Chapter 13:
I enjoyed reading chapter thirteen on Advertising in our text as I learned about an area of business that I was not very familiar with. In particular, the concept of “brand image” when creators of advertisements add perspective and a twist to a brand name often referred to as “spin” first introduced by David Ogilvy in the 1950s. What the text doesn’t specifically mention is when developing a product’s brand image a company really needs to know and understand their target audience in order for the image to resonate with its consumers.
With the onset of the digital age and the fact that product companies are utilizing the Internet to reach their target consumers, I see “viral advertising” or as the text describes it as word-of-mouth testimonials as playing an important role in generating interest and exposure for products in the market place. What better publicity than consumers’ testimonials on blogs. So one question I have is have advertising agencies figured out how to track and measure the effects of “buzz advertising” in a campaign?
An interesting “factoid” that I found worth noting as it pertains to the CPG industry which I am in is that many retailers own their own factories for producing their own store’s brand a.k.a private label product. In particular the Kroger chain owns 41 factories that produce 4,300 store-brand products for its grocery shelves. (Vivian p. 331) As an aside, I think with our current economic situation private label brands will gain popularity.
“Advertising and the End of the World” film:
In this film, narrator Sut Jhally says advertisers’ main goal is to cut through the clutter and appeal to our emotions which as we know are within our limbic brains. The film uses many persuasive techniques to convey its messages one being repetition of ideas to strongly emphasize their position. Group dynamics such as “we” was also used by the narrator appealing to viewers as humans helped create the hole in the ozone layer and need to be part of the solution. In between discussion points the film used a production technique similar to the image of static on a television channel when a station isn’t broadcasting a picture. This noise and image tapped into my reptilian part of the triune brain used as a technique to keep the viewer focused. Many of the advertising clips shown in this film were focused on images vs. words thus further stating the epistemological shift that is part of our 21st century media culture.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Final Paper: Due Monday, April 13 in class
Sara Kutchukian
April 12, 2009
MCM 120-01
Media Mania – A Day in the Life of Savvy Sara
April 12, 2009
MCM 120-01
Media Mania – A Day in the Life of Savvy Sara
Where are media taking us? Can you imagine life without one of your most trusted forms of media? Are all of the media we are exposing ourselves to enabling us to make wiser decisions in life? As I look at my own life and my interactions with various forms of media I wonder am an easy target for advertisers? If I don’t think I need too much convincing then am I really a savvy consumer of media? See for yourself as you learn how a typical day unfolds for me in this world of mass media hyper commercialism which I have chosen to actively engage in.
It’s 5:21 a.m. and I wake to the sound of the BBC “news” broadcast on VPR on my clock radio. I finally roll out of bed at 5:39 a.m. after hitting the snooze button twice. Hearing the news in the early hours of the day begins to engage my neocortex as I absorb and think about the information I am listening to. For me the BBC is a trusted source of “news” and it’s not uncommon for a broadcast to include convincing testimonials by experts to strengthen their positions on any number of “newsworthy” segments. The BBC does a good job at conveying a multitude of value messages both good and bad which for me usually legitimizes the information I am receiving. As an avid listener of public radio I found it interesting to learn from our text that even as mainstream radio’s audiences are shrinking with the onset of new media like MP3 players the public radio audience is growing. Public radio has a growing and loyal audience for news and public affairs which historically mainstream radio has turned away from. Radio station owners made a decision early on to veer from “promoting citizen participation in the life of the community and public affairs that it was all but forgotten.” (Vivian 204)
While standing at the kitchen counter vigorously drinking a glass of orange juice and eating a bowl of cereal, I find myself briskly scanning the headlines of The Burlington Free Press online from my iPhone. As I haven’t had a subscription to a local newspaper since growing up when my family received two local papers and The Boston Globe, I feel this gives me the opportunity to better connect with the community I live in. Now my neocortex is really cooking with grease as I read the local headlines. This paper is particularly good at connecting with its readers through its portrayal of just your ordinary citizens which many Vermonters can relate to. Getting my news online is both convenient and very appealing at a time when we are seeing many newspapers closing its doors due to the recent economic downturn and our text makes the point that “people are finding alternatives for news, many of them online.” (Vivian 100) Therefore, as our guest speaker Brad Robertson of The Burlington Free Press told us it has become a priority of newspapers to strengthen their web content as we experience this aesthetic shift with many 21st century media consumers preferring to read their “news” on the Internet.
While standing at the kitchen counter vigorously drinking a glass of orange juice and eating a bowl of cereal, I find myself briskly scanning the headlines of The Burlington Free Press online from my iPhone. As I haven’t had a subscription to a local newspaper since growing up when my family received two local papers and The Boston Globe, I feel this gives me the opportunity to better connect with the community I live in. Now my neocortex is really cooking with grease as I read the local headlines. This paper is particularly good at connecting with its readers through its portrayal of just your ordinary citizens which many Vermonters can relate to. Getting my news online is both convenient and very appealing at a time when we are seeing many newspapers closing its doors due to the recent economic downturn and our text makes the point that “people are finding alternatives for news, many of them online.” (Vivian 100) Therefore, as our guest speaker Brad Robertson of The Burlington Free Press told us it has become a priority of newspapers to strengthen their web content as we experience this aesthetic shift with many 21st century media consumers preferring to read their “news” on the Internet.
In the meantime, the kids have woken up, they are dressed and ready for the day and we are driving towards Burlington, the first stop is daycare and then it’s on to work for me. Immediately the music requests come in from my son so I plug in the MP3 player and I select one of our household’s favorite artists, Dan Zanes. As music is such an important part of our family’s lives our children have already been exposed to many genres of music in their youth. As we listen to the lyrics of Dan Zanes it feeds my limbic brain. His quirkiness and comical demeanor and the values which are embedded in his music coincide with strong personal values that I share. Call me old fashioned as downloading music from the Internet is clearly the latest rage, I am still one to support the music industry by buying the actual cds. As we experience this technological shift in where we acquire our music, the recording industry has been slow to react to consumer behavior. Whether it’s illegal downloading or purchasing from iTunes, our text points to the fact that downloading music from the Internet is on the rise and the recording music industry has had to move quickly to get on top of the downloading technology with new retailing models as traditional brick-and-mortar stores’ music sales are declining. (Vivian 137)
As the day quickly passes and even though I find e-mail consuming large portions of my work day, I still get home at the end of the day and one of the first things I do is get on the Internet and check my personal e-mail accounts. I vividly remember when we had an account with AOL in the early days the famous words “you’ve got mail”. Whether it’s “surfing” the Web, “Googling” a topic, shopping on-line, reading blogs, or interacting in the social media space, the Internet has a strong presence in my daily life. The author of our text says that “the Web enables people to be their own editors, choosing what to read and watch rather than having those decisions made by faraway editors.” (Vivian 254) As I experience this personal shift by actively participating in the Internet craze I often feel like a young child as I experiment in this new media landscape learning new skills all the time. Watching the Internet develop over the past ten plus years I am able to see what an impact it is playing in business today. As both consumers and purveyors of media we have embarked on this cultural shift where advertisers and businesses are now tracking consumer behavior through the websites visited with the goal of understanding and relating more directly with consumers.
Dinner is just about ready so I quickly switch gears and help get food on the table. In the background we turn on “the tool of the government and industry too which is destined to rule and regulate you.” (Frank Zappa) Whether it’s watching the evening “news” with Brian Williams and then Katie Couric the stories all start sounding the same. In between the brief snippets of information at this time of day the advertisements are usually one drug commercial after another. Advertisers almost have you convinced that you have some sort of condition that you begin to wonder if you really might need the latest drug that they’re pushing. I’ve refused to be a complete slave to the tube as we’ve held off getting a satellite dish and cable doesn’t come down our road. My parents’ generation the television seems to always be on for background noise. That would seem to make sense as our text book says “that almost every household in the U.S. which has at least one television set on average, the television is playing about seven hours a day in those households.” (Vivian 209) Many people in society have abused television to the point where being a couch potato is an accepted form of activity and the allure that it once stood for in the golden years has long been forgotten.
After getting through the dinner hour we start heading upstairs at 7pm to get the kids ready for bed which entails getting their pajamas on, washing up and then they begin to unwind as we read them books. Lately our son has been interested in reading I Spy’s and Where’s Waldo’s which are developing his skills of concentration and object identification. Then he usually picks out one of his many Thomas the Tank Engine books where phrases like “I’m old square wheels”, “cinders and ashes”, “ you pouty puffer” and “you’re a galloping sausage” come alive from the pages in the stories. Our daughter on the other hand loves hearing Peggy Rathman’s Ten Minutes to Bedtime, Is Your Mama a Llama or any book with animals. As these days children’s books are primarily what I’m reading we try and pick books with strong value messages. I often read book reviews on Amazon.com in search of new children’s books. In our household going to the bookstore is considered a fun outing and it’s not uncommon that we can spend quite a while there. So even though our text points to a “growing concern that young people are drifting away from books and people are increasingly alliterate, meaning that they can read but choose not to” (Vivian 71), I feel as long as I can instill in my children the importance of reading by making it a fun activity then I can only hope that they will not become one of these statistics.
