This post is due by Tuesday, February 11 @ midnight for full credit.
Email late posts to rob.williamsATmadriver.com for partial credit.
Read our MEDIA@SOCIETY book, assigned chapter above.
In a SINGLE blog post below, provide for the chapter:
1. A single sentence, IYOW, that captures the chapter's THESIS (main argument).
2. THREE specific pieces of supporting documentation - ideas, concepts, stats, data - to bolster your thesis for the chapter. (Use 2 - 3 sentences for each.)
3. A single PERSONAL story of 3-4 sentences that connects the chapter directly with your own personal media experiences.
4. A SINGLE specific question you have after reading and blogging on the chapter.
Game on,
Dr. W
There are many metaphors that aim to describe media’s role in society, however most tend to isolate the media with an “outside force” perspective that takes away from their actual role as the narrators of change.
ReplyDeleteFor example, viewing the media as an inadequate and unrefined source of art that “ruins our taste [so] that we can no longer appreciate real or high culture when it appears,” is a common accusation (45). However, if people viewed the media as one piece of the culture and art available in the world, rather than the only, they would realize that media has its own level of culture to add, especially by making art accessible to more people through means like the Internet. Other times, media are seen as unidentified, foreign invaders that are doing more harm than good. But, it’s necessary to remember that “just because something originates elsewhere… does not make it alien or inhumane” (34). New technologies and large corporations can, and do, find a way into our lives anyway, whether it be through a personal connection to an artist or a social media site. Therefore, it is best to try and understand the media’s purpose and role rather than distance ourselves from them. Finally, media is also seen as a biased provider of information. Critics of the media look for objectivity in news reporting, but media sociologist Michael Schudson noted, “objectivity is a peculiar demand to make of institutions which, as business corporations, are dedicated first of all to economic survival” (37). People often forget the main goal or purpose of the media when looking for journalistic value. If one can remember that it is impossible to guarantee objectivity, but nonetheless the public still has access to various kinds of information, they will be less likely to look at media as the enemy.
When it comes to media as narrators, I personally tend to forget that “mainstream media aren’t forcing us to like the stories they offer” (49). It’s hard to come to that conclusion when you see news stories everyday that seem prejudiced and partial and then you see the people who blindly agree with what the media has to say rather than forming their own opinion or doing their own research. Sometimes it’s easier to believe what you’re told and take everything at face value, which I am guilty of from time to time as well, but it’s not the best thing to do. And with the media always being represented as the bad guys, it’s also easier to let them take full blame, rather than placing some responsibility on the people.
Are the seven metaphors explained in Media In Society developed by the authors, or are they common and well-known ways of interpreting/ viewing the media?
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ReplyDelete1.) Chapter two focuses on media metaphors and how they affect every day life from couch potatoes to underlining meanings in movies.
ReplyDelete2.) I found it funny to read about media as a distraction because the amount of times I have witnessed this personally and externally is ridiculous. “Whether it comes from scholars, teachers, or parents, usually begins by quoting statistics or authorities about how much of our waking hours we spend watching TV, surfing the internet, or playing computer games.” (43) They don’t mention it in this quote but another huge distraction is our phones. Media as art was interesting read for me because I believe that all media can be considered art. “But if we instead view media as varied forms of a complex cultural landscape that includes art, then we can ask if, and how, media enhance the aesthetic landscape of contemporary life.” (45) With all the varieties of media some will be more artistic than others but in the end it is all art. Media as curriculum was the section in the reading that I had the most trouble with. It upset me. Media should not be used as somewhere to learn the basic skills of life. “We can also point out that never before have so many people had access to so many different and contradictory assessments of the world.” (44)
3.) “Vegging out,’ growing into couch potatoes, wasting time, and generally falling to contribute to the greater good.” (43) The amount of times I have seen media as a distraction is quite sad. I first saw it in sophomore year of high school when my friends devoted their days to Call of Duty four. Now the same thing happens but the game of choice is Grand Theft Auto.
4.) Is the Simpson’s the longest running TV show of all time?
Through the use of metaphor, individuals can better analyze the impact of media, in its various forms, on modern life.
ReplyDeleteThe influence of media can best be addressed through the metaphor; Lakoff and Johnson said, “the metaphor highlights certain features while suppressing others.” (33) Media as interloper discusses the nameless appearance of media in society. Often times media seems to come from an alien place, owing to the fact that media is mass-produced and consumed, technological, and commercial. However, this does not mean media should be considered foreign. Media and its changing technology are more personalized and helps broaden the story-telling process.
Media as information has been denounced for its growing bias, however the pursuit of objectivity in news is not always the best route. The subjective news reporting today relates to our culture now, audiences have access to all kinds of information and can customize stories to their liking. The media as information metaphor could argue, “today’s news environment is extremely rich, subtle, and compelling, more democratically accessible than ever before.” (37)
Generally, media is scapegoated as a distractor. A distraction from academics as well as a social life. Adorno and Horkheimer’s Dialectic of the Enlightenment argued “escapist leisure available in formulaic media is what keeps us numb to the conditions of our own oppression.” (44) Adorno and Horkheimer believe media distracts us from the true problems. This metaphor makes a concise distinction between work and leisure, productive and unproductive. However, life is not that simple and should not be categorized. It makes more sense to observe the role of media at all times and evaluate how it influences us all the time not just when we are relaxing.
It seems with any current event the media will be blamed for most of it. