DREAMWEAVER: Your Final Paper Web Site: Due on Wednesday, April 16

 Create a THREE page web site in Dreamweaver that features:

1. Your Paper
2. Your Bibliography
3. Your Biography

 You will present this in class for a final grade.

Zaire Peoples - Final Paper

Sexual Violence and Objectification of Women in Advertisements

Cartoon that depicts the lack of correlation between sex /objectification
of women  and certain products that are advertised.
Original Cartoon.

Since our 21^st century shift from an analog world to a digital world, advertising agencies have negatively portrayed the subordination and abuse of women in the Western world all the while satisfying the male species. Many advertisements,whether they relate to fashion, food or cigarettes, have used sexual abuse and manipulation of women to market their products. While one would assume that over time corporate insensitivities towards these issues would diminish, this has not happened. Provocative advertisements such as the infamous 2007 Dolce and Gabbana advertisement which glorified “gang-rape” have caused uproars around the world. Advertisements like these make it seem okay to objectify women because it is “classy” or “in-trend”. Perhaps what seems even more ridiculous is the fact that these advertisements have little if any correlation to the product or service that is being advertised. Do advertisers only value its male consumers and their opinions or do they believe that women will be equally swayed by these insensitive depictions of sexual violence and brutality?  

Van Heusen Ties and Tipalet cigars advertisements shown side by side
with words that describe the images in the middle. 

The only difference between advertisements that objectify women today and the previous decades is the approach. While in today’s society, one has to look beyond the expensive handbags and attractive men, during the 1940’s, for example, the message was more clear. During this time period, women were expected to be subordinate and were merely used as child-bearing instruments rather than human beings. Due to these views, companies like Van Heusen released advertisements that belittled women. In its infamous tie advertisement, a women can be seen kneeling down next to her husband’s bed as she serves him breakfast. While this may seem shocking enough, the worst part of the advertisement is the caption. In bold letters above the image, the words “show her it’s a man’s world” are displayed. Van Heusen’s advertisement along with other advertisements such as that of Tipalet cigar ad whose caption reads “Blow in her face and she’ll follow you anywhere” shows that sexual violence and the objectification of women is not a recent development. Rather, this has been going on for decades (Suggett, “Vintage Ads From America”)

The infamous 2010 Calvin Klein advertisement that depicts a women being gang-raped.
The words " No More" are written to show that women and men need to take a stance against this.

    Just when we thought advertising agencies couldn't become more provocative, there was an explosion of sexually charged ads in the following decades. As mentioned before, advertising agencies have the ability to make you focus less on the behavior that is portrayed in the image and more on the sexual appeal and clothing (if there is any at all). A less direct approach can be seen in the 2010 Calvin Klein advertisement in which a woman is surrounded by men. The photograph is suggestive of sexual violence or rape. While captions like “it’s a man’s world” does not need to be printed, the same message is emphasized whether in big, bold text or not (Nudd, “Calvin Klein Ads Banned For Promoting Rape”).

Founders of Dolce and Gabanna are shown with their "defense statement"
in response to their controversial advertisement that glorified gang rape. 

In 2007, fashion house Dolce and Gabbana released an advertisement that immediately caused citizens in various countries to turn their heads. This advertisement glorified gang rape as a woman appeared to be held down by a man as other men looked on. After protests in Spain, the advertisement was eventually pulled and other regions would soon follow. However, in defense of their racy marketing strategy, the fashion power-house accused Spain of being “a bit behind times” rather than apologizing for its insensitive marketing (Dowsett, “Spain Behind the Times on Ads says Dolce & Gabbana”). Because this event sparked so much controversy, one would assume that other fashion companies would also learn from this and try to better their sexually charged advertisements. Calvin Klein would release a similar advertisement three years later that sparked just as much controversy. Similar to Spain’s Labour and Social Affairs Ministry’s opposition to the Dolce and Gabbana advertisement, the Australian Advertising StandardsBureau was one of the first groups to demand that the advertisement be pulled (White, “Calvin Klein Ads Featuring Lara Stone Ordered to Be Taken Down in Australia”).

A brutal advertisment in which two women are depicted as
animals and inferior. A quote by Ellen Hopkins is written on the walls to emphasis
that the individual is still important. 

          Of course, these advertisements would not come without negative impact. Not only are advertisements that portray women as sexual animals and objects to men damaging to girls and women but also young boys and men. As women see advertisements like these all around the world and in almost every form of media imaginable, they will begin to see themselves through this lens. Women and young girls especially will start believing that this is what is expected of them and that they are invaluable. Likewise, men will also think that this kind of behavior is acceptable, bearing little consequence. Young boys alike will began to “support male dominance [which in turn] generates rape-supportive attitudes…” (“Sexual Violence in the Media: Indirect Effects on Aggression Against Women”). In the end, these types of advertisements represent a "lose-lose" situation for both women and men.

The 2007 controversial Dolce and Gabbana ad can be seen in
black and white. 

As noted earlier, a few groups in the past have protested advertisements that glorify the objectification and sexual violence of women. Spain’s Labour and Social Affairs Ministry and Australia’s Advertising Standards Bureau stand as leaders against this fight. In addition to these state run groups, individuals such as American activist John Stoltenberg believe that men should be more involved in this opposition. On the website, Genderads.com, Scott Lukas explores a variety of issues related to gender in society. On his page, “Sexual Violence”, he states that American activist John Stoltenberg believed that men should take initiative by “work[ing] to not have their sexuality manipulated by the pornography industry, drugs or alcohol”. When men began to take a stance against the way they are perceived in the media – as sexual predators – then perhaps women will no longer be seen as prey (Lukas, genderads.com)

Altered photograph of a women who was originally depicted as battered.
She has flaws on her skin to represent the average person. However, she
still represents beauty.

 Do media act as a collective scapegoat? Do insensitive advertisements like the Dolce and Gabbana’s glorify sexual violence to the point where both women and men believe that it is acceptable? Media in Society by Richard Campbell and Joli Jensen argues that when media is used as a scapegoat, there is no solution given but rather “it leads to a dead end” (Campbell, Jensen 19). We can not continue to blame the media as there are other factors that should be accounted for. Our decisions and upbringings as individuals also shape the way we perceive others. However, for the naïve young boys and girls who are exposed to these advertisements, the illusions that all women enjoy forceful sexual activity and that sexual violence bears little consequence are given. Children and adults need to understand that poor representation of women is not okay and this is most certainly not how it is 'supposed to be'. 

A collage of just a few companies who have used the sexual violence
and manipulation of women to sell their product or service. 

In closing, advertisements are becoming more and more provocative and inappropriate towards women. Industries like fashion, food and cigarettes fail to realize the negative effects of their advertisements on the public. Not only does it make women seem subordinate and invaluable it also causes young boys and men to believe that this kind of behavior is acceptable. Our 21^st century digital world has normalized a dangerous idea. Many of the advertisements today seem to suggest that we are moving backwards, as representation of women put them in a subordinate state. Advertisements that promote Tipalet cigars and Calvin Klein also prove this point. Unfortunately, this situation is not getting better as a plethora of advertising agencies under major companies like Peta, Ford, and American Apparel have also jumped on board (Lukas, genderads.com). Only through challenging the negative representation of women in society will we move forward.

Bibliography

Campbell, Richard, Joli Jensen, Douglas Gomery, Bettina Fabos, and Julie D. Frechette. "Understanding Media in Society." Introduction. Media in Society. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2014. N. pag. Print.

Dowsett, Sonya. "Spain behind the times on Ads Says Dolce & Gabbana." Reuters. Thomson Reuters, 23 Feb. 2007. Web. 25 Mar. 2014.

Lukas, Scott. "The Gender Ads Project." Sexual Violence. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2014.

Malamuth, Neil M., and John Briere. "Sexual Violence in the Media: Indirect Effects on Aggression Against Women." Journal of Social Issues 42.3 (1986): 76-91. Journal of Social Issues. Web. 25 Mar. 2014.

Nudd, Tim. "Calvin Klein Ads Banned for Promoting Rape | Adweek." AdWeek. Adweek.com, 21 Oct. 2010. Web. 25 Mar. 2014.

Suggett, Paul. "Vintage Ads From America." About.com Advertising. About.com, n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2014.

White, Belinda. "Calvin Klein Ads Featuring Lara Stone Ordered to Be Taken down in Australia." - Telegraph. N.p., 22 Oct. 2010. Web. 25 Mar. 2014.

Final Research Paper - Jacqui

U.S. Citizens Have the Power:
Social Media’s Affect on Voting Citizens

"Four more years" President Barack Obama tweeted after his close-call win in the 2012 Presidential Election against Republican nominee, Mitt Romney. In U.S. society today, we Americans turn to social media for our sources of information. Even adults are easily influenced by how things are worded or presented. Since the 2008 Presidential Election, media have grown and changed, influencing U.S. voters choices and selections. The introduction of social media in the early 21st century transformed the way that U.S. voting citizens get their news. This started a personal shift in how people send and receive their information. Social media influenced the result of the 2012 U.S. Presidential Election by providing different outlets of information for the voting citizens to access and share.

Both candidates well represented on social media. 

2008 Election

It is not news that political campaigns changed due to the 2008 Presidential Election between Obama and McCain. President Obama successfully used the new media to support his campaign for social change. The Obama campaign mission, “involvement through empowerment,” (Aaker and Smith, 34) and they used social media to enhance their mission. By using social media, the Obama campaign gave voters a sense of purpose and got young voters to get involved with the campaign. This made the voting class feel like they had a say in the campaign through their involvement on social media. John McCain’s campaign did not use social media nearly as much as Obama’s campaign did. If the Internet did not exist, many think that Obama would not be president. “Were it not for the Internet, Barack Obama would not have been the [Democratic] nominee,” (Aaker and Smith, 46) Arianna Huffington, Editor-in-chief at the Huffington Post. According to “political scientist Harold Lasswell,” there are three major societal functions that social media plays for the younger citizens, “surveillance of the world to report on going events, interpretation of the meaning of events, and socialization of individuals into their cultural settings,” (Graber, 5). From this, social media plays an important role in the lives of young voters.



Internet is the reason that Obama won the 2008 Presidential Election.

18 – 30 Year Old Voters

          For today’s young citizens social media is their source of information. When you have a candidate that “owns” the mainstream of social media, it is hard for any other candidate to try to move into the social media world. Obama “owned” the mainstream of media before the 2012 Presidential Election. The problem with social media being the source of information for the younger voting citizens is there is a limited amount of information given and it limits the amount of key information obtained. Obama, having many years more social media campaigning experience than Romney, automatically swayed social media towards the Democratic Party. According to the Tufts University Circle Fact Sheet, Obama had a following of young voters 60% to 37% over Mitt Romney, lower than his margin in the 2008 Election where he represented 66% over McCain's 32%. The Republican Party used social media more in the 2012 Election than they did in the 2008 Election.

The importance of social media to the Presidential campaign between the two parties. 

31 – 50 Year Old Voters

       Though Obama won over the younger voting crowd, he lost the older votes in several states to Romney. According to a survey taken in 2010 by PewResearch 50% of 30-50 year old voters are on social media whereas 75% of the younger voters are on social media. The older voters use social media to connect with old friends and a way to watch videos. Many claim to use social media to catch up with things going on in the world. Though Romney won many of this age groups vote, Obama’s impressive YouTube campaign intrigued this generation. The younger voters do not have the patience to sit watch a video message that the older generations found helpful and informative. Obama used YouTube and advertisement messages to get to a wider audience and had the most successful YouTube campaign in history.

Social media hashtags used to track the Obama-Biden and Romney-Ryan campaigns. 

51+ Year Old Voters

          There are only about 36% of 51+ year olds on social media according to the 2010 survey conducted by PewResearch. Social media is not their main source to information like it is for the younger generations. Campaigns still need to use the older forms of Media to reach the older crowds. These generations of voters use newspapers and the internet as their medium to political information. Romney used more of these techniques over social media. It shows in the age of people who voted for him, winning the 45+ voters in most states. Each candidate tried to relate to all the different age groups. In Media in Society, it mentions how the media today offers more than ever before. Trying to sell to a particular group is harder than ever because there are smaller more specific groups of people. A political campaign is like selling a product, trying to get a person to select your brand. The campaigns had the hardest time with selling their brand to the older voting citizens because the available outlets to this group are much more limited.

The Wall Street Journal the day after the 2012 Presidential Election.

2012 Republican Campaign

          The Romney-Ryan campaign decided to hold back on its campaigning until the final few months because, “they believed most Americans, including the bulk of undecided or persuadable voters, would only being paying concerted attention to the campaign in the final few months,” (Ceaser, Busch and Pitney, 98).  This worked for their campaign of mass media but when it came to social media, the key is to start early and gain followers and supporters.  The Romney-Ryan campaign started too late and as a result lost the needed support of the younger voters by not having a strong social media presence.  The lack of younger voters shows in the poles.  Though comparing the 2008 and 2012 Election, the Romney-Ryan campaign was much more successful than the McCain-Palin campaign on social media. 

The Romney-Ryan campaign started a social media campaign too late.