With the kids all tucked in bed I retreat back downstairs where for the last few hours left in the day I can truly find some time to unwind. Meanwhile my husband has cued up the dvd player with the movie we received from Netflix titled Tune in Tomorrow the documentary of the Waterbury, VT based WDEV community radio station. In reflecting on this film what filmmaker Ed Dooley does so well is interview respected individuals in the community whose testimonials reinforce the importance of community radio as a cornerstone to a community offering unique programming with flexibility at a time in commercial radio where robo-programming is the norm. Since viewing the film I find myself streaming the live audio from 9 to 11am through my headphones while at work. What I value in community radio is that during talk shows when listeners call in it is refreshing to hear the perspectives of my fellow Vermonters from all sides of the issues. Additionally, I appreciate what Bill McKibben said in the film that community radio like WDEV can be appealing to listeners because you can take an interest in learning a little bit about everything. As I often prefer watching independent films which make their debuts at the various film festivals as our text mentions “for those films that are produced by the so-called independent studios once they establish a track record they end up being acquired by a major studio.” (Vivian 168) So these days it seems even more difficult to find a truly authentic independent film and Tune in Tomorrow seems fits this description.
Well it’s now that time in the evening when I find myself beginning to dose so I pull myself off the couch and head upstairs to get ready for bed. Once in bed I usually thrust one last ditch effort to glance at a magazine that is sitting on the floor by my bed. Tonight I chose National Geographic Adventure where I’m taken to east Africa and retracing the steps of an elephant that walked hundreds of miles in the story The Secret Lives of Elephants. In this feature article the author uses scientific evidence as it sites leading experts in the field and rhetorical questions to further engage the reader. Unlike earlier in the history of magazines where icons such as Life and the Saturday Evening Post had an appeal to most readers our text mentions “when the industry was reinventing itself it sought slices of the mass audience, not the whole.” (Vivian 118) Thus the couple magazines that I currently subscribe to like Yankee and National Geographic Adventure would fall into this category of a niche media appealing to specific populations within society. As I near the end of the article I find it getting harder and harder to stay awake so I put the magazine on the floor, make sure my alarm is set and shut off my light so that I can do it all over again the next day.
I’m surprised I don’t dream more about my daily experiences with mass media and if I did, would they be nightmares? Life is like a train that is moving at high speed looking out the window the landscape is changing and I’m not sure where I’m going & when I’ll be getting off. I’m feeling excited to be living in a time where I can actively engage in the making of media tools. I don’t think we’ve yet realized the impact the digital age is having on our lives. Will we slow down to catch our breath and if we do will we skip a beat? What will our media landscape look like in a year, in five years or even ten years out and will any or most of the media platforms be a just a memory and stories we can tell our children and grandchildren? Only time will tell.
Dinner is just about ready so I quickly switch gears and help get food on the table. In the background we turn on “the tool of the government and industry too which is destined to rule and regulate you.” (Frank Zappa) Whether it’s watching the evening “news” with Brian Williams and then Katie Couric the stories all start sounding the same. In between the brief snippets of information at this time of day the advertisements are usually one drug commercial after another. Advertisers almost have you convinced that you have some sort of condition that you begin to wonder if you really might need the latest drug that they’re pushing. I’ve refused to be a complete slave to the tube as we’ve held off getting a satellite dish and cable doesn’t come down our road. My parents’ generation the television seems to always be on for background noise. That would seem to make sense as our text book says “that almost every household in the U.S. which has at least one television set on average, the television is playing about seven hours a day in those households.” (Vivian 209) Many people in society have abused television to the point where being a couch potato is an accepted form of activity and the allure that it once stood for in the golden years has long been forgotten.
After getting through the dinner hour we start heading upstairs at 7pm to get the kids ready for bed which entails getting their pajamas on, washing up and then they begin to unwind as we read them books. Lately our son has been interested in reading I Spy’s and Where’s Waldo’s which are developing his skills of concentration and object identification. Then he usually picks out one of his many Thomas the Tank Engine books where phrases like “I’m old square wheels”, “cinders and ashes”, “ you pouty puffer” and “you’re a galloping sausage” come alive from the pages in the stories. Our daughter on the other hand loves hearing Peggy Rathman’s Ten Minutes to Bedtime, Is Your Mama a Llama or any book with animals. As these days children’s books are primarily what I’m reading we try and pick books with strong value messages. I often read book reviews on Amazon.com in search of new children’s books. In our household going to the bookstore is considered a fun outing and it’s not uncommon that we can spend quite a while there. So even though our text points to a “growing concern that young people are drifting away from books and people are increasingly alliterate, meaning that they can read but choose not to” (Vivian 71), I feel as long as I can instill in my children the importance of reading by making it a fun activity then I can only hope that they will not become one of these statistics.
With the kids all tucked in bed I retreat back downstairs where for the last few hours left in the day I can truly find some time to unwind. Meanwhile my husband has cued up the dvd player with the movie we received from Netflix titled Tune in Tomorrow the documentary of the Waterbury, VT based WDEV community radio station. In reflecting on this film what filmmaker Ed Dooley does so well is interview respected individuals in the community whose testimonials reinforce the importance of community radio as a cornerstone to a community offering unique programming with flexibility at a time in commercial radio where robo-programming is the norm. Since viewing the film I find myself streaming the live audio from 9 to 11am through my headphones while at work. What I value in community radio is that during talk shows when listeners call in it is refreshing to hear the perspectives of my fellow Vermonters from all sides of the issues. Additionally, I appreciate what Bill McKibben said in the film that community radio like WDEV can be appealing to listeners because you can take an interest in learning a little bit about everything. As I often prefer watching independent films which make their debuts at the various film festivals as our text mentions “for those films that are produced by the so-called independent studios once they establish a track record they end up being acquired by a major studio.” (Vivian 168) So these days it seems even more difficult to find a truly authentic independent film and Tune in Tomorrow seems fits this description.
Well it’s now that time in the evening when I find myself beginning to dose so I pull myself off the couch and head upstairs to get ready for bed. Once in bed I usually thrust one last ditch effort to glance at a magazine that is sitting on the floor by my bed. Tonight I chose National Geographic Adventure where I’m taken to east Africa and retracing the steps of an elephant that walked hundreds of miles in the story The Secret Lives of Elephants. In this feature article the author uses scientific evidence as it sites leading experts in the field and rhetorical questions to further engage the reader. Unlike earlier in the history of magazines where icons such as Life and the Saturday Evening Post had an appeal to most readers our text mentions “when the industry was reinventing itself it sought slices of the mass audience, not the whole.” (Vivian 118) Thus the couple magazines that I currently subscribe to like Yankee and National Geographic Adventure would fall into this category of a niche media appealing to specific populations within society. As I near the end of the article I find it getting harder and harder to stay awake so I put the magazine on the floor, make sure my alarm is set and shut off my light so that I can do it all over again the next day.
I’m surprised I don’t dream more about my daily experiences with mass media and if I did, would they be nightmares? Life is like a train that is moving at high speed looking out the window the landscape is changing and I’m not sure where I’m going & when I’ll be getting off. I’m feeling excited to be living in a time where I can actively engage in the making of media tools. I don’t think we’ve yet realized the impact the digital age is having on our lives. Will we slow down to catch our breath and if we do will we skip a beat? What will our media landscape look like in a year, in five years or even ten years out and will any or most of the media platforms be a just a memory and stories we can tell our children and grandchildren? Only time will tell.
Friday, April 10, 2009
For Monday, April 13th: Blogging Chapter 12 (Public Relations)
Chapter 12:
In reading chapter 12, I found it interesting to learn about the “dialogic” approach which has evolved emphasizing an approach to PR that is different from the traditional communication through the mass media broadcasting messages. This approach focuses on having a dialogue with and listening to your many publics, stakeholders, and consumers; one that is grounded in the social sciences. It’s about developing relationships and communicating with various publics versus sending mass messages to them in hopes that they will relate to them. To me it is a very targeted and deliberate kind of communication and as the text says “a two-way street for communication”. I see this as a great way for PR professionals to really understand and connect with their target publics.
Many PR professionals today say that PR has to re-invent itself with the onset of the digital media. Traditional tools once used to communicate with the media are outdated and no longer effective. It seems to me that this field is on the brink of great opportunities as professionals learn to leverage Web 2.0 in order to connect with their stakeholders, consumers and various publics. My question is will the Web be able to save a profession that has received a lot of negative feedback and be successful at re-inventing itself?
A “fact” I found interesting which is worth noting is traditional news/press releases today are primarily issued by public companies as a way of tracking events and information. The 21st century news release has been reinvented and gone digital, the social media news release. Since it is transmitted via the Internet it is interactive in nature with links to related blogs, websites, videos, etc. that are supportive collateral.
“Toxic Sludge is Good for You”
In previous comments by my colleagues it was noted that the film begins with a “Sci-Fi” like music, somewhat gloomy tones tapping into the limbic brain. Though this film’s main premise is that the PR industry main purpose per Professor Stuart Ewen is “to permeate messages that are designed to effect public behavior and thought”, this generalization obviously gives a negative connotation for the PR industry. In the example of the “Toxic Sludge is Good for You”, and the campaign by the Water Environment Federation it is worth noting that this organization was government funded by the EPA for its educational campaign. So it’s no surprise that the government would want to put their own spin on this idea of toxic sludge, renamed biosolids, as a good thing for the environment. I would challenge Professor Ewen in his last comment when he says that “In order to change and challenge the propaganda apparatus the only way to do it is for the communications system and the tools of public expression to become things that are more and more in the hands of ordinary people. Unless we begin to have a more democratic creation of the media environment the current system is not going to change. But the possibility is there and the tools are within reach.” Without knowing exactly when this film was created I can already see that today the PR industry is in the process of changing how it communicates with its publics. Through the Web PR professionals are realizing that they can no longer project their messages to mass media, but rather they need to communicate with ordinary people through blogs and other chat areas and engage in one to one conversations in order to connect with their publics.
