News, trust, and “truthiness”

After reading many of the blogs that my classmates have created, it has become clear that the majority of the students in my class feel that satirical news reportage is just as reliable, if not more reliable than traditional news reportage. In Allen’s blog he states that satirical news reportage is important because it contributes to the public sphere “As far as some of these satirical shows go, I find there to be a spectrum as to how serious these get and as a result, this shows how much they really contribute to the public sphere” (http://arcpcf.blogspot.ca/2013/11/fake-news-or-real-news.html). In satirical news reporting, the use of satire is present. In satire usage, the use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, etcetera may be used to get a message across. The opinions of my classmates varied but after observing several blogs made by students in my class, it is clear that the majority of those opinions were that satirical news reporting can be just as effective for some people as traditional news reporting. Satirical news reporting differs from traditional news reporting because although they both involve releasing information and reporting news, they are done in completely different ways. Where as in traditional news reporting, news is typically read and revealed in a very literal and serious way, satirical news reporting is done in a very sarcastic and ironic way. There is controversy when deciding if this way is effective and successful for people. When considering this, there are many different opinions that can be formed by different people. However, it seems that the common opinion shared by the members in the class is that satirical news reporting can be just as effective as traditional news reportage.

There are several different examples of satirical news reportage usage that is useful for certain people. These examples are commonly television comedy shows or talk shows. Examples include, the Ellen DeGeneres,  ‘The Daily Show with Jon Stewart’, ‘The Colbert Report’, etcetera. These shows can be a good example of satirical news reporting because of the fact that many people worldwide watch these shows. The information that is released through these shows is exposed to many people and thus it can be very beneficial to release and report news during these television shows.

Despite this information, there are still those certain people out there who have opinions that completely differ from one another. Many people from my class such as Kennedy feel that there are problems that can be found with satirical news reporting.  In Kennedy’s blog, they state: “Problems that do occur with these types of programs are often related to that certain stories, personalities, and situations are no laughing matter. Making light of the starving children in Africa would most certainly stir up controversy and likely trigger a new media focus of its own, with the instigator being most likely shown as carelessly insensitive” (http://bkennedy94.blogspot.ca/2013/11/is-fake-news-real-news.html).

In my personal opinion, satirical news reporting can be more effective to younger audiences. I feel this way due to the fact that the majority of people watching television shows that involve culture jamming and satirical news reporting are of a younger audience. It is more common for a younger audience to watch these shows is because they are commonly shows that are for less mature audiences. In Berna’s blog she says: “In Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Ron Burgundy sings a song for Mayor Ford’s campaign as a joke, while Chris Daughtry sings a song about Rob Ford on Jimmy Kimmel Live.  Shows like these report the news, only to poke fun at it” (http://bernacayabyab.wordpress.com/2013/11/22/is-the-fake-news-the-real-news/). This quote is an example of how real news stories, are presented in a jokingly manner but are however still presenting realistic information. In my opinion, the common consensus established by members in my class is that satirical news reporting is just as successful as traditional news reporting was influenced on factors such as the age of the persons making these blogs and sharing their opinions. I believe that the shared consensus would change if the audience making the blogs changed as well.

Is the fake news the real news?

Personally, I do feel that satirical news reporting is a legitimate mainstream form of culture jamming. Culture jamming is understood and defined in the text as a mode of resistance to the norms and convections of mass culture that exposes and opposes the media’s underlying power structures and ideological messages (Klein, 2000). Culture jamming is a concept used for many situations. It is useful for things such as raising awareness, subvert mainstream culture etcetera. It is understood that while watching or being exposed to satirical news reporting, there are messages and purposes for that media being exposed. I feel that because of this they are able to maintain the norms of society. Media news reporting controls what they release to the public; they often post what we want to see.  Reporters control Media is released usually through televisions, computers, and cellphones etcetera. This relates to culture jamming and this becomes evident after reading this quote “The use of conventional and new media technologies for media activism and counter-hegemonic purposes, and it has discussed issues related to copyright law and the use of humour that arise in culture jamming (pg.226)”. In the text “media and society” it states that cultural jamming is “simply the viral introduction of radical ideas”. Therefore, news reporting is a mainstream form of culture jamming due to the fact that they are always introducing new information and ideas. When examining the media, we see cases of people introducing new ideas such as new technology. Although we have unlimited access to media and many forms of it, technology is something that will always continue to develop and this is often presented through media use.  In regards to talk shows that insult the media such as late night comedy shows, in my opinion although they are sometimes insulting real life situations, they still educate and inform people on real life situations.