2012 Democratic Campaign

          The Obama-Biden campaign stride to give the power and voice back to the people. They gave the power back by providing the people with a way to use their voice and found the perfect platform for the citizens in social media. Social media presented a way for U.S. voting citizens to express their needs and concerns directly to the Obama-Biden campaign. They focused on “inspiring mass involvement or winning people’s time result[ing] in winning people’s time, money and votes,” (Aaker and Smith, 44). Using texting and email to contact them, the Obama-Biden campaign became personal with their followers. Their overwhelming presence on social media sights made sure that their followers knew Obama would be there, always. This gave people a sense of comfort along with a sense of belonging because the Obama-Biden campaign made them feel they were a part of something bigger.

Obama's social media presence over competitors.  

Why Obama Was Successful

        “Barack Obama launched the most sophisticated “new Media” campaign in history and won.” (Graber, 194) The Democratic Party learned quickly early on social media are the easiest and cheapest way to get the name of their nominee out there. The Republican Party learned too late how important social media are in influencing the younger generation of voters. Though social media limits the amount of important information that voters see, it has become one of the most prominent outlets for information. Now that the political parties see what works in attracting votes through social media, political campaigns will forever be changed.

President Obama won the election using social media. 

Works Cited

Aaker, Jennifer, Andy Smith, and Carlye Adler. "Yes we can! how Obama Won with Social Media." The Dragonfly Effect: Quick, Effective, and Powerful Ways to use Social Media to Drive Social Change. First ed. San Fransisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2010. 34-34-47.

Campbell, Richard, et al. "Political Stories and Media Messages." Media in Society. Ed. Jesse Hassenger, et al. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2014. 103-103-131.

Ceaser, James W., Andrew E. Busch, and John J. Pitney JR. After Hope and Change: The 2012 Elections and American Politics. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2013.

Graber, Doris A. Mass Media and American Politics / Doris A. Graber. Washington, DC : CQ PRess, 2009; 8th ed, 2009. . EBSCO. <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cat01985a&AN=SMC.336340&site=eds-live&scope=site>.

Jashinsky, Lauryn. the Affect of Social Media on the 2012 Presidential Election., 2012.

"Millennials: Confident. Connected. Open to Change." PewResearch. February 24, 2010 2010. March 17, 2014 .

Obama, Barack. "BarackObama.com." 2013. <https://www.youtube.com/user/BarackObamadotcom>.

---. "Facebook: Barack Obama." 2014. <https://www.facebook.com/barackobama>.

---. "Twitter: Barack Obama." 2014. <https://twitter.com/BarackObama>.

Romney, Mitt. "Facebook: Mitt Romney." 2014. <https://www.facebook.com/mittromney>.

---. "Twitter: Mitt Romney." 2014. <https://twitter.com/MittRomney>.

Staff, Circle. The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement Fact Sheet. Medford, Ma: Tufts University, 2013.

Stallings, Susan. "Ron Paul, young voters, and the unfettered power of social media." November 2, 2012 2012. March 17, 2014 <http://www.examiner.com/article/ron-paul-young-voters-and-the-unfettered-power-of-social-media>.

 

Project #1 Kathryn Miyahira

Kathryn Miyahira

Professor Williams

Digital Media

3.26.14

The Use of Media in Colleges and Universities

How a variety of new platforms has revolutionized the search and application experience

This shows the mix of college students and social media platforms. original photo

How did you hear about St. Mikes?

A typical question I get as a college tour guide, and understandably so.  Coming from across the country isn’t very common, especially moving from a big state like California to Vermont. What I always explain to visitors is that my mom and I did a lot of research online to find schools that fit my criteria. I looked through the website, browsing the different majors and blogs, and checked out the photo albums from different events on campus. I then applied to all of my schools using the Common App, and awaited my letters (of hopefully acceptance).  I was lucky, all of the schools I applied to sent actual letters of acceptance.  My friends who applied to larger universities had to wait for an email with a code and link to find out if they were accepted

More than anything, this experience speaks to how new digital media have grown and become more powerful, working its way into colleges and universities in almost every aspect. Because of media, I was able to find schools that were exactly what I wanted, and I know that if I was searching for schools pre-Internet, I would not be where I am today. 21st century media have allowed prospective students and universities to connect on a new level that is both beneficial and detrimental.

This triangle demonstrates how students, schools, and social media (represented by the creators of major sites) are all connected. Original photo

The Tailored Experience

“‘One of the basic ways we use social media is to share what’s going on on campus right now--sharing different photos, and event information can help showcase to incoming students what’s going on at The College of Saint Rose and what makes our campus different from others,’” shares Kayla Germain, E-Media Coordinator at The College of Saint Rose, “‘We want to engage and make sure the students voices are heard...It’s all about authenticity’” (Ridley). With the increasing use of social media platforms, having a presence online is almost essential for any college or university hoping to expand their area of connection.  Blogs give prospective students stories of events going on around campus and what day to day life is like. Recently, sites such as Instagram and Twitter have increased in popularity, limiting the amount of words or photos you can use, forcing users to be more selective in word choice. It also gives the user the ability to connect through hashtags, so if a prospective student of St. Mike’s was trying to find photos on Instagram, they would simply have to search #smcvt to be flooded with photos from students all over campus and with many different interests. “I would describe our social media presence as trying to recreate our great community in the online space...I would set the goal of social media, since it is social and all, to take that community, the good interactions, the intellectual conversations, the good friendships, all that stuff and represent it as best we can using various social media tools,” explains Christian Camerota, Assistant Director of Marketing for Social Media (Camerota) With the increasing ability to have a first hand account of life at a certain school, students from far away (like myself) now have access to schools they normally wouldn’t. With new options such as virtual tours or web chats, everyone has the ability to have their own experience with the school that is almost as personal as visiting. This allows colleges to reach a much broader audience and ultimately expand their pool of applicants.  

This photo illustrates the connection that prospective students make with the colleges online. Original

How Much Do Social Media Affect Student’s Searches and Decisions?

The college search process has changed significantly with digital media being thrown into the mix. When talking with universities and colleges, a survey from 2013 shows that “83% of respondents rated their overall success with social media as either somewhat successful or very successful” demonstrating the impact that these platforms have had on prospective students. Media have begun to play an important role in not only looking at schools, but also deciding what school to attend. When 12,000 high school students over the past two years were polled, “75% of the class of 2013 is using social media to make their enrollment decision” (Blog, Genius Recruiter). These new media sites have clearly become a vital part of the college search and decision process.

This shows the typical day of a student using their technology.  Original photo

The Flip Side: Admissions Looking at You

Digital media allows us new capabilities we haven't had in the past. However, in the application process it can, in some instances, be a hindrance. A popular example of this is when a girl attended an information session for prospective students at Bowdoin College in Maine. Throughout the event, the girl used Twitter to comment about the the other students in attendance, making rude comments with a “common expletive”. She was ultimately denied because of her sup-par academics, “‘but had her credentials been better, those indiscreet posts could have scuttled her chances,’” says Scott A. Meiklejohn, Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at Bowdoin. “'We would have wondered about the judgement of someone who spends their time on their mobile phone and makes such awful remarks’”.

Based off of a Kaplan telephone questionnaire of 381 college admissions officers, “31 percent said they had visited an applicant’s Facebook or other personal social media page to learn more about them”. This survey also found that “30 percent of the admissions officers said they had discovered information online that had negatively affected an applicant’s prospects”. 

This number may seem high, but contrary to popular belief, most college’s admissions staff do not go out of their way to look up students.  When they deal with 30 plus applications coming in every day, one bad photo or post does not weigh as heavily. It seems that if an issue is brought to the attention of the admissions staff then it will be further looked into.

That being said, high schooler’s are still being encouraged to edit their social media profiles by either changing their name, deactivating accounts, or only putting content up that you would share with your grandmother. This is a huge point made by high school admissions counselors, but even if college admissions counselors search your name, they cannot guarantee that the profile is yours, therefore they do not often rely on this information. Is it worth it to change yourself to look good for a university? “‘If you’ve got stuff online you don’t want colleges to see,’” says Megan Heck, a senior at East Lansing High School in Michigan, “‘deleting it is kind of like joining two more clubs senior year to list on your application to try to make you seem more like t person they want at their school’” (Singer).

This shows the many different platforms used by students and colleges. Original photo

Being Quiet Amidst the Noise

“The general complaint is that there is a lot of noise...but ultimately you decide what you look at.  I know not everyone loves Twitter so they might not check our Twitter, they might go through the blogs instead.  It’s totally up to the user how they interact with us, you can pick and choose,” shares Lisa Ritter, Online Media and Communications Coordinator for Founder Society at Saint Michael’s College (Ritter). For colleges and universities, having a social media presence is important, but if they are running every possible platform, it can be overwhelming. When looking at St. Michael’s approach, Christian Camerota explains,  “It is very difficult to break through the noise because everybody can post anything at anytime.  So I think my personal approach, and I think its been a departmental approach, is to say less and to say it more directly and more creatively and more engagingly” (Camerota). The main focus is to present the most important and relevant information for the viewers and hopefully break through all the noise.