In reading chapter 12, I found it interesting to learn about the “dialogic” approach which has evolved emphasizing an approach to PR that is different from the traditional communication through the mass media broadcasting messages. This approach focuses on having a dialogue with and listening to your many publics, stakeholders, and consumers; one that is grounded in the social sciences. It’s about developing relationships and communicating with various publics versus sending mass messages to them in hopes that they will relate to them. To me it is a very targeted and deliberate kind of communication and as the text says “a two-way street for communication”. I see this as a great way for PR professionals to really understand and connect with their target publics.
Many PR professionals today say that PR has to re-invent itself with the onset of the digital media. Traditional tools once used to communicate with the media are outdated and no longer effective. It seems to me that this field is on the brink of great opportunities as professionals learn to leverage Web 2.0 in order to connect with their stakeholders, consumers and various publics. My question is will the Web be able to save a profession that has received a lot of negative feedback and be successful at re-inventing itself?
A “fact” I found interesting which is worth noting is traditional news/press releases today are primarily issued by public companies as a way of tracking events and information. The 21st century news release has been reinvented and gone digital, the social media news release. Since it is transmitted via the Internet it is interactive in nature with links to related blogs, websites, videos, etc. that are supportive collateral.
“Toxic Sludge is Good for You”
In previous comments by my colleagues it was noted that the film begins with a “Sci-Fi” like music, somewhat gloomy tones tapping into the limbic brain. Though this film’s main premise is that the PR industry main purpose per Professor Stuart Ewen is “to permeate messages that are designed to effect public behavior and thought”, this generalization obviously gives a negative connotation for the PR industry. In the example of the “Toxic Sludge is Good for You”, and the campaign by the Water Environment Federation it is worth noting that this organization was government funded by the EPA for its educational campaign. So it’s no surprise that the government would want to put their own spin on this idea of toxic sludge, renamed biosolids, as a good thing for the environment. I would challenge Professor Ewen in his last comment when he says that “In order to change and challenge the propaganda apparatus the only way to do it is for the communications system and the tools of public expression to become things that are more and more in the hands of ordinary people. Unless we begin to have a more democratic creation of the media environment the current system is not going to change. But the possibility is there and the tools are within reach.” Without knowing exactly when this film was created I can already see that today the PR industry is in the process of changing how it communicates with its publics. Through the Web PR professionals are realizing that they can no longer project their messages to mass media, but rather they need to communicate with ordinary people through blogs and other chat areas and engage in one to one conversations in order to connect with their publics.
Friday, April 3, 2009
For Monday, April 6: The Internet (Read and Blog on Chapter 10)
Chapter 10:
In reading chapter 10 it was interesting to learn how the Internet as a mass medium communication vehicle is still in its infancy. Advertisers are seeking out web sites where potential consumers frequent to pitch their products and target their messages to. We are seeing a huge shift in advertisers no longer utilizing traditional media platforms as in newspapers, magazines, radio and television which are costly but rather choosing the Internet to get to their target audiences. Personally I think this is a huge arena that we’ve barely scratched the surface on and we don’t fully know the impact it can have on a business. Developing metrics to track web traffic of consumers is what CPG, consumer packaged goods companies are now looking to do. It’s a very exciting time to be involved in digital media as it’s vastly changing the landscape of how we once viewed business in a traditional setting.
The text mentions that major media companies are all trying to get a piece of the action in terms of the digital age we are currently in. Many companies are collaborating to offer services. As we continue to see a convergence of media technology via the Internet the fear is that “the Internet will lose its diversity through ownership consolidation.” My question is if it looks as though we are headed in that direction will we see government intervention in regulation to control media conglomerates from over stepping the boundaries?
A “fact” worth noting is that in the Middle East and Africa combined there are only 7.5 million Web users which is a problem if our goal as a society is access for all.
My experience with e-mailing and the Internet dates back to the mid to late ‘90s after college. I can remember sending e-mail between ’96-’98 from an old black and white Apple computer that my husband had while we were living in North Carolina. Since our e-mail account was with AOL at the time we could receive IM (instant messages) from friends while we were on-line. I vaguely recall searching for a home to buy on the Internet 10 years ago upon moving to Vermont. It was when we moved to Vermont and we acquired a lap top computer that I really began “surfing” the Web and making purchases and researching products, etc. These last 10 years seem a bit of a blur in terms when I really got sucked into the Internet. I would also say that as the Web has changed and grown I have not kept up with its potential in terms of new sites and social networking. (I have realized through this class that I want to change that in me and become more web savy.) It’s hard to imagine life without the Internet and I wonder how people of my parents’ generation can possibly go through life without utilizing it. However, growing up pre Internet wasn’t all that bad either.
In reading chapter 10 it was interesting to learn how the Internet as a mass medium communication vehicle is still in its infancy. Advertisers are seeking out web sites where potential consumers frequent to pitch their products and target their messages to. We are seeing a huge shift in advertisers no longer utilizing traditional media platforms as in newspapers, magazines, radio and television which are costly but rather choosing the Internet to get to their target audiences. Personally I think this is a huge arena that we’ve barely scratched the surface on and we don’t fully know the impact it can have on a business. Developing metrics to track web traffic of consumers is what CPG, consumer packaged goods companies are now looking to do. It’s a very exciting time to be involved in digital media as it’s vastly changing the landscape of how we once viewed business in a traditional setting.
The text mentions that major media companies are all trying to get a piece of the action in terms of the digital age we are currently in. Many companies are collaborating to offer services. As we continue to see a convergence of media technology via the Internet the fear is that “the Internet will lose its diversity through ownership consolidation.” My question is if it looks as though we are headed in that direction will we see government intervention in regulation to control media conglomerates from over stepping the boundaries?
A “fact” worth noting is that in the Middle East and Africa combined there are only 7.5 million Web users which is a problem if our goal as a society is access for all.
My experience with e-mailing and the Internet dates back to the mid to late ‘90s after college. I can remember sending e-mail between ’96-’98 from an old black and white Apple computer that my husband had while we were living in North Carolina. Since our e-mail account was with AOL at the time we could receive IM (instant messages) from friends while we were on-line. I vaguely recall searching for a home to buy on the Internet 10 years ago upon moving to Vermont. It was when we moved to Vermont and we acquired a lap top computer that I really began “surfing” the Web and making purchases and researching products, etc. These last 10 years seem a bit of a blur in terms when I really got sucked into the Internet. I would also say that as the Web has changed and grown I have not kept up with its potential in terms of new sites and social networking. (I have realized through this class that I want to change that in me and become more web savy.) It’s hard to imagine life without the Internet and I wonder how people of my parents’ generation can possibly go through life without utilizing it. However, growing up pre Internet wasn’t all that bad either.
Monday, March 30, 2009
For Tuesday, March 31: Listen to "The Sweet Remains," Prepare a Question for Special Guest Rich Price
After having explored the band’s website I learned that they play in NYC at the Canal Room the 3rd Sunday of every month. They describe it as “in the round, living room-style.” I’m not sure what that means and I’m wondering if you could elaborate on that?
Where do you find the inspiration for most of your lyrics? How has the Internet leveraged your band that you feel a traditional record label would be unable to do? What do you see as the future of music via Web 2.0? Do you have any plans and/or desires to be signed by a major label? Where in Africa were you born?
Where do you find the inspiration for most of your lyrics? How has the Internet leveraged your band that you feel a traditional record label would be unable to do? What do you see as the future of music via Web 2.0? Do you have any plans and/or desires to be signed by a major label? Where in Africa were you born?
Sunday, March 29, 2009
In Class Film: "Tune in Tomorrow" - What Makes Community Radio Unique?
Characteristics which make “community radio stations unique”:
- It’s not uncommon to hear people you know being interviewed on the air.
- Issues that are discussed during talk shows are current, relevant issues to your immediate surroundings which one can easily relate to.
- It would seem as though since it offers a little but about everything that one could find interest in something.
- It’s flexible and adaptable to programming based on what’s happening.
Since watching the film, I found out that it was shown at this year’s Green Mountain Film Festival which just concluded in Montpelier. I enjoyed the film so much that this past Thursday and Friday at work I listened to the live streamlined programming from 9 until 11am. I appreciate what Bill McKibben said in the film that community radio like WDEV can be appealing to listeners because you can take an interest in learning a little bit about everything.
- It’s not uncommon to hear people you know being interviewed on the air.
- Issues that are discussed during talk shows are current, relevant issues to your immediate surroundings which one can easily relate to.
- It would seem as though since it offers a little but about everything that one could find interest in something.
- It’s flexible and adaptable to programming based on what’s happening.
Since watching the film, I found out that it was shown at this year’s Green Mountain Film Festival which just concluded in Montpelier. I enjoyed the film so much that this past Thursday and Friday at work I listened to the live streamlined programming from 9 until 11am. I appreciate what Bill McKibben said in the film that community radio like WDEV can be appealing to listeners because you can take an interest in learning a little bit about everything.
For Monday, March 30th: Television (Read and blog on Chapter 9 and Chapter 20)
Chapter 9:
In reading chapter 9 it was interesting to learn about the paradigm shift we are currently experiencing with regards to television viewing. People are not revolving their schedules around television programming but rather they are watching television when it is convenient for them. With the onset of mobile devices network television has created short episodes for viewing on portable devices which are about one minute in length called mobisodes. From what I understand since people are no longer necessarily watching television from their living room televisions and are on the move some are opting to watch from their mobile devices in between checking e-mails and surfing the Internet. These mobisodes could be seen as a marketing scheme by television producers to get viewers to watch the full length episodes at a later time.
In this chapter we also learned about webisodes which are “four minute mini-movies on the Web which are usually sponsored by major brands and sometimes the advertisers are part of the story line.” My question is are webisodes just a phase in advertising or will they gain popularity as marketing on the Internet evolves?
