News, trust, and “truthiness”

             After reading through some of my classmate’s blogs, I have gotten the impression that satirical news reportage may not be as reliable as traditional news reportage. For clarification, satirical news reportage speaks for its self, satirizes the current social, economical, and political events. Doing so, it blurs and changes the underlying message the traditional news reports contained. Sarah Trotman describes “When watching these reports I take the information with a pinch of salt as I know that it is highly opinionated and not always the entire truth (http://st12tq.wordpress.com).” It is though that satirical news reportage displays information that may not be one hundred percent accurate at all times, thus it can’t be a completely reliable source for news.

            Satirical news shows report the current events in a comedic fashion. Generally speaking, a younger audience would be more inclined to watch these types of comedic shows. As well, the younger generation does not typically learn current events from traditional news reportage. That being said, an implication that may rise is that the younger generation may be encouraged to think what is said on the satirical news reportage to be true, without learning the true facts that traditional reportage objectively offers. Amy describes that satirical news reportage “…lead[s] to misinformation and skews[ing] their perspective, if they’re (the audience) not informed of the accurate events prior to watching the show (http://lifeoflowe.wordpress.com).” Predictably, the younger generation watch satirical news report shows, without doing any personal research prior, which subsequently can alter their opinions from the actual reality of the subject manner.

 

            The media constructs our reality and culture. These satirical news report shows like Jon Stewart and Saturday Night Live have been imbedded into our culture for years now. It is evident that people are aware of current news events because of these shows. This implicates a trend of where we, as a society, get the news. Today, social outlets such as Twitter and Facebook, along with these satirical shows, have grown exponentially as a source for current events. Though the validity of these sources come into question and SHOULD be questioned amongst the audience. Christina explains how “mass media controls our immediate perceptions on a specific issue. However, neither mass news nor satirical reports should be our only source on any particular issue (http://cclark865.wordpress.com).” Twitter, Facebook, and the satirical shows are all forms of mass media giving an objective message and speaking for everyone. Though, individual research will help further develop an understanding of current events and allow the person to build personal opinions that he/she can stand for. 

Is this fake news or real news?

The Daily Show, The Colbert Report and The Rick Mercer Report are satirical news report shows played in the evening. The objective of these shows is to similarly satirize political and major news events that rise in the media today. That being said, we can discuss cultural jamming and it’s relevancy to satirical news reporting shows like the ones listed above. To clarify, cultural jamming is a form of media activism that subverts and reworks the intended meaning of existing media texts, or parodies major corporations, public figures, and their media images (O’Shaughnessy et al., 2012). Thus, these shows that provide entertainment through satirical routines on major news events, the process of this tarnishes and changes the underlying meaning that pertains to the news, so that it is seen in a comedic light that is entertaining to watch.

Now, the question on hand is whether or not this type of reportage is a useful addition to the public sphere? From the perspective of the stations that run these shows, generally stating it is good for them, if ratings continue to steadily grow. Although, one can argue that this style of reportage may cause more harm than predicted. The objectives of cultural jamming are to include consciousness raising (raising awareness of social and political issues), as well as using the media to criticize the media and dominant culture (O’Shaughnessy et al., 2012). That being said, ideally because these shows objectively raise awareness of the relevant political and social issues in a satirical fashion, it takes away the true meaning behind these issues. Therefore, these shows prove that they aren’t a credible source for news and may be seen as a liability for the public sphere.

Overall, these shows are here for one purpose in my eyes, for entertainment. At the end of the day, if I had the need to look up and research a major issue in our society, my first instinct would not to check what Jon Stewart and Rick Mercer had to say on the matter. Though they are entertaining to watch before bed, it is clear that they aren’t here provide an intellectual response to a serious matter, but put a clown nose and a bow tie on it so to speak.

Demonstrable demographics

           After reading through some of my classmates’ blogs, the majority of them targeted the same demographic, teenagers and young adults. While each ad shared different strategies in respects to hailing/interpellating the targeted demographic, those that were similar products had similar strategies. For example, cosmetics and beauty products similarly endorse celebrities to promote their product. Advertisements are used to initially spread awareness of the product, and what does it better than having a celebrity that is credible (holds a large fan base) side by side with a product, promoting it. Montana’s blog (http://montanahighley.wordpress.com/2013/11/07/what-the-hail/) addresses that with Taylor Swift promoting CoverGirl, teenage girls will go out and buy her makeup. The underlying message is that teenage girls, the targeted demographic, strive to look like those who they look up to. And I feel that CoverGirl, as a successful cosmetic company it is, has a clear representation of the demographic and has respectively chose Taylor Swift, who appeals to the targeted demographic, to promote them.