This is the famous Mark Zuckerberg put on the St. Michael's College Campus to show our use of social media.  Original photo

St. Michael’s College: Our Perspective

“They all work together, it’s not just one on it’s own. It’s great that we’re present on [these] platforms” (Ritter). 

As a blogger and tour guide, I have found that having these social media connections has been helpful to prospective students.  When I was looking at St. Mikes, I read all the blogs to try and get a feel for what happened on campus. Now that I’m telling my story, I’ve been able to connect with students who are looking at St. Mikes. Digital Media has made it possible to have a constant connection with the college and the people there.

Grabbing students attention through social media isn’t an easy task either. “We’ve become more intelligent about how we use our resources because our office is very small, we have 6 people to do the work of [what] some colleges have as many as 30 people on their staff [doing]...we have to do all that ourselves; we have to generate the content, we have to disseminate the content, we have to strategies what we want to generate, what we want to cover all that kind of stuff,” Christian told me (Camerota).

When talking about some of the different social media options St. Mike’s has, Lisa Ritter said, “I would say the Facebook groups we open up for [prospective students] is really beneficial because it’s a place for them to interact with each other before they come here.  I know some people will meet their future roommates there just because they posted and introduction and found someone who they have similar interests with.  Its a really great place for them to get to know their classmates before they [come]” (Ritter).

This is the integration of all the different platforms and a cityscape. original photo

Leaders of the Pack

Though I think St. Mike’s is doing a superb job with its social media presence, there are some schools that stand out among the others. This list includes schools such as the College of Saint Rose, Harvard University, Pinnacle College, and a few more. The consistent theme throughout the explanation as to why these schools are superior is the importance of connection.  All of these schools focus on family, friends, and academics and how to make them all come together in the same place. The College of Saint Rose utilizes direct messaging between prospective students and administration to allow for quick and speedy results. “Harvard University sets the example with its online publication of Harvard Business Review,  prestigious management magazine covering the latest in business strategies and techniques” (Dunn). The importance of connection explains why these schools stand out in the crowd of colleges.

Graduating from college and cherishing the moment on social media has become a new normal. original photo

Making Your Footprint

21st century digital media have made massive strides forward in advancements that have both benefited and disadvantaged prospective college students. On one hand, this technology allows students to have a better, more authentic connection and vision of the school they are exploring.  On the other hand, colleges can use these platforms to access whatever potential students say and do. Once you put it on the web, it is permanent. Despite the trade offs of using social media, schools, like St. Michael’s College, are doing excellent jobs balancing information and stories to share, ultimately making the experience for the prospective student more enjoyable and engaging.

Works Cited

Ritter, Lisa. Personal interview. 25 Feb. 2014.

Camerota, Christian. Personal interview. 26 Feb. 2014.

"Blog." Genius Recruiter RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2014. <http://geniusrecruiter.com/2013/05/05/perceptions-of-social-media-schools-and-students/>.

Dunn, Ross. "How 6 Savvy Colleges are Using Social Media | StepForth Web Marketing Inc.." StepForth Web Marketing Inc.. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2014. <http://www.stepforth.com/blog/2013/university-social-media-marketing/#.UzH5KZWPLIU>.

Livingstone, Maggie. "Brown Daily Herald." Brown Daily Herald. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2014. <http://www.browndailyherald.com/2013/12/02/2809891/>.

Ridley, Doug. " ." Vital Design. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2014. <http://www.vtldesign.com/inbound-marketing/social-media/how-todays-colleges-and-universities-are-using-social-media/>.

Singer, Natasha. "They Loved Your G.P.A. Then They Saw Your Tweets.." The New York Times. The New York Times, 9 Nov. 2013. Web. 26 Mar. 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/10/business/they-loved-your-gpa-then-they-saw-your-tweets.html?_r=1>.