 

After examining the concepts presented above, it becomes clear that satirical news reporting is a legitimate mainstream form of culture jamming. Culture jamming can be very beneficial to society and the people living in these societies. This concept is used to address and present new ideas to people, which is critical in todays society in order to fit in with the social “norms” of society.  For reasons such as those explained above, I believe that such media reportage can be a useful addition to the public sphere. 

Demonstrable Demographics

After reading several of the blogs that my classmates have made, it has become clear that there are many similarities that can be found between the blogs of my classmates. I noticed many similarities in the strategies used for hailing by classmates. I noticed that there were many shared interests between the males in my class. I also noticed that there were similar interests shared between females. After viewing the ads that were chosen by the females in my class, it was obvious that they chose ads similar to their interests. For example, I had come across many advertisements chosen by females that involved makeup, or cosmetic products. A female in my class stated in her blog “The advertisement I have chosen is for Revlon mascara” (http://mb12qe.wordpress.com/2013/11/07/what-the-hail/). In my opinion, this advertisement is a typical one to be chosen by females in my class because the majority of girls enrolled in this class are around the same age, thus share a lot of similar interests. I noticed that many guys have also chosen advertisements of similar interests. Rather than choosing advertisements about makeup or hair products, many males had chosen advertisements based off of their interests such as sports or athletic gym ads. In Liam’s blog he stated: “The advertisement I picked for this weeks blog entry was from a popular Nike poster for their new launch of sporting and work out goods to come in the new year” (http://dunsey.wordpress.com/2013/11/08/what-the-hail/). A major similarity obviously shared by both men and women when hailing, is that they choose advertisements that they can relate to. This usually involves choosing ads that reflect themselves personally whether it is an ad involving similar age, interests etcetera.  In Allen’s blog he says: “Right from the get go, one can tell that it hails to young men in their early twenties, and not just men, but heterosexual men as well” (http://arcpcf.blogspot.ca). This is evident because Allen himself is most likely almost into his twenties and heterosexual. This is probably why Allen chose this advertisement for himself; because he can relate to this on a personal level.

            Demographics are portrayed and targeted in forms of media such as advertising. It is my personal opinion that companies do a good job in hailing targeted audiences of our particular demographic. It is known that they use certain strategies and techniques in order to hail these particular audiences. I believe that it is working because we can se reasons why certain people are so attracted, drawn to, or hailed to certain media aspects through reading the blogs of others and when examining ways in which I was personally geared towards the ad in which I chose. It is very interesting after reading he blogs made by my classmates because similarities and differences involved in which strategies work for different people become apparent. This is an effective way of hailing audience members when considering the fact that when releasing an ad, there is almost always a purpose for it and a targeted group of people that they are hoping to make this point to. Media is used to target specific members in society. This is made evident when examining the types of advertisements chosen between males and females. In my opinion, representations made in these interpellations are accurate and effective. I feel that the majority of companies are successful at portraying a message, especially when targeting a specific group. Strategies used are based upon what members in society are trying to be targeted.   

