What is it good for?: Blog # 12 We are at War

We are at war. 

When I hear this statement, I don’t really think outside the box. The first thing that comes to my mind is the war in the Middle East. I’m rather uneducated about the current state of our troops or how we fare in the war at all for that matter. I know one of the reasons that we fight is to help liberate the people in Afghanistan (at least I think). I am not completely clear on the details of the war and I am rather uninformed about the reasoning behind it. However, one thing that comes to mind is something I experienced while watching a Leafs game on TV. It was a list of the Canadian soldiers who had recently lost their lives in the war overseas. The photos that accompanied these names, for the most part, contained young, hopeful looking individuals. I also noticed the majority of the soldiers were under the age of 25. The whole segment really made me think, but it also seemed a little harsh as after it finished it was right back to the Hockey Night in Canada song and almost seemed to be disregarded. Young men and women join the army for their own personal reasons, but people continue to be exposed to government commercials and propaganda encouraging them to “fight for their country.” I don’t believe in war and I think the fact that young people continue to join the war is very noble and brave. At the same time I find it tragic that they have to join at all, and often lose their lives fighting a war, which at times seems completely illogical in itself.

Making Sense of Media: Blog # 11 Media Education Week

Once again, I find myself discovering another event (that I had no previous knowledge of), because of media class! This time it's National Media Education Week. This is a week dedicated to promoting and increasing media literacy. People young and old are exposed to diverse forms of media each day without even realizing or reflecting on it. This is one thing that Media Education Week focuses on. In many ways this week devoted to media literacy is similar to Professor Lipton’s media class. They both seek to educate people about the vast world of media, but they also encourage people to think critically about what they are being exposed to. On the National Media Education Week website it explains that young people are being immersed in media more and more, they “access, absorb, communicate, create and repurpose media content” (http://www.mediaeducationweek.ca/about_overview.htm), often without any reflection or guidance. The more I read the more I understand why such a week even exists. Forms of Media and the technology surrounding them are becoming more prevalent each day. People are exposed to so many mediums and messages and should be informed about what exactly these messages mean and who the target audience is. I believe that Media Education Week will only become more beneficial with time; it will educate youth and help them make sense of the media they are so frequently exposed to.

Online Equality: Blog # 10 Network Neutrality

“Net Neutrality in Canada is the principle that consumers should be in control of what content, services and applications they use on the public Internet." I pulled this definition from a website representing net neutrality in Canada (www.neutrality.ca), to get a better understanding of exactly what it is I should be writing about. I found it rather difficult to find a solid definition of net neutrality, but from what I’ve read it is the topic of rather heated debates. It seems to me that net neutrality is about preserving the freedom of expression, which the Internet offers and that all content should be treated equally. Private companies and Internet service providers are interested in making money, by changing the simplicity and freedom of the Internet. I think that this is completely unjust and only emphasizes the greedy nature of multi-million dollar companies and the mass control they continue to seek. The Internet is an incredibly innovative creation and I think it is only fair that it allows its users the freedom to access and display the content they desire. To me this topic really begs the question of how far companies are willing to go, just to benefit themselves and maybe make an extra million while they’re at it.

 

http://whatisnetneutrality.ca/en/node/1 

A Day in the Life: Blog # 9 A Media Log

I woke up yesterday morning – since recently I consider 2:30 pm to still be morning – with the intention of keeping track of my exposure to media. I would have to say that my exposure has decreased since coming to Guelph, but I do still come in contact with a number of forms of media. I live on campus and I am on a 3-year cell phone contract with Bell. This basically means that my phone is no longer of much use to me while in or around buildings on campus. Texting has become a rarity in my life and I struggle to get signal anywhere.