One “fact” I learned from this chapter is that the Fox network didn’t arrive on the scene until 1986.
Chapter 20:
In chapter 20 towards the end after all of the discussion on ethics I was really struck by the fact that plagiarism is somewhat of an accepted practice in journalism. This idea that story swapping through the Associated Press is quite common and neither the AP or other journalists give credit to the sources seems a bit bizarre. The text attributes this “borrowing tolerance” to the fact that everyone is under pressure to collect information quickly and get it out to the public that it has become a common practice.
A question I have is I wonder how often high profile members of society like celebrities call press conferences to divulge information about themselves that if left unsaid would surface in the media due to the unethical practices which journalists often engage in inorder to break a newsworthy story. It’s as if celebrity figures are under extreme pressure to make statements about their personal situations when in fact the information might not be that important but because they live such high profile lives they feel as though they don’t have any other choice. And it would be better for them to set the record straight. I was disturbed to read about how Arthur Ashe for somewhat forced to announce that he had AIDS nearly twenty years ago.
A “fact” from this chapter is that in all the media ethics codes which exist today gifts and bribes are not condoned yet it seems as though it’s a common practice by many.
Television Experience:
Until enrolling in this class I had watched my share of television over the years. I’ve often viewed my time in front of the tube as a way to unwind and relax after the kids have been put to bed. One could argue that I could pick up a book and read which is much more stimulating and engaging for the mind but sometimes when you’ve had a long day and you find yourself laying on the couch with the television on it doesn’t really matter what you’re watching because you’re not paying that much attention to it. It’s a mindless distraction that allows you to relax. I haven’t found that I’ve missed watching television too much over these last few months and I guess if it was that important I could record the shows for viewing at another time. I must admit that I haven’t discovered watching television episodes on the Internet yet. As an aside, since moving to Vermont 10 years ago the road we live on doesn’t get cable and I have refused to get a dish because we get all the major networks with rabbit ear antennas.
In reading chapter 9 it was interesting to learn about the paradigm shift we are currently experiencing with regards to television viewing. People are not revolving their schedules around television programming but rather they are watching television when it is convenient for them. With the onset of mobile devices network television has created short episodes for viewing on portable devices which are about one minute in length called mobisodes. From what I understand since people are no longer necessarily watching television from their living room televisions and are on the move some are opting to watch from their mobile devices in between checking e-mails and surfing the Internet. These mobisodes could be seen as a marketing scheme by television producers to get viewers to watch the full length episodes at a later time.
In this chapter we also learned about webisodes which are “four minute mini-movies on the Web which are usually sponsored by major brands and sometimes the advertisers are part of the story line.” My question is are webisodes just a phase in advertising or will they gain popularity as marketing on the Internet evolves?
One “fact” I learned from this chapter is that the Fox network didn’t arrive on the scene until 1986.
Chapter 20:
In chapter 20 towards the end after all of the discussion on ethics I was really struck by the fact that plagiarism is somewhat of an accepted practice in journalism. This idea that story swapping through the Associated Press is quite common and neither the AP or other journalists give credit to the sources seems a bit bizarre. The text attributes this “borrowing tolerance” to the fact that everyone is under pressure to collect information quickly and get it out to the public that it has become a common practice.
A question I have is I wonder how often high profile members of society like celebrities call press conferences to divulge information about themselves that if left unsaid would surface in the media due to the unethical practices which journalists often engage in inorder to break a newsworthy story. It’s as if celebrity figures are under extreme pressure to make statements about their personal situations when in fact the information might not be that important but because they live such high profile lives they feel as though they don’t have any other choice. And it would be better for them to set the record straight. I was disturbed to read about how Arthur Ashe for somewhat forced to announce that he had AIDS nearly twenty years ago.
A “fact” from this chapter is that in all the media ethics codes which exist today gifts and bribes are not condoned yet it seems as though it’s a common practice by many.
Television Experience:
Until enrolling in this class I had watched my share of television over the years. I’ve often viewed my time in front of the tube as a way to unwind and relax after the kids have been put to bed. One could argue that I could pick up a book and read which is much more stimulating and engaging for the mind but sometimes when you’ve had a long day and you find yourself laying on the couch with the television on it doesn’t really matter what you’re watching because you’re not paying that much attention to it. It’s a mindless distraction that allows you to relax. I haven’t found that I’ve missed watching television too much over these last few months and I guess if it was that important I could record the shows for viewing at another time. I must admit that I haven’t discovered watching television episodes on the Internet yet. As an aside, since moving to Vermont 10 years ago the road we live on doesn’t get cable and I have refused to get a dish because we get all the major networks with rabbit ear antennas.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
For Monday, March 23rd: In Class Films: "Behind the Screens" and "Reel Bad Arabs"
I too would agree that “Reel Bad Arabs” has a more persuasive argument in its criticism of Hollywood. It is evident in how Arabs have been personified in films throughout the years translating into stereotypes filled with hatred and lies. The narrator, Dr. Jack Shaheen says in order to reverse the damage in our depiction of Arabs in films "we must not remain silent no matter what our role is in media". While in the film “Behind The Screens” the main premise was that films have become an effective vehicle for selling product and that it’s virtually impossible to create great films. Though I would agree that this is degrading the art of film making to some degree, the experts neglected to discuss the role of independent films and/or studios therefore not providing us with a complete analysis of this so called hypercommercialism era we are currently experiencing in Hollywood.
For Monday, March 23: Blog Chapter 8 (Radio) and Chapter 19 (Mass Media Law)
Chapter 8:
In reading chapter eight I found it interesting to learn that even as mainstream radio’s audiences are shrinking with the onset of new media like MP3 players where you can determine your own commercial-free playlist, the text says that the public radio audience is growing. Public radio has a growing and loyal audience for news and public affairs which historically mainstream radio has veered away from. One argument the text makes in support of why audiences have decreased over the years is that radio station owners made a decision early on to veer away from “promoting citizen participation in the life of the community and public affairs that it was all but forgotten”.
My question is what shift will radio need to make to regain its audiences in order to be competitive with other 21st century media like MP3 players and satellite radio? Could we possibly see more grassroots/local radio stations like college radio stations filling the void for providing local news and a focus on community events?
One “fact” from this chapter to remember would be the radio conglomerate, Clear Channel comprises of 1,200 plus stations with up to 8 stations in certain markets.
Chapter 19:
An interesting observation from this chapter is when they were discussing Google’s latest venture of digitizing entire collections of five major libraries they state that whatever comes of this project it is apparent that “mass media companies are less in control of the technology that is reshaping the world than are companies and individuals who specialize in the research and creative thinking that brings about technical revolution”. I found that observation by the author of the text to be profound in that one would think that media companies are filled with creative individuals whose main job is to come up with innovative ideas to further position their company and/or products to be at the forefront of technology within the industry. For whatever reason it seems as though that’s not always the case.
My question is why aren’t media companies more creative and innovative when it comes to new product development within an industry which appears to be changing so quickly? Why are so many media companies unable to adapt to new technology that in many cases is being created by individuals to counteract the current system?
An interesting “fact” from this chapter is that “copyright” has been in existence since the beginning of the Republic as it was written into the Constitution by our founders. The text goes on to say that in 1790 when Congress first convened the second law to be passed was for copyright as they were trying to encourage creativity.
A Recent Radio Experience:
Lately I enjoy the times when I am alone in my car even if it’s only for 5 minutes to listen to VPR on my drive to work. As I don’t have many opportunities to listen to news on the radio these days since my commute to Burlington includes dropping the kids off at daycare at least my 5 year old has acquired an eclectic taste in music which he prefers to listen to and it doesn’t include nursery rhymes. There are many shows I enjoy listening to on NPR specifically Fresh Air, All Things Considered and Marketplace. These days when Kai Risdall does the numbers it’s often quite depressing. When I have to drive any distance in my car and I find I’ve forgotten cds or my MP3 player, I must admit that I end up scanning the fm dial and there aren’t many stations which come in on Interstate 89 between Burlington and southern NH. So I think if there are any aspiring disc jockeys in our class it seems as though now is the time and radio in Northern New England needs you.
In reading chapter eight I found it interesting to learn that even as mainstream radio’s audiences are shrinking with the onset of new media like MP3 players where you can determine your own commercial-free playlist, the text says that the public radio audience is growing. Public radio has a growing and loyal audience for news and public affairs which historically mainstream radio has veered away from. One argument the text makes in support of why audiences have decreased over the years is that radio station owners made a decision early on to veer away from “promoting citizen participation in the life of the community and public affairs that it was all but forgotten”.
My question is what shift will radio need to make to regain its audiences in order to be competitive with other 21st century media like MP3 players and satellite radio? Could we possibly see more grassroots/local radio stations like college radio stations filling the void for providing local news and a focus on community events?
One “fact” from this chapter to remember would be the radio conglomerate, Clear Channel comprises of 1,200 plus stations with up to 8 stations in certain markets.
Chapter 19:
An interesting observation from this chapter is when they were discussing Google’s latest venture of digitizing entire collections of five major libraries they state that whatever comes of this project it is apparent that “mass media companies are less in control of the technology that is reshaping the world than are companies and individuals who specialize in the research and creative thinking that brings about technical revolution”. I found that observation by the author of the text to be profound in that one would think that media companies are filled with creative individuals whose main job is to come up with innovative ideas to further position their company and/or products to be at the forefront of technology within the industry. For whatever reason it seems as though that’s not always the case.
My question is why aren’t media companies more creative and innovative when it comes to new product development within an industry which appears to be changing so quickly? Why are so many media companies unable to adapt to new technology that in many cases is being created by individuals to counteract the current system?
