Olivia's Blog

Part II of Final

The first three sentences of Practices of Looking say, “The world we inhabit is filled with visual images. They are to central to how we represent, make meaning in the world around us. In many ways, our culture is an increasingly visual one” (1). My new found media literacy has made me realize how much truth there is behind that statement. I have not only begun to understand the concept of media, but I know, in a sense, comprehend the power the media has to create for us social and behavioral standards, to define the way we think, to coerce us, to entertain us, to inform us, to manipulate us, and to keep us connected. The media is not just a tool of art but of communication and capitalism. It keeps small town “ruralites” in Bloomfield, Kentucky and big city urbanites in London, England in touch and citizens is both parts can know exactly the same news at the click of a button.

Now it is possible, at the click of a button, to see the same video, news story, or image as someone half way across the world. It is part of the transformation of media. Our traditional mediums were book, magazine, and newspaper, but in the last century, new media has taken center stage—radio, television, and increasingly, Internet.

 I have been aware of the mediums of communication, as well as the potential effect it could have on the population at large, but there are many things that I learned about the media in this class—collective desires, docile bodies, glamour, the effect of media on science, and more. What I enjoy most about my newfound media literacy is the ability for me to recognize the power the media holds, identify collective desires, and decode the deeper meaning in many advertisements.

Collective desires are the wants and needs of the mass society. Our individual desires are distinct but the collective desires of society are represented in the media. Collective desires embedded within the American society are competition, fulfillment, selfishness, individuality, success, conformity and more. Individuality is a collective desire we all strive to achieve—in a positive sense, we all wish to identify ourselves as a unique individual. This trait has a negative side too. Although we all wish to possess individuality, it is sometimes difficult to inherit because there is so much pressure to conform and satisfy a particular norm. We all feel that need to be, act, look like everyone else and we can lose that uniqueness we wish to create in our life.  There is a need, however, to be just a little different from the masses. I enjoy this new sense of understanding and recognizing collective desires because it allows me to be conscious of how I do/do not let them effect my life. I have always been one to say that I do not want to be “just like everyone else”—I have always craved to stand out from others but I did not comprehend how the media could play into that until now. The media shapes the desires of society and creates conformity. I enjoy this new profound sense of collective desires because it has a personal effect on me (even though media is a very public aspect of life). Collective desires can prevent me from becoming the person I do not want to be and shape me into the person I crave to become.

Another element of my newfound media literacy that I enjoy is the ability for me to recognize the power the media holds. The media is the backbone of this country and the institution that controls the message and the means of production. The words spoken by news anchors or published on the Web are generally considered to be the truth. The media, however, is not always telling the truth and can be forced to push certain values or falsities on the public by the institutions at a higher level (aka the federal government). The government censors what is on television and the Internet. I have realized in this class not only the power of the media in that in can manipulate us and force us to believe lies but I have also realized the power that media has in shaping our ideals—both in behavioral and physical aspect, as well as creating our views on global issues. The media creates norms for the society we call ours and we generally accept those as true. In a behavioral aspect, the media (and advertising, in particular) has created this sexual desire. The vulgar and bare advertisements endorse a message that it is ok to behave like the young couple in the Calvin Klein advertisement. By using sexual images, the corporation is coercing a generation into believing if they support their product, they will receive similar results—and a whole generation wants this; to be seen as prey in a sexual game. In a physical aspect, the media creates for us a sense of what is beautiful or glamorous. Models for advertisements are primarily skinny (if a woman) and masculine and muscular (if a boy). They have created a sense that we should use all means to look like this, because we will be seen as attractive (and hence a better player in the sexual game). There is so much attention on Hollywood with the beautiful people who have ideal bodies and we all wish to have the same success those people do (money, fame, glory, etc..). If only we could look like them, then maybe we could achieve the same thing? No. If the media glorified people who were average and had a little weight on them, then society would not feel the continual pressure to be thing and maybe, the obesity epidemic would not have swept America like it has. The media not only creates standards for us to live by but it influences and ultimately, creates our view on global issues. The media is our tie to politics. Therefore, if the media turns against the presidential administration (as it did on Johnson during Vietnam and seems to be doing now), the general public will also retaliate against them. I enjoy this new insight because it forces me to become a proactive and intelligent member of society. I will not let the media form my opinions and define who I am—only I can do that. I want to look at each advertisement and news story objectively and create my own meaning, instead of being lazy and allowing others to do it for me. The media is a force of power in our technological society but I will not fall.