Demonstrable Demographics

After reading several of the blogs that my classmates have made, it has become clear that there are many similarities that can be found between the blogs of my classmates. I noticed many similarities in the strategies used for hailing by classmates. I noticed that there were many shared interests between the males in my class. I also noticed that there were similar interests shared between females. After viewing the ads that were chosen by the females in my class, it was obvious that they chose ads similar to their interests. For example, I had come across many advertisements chosen by females that involved makeup, or cosmetic products. A female in my class stated in her blog “The advertisement I have chosen is for Revlon mascara” (http://mb12qe.wordpress.com/2013/11/07/what-the-hail/). In my opinion, this advertisement is a typical one to be chosen by females in my class because the majority of girls enrolled in this class are around the same age, thus share a lot of similar interests. I noticed that many guys have also chosen advertisements of similar interests. Rather than choosing advertisements about makeup or hair products, many males had chosen advertisements based off of their interests such as sports or athletic gym ads. In Liam’s blog he stated: “The advertisement I picked for this weeks blog entry was from a popular Nike poster for their new launch of sporting and work out goods to come in the new year” (http://dunsey.wordpress.com/2013/11/08/what-the-hail/). A major similarity obviously shared by both men and women when hailing, is that they choose advertisements that they can relate to. This usually involves choosing ads that reflect themselves personally whether it is an ad involving similar age, interests etcetera.  In Allen’s blog he says: “Right from the get go, one can tell that it hails to young men in their early twenties, and not just men, but heterosexual men as well”(

http://arcpcf.blogspot.ca). This is evident because Allen himself is most likely almost into his twenties and heterosexual. This is probably why Allen chose this advertisement for himself; because he can relate to this on a personal level.

            Demographics are portrayed and targeted in forms of media such as advertising. It is my personal opinion that companies do a good job in hailing targeted audiences of our particular demographic. It is known that they use certain strategies and techniques in order to hail these particular audiences. I believe that it is working because we can se reasons why certain people are so attracted, drawn to, or hailed to certain media aspects through reading the blogs of others and when examining ways in which I was personally geared towards the ad in which I chose. It is very interesting after reading he blogs made by my classmates because similarities and differences involved in which strategies work for different people become apparent. This is an effective way of hailing audience members when considering the fact that when releasing an ad, there is almost always a purpose for it and a targeted group of people that they are hoping to make this point to. Media is used to target specific members in society. This is made evident when examining the types of advertisements chosen between males and females. In my opinion, representations made in these interpellations are accurate and effective. I feel that the majority of companies are successful at portraying a message, especially when targeting a specific group. Strategies used are based upon what members in society are trying to be targeted.   

What the hail?

The Ad that I chose for this blog is an ad about smoking. It is about quitting living in denial and taking ownership. This ad that I chose is very eye opening and true. The ad says, “I’m not a smoker… except every Thursday, Friday, Saturday night”. This ad was very relevant to my life and drew my attention immediately. The purpose of this ad is to make people become aware and take ownership for their actions. It is encouraging people to stop making excuses for their behaviours and helps them to face the truth about their actions. I personally know several people today that smoke occasionally however when asked if they smoke they reply “no”. This ad is saying that regardless of how often you smoke or under what circumstances you do it, smoking is still smoking. No matter what excuses one has to make, anytime one smokes a cigarette, it is doing harm to them. This has been proven rather recently scientifically. This ad that I chose applies and is effective mainly to adolescences and young adults in my opinion. I feel this way because during adolescence is usually the time when people experiment and try things that are not necessarily the best things to do. This article puts people in their place and is very realistic, it opens the eyes of persons in a way- “This ‘hailing’ has the effect of putting us in our place or positioning the addressee in relation to the addresser” (O’Shaughnessy & Stadler, 185).

            Strategies used in this ad include: using few words, beginning with bolding and drawing attention to the phrase “I’m not a smoker”, using a picture of a young male smoking, highlighting or bolding things that they want to stand out, etcetera. In my opinion, these strategies worked and this ad delivered a meaningful message. I feel this way because it personally drew my attention. I understood the purpose of the advertisement right away; it was very simple and easy to understand however still delivered a message. Smoking has an ideology in humans. People have systems of ideas and opinions about smoking and social smoking. “…However, ideology can also be seen in actual material institutions and human activities” (O’Shaughnessy & Stadler, 182). This quote from the textbook proves that because smoking is a human activity it can be seen as an ideology.

            Reasons I chose this advertisement consist of the fact that it can relate and show relevance in people around my age. The ad did a good job in my opinion at representing normal behaviours, beliefs, and values of those displayed by adolescences and young adults today. I feel that this ad will be beneficial to society and for some people; the message that is trying to be portrayed will successfully be taken in and adapted. 

Wanted: the media that we need

The media we want and the media we need are two different concepts. This becomes obvious when taken into consideration that people in the world censor the media to control the type of media they want. One of my classmates wrote in their blog “all these factors are well hidden from the majority of people because it seems that if the truth were actually revealed everyone would never trust the media again”(http://mm13sa.wordpress.com/2013/10/24/the-media-we-want/). Taking this quote from one of my classmate’s blogs proves that it is a shared opinion and a fact that the media is indeed censored and can be controlled by many people of higher authority and regularly members of the government. Although in my opinion, we get the media we want and want the media we get these are still two very different things. An example where it is evident that the media we want and the media we need are two different concepts is, if media needed to be released for the better good of the people in society despite the fact that there may be gruesome details involved and people in society do not want to hear horrific news. They may not want to hear of this news however they need to become aware of it for reasons such as ensuring the safety of the public.

Although the opinions of my classmates vary, my opinion still remains the same that the media we want and the media we need are two different concepts. My mind is also made up about the fact that we get the media we want, and want the media we get. I feel that for several reasons, both of these options apply to the question as stated in my blog entry #2. In Justin Gideon’s blog he states, “In my opinion, we want the media we get” (http://justingmsblog.blogspot.ca/2013/10/the-media-we-want.html). I agree with this statement that Justin had made however I also agree with other students in my class such as Chloe who states, “I think that we get the media we want because it is the only media we are exposed to” (http://chloebromhead.wordpress.com/). I feel that both of these people in my class made very valid points throughout their blogs and I cannot simply disagree with either of them. Thus, I agree with both of their opinions.

I feel very strongly that basically all aspects of the media better inform us of social, political, cultural, and economic issues. Not only does the media inform citizens of these issues in obvious forms such as the news, it informs us subconsciously. Information revealed by the media is present in most television shows, magazines and basically every form of media. Several television shows are made with the intent of having based off of some of these issues. Media surrounds us and influences as well as guides our lives whether we realize it or not. Over the years, media popularity and usage has dramatically increased. As a result of this, people’s entire ways of living have also been altered. I found out from reading other students in my classes blogs that there are other people that agree with my opinion that the media surrounds us. It is obvious that Justin and I share this opinion when he states, “The media almost always surrounds us, in the form of social media, technology, language, and advertising” (http://justingmsblog.blogspot.ca/2013/10/the-media-we-want.html).

The media we want and the media we need are two different concepts. They mean completely different things in my opinion. Media is censored so that usually the only media revealed to the public is the media we want, however this is not always the case. Sometimes the benefits of the media we need defeat the media we want. Media we want is the kind of media people enjoy being exposed to while the media we need is media that is released with a motive and reason. From my blog we can understand that the media we want and the media we need are two different concepts. 

The media we want?

When I think about the question: “Do we get the media we want, or want the media we get?” a bunch of different ideas come to mind. When I try to choose just one of these options to answer this question, I cannot because I feel that we get both the media we want and want the media we get. In my opinion, we get the media we want because it is evident that what information is accessible to the media is controlled. “Certain media access can be denied: when George W. Bush visited Australia in 2004 he held a press conference with American journalists but refused to have one with Australians, thus avoiding having to deal with some potentially difficult questions” (Media and Society, O’Shaughnessy. M, Stadler. J, 27). This quote from the text demonstrates how people in society are able to restrict the media as well as who is able to have access to this media. Thus, helping achieve getting the media we want. People can do things to help get the media we want such as exclude details, not releasing certain information to the public etcetera. Another reason society receives the media we want is because everyone has the option of choice. There are such large amounts of mass media being released worldwide at all times. It would be difficult for someone to become aware and educated on everything released to the media; therefore people select what media issues they will become informed about. People can choose whether or not to become informed about media by: for example, choosing not to watch the news or choosing not to read the newspaper etcetera. In my opinion, whatever media is released to society is usually chosen and censored by people whom base their decisions on what they think members of society “want” to be exposed to. Whoever controls the media would make these decisions. This is decided by using an approach called the political economy approach. “The political economy approach involves conducting research into who owns and controls the media” (Media and Society, O’Shaughnessy, M. Stadler J., 22). It is then said, “People who own, control, and create the media are media producers” (Media and Society, O’Shaughnessy, M. Stadler J., 37). Therefore, media producers are the main group of people controlling and restricting media resulting in getting the media we want.