An interesting “fact” from this chapter is that “copyright” has been in existence since the beginning of the Republic as it was written into the Constitution by our founders. The text goes on to say that in 1790 when Congress first convened the second law to be passed was for copyright as they were trying to encourage creativity.
A Recent Radio Experience:
Lately I enjoy the times when I am alone in my car even if it’s only for 5 minutes to listen to VPR on my drive to work. As I don’t have many opportunities to listen to news on the radio these days since my commute to Burlington includes dropping the kids off at daycare at least my 5 year old has acquired an eclectic taste in music which he prefers to listen to and it doesn’t include nursery rhymes. There are many shows I enjoy listening to on NPR specifically Fresh Air, All Things Considered and Marketplace. These days when Kai Risdall does the numbers it’s often quite depressing. When I have to drive any distance in my car and I find I’ve forgotten cds or my MP3 player, I must admit that I end up scanning the fm dial and there aren’t many stations which come in on Interstate 89 between Burlington and southern NH. So I think if there are any aspiring disc jockeys in our class it seems as though now is the time and radio in Northern New England needs you.
Friday, March 13, 2009
For the week of March 17th: Blogging Chapter 7 (Motion Pictures) & Chapter 18 (Mass Media and Governance)
Chapter 7:
I enjoyed reading chapter seven as I feel I gained a new perspective on the movie industry. As a child and young adult I have vivid memories of going to the movies with my family to see the most recently released films. I found it interesting to learn how documentary films were first introduced when in 1921 the explorer Robert Flaherty went up to the Arctic to film the life of an Eskimo family which resulted in a 57 minute film. Then to read how this particular genre was used during World War II as propaganda films created by the Nazis and even the U.S. is interesting.
As an aside, recently my son was introduced to Frank Zappa and we’ve heard the song “Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow” many times. I didn’t realize that the lyrics of this song were based on the Robert Flaherty’s story Nanook of the North since Zappa speaks of Nanook in this song.
My question is as I am a strong proponent of independent films I am wondering if as Hollywood continues to evolve will we see them seeking out more film festivals in search of artistic creations which have the potential to be the next blockbusters?
One “fact” from this chapter to remember is that Toy Story which came out in 1995 by Pixar was the first movie produced entirely by computers. And in 2006 Disney bought Pixar from Steve Jobs making him the largest shareholder at Disney.
Chapter 18:
In chapter eighteen I enjoyed reading how Helen Thomas progressed in her career and earned herself senior reporter status in the White House press corps. Her success as a female journalist at a time when the profession was male-dominated is an important historical milestone for women establishing careers in the field of media and journalism.
In this chapter they discussed how past presidents have influenced media coverage. For example Theodore Roosevelt’s famous “fireside chats” which were broadcast on Sundays in time for coverage in the Monday edition of newspapers. My question is will President Obama choose a particular medium to address and influence U.S. citizens and if so is it via the Internet?
A “fact” to remember about this chapter is that through trial balloons the media is used in order to see how the public will respond to potential information that political leaders are considering unveiling. Now that I know this happens I’m not sure this makes me feel any better about our politicians.
I enjoyed reading chapter seven as I feel I gained a new perspective on the movie industry. As a child and young adult I have vivid memories of going to the movies with my family to see the most recently released films. I found it interesting to learn how documentary films were first introduced when in 1921 the explorer Robert Flaherty went up to the Arctic to film the life of an Eskimo family which resulted in a 57 minute film. Then to read how this particular genre was used during World War II as propaganda films created by the Nazis and even the U.S. is interesting.
As an aside, recently my son was introduced to Frank Zappa and we’ve heard the song “Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow” many times. I didn’t realize that the lyrics of this song were based on the Robert Flaherty’s story Nanook of the North since Zappa speaks of Nanook in this song.
My question is as I am a strong proponent of independent films I am wondering if as Hollywood continues to evolve will we see them seeking out more film festivals in search of artistic creations which have the potential to be the next blockbusters?
One “fact” from this chapter to remember is that Toy Story which came out in 1995 by Pixar was the first movie produced entirely by computers. And in 2006 Disney bought Pixar from Steve Jobs making him the largest shareholder at Disney.
Chapter 18:
In chapter eighteen I enjoyed reading how Helen Thomas progressed in her career and earned herself senior reporter status in the White House press corps. Her success as a female journalist at a time when the profession was male-dominated is an important historical milestone for women establishing careers in the field of media and journalism.
In this chapter they discussed how past presidents have influenced media coverage. For example Theodore Roosevelt’s famous “fireside chats” which were broadcast on Sundays in time for coverage in the Monday edition of newspapers. My question is will President Obama choose a particular medium to address and influence U.S. citizens and if so is it via the Internet?
A “fact” to remember about this chapter is that through trial balloons the media is used in order to see how the public will respond to potential information that political leaders are considering unveiling. Now that I know this happens I’m not sure this makes me feel any better about our politicians.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
For Week 9: Blogging Chapter 6 (Sound Recording)
My question is would boot leg recordings of concerts be categorized a long with pirate dubbing? I can remember when I received my first boot leg tape in the eighth grade of a Led Zeppelin concert from the early 1970s. In most cases though it might be illegal, I had always thought that people swapped boot legs of shows rather than paying for them. It was part of the fan base frenzy.
Though I’ve only had limited exposure to podcasts I find the concept fascinating. It seems like a great way for up and coming bands to gain exposure to the masses and use digital technology to market themselves. It sounds as though a lot is riding on the success of PodShow Inc. since $9 million has been invested in it from the same venture capital companies who invested in Yahoo and Google.
One “factoid” worth remembering is for a record to go platinum either 1 million albums or 2 million singles have to be sold.
Though I’ve only had limited exposure to podcasts I find the concept fascinating. It seems like a great way for up and coming bands to gain exposure to the masses and use digital technology to market themselves. It sounds as though a lot is riding on the success of PodShow Inc. since $9 million has been invested in it from the same venture capital companies who invested in Yahoo and Google.
One “factoid” worth remembering is for a record to go platinum either 1 million albums or 2 million singles have to be sold.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
For Week #7: Blogging Chapter 5 (Magazines)
In reading chapter five, I found it interesting how the magazine industry had to reinvent themselves in the latter part of the 20th century with the onset of the television. The process they underwent is called demassification which is when they fractioned into specific interests of the general population serving these niche segments within society. The text goes on to say that within these mass audiences targeted were clearly defined readers unlike earlier in history when general interest magazines i.e. Life delivered something for everyone. The critics of the demassification process say that the “mass media are failing in their responsibility to enrich society”. In cooking or sports magazines there is not much “about the common good, moving toward a better society, or illuminating enduring issues”. Ultimately these magazines are in the market to develop a readership for advertisers to target with specialized products and services. We discussed this phenomenon earlier in our course with regards to media broadcasting that the number one goal is to deliver audiences to advertisers.
My question is as the role of magazines has shifted over the latter part of the 20th century will we see the Internet i.e. blogs filling that void in addressing some of what critics say was once magazines’ role to deliver to readers broad and important issues with society?
I also found it interesting to read about ownership within the magazine industry. Since this industry is also concentrated in a few major companies when they decide to purchase other companies they are looking for synergies with their existing entities. It is disheartening to read that some critics feel “these parent companies are manipulating their magazines’ content to promote their own corporate interests”. I guess there is a naïve part of me that doesn’t want to believe that.
My question is as the role of magazines has shifted over the latter part of the 20th century will we see the Internet i.e. blogs filling that void in addressing some of what critics say was once magazines’ role to deliver to readers broad and important issues with society?
I also found it interesting to read about ownership within the magazine industry. Since this industry is also concentrated in a few major companies when they decide to purchase other companies they are looking for synergies with their existing entities. It is disheartening to read that some critics feel “these parent companies are manipulating their magazines’ content to promote their own corporate interests”. I guess there is a naïve part of me that doesn’t want to believe that.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
For Week #6: Blogging Chapter 11 (News) and Chapter 17 (Global Mass Media)
Chapter 11:
O> In class we are learning that the 21st century media culture is constantly changing and in order to be engaged in it you need to be a savvy electronic media buff. I enjoyed reading about the inverted pyramid which is a format for writing news i.e. press releases. This style has been in existence since the Civil War with the invention of the telegraph news coverage could be wired quickly. Using the inverted pyramid format correspondents would tell the most important information in the beginning of their story in the event that telegraph communication lines went down in the midst of transmitting stories. This format is still widely used today by journalists and from my understanding it is foundational in any media communications writing.
Q> I was struck by the following statement from the text. “Giant media companies, intent on improving profits, have cut back on newsroom staffs and labor intensive investigative reporting. The result is that more and more reporters are called upon to be generalists and are being denied time to build expertise on complex subject matter.” My question is would Brad Robertson of the BFP agree with this statement in terms of how he is running his own newspaper and what does that say about the information and news we are receiving? Is this what the target audience wants or are we creating news just for the sake of filling up space on the page? It would be interesting to consider what’s gained and what’s lost when journalists follow this format.
Chapter 17:
O> I found it interesting to read the section on news coverage in highly guarded countries like China. The idea of prior censorship that their government is reviewing messages on the Internet before they reach their targeted audiences is amazing that a government would go to such lengths to watch dog information that is intended for its citizens. (To think that technology from US companies helped to establish these watch dog efforts i.e. Cisco and firewalls.) I realize that through censorship governments are intercepting all information that is targeted to its citizens. As we think about this idea of surveillance that is prevalent as part of our 21st century media culture even though it might feel uncomfortable and foreign to us it has essentially been a part of some countries’ government censorship of information for many years.