Anyway, the day started with me waking up and turning to my computer (I had been watching a movie on it the previous night, so it was right by my bed). I immediately signed on to msn and had an email on Hotmail from my girlfriend. I then proceeded to check my facebook. I noticed a banner ad, representing a web cam chat site. The girl in the ad looked thrilled to be chatting with strangers, but hey, that’s not for me. After wasting a little bit of time on my computer, a floor mate and I decided it was about time to get some food. We went to the Prairie cafeteria and were surrounded by televisions. On the big-screen someone had turned on Judge Mathis. I was pleased. I always got a good chuckle from TV court cases. I didn’t really get up to much, but one form of media that I was exposed to later on that day was my Nintendo Wii system. My floor buddies and I often waste hours in front of my TV playing video games. It was the same story for most of the evening. I noticed a number of school related posters and flyers posted all over south residence, but this is more or less inevitable. To wind down for the night I watched another movie on my laptop in bed. That about brings me to where I am now. Most of the media I am exposed to in residence is similar each day, but when I’m actually keeping track I notice how much we participate in media economies and ingest so many different forms of media in 24 hours alone.

We Own You: Blog # 8 Media Hegemonies

For years, my dad worked for a company that is represented by one of the world’s most famous brand icons: Poppin’ Fresh, AKA: The Pillsbury Doughboy. I always liked the idea of this as a child, especially since it resulted in lots of Pizza Pops and other equally delicious Pillsbury products for myself. However, in 2001 Pillsbury was bought out by a former competitor: General Mills. This occurred almost 8 years ago, but I still remember it vividly. At the time it didn’t mean much to me, but to my dad and the rest of the company it would ultimately result in some major changes.

General mills might not be considered directly to be a Major Media company, but they certainly do owe most of their success to the media. Mascots for their other brands such as The Doughboy and The Jolly Green Giant have become national icons and appear anywhere from television commercials to magazine advertisements and even on satirical t-shirts. The major brands or as the General Mills website puts it: “international building blocks,” owned by the company are as follows…

·      Häagen-Dazs ice cream

·      Old El Paso Mexican meals

·      Green Giant vegetables

·      Pillsbury

·      Betty Crocker

They also own a number of market-leading local brands such as Wanchai Ferry premium dough products in China and Latina fresh pasta in Australia.

These cross ownerships can affect companies in a countless number of ways. Take my dads case for example. He ended up leaving the company for a period of time to work for Maple Leaf Meats. He ultimately returned to General Mills, because he received a more generous offer. These large brand merges can create controversy within the company that will often directly affect employees. The problem is that if one of the brands receives bad publicity or something similar it can negatively affect all other aspects of the company, but this can also work the other way with good publicity. However, there is usually a great deal of research involved when large companies decide to purchase other brands and the head powers behind such companies don’t spend millions, unless they truly believe it will benefit them.

Living Like Pigs: Blog # 7 Buy Nothing Day

“Buy Nothing Day (BND)” is fast approaching and there isn’t a doubt in my mind that if it weren’t for this media class, I would remain completely unaware that such a day even existed. Buy Nothing Day occurs the Friday after American Thanksgiving, which is one of the busiest shopping days of the year, as everyone begins to prepare for Christmas. BND is a day of protest against consumerism and over consumption. Over consumption is a major issue that has been discussed in a number of my other classes this semester. It has lead to further inequalities between people and has even resulted in wars over territories, food and water (Shah, 2001). In many countries people are fighting for their basic needs, while people in developed countries continue to live as how adbusters represents them; pigs.

Over consumption has been a reoccurring topic in my zoology class this semester. We were required to take a test at http://www.myfootprint.org/, which determined our individual ecological footprint. The quiz basically determines how much strain one individual places on the earth. After completing the quiz, it was determined that if everyone on the planet lived a similar lifestyle to my own, it would require 5.28 earths to meet their needs. This is a rather shocking statistic, and to me the most appalling part is that I fell below the Canadian national average. In terms of my money spending habits, I have actually done fairly well since coming to Guelph. I have only spent a couple hundred dollars. Nonetheless, I support the message behind Buy Nothing Day and I think it’s great that awareness about over consumption is spreading and increasing, but in all honesty I can’t see myself participating very actively in this protest against consumerism.

http://www.adbusters.org/campaigns/bnd

Shah, Anup. "Effects of Over-Consumption and Increasing Populations." Global Issues. 26 Sept. 2001. 23 Nov. 2008 .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buy_Nothing_Day

All Hail the Chief: Blog #6 The American Presidential Election

My response to the American Presidential Election…isn’t a whole lot. I have never followed the world of politics and quite frankly, I have no interest in it whatsoever. If it weren’t for the mass media coverage I wouldn’t even know who was in the running for the presidency. I think media is actually a contributing problem when it comes to the election. As McLuhan discussed in his interview with Playboy, people used to sit for hours and listen to debates between candidates. Now it seems that hundreds of thousands of minds might be swayed by something as simple as a commercial representing a candidate.