A final aspect of my new media literacy that I enjoy is the skill that I now inherit to look into the deeper meaning of advertisements, news stories, and even media. Behind everything, there is a deeper meaning. Behind every Web page, news story, or image is a producer who is, like me, a member of this capitalist society and doing what they can do get a little money. As it is said in The Century of Self, the “all consuming self dominates the world”. In society today, our advertisements are often embedded with deeper meanings. There is a cultural context. A prime example of this is the United Colors of Benetton advertisements where only the words on the page speak the words of the company. The image identifies some sort of racial, social, or economic injustice. The advertisement is using global fashion to propel us into realizing (and taking action on) the more pressing issues on the world—poverty, racism, etc… There is a denotative meaning (the liberal, face-value meaning of a sign) and a connotative meaning (a social, cultural, or historical meaning assigned to a signs liberal meaning). Another example of this if the Marlboro ads created by Bernays. For women, just a picture of a woman just smoking cigarette did not just advertise the habit but also represented the power women could have when they were at loss for it (the advertisements were made during the first half of the twentieth century when women played an inferior role to men). Just by smoking, women could challenge the power and control of men because they had their own “torches of freedom”. For men, cigarette advertisements appealed to them through the “Marlboro Man”. He represented the rugged, ultra-masculine, Western type of man, which they all craved to become. The cigarette advertisements for both genders appealed to their emotional unconsciousness. At face value, they appeared to be just an image, but there was a hidden agenda. Behind many ads is a meaning that has social meaning and it is our job as the receiver to create it using our own values. I have enjoyed this element of media literacy, because I do not take anything at face value anymore. I look for the deeper meaning embedded in it and I use that to understand certain images and lifestyles. Again, I am becoming more proactive (an important quality that I wish to possess). It changed the way I look at things.

My newfound media literacy is not just prevalent in my life as a student at Marist but is something I carry with me in all aspects of my life. I am trying to become an active voice in this consumer culture and this class has assisted me in doing so. It has also helped me in discovering more about my advertising major. I have learned that there is so much more than just creating an artistic piece designed to reel people in. Advertising is an instrumental part of the media and in of defining the norms of our society. Although there are negative aspects of media that create anxiety, as long as one can see through this and identify themselves as a separate entity and not a production of the media, then the media can be seen as a story-teller. It informs us of the good aspects of society and creates the ideal person. Media is not just something we see, watch, and hear, it is something we are.

Blog # 11: Media and Me

I was watching television commercials the other day and I realized how much media encompasses my life. I had always known before that it was a large part of society and I was able to recognize media when I saw it but this was the first time I really thought about how much it effected my life.

It is all around me and is an aspect of all that I do. The photographs in my room, the books I read, the web-pages I visit, the television channels I watch, the music I listen to are all examples of media in my life. I live in a consumer culture and a capitalist society in which the media owns the means of production. A lot of what I enjoy and take part in are defined by the media.

It is important for me, however, to define myself outside of the media. I do not need advertisements telling me how I should behave or what I should look like and I do not need news stations telling me what to think. I need to do all this for myself. I think it is important for everyone to discover their true identity which can sometimes get lost in the swarm of media that is a part of all we do.

Blog # 10: The First Television War

General Nguyen Ngoc Loan                        Woodstock; 1969

Kim Phuc running through the streets of Vietnam

 John F. Kennedy is considered to be the “First Television President” and the Vietnam War is associated with being the “First Television War”. I was researching for a history paper and preparing for my exam when I realized the profound effect that media had on the politics and culture during the Vietnam War. It not only defined society at the time, but media was the master mind behind the anti-war movement as well. I had never before paid attention to this side of our countries history and the history of media.