            On another note, Brooke’s chosen advertisement displays an important message to stop smoking. Though, this message can relate to more than just my demographic, but also everyone else who chooses to smoke. Advertisements are to spread awareness, but if the message isn’t clear then how will it reach the end consumer. Though, this advertisement carries a simple message, to not smoke, as Brooke explained in her blog. As well, it shows a well thought out representation of the targeted demographic to, as Brooke put it, “to make people aware and take ownership of their actions” (http://brookeharnum1.wordpress.com/2013/11/06/what-the-hail/), and those who do smoke can relate to this. Smoking is addiction, and the first step rehabilitate from an addiction is admitting to ones self that they alone can’t control the addiction.

          Again, advertisements are used to spread awareness and how Alana puts it, “as soon as a fan sees a celebrity, their attention is turned to that direction” (http://itsalanalutz.wordpress.com/2013/11/08/what-the-hail/) complies with the notion that the targeted demographic will be more appealed to the product if their favorite celebrity promotes it. As well, the message has to be simple, relate and represent the demographic it targets, like the smoking advertisement mentioned earlier by Brooke. 

What the Hail?!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owGykVbfgUE

Old Spice | The Man Your Man Could Smell Like

 

            When thinking of Old Spice, you can recall that one commercial that has been played over and over again. “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” has over 40 million views on YouTube and has been replicated through parodies countless times. First you are introduced to a man, with nothing but a towel on his waist, and asks the audience (specifically female} “to look at your man and the look at me” multiple times. He goes through various instances depicting the message “if your man uses Old Spice he will become the ultimate man”.

 

            This commercial answers the question “how can I attract women”, simply with the use of Old Spice. This advertising technique interpolates and exaggerates the values/norms of what it takes to attract women. Using this product, you think that it makes you incredibly irresistible to all women (you’ll have diamonds for the girl you like}. This shows that “the media [will] addresses messages to specific aspects of your identity for marketing purposes…” (O’Shaughnessy & Stadler, 188), and in this case it is marketed to men.

 

            “We live in a culture that stresses individuality, encourages us to believe that everyone has unique qualities, and puts forward the view that we have control over who we are, what we do, and how others see us, but this view is questionable” (O’Shaughnessy & Stadler, 188). This quote perfectly explains the effect this advertisement has on men. Any guy who uses this product, it doesn’t matter who you are, will attract all women. This message is affiliated with anyone who uses it. There is a fault in this and everyone should know the fallacious message this advertisement, even the majority of advertisements today for that matter, convey. For example, homosexual men would be discouraged to use this product because it creates conflict with the message Old Spice promotes, that it will attract women.

 

            Depending on what is being advertised, marketing today does an effective job to interpolate the norms and values, specified to its targeted audience. To conclude, we as a society have to be conscious of the message the advertisement is telling and evaluate it if it really benefits the values and norms we all carry.

            

Wanted: The media we need

Is the media we want the same as the media that we need? Now, what is media that we do NEED? Generally speaking, wouldn’t media that we need be global news events that may affect our well being and information related to that matter to formally educate us as a society? To answer this question I’d like to say I hope so, but that is not the fact. Everyone has different values in life and chooses to carry himself or herself in anyway they see fit. With that being said, the entrainment industry saturates the media to a great extent, to the point that the main topic of discussion among society today would be that “did you catch that last episode last night? Haley says “as a teenage girl, she [I myself] is [am] addicted to watching episodes on celebrities like Kim Kardashian and her family as well as many of her [my] friends” (http://hb123na.wordpress.com). Now, I am not implicating that entertainment is the root of all-evil, no, I’m just saying that what is important to Haley will differ to what is important to everyone else. In a sense here, the media we want will be the media we need, if it’s the need to catch up on the Kardashians or the need to look into what is going on in the world today.

 

Overall, it is not my place to judge the values of others other than my own and Alexandra perfectly puts it that “we each perceive a different message depending on our life experiences and personality” (http://societythroughmyeyes.wordpress.com).

 

Amy states, “it has become the norm to comb through the muck of media to find stories that are of your interest or that are valid pieces of journalism” (http://lifeoflowe.wordpress.com). In terms of the media we want, this statement proves that it is hard nowadays to find the media we need and is truly beneficial. For example, the media promotes that the foods to eat, in order to build muscle, are going to have to be gallons of protein shakes and clean foods (pounds of skinless chicken breast and broccoli). Though if one were to do the research, they would be surprised to know that to gradually build muscle you don’t have to deprive yourself from the foods you love. They would know to take their own metabolic rate into consideration, eat within the bounds of it (depending on your goals, eat more to gain weight) and you can basically eat whatever you want (in moderation of course, tracking calories help immensely). Though, it depends on who you are and what is important to you, the media you want will be different everyone else’s. No one has a place to judge what media you want or need.

 

The Media We Want?

            Do we get the media we want or want the media we get? As we know, the media is influential and impacts the world greatly. With that being said, “the media reflects the realities, values and norms of a society” (Media and Society, O’Shaughnessy, M. Stadler J., 42) in respects to each different one. So, in a sense, you can interpret that it comes down to media in each society to construct media we want. For example, take the Toronto Maple Leafs and think of its influence it has on Canada. Most of us Canadians would’ve like to seen the Leafs win in the playoffs and ultimately win the Stanley Cup last season. More specifically, in Toronto when the Leafs made it to the playoffs, the media had saturated radio and television with Go Leafs Go being played on the air in between songs and television shows. This resulted with Torontonians expressing their pride with the use of jerseys and Maple Leaf flags attached to their car antennas. For those games, Toronto collectively kept a close eye on the media coverage on their games and any other news related to that manner.

