Fake News

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyn8Kb_do8g&feature=player_embedded

Truth. It’s a journalist’s duty. But when corporate interests are considered, the truth can be skewed drastically. CNN and Fox news are the two biggest culprits of propaganda, which America is notorious for. Images of war can be skewed. Take the current Iraq war for example. One of the greatest examples of false news occurred on April 9, 2003, when the statue of Saddam Hussein was toppled. It was all over the news, including CNN and Fox. CNN news wrote, “Crowds cheer as a statue of Saddam Hussein falls”. CNN cameras shot footage of the statue falling, using close-ups around the statue. This created the illusion of a large crowd, when in fact the crowd was small. The editors used only these close-ups to release to the public. However, wide-angle shots of the event were leaked, and the truth came out. There was a small crowd, it was quiet, and there was very minimal cheering. CNN had skewed the story to create this illusion of liberating the Iraqi people as they cheered for America. Corporate interests were considered when these shots were chosen, as to create the illusion that America had complete control over the situation in Iraq.

There are many implications as a result of propaganda such as this. The public is given false information. Why are we forced to believe everything the media tells us, just because it is the media? We assume the information to be trustworthy; after all, CNN is supposedly “the most trusted name in news” (which doesn’t mean they are 100% honest, it just means they are the “most trusted”). I now personally force myself to question and reconsider the media, and not to jump to conclusions just because of what the media tells me. There are countless examples of false media and propaganda, especially from CNN, and not enough time to list them all. Just be aware of what you are being told, and don’t believe everything you see on the news, just because CNN tells you its true. “ProMario”, a YouTube user who posted a video that reveals the truth behind the toppling of the statue stated:

“The up close action video of the statue being destroyed is broadcast around the world as proof of a massive uprising…There are no more than 200 people in the square at best.” - ProMario

Works Cited

"Saddam Statue Toppled in Central Baghdad." CNN. 9 Apr. 2003. 9 Oct. 2009. <http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/04/09/sprj.irq.statue/>.

“Stage Managing Toppling of Saddam Statue." YouTube. 4 Jan. 2007. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyn8Kb_do8g&feature=player_embedded>.

Theory/Praxis: Individualism, Media and the End of Culture

In today’s society, Individualism is a growing concept. As technology advances, so do the needs of the individual. Everyone cares more about themselves, and less about others. Large companies, along with the media, have realized this, and are gradually adapting to this idea of the individual. Notice how everything nowadays is becoming “customizable” as technology advances. Advertising online now focuses on the individual. Instead of mass marketing, it is now marketing to the individual, but still on a mass scale. For example, this was pulled directly from Yahoo!’s website:

“How we customize your Yahoo! experience

We look at a person's browsing activity, such as the types of content the person accessed, ads the person clicked, and searches the person conducted. Based on this, we infer certain interests the person has, and we show ads likely to meet the person's needs. For example, for people who like to check out the golf scores on Yahoo! Sports, we may show ads that focus on golf-related products and services.

We offer this service not just on the Yahoo! network but across our partners’ sites as well.

Advertising is how we’re able to offer the innovative, free services that are traditional at Yahoo!. As we continue to customize your Yahoo! experience, you may see ads that more closely reflect your interests.”

By “customizing” advertisements, Yahoo! Is able to guarantee to a client that their advertisement will reach their target demographic.

The iPod is also an individual media. Each user owns their own iPod with their own music. The new “genius” feature even lists songs similar to the one you are listening to. Users are plugged in to isolated, sound-cancelling headphones, and separate themselves from society while listening to their own music, in their own world. The cell phone is another example. When one is on the cell phone, they are isolating themselves from society, and are in their own world. All of this individualized media is killing culture.

