been put out their and hopefully better my knowledge in the subjects.
Question: How much are we ourselves choosing, and how much is manipulating us into liking it?
1. Metaphors help us explore media from the outside.
ReplyDelete2. a. The current experience of media is that what is wrong with the world is the media. We try to change media in hopes for a changed society. Through media though, we can bring the concerns of the society to the surface.
b. The cost of technology on our lives, even though it is supposedly helping us seems to be delaying us as well. The today that we live in is a time of "loss" according to chapter 2. They reflect on a simpler age, a time when there was kindness and a more authentic time.
c. The distraction that is today's media. In the past, media was viewed as an enhancer. Today, media is viewed as a distraction. From your phones to the TV to video games, you become caught up in one after another.
3. In my own experience, I realize how much of a distraction media truly is. In my house, my parents made a rule while I was in high school that on Wednesday nights after 9 we had to shut off our phones and have "family time" I realized when they did this that media had such a grip on me and that I was distracted far too often by it.
4. Will there come a time that there is no options but the media? At least now we can disconnect, will there be a time of no disconnect.
1) Thesis:
ReplyDeleteIn exploring the world, we develop media metaphors that reflect the stories we create and critique in modern society that is constantly affected by media.
2) Supporting Documentation
- The major metaphors of media are "Media Influence Metaphors", the metaphors of media are listed as "media as interloper", "media as information", "media as propaganda", "media as commerce", "media as distraction", "media as curriculum", and "media as art".
- “We are dependent on an economic system that seduces us with commercialism, and we can’t imagine alternatives since capitalism – as the natural state of the economy- seems like the only option” (31).
-“Media are also metaphorically imagined as interlopers through fears about new and changing technology. Historically, with the emergence of each new media form, anecdotes and tales emerge to support fears of technology – from cheap dime novels corrupting the newly literate working class in the 19th century to Saturday morning cartoons seducing our children in the 20th century” (35)
3) Personal Story
I was very intrigued by the section in the chapter about democracy and journalism. I never realized that I am constantly influenced by whichever news sources or media is surrounding my everyday life. I’ve realized that I tend to read more liberal news sources because those are what I’ve always been available. My mom would watch CBS, MSNBC, ABC News, or read the Boston Globe so I would watch/read it also. When I think of major newspapers, I immediately think of some of the most liberal because those have been the ones I’ve been around while growing up. The biases of the liberal news sources have influenced my everyday life because I am now as an adult, I’m a more liberal person.
4) Will the use and understanding of media metaphors help us turn our understanding of media into a positive outlook or will it continue to be associated with a negative view?
Media in Society Chapter 2
ReplyDeleteThesis: Metaphors in media have shaped how we think, and by understanding the metaphors we can understand media better.
1) Democracy is a major metaphor for media because “the ideal of the mainstream press was to offer relatively neutral information so that- it was hoped- citizens could make wise political and social decisions” (29). The media in the past years has often been blamed for polarizing its beliefs (Fox and MSNBC). However, telling the news is like telling a story, so it will always take the side of whoever tells it.
2) Capitalism and consumerism have also been equated with media because, “consumerism permeated print and electronic media forms throughout much of the twentieth century” (31). There would be no media without the financial backing from advertisements. So “the media made it seem consumption was the only option” (31).
3) Technology is another metaphor for media because it brings both positives and negatives; “the story of progress, then, is frequently told as a story of loss” (32). The nostalgia of the “good old days” where technology did not interfere with our lives at every moment seems good at times; however there are times when life seems it would be unmanageable without a smartphone.
Personal Story:
I want to go into journalism to help people make informed decisions. The HBO show the Newsroom helped me realize that journalism is to inform people with their decisions, and that telling all sides of the story is important. One quote from the book stuck out to me it was “Schools are institutions designed to turn children into good citizens, arts are created to uplift and redefine us as good citizens, and journalism is designed to inform us as good citizens” (28). I have always been interested in school, the arts and journalism; this quote helped me realize what they have in common, which is helping people develop their thoughts.
Question: If conglomerations were less powerful in what media they create, could journalism be less biased?
Excellent reflections here, colleagues.
ReplyDeleteLet's explore in class...
Dr. W
1. Media tells us stories to help shape our views on different subjects.
ReplyDelete2. In chapter two there are seven key metaphors that are analyzed. Three of which are; “Media as Propaganda,” “Media as Distraction,” and “Media as Interloper”. The first metaphor I focused on was “Media as Propaganda”, the media often determines how we view certain topics. “Another alternative angle to the propaganda metaphor might be to focus on the ways in which overt persuasive techniques are more widely available in contemporary life”(39). While looking at “Media as Distraction” a quote that I thought was very important and something everyone should realize is “To become media critics in the best sense of the word, we do need to recognize the broad spectrum of media in the culture competing for our attention.”(43) “Media are easy to imagine as outside forces. The are perceived by critics and citizens as interlopers, influences that come into our culture from ‘out there’ to shape our lives.”(34) I think this a very accurate description of how people see media because, especially when new forms of media are released, people often have hesitations about how to go about using it or how reliable it really is.
3. I found the part about “Media as Propaganda” because when I really took the time to think about it every news station, website, newspaper, etc. all have bias in one form or another and it’s pretty much impossible to avoid. That is why I think it’s so important to read/watch multiple sources so you get as much of the whole story as possible.
4. Will the knowledge of these metaphors help people have a better understanding of the power the media has over every one of us?