The Vietnam War was a crisis that evoked a plethora of anti-war sentiment. The Lyndon Johnson administration was lying to the people and downplaying the reality of the war. The media was the first corporation to reveal the truth behind deployment, drafts, and the politics of Vietnam. They used the power of images to appeal to the emotional consciousness of America.

At first, the media fully supported the government policy in Vietnam. The media was optimistic and patriotic and hence, the public was too. The Vietnam War soldier was seen as a hero whose duty was honorable. The public took on the medias opinions.

Therefore, when the medias standpoints changed with the Tet Offensive, so did that of the public. Although General Westmoreland announced this to be a victory, the media clearly saw it as a defeat. The images released showed the brutality of American allies (the image above of General Nguyen Ngoc Loan shooting a North Vietnamese officer in the head and Kim Phuc running naked through the streets of Vietnam because her clothes had been burned off by an American bomb that had been dropped are examples—both are shown above) and the defeat of the United States government (the American embassy lay in ruins). After this 1968 event, there was growing polarization between the media (and the public) and the government. The media began to turn against the government and their attitude transitioned into one of negativity—they thought there was no way we were going to win this war; in the words of Walter Cronkite, we need to withdraw as an honorable country who did our best to uphold our promise.

The medias pessimistic view shaped the growing dissent among Americans. There was a massive anti-war movement among college age students who disagreed with the reason we were in Vietnam and the draft. They formed the counterculture, which was propelled by media, particularly radio and music. The 1969 Woodstock festival (in the picture above) was a gathering for members of the counterculture to show their dissent—Billboard hits like Feel Like I’m Fixin’ to Die and Eve of Destruction defined the movement.

 The media was instrumental in this era in defining the public stand point on the war. By reading further into it, I realized how media really can manipulate the minds of the citizens. If it goes uncensored by the government, as it did in Vietnam, the people will undermine the stability of the administration. This is exactly what they did. Television was the medium for all the messages of defeat, protest, and brutality during Vietnam. Television and the media had the power to define the movements of the time. They owned the means of production.

The first television war has passed but a second may be in our wake.

Blog # 9: Sports in the Media

The other day I was watching TV when a Gillette commercial came on. Nothing about it stood out until I realized Tiger Woods was advocating for the company. I realized, for the first time, that sports players are one of our many role models in society today. It is no longer enough to say I just look up to my mom, dad, or big sister or brother. Little boys, and girls alike, are looking to sports players to inspire them.

Sports players represent to us not just role models but they meet society ideals as well. They are athletic, fit, and healthy, and therefore set an example for us (they deviate from the stereotype that America is fat and lazy). They inspire us to get involved and maintain our health. They are the retaliatory act to the traditional world view that America is obese.

Athletes are a positive aspect of media for the most part. There is an ulterior motive, however. From the advertisements, the sport stars are making money. Money is what motivations most of this nation. And sports stars, for one, do not need more of it. It is no longer enough for them just to be a professional athlete, but to achieve full fame, they need to become a “celebrity”. They achieve this through representing a certain corporation—and some even resort to acting or singing (Michael Jordon in Space Jam and Like Mike).

By forcing themselves upon us, through the media, sports stars become “celebrities” and house hold names. We are all envious of their special talent and we look to them to send out a good image to the younger generation. Through the media, this is what most of them are doing. Television and magazines provide the medium for sports stars to project their leadership upon children.

Blog # 8: Media Around the World

I received a postcard from my grandparents the other day and it was from their home of Stratford-upon-Avon, England. It got me thinking about something I had never focused on before. First that, something as simple as a postcard can be seen as a form of media and second, that around the world, although the norms of our cultures are very different, the media still has a significant and similar role.

A postcard is seen as a greeting in the eyes of most people. I looked at it from a different angle and realized it can be seen as a form of persuasive media. When set, it is not just an indicator that someone is enjoying their time, but it is an image projecting the beauty that the place has to offer—convincing the viewer to possibly travel there. It is a money maker for the city.

