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.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
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.
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