Jess St. George's Final Project

Jessica St. George

MJD-110-B

March 26, 2014

Crime Created by Movies 

Three boys watching a film that will stick with them longer than just the movies runtime.

www.mnn.com

Many films have the reputation of sensationalizing actions and behaviors that are not healthy or beneficial for the individuals or the community around them. In isolated instances the plots of these films transpire as a reality. Copycat crimes from films range from bank robberies to first-degree murder. For many years the movies Point Break and The Town have been inspiring bank robberies across North America. Fight Club has turned into a reoccurring hobby among teenage fans of the film, holding their own fight clubs in the basements of their homes. Finally Natural Born Killers, is a satirical film that follows how the media glamorizes Mickey and Mallory Knox as they conduct a cross-country killing spree as the nation enthusiastically watched in amazement.  This film has since been credited for spawning more real-life killings than any other film. Clearly Hollywood's films occupy the minds of their audience far beyond their runtimes. Criminal themed films' reign over audiences will continue, as horror movies are highly in demand and hold the title of third most popular film genre.

The faces of the horror films that torment audiences for decades

blogspot.com

       Researcher Kristen Harrison conducted a study through the University of Wisconsin and concluded that watching scary films undoubtedly leaves both short and long term damage to teenage viewer’s minds. The study consisted of 150 students whose disturbances “included sleep difficulties and continual avoidance of events shown in the films, such as swimming in the ocean after watching ‘Jaws.”(Coconi) 90.2% of her subjects reported enduring fright effects caused by exposure to frightening media. This may not be surprising, but the proportion of participants-- one in four--who reported fright effects that they were still experiencing indicates that these responses should be of major concern.”(Harrison) Many fright effects have proven to persist for decades beyond the viewings the film, thus proving that films can have a permanent effect on viewers and it is unpredictable how audience will react.

 The bank robbers in Point Break dress as four of the “ex presidents” during each of their heists.

http://www.radiocinema.it

   In 1991 Kathryn Bigelow released the surfer/crime film Point Break. The film features four surfers who disguised themselves in masks of former presidents; Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Richard Nixon to rob thirty banks in 3 years. In the twenty-three years since the film’s release there have been numerous heists in the United States of America, Canada, and in the UK in which the thieves wore identical masks to those that were worn by the actors. In the real life robberies, the thieves appear to prefer Richard Nixon, and Ronald Reagan disguises. Similar to in the film, burglars have been described as displaying various mannerisms similar to the actors in the film such as: jump up on desks, identifying themselves as the ex-presidents, never shooting anyone, and essentially holding the bank hostage.

Two masked bank robbers sand side by side; a nun from The Town and former president Jimmy Carter from Point Break.

www.pictures.zimbio.com

In recent years some of the masks of choice have been updated to model more recent political figures such as Mitt Romney and Hillary Clinton. Also in recent years, the release of The Town, hatched a new generation of mask wearing bank robbers. Though the film features its criminals in three different disguises; scull masks, nuns and police officers, the nun costumes have proved to be a favorite among copycats. Just six months after the film’s release “Two thugs dressed in nun masks and habits robbed a Chicago area bank in a scene reminiscent”(Caulfield) of one of the heists in the film. The robbers also mimicked an earlier scene in the film where two of the burglars pointed their weapons at a female teller and forced her to open the safe.

Tyler Durden and the narrator stand back to back to depict the narrator’s split personality.

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In 1999 David Fincher released a film about an insurance assessor who struggles with insomnia as a result he creates an alternate personality who lives a more creative lifestyle. Within the past fifteen years, North American teenagers have tried to recreate fight club in their own basements. The more recent fight clubs have been modernized with video and their participants posted them on the Internet. “The first rule of fight club is, you do not talk about fight club” ,technically posting a video generally does not include narration and is not breaking this rule. However they are contradicting the original goal of fight club, which gives members an anonymous place to go without judgment and without pressure to conform to

Pipe bomber, Luke Helder, planted a portion of his pipe bombs in the shape of a smiley face, similar how during Project Meyhem they burn a smiley face into the side of a building to burn it down.

http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net

Pipe Bomb Map

Two particularly avid fans of the film took a much more extreme approach to follow in the steps of Tyler Durden. In 2002, 21-year-old Lucas Helder earned himself the nickname “The Midwest Pipe Bomber”. He planted 18 pipe bomb that were set to detonate when the mailbox was opened, injuring 6 victims. Helder carefully chose is the “locations in several U.S. states to create a sort of smiley face on the country map”(criminal minds.wikia.com) this is especially evident in Nebraska. After the attacks, the media carefully looked at Hedler’s life and past behaviors. People spent up to two hundred dollars on EBay to purchase a CD from a band that Hedler was part of called Apathy. The Midwest pipe bombings are a perfect example of how media sensationalizes criminals over victims thus glamorizing them to media consumers. Kyle Shaw is another Fight Club fanatic. On Memorial Day Weekend in 2009 Shaw planted a bomb outside of a Starbucks in an attempt to start his own project mayhem and “had boasted of a second planned attack.”(Grace)