Q> My question is as technology changes and we continue to explore information sharing on the Internet will foreign governments be able to stay ahead of intercepting incoming information that could be detrimental to their political ideals?
News Source:
Over the years, my most trusted news source has been NPR. I have enjoyed listening to Public Radio since the mid 90’s when I was living in Colorado. As we read in our text recently most journalists have some biases but I feel that NPR does a good job at staying as objective as possible for their coverage of news. In addition, in recent months I have begun reading news on the BBC News website. Their breadth of knowledge and coverage of specific news stories of foreign countries has given me the information I was seeking and more on related topics.
O> In class we are learning that the 21st century media culture is constantly changing and in order to be engaged in it you need to be a savvy electronic media buff. I enjoyed reading about the inverted pyramid which is a format for writing news i.e. press releases. This style has been in existence since the Civil War with the invention of the telegraph news coverage could be wired quickly. Using the inverted pyramid format correspondents would tell the most important information in the beginning of their story in the event that telegraph communication lines went down in the midst of transmitting stories. This format is still widely used today by journalists and from my understanding it is foundational in any media communications writing.
Q> I was struck by the following statement from the text. “Giant media companies, intent on improving profits, have cut back on newsroom staffs and labor intensive investigative reporting. The result is that more and more reporters are called upon to be generalists and are being denied time to build expertise on complex subject matter.” My question is would Brad Robertson of the BFP agree with this statement in terms of how he is running his own newspaper and what does that say about the information and news we are receiving? Is this what the target audience wants or are we creating news just for the sake of filling up space on the page? It would be interesting to consider what’s gained and what’s lost when journalists follow this format.
Chapter 17:
O> I found it interesting to read the section on news coverage in highly guarded countries like China. The idea of prior censorship that their government is reviewing messages on the Internet before they reach their targeted audiences is amazing that a government would go to such lengths to watch dog information that is intended for its citizens. (To think that technology from US companies helped to establish these watch dog efforts i.e. Cisco and firewalls.) I realize that through censorship governments are intercepting all information that is targeted to its citizens. As we think about this idea of surveillance that is prevalent as part of our 21st century media culture even though it might feel uncomfortable and foreign to us it has essentially been a part of some countries’ government censorship of information for many years.
Q> My question is as technology changes and we continue to explore information sharing on the Internet will foreign governments be able to stay ahead of intercepting incoming information that could be detrimental to their political ideals?
News Source:
Over the years, my most trusted news source has been NPR. I have enjoyed listening to Public Radio since the mid 90’s when I was living in Colorado. As we read in our text recently most journalists have some biases but I feel that NPR does a good job at staying as objective as possible for their coverage of news. In addition, in recent months I have begun reading news on the BBC News website. Their breadth of knowledge and coverage of specific news stories of foreign countries has given me the information I was seeking and more on related topics.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Week #4: Super Bowl 2009 "Career Builders" Advertisement
Here are my thoughts in applying our four tools sets to this particular advertisement:
As a viewer I was initially startled by the woman screaming in the car in the office parking lot which you might say caused my heart to skip a beat as it accessed the reptilian part of the triune brain. The narrator's voice seemed somewhat rhythmic in lieu of any music. Additionally, the neocortex was engaged at the end of the ad when the sponsored company's name and tag line where displayed.
In terms of pursuasive techniques the overarching one used was humor. This advertisement is making light of the different experiences that an ordinary person could relate to in the workplace. It was over exaggerated to the point of hyperbole in the context of this commercial. Repitition and rhetorical questions were used as the scenes were replayed while the narrator repeated his statements.
The establishing shot as the car drove into the company parking lot set the scene for the viewer at the beginning of the ad. Through the repitition of shots the producers were able to control the pacing of the scenes. I felt that the producers used value messaging in that we all might have experienced or know someone who has experienced not being completely happy in a job. It offers a personal connection for the viewer and one where each individual can interpret their own meaning to the sitution.
I struggle with the connections that the advertisement has to the Media Matrix. Could it be there's a cultural shift present today that even though people have experienced being dissatisfied in jobs for many years the fact that we are more apt to express our unhappiness and make a career/job change as part of today's society is a cultural shift. The ad is able to convey its message through images which evoke feelings withholding written words until the end suggesting the epistemological shift that we continue to experience as part of the 21st century media culture.
As a viewer I was initially startled by the woman screaming in the car in the office parking lot which you might say caused my heart to skip a beat as it accessed the reptilian part of the triune brain. The narrator's voice seemed somewhat rhythmic in lieu of any music. Additionally, the neocortex was engaged at the end of the ad when the sponsored company's name and tag line where displayed.
In terms of pursuasive techniques the overarching one used was humor. This advertisement is making light of the different experiences that an ordinary person could relate to in the workplace. It was over exaggerated to the point of hyperbole in the context of this commercial. Repitition and rhetorical questions were used as the scenes were replayed while the narrator repeated his statements.
The establishing shot as the car drove into the company parking lot set the scene for the viewer at the beginning of the ad. Through the repitition of shots the producers were able to control the pacing of the scenes. I felt that the producers used value messaging in that we all might have experienced or know someone who has experienced not being completely happy in a job. It offers a personal connection for the viewer and one where each individual can interpret their own meaning to the sitution.
I struggle with the connections that the advertisement has to the Media Matrix. Could it be there's a cultural shift present today that even though people have experienced being dissatisfied in jobs for many years the fact that we are more apt to express our unhappiness and make a career/job change as part of today's society is a cultural shift. The ad is able to convey its message through images which evoke feelings withholding written words until the end suggesting the epistemological shift that we continue to experience as part of the 21st century media culture.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Week #5: Blogging Chapter 5 (Newspapers)
Chapter 4:
In reading chapter four, I found it interesting that as circulation continues to drop with print versions of newspapers most of the major media conglomerates are trying, some more successfully than others, to reinvent themselves and get a piece of the on-line market. As discussed in the text, different strategies exist for example the Gannet Corporation’s “Information Centers” which is their reinvention of the traditional newsroom on-line. It is where their journalists post up-to-date stories on the Web early in the morning versus writing the stories the day before in print format. They have designed their websites to be interactive with readers to include a blogging component as a forum for readers to discuss the news stories with one another. Gannett’s latest corporate philosophy is that reporting on the Web is a priority. Is this concept really new and is it really differentiating them from other media outlets?
My original question this past week in class was whether on-line versions of newspapers were the same as their counterpart print versions. In reading Chapter 4 this question was addressed in that most on-line components are at least the same and usually include more content than the print versions. Given that information, my new question is if on-line media markets are growing so much on Web 2.0 is there still a chance for innovative techniques to be unveiled in print versions of newspapers that would increase circulation and make consumers more apt to pick up a newspaper versus going on-line to get news?
Newspapers:
As I sat in the Champlain College library one evening this past week reading our chapter on newspapers staring me in the face were all of the major newspapers in the country, Boston Globe, NY Times, Christian Science Monitor, USA Today, Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post. I can honestly say that I don't read any of these newspapers on a regular basis. Growing up in the Boston area our family had a daily subscription to The Boston Globe and from time to time I would glance at it. I do read a local newspaper published in Addision County which comes free in the mail weekly, The Addison Independent. It's an interesting paper and I wouldn't say I agree with the politics that are often evident in the Editorial section, however, it does allow my to stay in touch with area events and provide some perspective of the many views and opinions of others who live around me.
In reading chapter four, I found it interesting that as circulation continues to drop with print versions of newspapers most of the major media conglomerates are trying, some more successfully than others, to reinvent themselves and get a piece of the on-line market. As discussed in the text, different strategies exist for example the Gannet Corporation’s “Information Centers” which is their reinvention of the traditional newsroom on-line. It is where their journalists post up-to-date stories on the Web early in the morning versus writing the stories the day before in print format. They have designed their websites to be interactive with readers to include a blogging component as a forum for readers to discuss the news stories with one another. Gannett’s latest corporate philosophy is that reporting on the Web is a priority. Is this concept really new and is it really differentiating them from other media outlets?
My original question this past week in class was whether on-line versions of newspapers were the same as their counterpart print versions. In reading Chapter 4 this question was addressed in that most on-line components are at least the same and usually include more content than the print versions. Given that information, my new question is if on-line media markets are growing so much on Web 2.0 is there still a chance for innovative techniques to be unveiled in print versions of newspapers that would increase circulation and make consumers more apt to pick up a newspaper versus going on-line to get news?
Newspapers:
As I sat in the Champlain College library one evening this past week reading our chapter on newspapers staring me in the face were all of the major newspapers in the country, Boston Globe, NY Times, Christian Science Monitor, USA Today, Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post. I can honestly say that I don't read any of these newspapers on a regular basis. Growing up in the Boston area our family had a daily subscription to The Boston Globe and from time to time I would glance at it. I do read a local newspaper published in Addision County which comes free in the mail weekly, The Addison Independent. It's an interesting paper and I wouldn't say I agree with the politics that are often evident in the Editorial section, however, it does allow my to stay in touch with area events and provide some perspective of the many views and opinions of others who live around me.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
January 31, 2009
Today I woke early to the sound of small footsteps going downstairs. I decided that I wanted to try my new snowshoes and I thought it would be a good activity to do with my son. After making a few phone calls to find a place to rent snowshoes for him, we made our way up the Middlebury gap to the Rikert Ski Touring Center at Breadloaf. What a beautiful day it was with pristine snow conditions and the sun shining so bright. It was crowded at Rikert since it was graduation weekend for Feb freshmen at Middlebury College and families were parking at Rikert to be shuttled to the Snowbowl where graduates traditionally ski down the slopes.
We spent about 45 minutes snowshoeing on trails and taking breaks laying in the snow on the sides of the trails. The highlight of my son's first time out on snowshoes was when we came upon some animal tracks along the trail. We followed them for a ways until they were lost in tire tracks of the snowcat groomer. We turned back when my son's hands became cold in his wet fleece mittens and he grew tired of walking.
We returned to the lodge and described the tracks we saw to a man behind the counter. He brought out a card with different animals' tracks and we came to the conclusion that we didn't think they were tracks from any of the animals we saw on the card. We sat in the lodge for a while eating our snacks as we watched folks go in and out.
Finally it was time to head home so we made the trek down the gap back into Middlebury. When we got home the first thing my son told his dad was about the animal tracks we saw. I think it was a good first experience for him and I am hoping he will be inclined to go again. Maybe next time we will remember to bring our animal tracks book.
We spent about 45 minutes snowshoeing on trails and taking breaks laying in the snow on the sides of the trails. The highlight of my son's first time out on snowshoes was when we came upon some animal tracks along the trail. We followed them for a ways until they were lost in tire tracks of the snowcat groomer. We turned back when my son's hands became cold in his wet fleece mittens and he grew tired of walking.
We returned to the lodge and described the tracks we saw to a man behind the counter. He brought out a card with different animals' tracks and we came to the conclusion that we didn't think they were tracks from any of the animals we saw on the card. We sat in the lodge for a while eating our snacks as we watched folks go in and out.
Finally it was time to head home so we made the trek down the gap back into Middlebury. When we got home the first thing my son told his dad was about the animal tracks we saw. I think it was a good first experience for him and I am hoping he will be inclined to go again. Maybe next time we will remember to bring our animal tracks book.
Week #4: Chapter 3 (Books) and Chapter 16 (Mass Media Effects)
Chapter 3:
O> I am amazed by the information you can find on Wikipedia. The fact that it was created based on software in which people contribute writings and editing anonymously on almost any topic. I can remember as a child our family’s set of encyclopedias that were kept in my sister’s room. When I was young and I had to do a research project otherwise known as a diorama, we would pull out the encyclopedias as a starting point for researching a topic. Today all of that information can be accessed through Wikipedia on the Internet. When I read the statistics that it “carries 1 million articles, compared to 120,000 in Encyclopedia Britannica”, I was astonished since I thought as a child that our set of encyclopedias were all encompassing for the time period.
Q> I am not surprised by the findings of the study conducted by the National Endowment for the Arts which said that young people are choosing not to read even though they are alliterate. My question is as a parent who chooses to read to my children at bedtime, how can we otherwise reverse the current trends and encourage our children to be engaged in reading and other activities which excite a child’s wonder and curiosity in the world we live in?
Chapter 16:
O> I am intrigued by Herbert Schiller’s concept of cultural imperialism, the idea that one culture can dominate another culture in particular U.S. media companies dominating abroad. As an Anthropology major, I relished in learning about indigenous cultures that were so removed from the Western world. However, as technology spreads and becomes more accessible across cultures it is inevitable that cultures which were once untouched by the Western world would remain that way through out time. Another phenomenon which is happening today is that many cultures are becoming major influencers of their own media productions by incorporating Western ideas that are even infiltrating the U.S. I hope this trend in media continues as I think Americans have a lot to learn from other cultures.
Q> There is one primetime show which I find to be grueling in its murder scenes, Criminal Minds. My question is why so many Americans find violence appealing in television programming and should more programming be required to display a warning at the beginning which says something similar to “due to the graphic contents this show may not be appropriate for young audiences”?
Book:
A few years ago a friend recommended a great children’s book titled Happy Birthday Moon by Vermont author Frank Asch. In this book a bear wants to give the moon a birthday present but he must first find out what the moon wants. The bear journeys across a river, through the woods and climbs a mountain where he speaks to the moon not realizing that he is hearing his own voice echoing off the mountains. The book speaks of friendship and the act of giving to others which I feel are important concepts to instill in a young child. Since then I have collected many more of Frank Asch’s books and I often give them as gifts to friends with small children.
O> I am amazed by the information you can find on Wikipedia. The fact that it was created based on software in which people contribute writings and editing anonymously on almost any topic. I can remember as a child our family’s set of encyclopedias that were kept in my sister’s room. When I was young and I had to do a research project otherwise known as a diorama, we would pull out the encyclopedias as a starting point for researching a topic. Today all of that information can be accessed through Wikipedia on the Internet. When I read the statistics that it “carries 1 million articles, compared to 120,000 in Encyclopedia Britannica”, I was astonished since I thought as a child that our set of encyclopedias were all encompassing for the time period.
Q> I am not surprised by the findings of the study conducted by the National Endowment for the Arts which said that young people are choosing not to read even though they are alliterate. My question is as a parent who chooses to read to my children at bedtime, how can we otherwise reverse the current trends and encourage our children to be engaged in reading and other activities which excite a child’s wonder and curiosity in the world we live in?
Chapter 16:
O> I am intrigued by Herbert Schiller’s concept of cultural imperialism, the idea that one culture can dominate another culture in particular U.S. media companies dominating abroad. As an Anthropology major, I relished in learning about indigenous cultures that were so removed from the Western world. However, as technology spreads and becomes more accessible across cultures it is inevitable that cultures which were once untouched by the Western world would remain that way through out time. Another phenomenon which is happening today is that many cultures are becoming major influencers of their own media productions by incorporating Western ideas that are even infiltrating the U.S. I hope this trend in media continues as I think Americans have a lot to learn from other cultures.
Q> There is one primetime show which I find to be grueling in its murder scenes, Criminal Minds. My question is why so many Americans find violence appealing in television programming and should more programming be required to display a warning at the beginning which says something similar to “due to the graphic contents this show may not be appropriate for young audiences”?
Book:
A few years ago a friend recommended a great children’s book titled Happy Birthday Moon by Vermont author Frank Asch. In this book a bear wants to give the moon a birthday present but he must first find out what the moon wants. The bear journeys across a river, through the woods and climbs a mountain where he speaks to the moon not realizing that he is hearing his own voice echoing off the mountains. The book speaks of friendship and the act of giving to others which I feel are important concepts to instill in a young child. Since then I have collected many more of Frank Asch’s books and I often give them as gifts to friends with small children.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Week #2: VIDEO: Michael Wesch's "A Vision of Students Today"
With the advent of media technology over the last ten plus years, the educational system we once engaged in has been turned upside down. The YouTube video, “A Vision of Students Today” by Professor Michael Wesch and his 200 students from his spring 2007 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology class is a strong statement about “what the roles and responsibilities are of teachers, students and technology in the 21st century classroom”. Through careful examination of the film in terms of the media tools used as a means to present the premise, the role that media technology plays in the classroom, it is quite apparent to me that our educational system is archaic and in need of a makeover.
The film begins by engaging the reptilian part of what Paul MacLean termed the triune brain through the clunky and startling opening of the classroom door. The production technique of a hand held camera is used as you are led through the door of the classroom with a visual looking into the lecture size room with empty seats. You are asked to quickly engage the neocortex part of your brain through reading the quote by English professor, Marshall McLuhan on the plight of our educational system in 1967 which is also used by the authors as a testimonial persuasive technique. At the same time a soft, soothing musical tone begins to engage the limbic part of the brain. Rhetorical questions are used to set the premise of the film as they are written both on the walls and on the backs of the chairs. I noticed that the pacing of the film shots are rapid enough as the camera flashes quickly to each piece of script in the ethnographical signs hand held by the various student participants portraying their observations on the current educational system. The persuasive technique of scapegoating is used in one of the student’s sign as she states that these problems with the educational system were not created by “us” but yet “we” must deal with them. The absence of speaking is a strong statement in further conveying their message about education. In the students’ eyes there is a sense of anonymity in our educational system if you are able to marginally pay attention and still get by.
A strong drum beat is quickly introduced about a quarter of the way into the film again engaging the reptilian part of the triune brain. Throughout this film it is so clear that the technology shift which we are all experiencing as part of the 21st century media culture through the use of MP3 players, cell phones, blackberries, personal computers, the internet, social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook that we have not quite figured out what their roles are in our educational system. By students choosing to not engage in the classroom, they are becoming disengaged in the educational system and using media technology as an outlet to ignore the problems. I think that the value messaging which comes across in this film is that the students are more interested in using the media technology for personal use when the real question is how to incorporate it into the educational experience. I wouldn’t be surprised if some schools ban the use of certain media devices in classrooms.
Since this film was first posted on YouTube it has engaged many individuals in the dialogue on the current state of our educational system. In reading many of the blog posts to this short film and also going to the website created by Professor Wesch for further discussion, it is apparent to me that this issue has sparked something in enough people that it will be interesting to watch how the educational system responds to the onset of media technology in the 21st century.
The film begins by engaging the reptilian part of what Paul MacLean termed the triune brain through the clunky and startling opening of the classroom door. The production technique of a hand held camera is used as you are led through the door of the classroom with a visual looking into the lecture size room with empty seats. You are asked to quickly engage the neocortex part of your brain through reading the quote by English professor, Marshall McLuhan on the plight of our educational system in 1967 which is also used by the authors as a testimonial persuasive technique. At the same time a soft, soothing musical tone begins to engage the limbic part of the brain. Rhetorical questions are used to set the premise of the film as they are written both on the walls and on the backs of the chairs. I noticed that the pacing of the film shots are rapid enough as the camera flashes quickly to each piece of script in the ethnographical signs hand held by the various student participants portraying their observations on the current educational system. The persuasive technique of scapegoating is used in one of the student’s sign as she states that these problems with the educational system were not created by “us” but yet “we” must deal with them. The absence of speaking is a strong statement in further conveying their message about education. In the students’ eyes there is a sense of anonymity in our educational system if you are able to marginally pay attention and still get by.