So how does this affect my everyday media practices? Well, I am an Internet user. I spend a very large portion of my day on the computer. Whenever I am on Facebook, I notice advertisements that relate to me constantly, when I am on Yahoo!, I notice the same thing. I am no longer exposed to advertisements that I would not be interested in. I am an iPod user; I listen to my iPod, isolated from the world. I am a cell phone user; I also isolate myself from the world when I am using it. This may be good for some, but the way I see it, I am being isolated in my own little world with this type of advertising. I don’t believe this is the way it should be. This form of advertising is killing culture. Imagine what the future of media will be once technology advances even further? Your iPod will know what song you want to listen to, before you even think about it. Your television will list programs you might find interesting. Your computer will greet you by name. This concept of individualism will eventually kill culture. And something must be done to stop it.

Works Cited

Customized Advertising." Yahoo!. 2008. 9 Oct. 2009. <http://info.yahoo.com/relevantads/>.

Scott, John . "Individualism." Individualism. 11 Jul. 2009. 9 Oct. 2009. <http://www.individualism.com/?cat=3>.

Decoding/Deconstructing Advertising

Companies today will do anything to catch the public’s attention with advertising. Whether it is a commercial during the super bowl, a billboard along the highway or an ad in a magazine. If it gets attention, it’s doing the job. One company in particular has released several print ads, which many consider controversial.

Candie’s Fragrances For Men and Women chose sex to get attention. The ad depicts a female, perking her lips, sitting on a computer monitor that is on top of a desk. Not so bad right? However, on the computer screen is an image of a rocket shooting skywards, hence, towards the female’s crotch. This ad is subliminally selling sex, as it takes a few moments to notice the image on the computer screen. There is also a male model sitting down in font of the desk, smirking as he is pressing buttons on the keyboard. The male’s crotch is directly beneath the rocket; subliminally suggesting it is his penis. The ad is trying to portray that the woman is oblivious to the screen, as the male is smirking at her oblivion, like he is playing a joke on her. I believe this ad is trying to portray that women are objects, and cannot think for themselves, and that males have full control over women, which is completely false.

The female model is holding a Candie’s Female perfume bottle, and a Candie’s Male perfume bottle is seen sitting on the desk. The thing I find interesting is that the product is not the focus of the advertisement. Only when one looks at the image for a while do they notice the small fragrance bottles. The primary focus of the ad is the women and the computer screen, the smirking male is second, and finally the product is third. This ad is more focused on the sex, than on the actual product they are advertising.

The actual product would not change if the ad were just of the fragrance bottle with a white background. It is the image surrounding the product that can change one’s perspective of the product. Companies such as Candie’s should be a little more reserved if choosing to use sex to sell, because an advertisement like this may wreck a companie’s reputation permanently.

“Sex sells, yes, but only when used “in good taste.” As marketers we must think not only in getting customers’ attention for the short term, but also in building a brand reputation that will yield long-term results” – Mark Levit

Works Cited

Duffy, MacKenzie . "Gendered Images." Course Blog for Feminist Media Studies. 2007. 9 Oct. 2009. <http://blog.lib.umn.edu/raim0007/gwss3307_fall2007/3_gendered_images/>.

Levit, Mark . "Sex in Advertising: Does it Sell?." Ezine Articles. 9 Oct. 2009. <http://ezinearticles.com/?Sex-in-Advertising:-Does-it-Sell?&id=14551>.

Mass Media

Mass media is a very broad term, and can be analyzed from many different perspectives. However, I deem the term mass media to be any form of media that is received or distributed on a large scale. Let me explain. If only 100 people in the world owned a television, I would not consider T.V. as “mass media”. However, if 100,000,000 people owned a T.V., I would definitely consider it as mass media, as mass media targets a large market. With the invention of the printing press, books could be mass-produced, and in return, be sold to a mass market.

The concept of mass media holds that a large number of people will receive the exact same information, which suggests that mass media shapes culture to an extent. For example, McDonald’s is known all across the world, including America. If an American were to ask, “what’s MacDonald’s”, they would probably be laughed at. This is because they are not on the same page as the rest of society, who is exposed to mass media. If every American knows MacDonald’s, it is part of American culture.