Anyway, I know that Barack Obama is running on behalf of the Democrats, while John McCain represents the republicans. This election also has a defining trait; it is the first time that a person of African American descent is running for President. However, it isn’t Obama or McCain that draws my attention. It is in fact McCain’s running mate Sarah Palin. Palin is currently the governor of Alaska, which begs the question, “is this woman really prepared to step up as Vice President?” I don’t really have enough information to judge for myself, but there are a number of Youtube videos in which Palin is the topic of rather heated discussions. None of these videos are very glorifying for Palin and in fact make her look a tad bit ridiculous. I have included these videos in this blog. Even Matt Damon has something to say about the current state of his government and Mr. Jack Cafferty of CNN certainly isn’t a fan of Palin. Both men raise valid points and there are a number of other Youtube videos regarding Palin’s apparent ignorance. It is videos such as these, which make me wonder if Sarah Palin is in fact ready to hold the title of Vice President of the United States of America.

A shot at Absolute: Blog #5 Culture Jamming

The example of culture jamming to the left is a shot at the Absolut vodka company (no pun intended). Culture jamming is basically the ridicule of major corporate logos and brand names in a radical and often humorous manner. The people who create these images attempt to send a powerful message regarding their opinions on major corporations. The photo included is a culture jam that attacks a well-known series of Absolut vodka advertisements. It represents the tie between excessive alcohol consumption and erectile dysfunction. This culture jam suggests that if you drink too much Absolut vodka, you may experience impotence. The idea seems a little far-fetched, but culture jamming is supposed to be a radical example. This culture jam gets the point across and makes a truthful statement about the negative effects of excessive alcohol consumption.

Get Onboard, Get Online: Blog #4 One Web Day

One Web Day occurs on the 22^nd of September. It is a day designated to raise awareness about the Internet, focus on a key Internet value and focus attention on key Internet concerns. (http://onewebday.org/?page_id=290) The goal of One Web Day is not only to increase awareness and voice concerns, but also to protect what ‘sanctity’ the World Wide Web has left. It’s true that countless porn sites and multitudes of tasteless material may pollute the Internet, but it still acts as a great aid in the lives of people all across the globe. The organization behind One Web Day looks to promote the Internet for all of its useful qualities and they even try to spread the wealth globally with events spanning anywhere from London to Singapore.

The One Web Day site encourages people to submit stories of how the Internet has affected their lives. Personally, I wouldn’t say the Internet has changed my life, simply because I can hardly remember a time without it. However, there is no doubt in my mind that the Internet has played an enormous role in my assimilation into the technological, online world. I remember my first time using Msn Messenger in the sixth grade. It was such a fascinating new experience and ever since I have been able to maintain relationships with family and friends with a simple, yet ingenious program. I owe the Internet a great debt when it comes to school assignments. The Web is a phenomenal resource for facts and information. It has even spared me from hours of boredom by means of online gaming and entertaining video websites. Personally, I think the World Wide Web is the greatest form of media in the world today.

ICT stands for Information Communication Technologies. ICTs refer to basically all technologies for the manipulation and communication of information. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communication_technology) These technologies can include anything from phones to radio and television broadcasting. They play a great role in society. They aid in the spread of information and keep the general population in touch and informed. The Internet is a form of ICT, which has achieved huge success over the past few years. ICTs play a massive part in most peoples lives today and it’s almost impossible to imagine a world without them. The spread and manipulation of information is vital in society and it is hard to deny that the world would be at a great loss without the use of ICTs.

Flab or Fab?: Blog #3 Advertising Image from a Magazine

For my third blog entry I decided to analyze an advertising campaign, which not only appears in magazines, but anywhere from television commercials to billboards and almost every advertising media in between. This series of advertisements is the Dove skincare ‘Campaign for Real Beauty.’