Mickey and Mallory Knox have projections that summarize one of the film’s themes projected across their chests.

eddieonfilm.blogspot.com

Similar to how people spent large sums of money to own that Hedler’s cd, Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers satirically looks at how the United States glamorizes psychopathic murderers like the film’s stars, Mickey and Mallory Knox. Natural Born Killers “not only has it been associated with the highest number of separate killing sprees… it is also the one film where the killers definitively admit that the film was the source of their actions.”(15 Films That Inspired Real Life Crimes) It is unsurprising that Quentin Tarantino had a hand in creating the characters and writing the script, seeing as he has made a career out of glorifying gore and featuring nonlinear story lines in his films. As many as thirteen crimes have been linked back to the film. There were numerous censorship issues surrounding the rating and final edit of the film. The modifications may not have been enough, within two months of the film’s release there were three people dead at the hands of teenage murders who saw the film. One fourteen year-old boy told police that he “wanted to be famous. Like the Natural Born Killers,” after he decapitated a thirteen year old classmate. The following month seventeen year-old Nathan Martinez murdered his stepmother and his half-sister while they were sleeping, he followed the murderers by shaving his head, similar to Mickey prior to his television interview. It was reported that Martinez had seen the film at least ten times in the week prior to the murders.

A viewer watching Mickey Knox during a scene of Natural Born Killers.

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          The most notorious copycat murder spree that spawned from Natural Born Killers was carried out by Sarah Edmonson and Benjamin Darrous in 1995. They dropped LSD and watched the film repeatedly prior to embarking on multi-state killing spree in which they killed William Savage and left Patsy Byers paraplegic. The case was most discussed in the media because of the lawsuits it sparked. Patsy Byers’ husband filed lawsuits against both Edmonson and Darrous. In addition to suing those responsible for leaving his wife paralyzed, he also filed lawsuits against “Time Warner, Oliver Stone, and others associated with making and distributing the film. They claimed that everyone associated with it should have realized it could have inspired murder.”(Ramsland). Both murderers were sentenced to 30 plus years in prison, and the wrongful death suits against Time Warner and Oliver Stone were dismissed by the Supreme Court in 2001.

A film strip featuring the films discussed in above paragraphs

www.photo-dictionary.com

It has been proven that film can encourage negative behavior among viewers. The films sensationalize bank robberies, fighting, and murder. Some minds cannot process that these films are made purely for “entertainment” and are not suggesting a lifestyle. In a few instances people have tried to recreate the films mayhem within the real world. For others these films create long-term inner fear. Even with these negative effects, movies based on irrational dangerous behavior continue to be very popular and in demand.

Bibliography

Ramsland, Katherine. "'Movies Made Me Murder'" If They Can, We Can — Movies Made Me Murder — Crime Library. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2014.

"Luke Helder." Criminal Minds Wiki. N.p., 2002. Web. 25 Mar. 2014.

Dennison, Ben. N.p.. Web. 25 Mar 2014. <http://www.weirdworm.com/5-movies-that-        inspired-crimes/>.

Coconi, Angeliki. "How Films Affect Teens' Behavior." Everyday Life. N.p., n.d. Web.        25 Mar. 2014.

Harrison, Kristen. "Tales from the Screen: Enduring Fright Reactions to Scary Media."       12

Watch Mojo “Top 10 Real-Life Crimes Inspired by Movies and TV.” Online video clip.    YouTube. September 17, 2013. Web.

. N.p. “15 Films That Inspired Real Life Crimes”. Web. 15 Mar 2014.        <http://brainz.org/15-films-inspired-real-life-crimes/>.

Alizul. "10 NOTABLE COPYCAT KILLERS." 10 NOTABLE COPYCAT KILLERS.         N.p., 12 Oct. 2013. Web. 15 Mar. 2014.

Edwards, David. "Gunman Wearing Romney Mask Robs Virginia Bank | The Raw Story." The Raw Story. N.p., 14 Dec. 2012. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.

Grace, Melissa. "Kyle Shaw, 19, Pleads Guilty to Bombing an Upper East Side Starbucks            in 2009." NY Daily News. N.p., 17 Sept. 2010. Web. 15 Mar. 2014.

Kirn, Walter. "Luke Helder's Bad Trip." Time. Time Inc., 12 May 2002. Web. 15 Mar.     2014.