A strong drum beat is quickly introduced about a quarter of the way into the film again engaging the reptilian part of the triune brain. Throughout this film it is so clear that the technology shift which we are all experiencing as part of the 21st century media culture through the use of MP3 players, cell phones, blackberries, personal computers, the internet, social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook that we have not quite figured out what their roles are in our educational system. By students choosing to not engage in the classroom, they are becoming disengaged in the educational system and using media technology as an outlet to ignore the problems. I think that the value messaging which comes across in this film is that the students are more interested in using the media technology for personal use when the real question is how to incorporate it into the educational experience. I wouldn’t be surprised if some schools ban the use of certain media devices in classrooms.
Since this film was first posted on YouTube it has engaged many individuals in the dialogue on the current state of our educational system. In reading many of the blog posts to this short film and also going to the website created by Professor Wesch for further discussion, it is apparent to me that this issue has sparked something in enough people that it will be interesting to watch how the educational system responds to the onset of media technology in the 21st century.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Week #3: Media Technology & Media Research
Chapter 2:
In reading chapter two one aspect I found interesting is that regulators are “non media people who influence communicators’ messages”. The Federal Communications Commission, a regulatory arm of the U.S. government, both grants and denies licenses to over-air stations greatly influencing media messaging.
My question is the U.S. is quick to comment on the fact that many foreign governments censor their own media communications, but isn’t the FCC through their regulatory process censoring media communications in the U.S? I am not aware of any censorship occurring on the internet besides installing restrictions on your personal computers to block certain websites from children, for example. Another question I have is do you think it’s possible that individual governments could censor media on the internet?
Chapter 15:
In reading chapter fifteen I found it interesting when in 2006 before the motion picture “Snakes on a Plane” was released film bloggers had already begun critiquing the film which ultimately had a positive effect on its debut in theatres. Executives from New Line Cinema came to the conclusion that, “the publicity from blogging far outreached whatever hype an orchestrated promotional campaign could have had.” This phenomenon reinforces the idea that advertisers may no longer need to spend huge money in traditional ad campaigns but can potentially leverage the internet through blogs promoting at maybe minimal costs with successful results.
My question is will the future of advertising exist primarily on the internet?
Media Technology:
One piece of media technology that has significantly altered my daily life in recent years would be the internet. The ability to access information and get up-to-date news stories is amazing. I no longer use the yellow pages to look up a phone number but rather google a name since it’s more easily accessible. In my family we use the internet to plan our vacations, do research on products before making purchases, look up recipes to plan our meals. To think how my life was so different without access to the internet and the idea of gathering information from so many different sources now sounds daunting.
In reading chapter two one aspect I found interesting is that regulators are “non media people who influence communicators’ messages”. The Federal Communications Commission, a regulatory arm of the U.S. government, both grants and denies licenses to over-air stations greatly influencing media messaging.
My question is the U.S. is quick to comment on the fact that many foreign governments censor their own media communications, but isn’t the FCC through their regulatory process censoring media communications in the U.S? I am not aware of any censorship occurring on the internet besides installing restrictions on your personal computers to block certain websites from children, for example. Another question I have is do you think it’s possible that individual governments could censor media on the internet?
Chapter 15:
In reading chapter fifteen I found it interesting when in 2006 before the motion picture “Snakes on a Plane” was released film bloggers had already begun critiquing the film which ultimately had a positive effect on its debut in theatres. Executives from New Line Cinema came to the conclusion that, “the publicity from blogging far outreached whatever hype an orchestrated promotional campaign could have had.” This phenomenon reinforces the idea that advertisers may no longer need to spend huge money in traditional ad campaigns but can potentially leverage the internet through blogs promoting at maybe minimal costs with successful results.
My question is will the future of advertising exist primarily on the internet?
Media Technology:
One piece of media technology that has significantly altered my daily life in recent years would be the internet. The ability to access information and get up-to-date news stories is amazing. I no longer use the yellow pages to look up a phone number but rather google a name since it’s more easily accessible. In my family we use the internet to plan our vacations, do research on products before making purchases, look up recipes to plan our meals. To think how my life was so different without access to the internet and the idea of gathering information from so many different sources now sounds daunting.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Week #2: Mass Media & Entertainment
Chapter One:
My question is if media is such a dominant part and focus of our daily lives as evident from the Ball State University study, how do we separate ourselves from it and yet still feel connected to society?
My observation is that it's interesting to know the corporate structures of major media outlets since like other industries it appears as though the landscape is always changing and smaller companies continue to get bought up by the large corporations. With that said I'm wondering if the quality of broadcasting and other media platforms will turn out poor products because they are primarily driven by turning a profit.
Chapter Fourteen:
My question is why hasn't primetime television programming become more segmented into different genres like radio stations have and try to appeal less to the mass/populist audiences but rather more niche segments of society?
One observation I found interesting in this chapter was the fact that even though sporting events broadcast on television attract huge audiences the networks usually lose money since they've been unsuccessful in generating enough advertsing dollars to offset the licensing fees that have been negoitiated by the sports leagues. Thus the networks' goal has been to attract viewers through airing sporting events on television calling them loss leaders. The broadcastings aren't showing profits so they are sold at a loss and the primary goal is to attract customers.
January 18, 2009 1:35 PM
Chapter One:
My question is if media is such a dominant part and focus of our daily lives as evident from the Ball State University study, how do we separate ourselves from it and yet still feel connected to society?
My observation is that it's interesting to know the corporate structures of major media outlets since like other industries it appears as though the landscape is always changing and smaller companies continue to get bought up by the large corporations. With that said I'm wondering if the quality of broadcasting and other media platforms will turn out poor products because they are primarily driven by turning a profit.
Chapter Fourteen:
My question is why hasn't primetime television programming become more segmented into different genres like radio stations have and try to appeal less to the mass/populist audiences but rather more niche segments of society?
One observation I found interesting in this chapter was the fact that even though sporting events broadcast on television attract huge audiences the networks usually lose money since they've been unsuccessful in generating enough advertsing dollars to offset the licensing fees that have been negoitiated by the sports leagues. Thus the networks' goal has been to attract viewers through airing sporting events on television calling them loss leaders. The broadcastings aren't showing profits so they are sold at a loss and the primary goal is to attract customers.
January 18, 2009 1:35 PM
WEEK #1: First Blog Posting
1. I have a B.A. in Anthropology and minors in Art History and Environmental Studies.
2. Having recently embarked on a career exploration journey, I have expressed an interest in the field of communications. As this class will be my first exposure to the discipline, I am hoping it will spark my interest to continue on this path.
3. To gain a better understanding of the possible career opportunities within the communications arena.
4. A recent media experience that I've enjoyed is the 2008 PBS food and travel series called, "Spain on the Road Again" with actress Gwyneth Paltrow, chef Mario Batali, New York Times food writer Mark Bittman and Spanish actress Claudia Bassols who travel through out Spain exploring the country's traditional cuisine and history. Even though their travel arrangements are a bit luxurious, the scenery and rich culture has sparked a desire that is deeply rooted in me to travel and immerse myself in another culture. It will probably have to wait a couple of years until my children are a little older.
One specific aspect of our 21st century media culture which I like is when a breaking news story is all over the television I can browse the internet and find almost instantaneous news coverage of the specific news story. The ability to access information about media stories via the internet is amazing and it's hard for me to think what life would be without the internet.
As a parent of two small children I am struck by how our society has become so absorbed in media related activities that I feel as though we are unable to function without various media tools. I think that as a society we're losing interest or the desire to spend quality time not connected to various media outlets and enjoy one another's company the old fashioned way like playing a board game, sitting by the fireplace chatting with friends, reading books, etc. Media tools can be distractions and deterrents to quiet peaceful time which can be very engergizing and often needed in a culture which is saturated with many distractions.After having completed this course I am hoping to better understand current media trends and potential career opportunities that exist for me within the field of mass communication.
January 15, 2009 6:12 PM
1. I have a B.A. in Anthropology and minors in Art History and Environmental Studies.
2. Having recently embarked on a career exploration journey, I have expressed an interest in the field of communications. As this class will be my first exposure to the discipline, I am hoping it will spark my interest to continue on this path.
3. To gain a better understanding of the possible career opportunities within the communications arena.
4. A recent media experience that I've enjoyed is the 2008 PBS food and travel series called, "Spain on the Road Again" with actress Gwyneth Paltrow, chef Mario Batali, New York Times food writer Mark Bittman and Spanish actress Claudia Bassols who travel through out Spain exploring the country's traditional cuisine and history. Even though their travel arrangements are a bit luxurious, the scenery and rich culture has sparked a desire that is deeply rooted in me to travel and immerse myself in another culture. It will probably have to wait a couple of years until my children are a little older.
One specific aspect of our 21st century media culture which I like is when a breaking news story is all over the television I can browse the internet and find almost instantaneous news coverage of the specific news story. The ability to access information about media stories via the internet is amazing and it's hard for me to think what life would be without the internet.
As a parent of two small children I am struck by how our society has become so absorbed in media related activities that I feel as though we are unable to function without various media tools. I think that as a society we're losing interest or the desire to spend quality time not connected to various media outlets and enjoy one another's company the old fashioned way like playing a board game, sitting by the fireplace chatting with friends, reading books, etc. Media tools can be distractions and deterrents to quiet peaceful time which can be very engergizing and often needed in a culture which is saturated with many distractions.After having completed this course I am hoping to better understand current media trends and potential career opportunities that exist for me within the field of mass communication.
January 15, 2009 6:12 PM
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