“At Dove, we want to help free ourselves and the next generation from beauty stereotypes. It’s the message that’s at the heart of our Campaign for Real Beauty and Self-Esteem fund, and it’s why we continue to create thought-provoking ads, confidence building programs and messages that embrace all definitions of beauty.” (http://www.dove.us/#/cfrb/)

This is the major message behind Dove’s innovative campaign, which began in 2004. The advertisements feature plus-sized women with ‘real world’ features and bodies; this is what makes them so initially striking. If these ads featured stunning, slender and possibly anorexic models, the effect and entire campaign would be lost. People wouldn’t even give the ads a second thought. Dove’s campaign is undoubtedly an original idea and some might even consider it a revolution in advertising. The message being portrayed is a positive one and who’s to deny fuller bodied girls their self-esteem? The thing is with such a fresh, unfamiliar and seemingly ingenious advertising campaign, one must consider the flaws involved.

The major question in my mind is: ‘will this idea be played out?’ Will people begin to tire of this cutesy, feel good campaign? The advertisements already seem out of place in regards to all of the other beauty product ads out there. This gives them an edge now, but the general public might get bored of seeing flabby, big-bottomed women on anything from bus stops to billboards. People may even begin to associate Dove products with bland, plus-sized women. Other beauty products have achieved success in the past because of the gorgeous women that represent the brand in their advertisements.  Although the Dove campaign is inventive and may continue to draw success, it seems as though it may play itself out in years to come. I suppose only time will tell.

Ooh Fire!: Blog #2 The Ecology of Media

Since the dawn of man, fire has been a priceless resource. There is something about its warmth and entrancing flare that seems to intrigue people of all ages. In today’s world we have a way of capturing that essence in an incredibly simple piece of technology: the lighter. Lighters affect the modern world in countless ways. Their cultural impact – although at first may not be obvious – is truly vast. Think about past and modern day rock concerts, the lighter has become a steadfast tradition for slow songs. Lighters come in all different forms, and today, are even portable advertisements. Many companies (especially those which make beer) label lighters with their brand names. Some lighters are even representative of the cannabis culture, with large marijuana leaves plastered on their surface. The lighter also ties into another mass controversy…the cigarette. Cigarettes rely almost completely, if not totally on the media for their sales. From movies to magazine adds cigarettes are found everywhere. If it weren’t for smokes, the lighter probably wouldn’t reel in half the sales that it does. When you look at lighters in this manner, they seem to be almost as evil an enterprise as the cigarette companies themselves. The thing is, lighters simply thrive off the success of other companies. Cigarettes, cannabis culture, barbeques, you name it, the lighter feeds it’s flame off the success of other major corporations. This being the case, perhaps it makes the lighter an even more ingenious technology than the inventions it depends upon. What do you think?

And so it begins: Blog # 1 Blogging and Participatory Journalism

All right, here it goes…my media blog! After much deliberation and investigation of multiple blogging sites, I eventually settled with blogger.com. There is really only one basic and perhaps somewhat pitiful reason behind my choice – simplicity. I gave livejournal.com a shot, but I felt there was a surplus in seemingly irrelevant content. Perhaps I felt this way due to my minor technological impairment, or maybe I just didn’t see the necessity in all the little bells and whistles. Whatever the case, livejournal just wasn’t for me. In fact, a few years ago I was actually a livejournal user, but I guess if anything changes over time it’s technology. I didn’t even consider using myspace. Although it may be considered a blogging site, I would view it as much more than that. Another issue regarding myspace, is that html code has always been beyond my expertise. This would limit the personalization of my blog and on a personal note; I’ve always felt myspace was another way for people to put on a front. Spending countless hours in front of the bathroom mirror taking flattering photos of one’s self has always seemed a little narcissistic to me.  So, in the end, I had to go with blogger.com because of its sheer simplicity.

The process of starting my first blog entry, honestly, was relatively painful. I experienced a slight touch of writers block and spent a fair amount of time fiddling with little details and customizations. Also, since it was my first entry I felt some mild pressure while writing. I guess I’ll just have to accustom myself to the whole world and processes of blogging.

Now, moving on to the topic of participatory journalism. I find it difficult to consider what I write and the contents of my blog as participatory journalism (although I don’t completely deny that it is). However, much of the blogging world strikes me more as rants and banter. Journalism involves research and investigation. I suppose the further I get into the blogging process, the more of a participatory journalist I will become. Until then, stay posted!