Mass media can be any form of large-scale media including the internet, television, radio, literature, advertisements etc. These new technologies create what Marshall McLuhan calls the “global village”; where the world is all connected through different media, as if everyone were at arms length from each other. For example, one can pick up a phone, and talk to a person across the world as if they were standing right beside them. Mass media helps shape this global village, which we ultimately rely on for daily function.

“The modern age is the age of the electric media, which forge environments and cultures antithetical to the mechanical consumer society derived from print” - Marshall McLuhan

Works Cited

"What is Mass Media?." Wise Geek. 2009. 9 Oct. 2009. <http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-mass-media.htm>.

Marshall McLuhan, “The Playboy Interview" . <http://folk.uio.no/gisle/links/mcluhan/pb.html>.

The Ecology of Media

When the first cellular phone call was placed on April 3, 1973 by it’s inventor Martin Cooper, the world as we know it was changed forever. One could be contacted wirelessly without having to reach a landline or use a payphone, meaning anyone with a cell phone was reachable at almost any given moment. The cell was originally designed solely for telecommunication, where two parties would verbally converse over the phone. Its function now is completely different from its original purpose.

Not only can users verbally communicate through modern cell phones, they can communicate in almost every way possible. Most phones or “Smartphones” now feature text messaging, built-in cameras, mp3 players, wireless internet access, GPS, calculators, calendars, e-mail, voice recorders…the list goes on and on! Does this so-called “cellular phone” even sound like a phone anymore? Clearly the cell’s function has mutated far beyond its original purpose.

Cell phones have a large cultural impact on their users. Users are glued to their phones almost 24/7. They text while driving, get sports score updates instantly and e-mail on the go. Users are constantly engaged with their cell phones and are highly dependent on them for daily function. If one’s cell phone is lost or stolen, it is “the end of the world” for that user, because they are so dependent on having mobile access to the world. Once that mobility is taken away, it is like that user is isolated from the world, since the modern world know-a-days is almost all virtual. We spend half our time either on a computer, cell phone or watching television. The idea of mobile communication is the future. It has already replaced the landline, and has yet to replace many other technologies as it mutates even further, creating a virtual mobile web, and slowly "deleting" culture.

"People want to talk to other people - not a house, or an office, or a car. Given a choice, people will demand the freedom to communicate wherever they are, unfettered by the infamous copper wire. It is that freedom we sought to vividly demonstrate in 1973," – Martin Cooper

Works Cited

"Martin Cooper - History of Cell Phone." About: Inventors. 2009. 9 Oct. 2009. <http://inventors.about.com/cs/inventorsalphabet/a/>.

"Mobile Phones - Changing Times." Quazen. 16 Aug. 2009. 9 Oct 2009. <http://quazen.com/shopping/consumer-electronics/mobile-phones-changing-times/>.

Academic Blogging

This is my first blog ever. I don’t know why I didn’t set one up prior to this course, but now I see just how connected my thoughts can be with the public sphere, rather than being kept to myself. At first glance, the whole idea of blogging seemed complex, as I wasn’t familiar with the whole concept. I went on to the wiki and viewed my peers’ blog URL’s, so I could see which websites I could use to set up my own blog. I picked one of the many blog sites, I made an account, and I was set to start blogging. The overall setup of the blog was not as difficult as I thought it to be. It was just like setting up an email account, or a Facebook account, which I had already done in the past.

This concept of blogging and interconnectedness is very mind-blowing to me. Once I post a blog, it is there for the entire world to see, and I can also see others’ blogs in return. My thoughts may not be relevant to everyone, but there might be someone out there with the exact same thoughts or views as myself. As for the others who may oppose or disagree with my thoughts or views, it forces me to question and reconsider my own. I may be only one public figure contributing to the public sphere, but when millions of humans, just like myself, come together, we become one entity. A blog has endless possibilities, but it is up to the blogger to decide how he or she uses that power.

“A blog is merely a tool that lets you do anything from change the world to share your shopping list” – Unknown

Works Cited

"Blogging Quotations." Finest Quotes. 9 Oct. 2009. <http://www.finestquotes.com/select_quote-category->.