However, there are cases where some details must be released for the benefits of people in society. They must be released for reasons such as safety or necessity. This is an example of receiving the media that we get. An example of a situation where it would be necessary to receive the media we get despite the fact that society may not “want” to become aware of this media, is if there was a mass murderer on the loose and the authorities feel that it would be beneficial for the members of society to become aware of this. In cases like these, media is almost always exposed and released to the public although some people may not want to know about this. This is because of the fact that the benefits of people knowing will outweigh the negative effects. This is a reason why in my opinion I feel we receive both the media we get, and get the media we want. We do not always get the media that we want; sometimes we want the media we get for several different reasons.

In my opinion, society gets both the media they want, and wants the media they get. Although some people have the ability to control what mass media becomes publically released, there are also ways in which information can become exposed to society. By examining the reasons above, it is evident that this question cannot be answered with only one answer. In my opinion, we receive both the media we want, and want the media that we get. 

1F25 BLOG RESPONSE 1: Media impact on others

After reading the blogs of many of my classmates, it has become evident that the overall consensus and opinion shared by most classmates is that media is very beneficial and impacts all of our lives in immense ways despite the fact that many do not realize this. I believe that when we are forced to think about the ways that media impacts our lives in activities such as this assignment, it becomes relevant that media does have a very strong impact on our lives. Mass media is everywhere and helps many people everyday in many different ways. When I was brainstorming ways how media affects my life daily I thought of several eye-opening reasons. After reading the blogs of my classmates, I was faced with examples of other ways that media affects our daily lives that I hadn’t even thought of before. For example, in Nicole Hugh’s blog (http://nhough95.wordpress.com) she stated “Mental illness has impacted my life and I did not know everything I needed to know about it until it was to late.” She then explained that if she had thought about using the media to become educated about mental illness or if mental illness was more commonly explained in the media then she believes it would have been a lot less difficult to deal with a mental illness. Although there were a few blogs I read that said media had impacted their lives in a negative way rather than in a positive way, the majority of my classmate’s blogs that I read explain that they feel media has impacted their lives in a positive way. I have discovered that media does have negative factors as well as positive factors however the common opinion shared by my peers is that the positive factors outweigh the negative factors which is what I have stated in my first blog.  However, there are people who feel that the negatives outweigh the positives. I believe that there is no right answer to this because everyone has different opinions and some people may receive messages from the media differently from one another. For example: in Skyla’s blog she states: “Personally I feel that the mass media has a negative impact on my view of the world. There are so many different forms of media that there is just no escaping the bad or the good, it is part of our everyday experience, when you first get up in the morning and put on the radio you get a perspective on an issue by the radio announcer…when you turn on the TV you get a different perspective on the TV announcer perspective of the issue…turn on the computer and you get different sites perspective.” Skyla’s opinion proves how the opinions vary from student to student. Although I feel differently than Skyla, I understand that the media affects people differently and I wouldn’t classify Skyla’s opinion as wrong. The fact that media is everywhere and effects everyone whether they realize it or not was reinforced by Krista Chaddock when she stated in her blog “the media is inescapable. Between television, radio, books and technology; we are literally in the company of the mass media everywhere we go” (http://kc12bq.wordpress.com). Media is a major source of education and knowledge, like I stated in my first blog, this has been reinforced by Colin Christmas when he states in his blog: “Mass media is without question a significant resource for gaining information on a range of topics around the world” (http://colinchristmas.wordpress.com).

My opinion has not been changed after reflecting upon and reading some of the blog’s of my students but rather my opinion has been made more relevant and has been strengthened. I now realize that my opinion happens to be the shared opinion of people taking this course. Although this is the more commonly shared opinion among people my age, I understand that many people feel differently due to different factors. Factors that may cause the opinions about mass media to differentiate include: time era in which one grew up, beliefs, and knowledge etcetera.