            Additionally, in terms of media we want, “media producers set up issues that the media will focus on and that audiences will perceive to be important” (Media and Society, O’Shaughnessy, M. Stadler J., 25). News broadcast stations are known to use this tactic to highlight and reconstruct information to attract audiences; this can be seen to promote information that is misleading. Although, once the audience is engaged, the desire is created to seek out more information through other media channels. The epidemic of the Mayan calendar predicting the end of the world on December 21, 2012 created a craze. People searched and construed many theories behind this; it resulted in bunkers for the aftermath being made and along with many other outrageous stories.

            To reflect, the basis of why the media is what we want is because that media defines us a society. As well, it is construed in ways that create the need for us to seek out more through other media channels. The influence media carries will always leave us wanting and knowing more, and it all comes down to the curiosity that drives all humans. 

1F25 Blog Response 1: Media Impact on Others

It’s safe to say that most of my classmates commonly agree that mass media is playing a significant role in our daily lives. Similarly, many of them have pointed out that information travels rapidly thorough new media channels we have today. Brooke shared that“…citizens would not have the ability to find out so quickly about world events. For example, following the events that occurred on September.11^th, 2001 people knew of what had happened almost instantly…” (http://brookeharnum.wordpress.com/about/). When this tragic event was televised, more than twelve years ago, the whole nation froze in shock. Millions dropped what they were doing that day and collectively prayed for New York City.

After having time to think, since my last blog entry, it is pessimistic to think that only the youth is impressionable, in respects to striving to fit in. It is human nature to want to fit in and as a society “…our vulnerability (ies) encourage us to strive for perfection…” (http://matthewfamele.wordpress.com/1f25-post-1-media-impact/). Woman of all ages have been imprinted to think that being thin equates to being beautiful. And in some extremes “… Between the pressure of media and [their] own personal thoughts [they begin] to restrict [themselves] from eating…” (http://hb123na.wordpress.com/2013/09/19/the-influence-of-media-a-blog-for-cpcf-1f25/).

I’ve previously enforced that technological advancements have indefinitely affected mass media distribution and this has spilled over into our daily routines as a modernized world. Mass media channels like the Internet have indirectly affected us in our excessive use of Smartphones and tablets. “…Sending a quick text, email or phone call when we are in need of reaching someone” (http://mm13sa.wordpress.com/) has easily become the norm.  Some think that this isolates us and pushes us away from face to face communication. Overall, I stand by my original point and add that we today haven’t loss the physical human communication essence of life, but opened doors to different ways we as a world can communicate as a whole.

To conclude, mass media has affected us in ways that are for the better and worse. But with all advancements, if it’s social, economical, and technological, there will always be some type of negative press that will weigh down as the greater good of mankind continues to progress.

1f25 post 1: Media Impact

Today, mass media has hugely impacted the world in the way we live our daily lives. Just by walking out your front door you’ll see mass media distributed. The newspapers on your neighbours’ lawn, the bus ad on the bench, to the billboard in the busiest intersection are examples. As well, with technological advances so rapid, you can read just about anything in a matter of seconds. The Internet alone provides many channels to which information can be shared. E-mail, websites, and this very blog are only naming a few. Television broadcasts have reached millions across the globe for decades, but today, the Internet has begun to steal the spotlight.

For the most part, we as a society have adapted to these advances of how mass media is spread very heavily. The market for smartphones and tablets has increased exponentially in the last five years. Take myself for instance, my daily routine will be to wake up and check the weather on my smartphone. Over breakfast I may open Facebook and scroll down my newsfeed, or check the news sites to see what has made the headlines recently. Many of us today are very dependent on our smartphone, tablets, laptops etc., and without them, it is as if we are disconnected from the world.

In a marketing perspective, strategies have changed dramatically, opening up a whole new target market. Today’s youth is one primary target, as they are very impressionable and exposed to more than ever at a rate that’s growing daily. Mass media channels like YouTube, Twitter, Tumblr and other social media outlets have painted a picture of how to be accepted amongst your peers. These media channels have flooded the youth generation’s mind full of brands, clothes, shoes and the latest trends in order for them to stand out. For instance, the phenomenon of collecting pairs of Jordan sneakers has taken North America by storm. My brother follows multiple Twitter and Instagram accounts that provide information of when the newest pair is about to drop. There are many cases as to where people would camp out at the nearest Foot Locker, the night before the release. This brand power is so great that as a result there are a few cases to which sadly a death occurs because arguments arise from these shoes.

As a person in today’s society, it is always important to be mindful to know the implications of how fast the word, whatever it may be, now spreads.