The world is full of a variety and unique cultures and society. They have different people, cuisine, dress, music, and norms. One thing we all share, however, is media. Although the medium is different in each society (could be books, television, or Internet), there are some innate similarities in the media. It is their to entertain, persuade, give knowledge, and inform. The media is a crucial aspect of all societies in the world.

I have lived in 4 and traveled to 12 different countries and looking back on each place I have noticed some similarities in the media. When I lived in Finland, I remember the one poster on the train that had a naked women as a form of advertising. It touched the sexual desires of everyone and aimed at the emotional conscious of what women “should” (and want) to be like. Sterotypically, sex sells.

When I was in Spain, there was a protest against Americans. They used the news television, newspaper, and Internet to spread their word. The word, to my misfortune and disgust was : The United States, particularly, George Bush caused September 11th. This is a different, more negative, form of media but it still attracts attention to a purpose.

Media around the world is something that not all of us can be aware of, but is something, if we get the chance we should pay attention to. The media does in a sense define our cultural values.

Blog # 7: Hollywood’s Not America

In a world that is consumed by television, Internet, and cell phones, radio is often a forgotten medium. The other day, I was in the mood for new music and ITunes was not satisying my desire, so I turned on my radio. The first song that came on was a new one by Ferras, titled “Hollywood’s Not America”. I was intrigued and immediately dowloaded the song and looked up the lyrics. This song draws attention to the fact that Hollywood is often what we consider to represent America. The fame and fortune is something we all desire and throughout time wealth and recognition have been an element of the American dream.

Hollywood creates not just actors and actresses but role models, icons, and inspriations. The media creates the stars and often contributes to what ruins them as well. We do not know the star personally, but rather we know the media’s replication of them. We know the lies, rumors, and failures that the media puts out there. We have come to identify ourselves with these celebrities but sometimes, in the process, the celebrities tend to loose themselves. They become intertwined with drugs, alcohol, sex, and money. Unfortunately, they have come to represent everything that our materialistic society craves. As the song says, you may have all the money in the world but no happines and self-respect: “Now she hardly recognizes herslef at all…And everybody heres, from somewhere else; You could make a million dollars, but you might lose yourself; And you can take the heat will your heart go cold; They say acting’s just pretending, even that gets old”. The stars are manifestations of the media and it is important for us (and more importantly, for them) to remember that society does not create the person, you create the person, and only you can make yourself happy (money and fame will not do it). This song is a reality check and a reminder that “Hollywood is not America”. So we should stop thinking that it is.

Glamour and Docile Bodies

Advertising is a way of mainpulating society to conform to the norms. This means that the media defines what is “normal”. Michel Foucaults identifies the language of advertising as docile bodies. They are bodies that are socially trained, regualted by society, and mangaged by cultural norms. “Advertising speaks to the consumers about their identities, and appears to offer solutions to percieved problems of self-image”. Advertising attempts to find a way for people who feel bad about themselves to develop more confidence. Sometimes, it has reverse effect and actually makes people who have confidence feel worse about themselves because they do no meet certain standards. Advertisments define our society and set standards. For us, advertising is characterized by glamour, flawless bodies, thin women, muscular men, and sex. Our favorite celebrities and role models are often used to endorse our favorite products. Celebrities fit our sterotype of what is glamorous and if one deviates from the norm they are considered weird, ugly, or scary.

The first advertisment is for Calvin Klein. The boy and girl are positioned very sexually and both fit the “typical” body type and style. The ad depicts the potential of Calvin Klein clothing—this is what will happen to you if you were this (or don’t wear it). It is a sexual advertisment and sex seems to be what our society craves.

The second advertisment uses the famous New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady to endorse their cologne. Companies often use role models to make their product more popular. These are people we want to be like, even without them wearing certain clothing, using a particular deoderent, or smelling like a specific cologne. Young boys and men alike desire Tom Brady’s fame and the advertisment makes them feel like they can achieve what he has if they wear that scent.

The third and final advertisement shows what happens when one deviates from the accepted norm. This show stars a woman who is looked at as not being pretty becuase she has glasses, a weird hair cut, a little fat on her body, and her style is not “in fashion”. The show even has the term “ugly” in the title. It is the adjective that defines the girl. “Ugly Betty” is the name of the show and I remember being shocked when the show came out that the network would allow that to air. People will watch it, however, to see what they should not be.

Glamour and how it is cultivated in “How to Get Ahead in Advertising”

     It was John Berger who wrote, “The state of being envied is what constitutes glamour”. The book agrees with his statement and recognizes that glamour is a crucial element of advertising. Glamour is something that mass consumers can “envy and wish to emulate”. It is represented by celebrities and models who appear flawless, happy, satisfied, already transformed, perfect, and attainable.

   The books definition of glamour is one that I agree with. Society tries to impersonate those that we think of as “perfect”. Those who are “perfect” are also filled with glamour and romance. Glamour is a quality we all wish to possess. Media is what defines perfection and glamour. If the media portrayed a 6 ft tall, 350 pound woman as glamours, than society would associate that with perfect. But we all know they do not. The media has the power to manipulate our minds into believing in their philosophy of perfection. They create it and than advertisers use it and sell it. They sell perfection, success, content, happiness, and ultimately glamour to entice consumers to purchase their product. Any advertiser has to be familiar with the media’s fangled definition of glamour.

   Glamour is cultivated in “How to Get Ahead in Advertising” because it shows that unless a advertisement appeals to the masses and unless a product sells, an advertising company or executive fails. This one man could not find a way to make “boils” glamorous and went crazy because it meant he had failed the consumers. If they could not find the advertisement glamours and appealing they would not invest their time and money in a product. The goal of advertisers is not to tell the truth about the product rather “glamorize” it, aka sell it. One of the first lines of the movie was “Whatever it is, sell it”; that is the nature of advertising. This is the hypocrisy of advertising. It is what advertisers strive off of and it defines their life. There is not much “glamour” in the advertising industry as we can see by the characters struggle with a speaking boil. He was not the only executive suffering from a psychiatric problem; his boss had previously struggled with the contradictory nature of the industry. The question is not whether you will have the struggle but whether you will over come it and come to realize that although the job is not glamorous, advertising is all about it.

   Not only is glamour present in the advertising job, but it is present in the lifestyle of the protaganist. He has a beautiful wife, perfect home, a wonderful job, and a stable financial situation. To some, this is equivalent with happiness, success, and glamour; it is all that some could ask for. Although the character leads a glamorous lifestyle, he is an example to prove that money cannot buy happiness. Inside, he is everything but glamourous. He is suffering from a serious mental condition and needs immediate help. Although he at first refuses it, he eventually seeks help. Glamour, although it appears to be, does not define his lifestyle.

Blog # 6: Stop Loss—Media and the War in Iraq

    Stop Loss came out in theatres on March 23rd and the day I traveled to the Pougkeepsie Galleria to see it. By the end of the movie, there was not a dry eye in the house. It told the story of a group of young men shipped to Iraq to fight in the war on terror. They return home and two of them are stop lossed (they have to return to Iraq in a few weeks because there are not enough soldiers without a draft to fight our war). One of the men attempts to flee to Canada to evade the return to war territory.

    I realized over the course of the film that this is one of the first anti-war films made for my generation. It was at least, the first one I saw, and that made me realize the impact that the media can have on the citizens. I never had a stance on the war; I was too young when it began to fully understand the politics surrounding it. Now that I am beginning to comprehend the circumstances I am learning that it is not necessarily our place to get involved with the policies of another country. The media surrounding this war has been controlled by the government (they have access and control over our phone calls, emails, and other forms of communication) and very few anti-war movies have been made. This was one of the first to show the emotional, physiological, and personal effects that war has on the young adults fighting it. It effected me in a profound way. My cousin is going to West Point next year, meaning he has to serve in the forces, and after seeing this movie, it made me pray more and more for peace in our world. The media is beginning to play a crucial role in effecting the opinions of the citizens of the United States of America.

BPlayer: Uses for a Brick

List all the uses for a brick you could imagine, beyond building a wall.

Weapon.

Weight.

Hammer.

Shelf/Table.

Pencil Holder.

Book End.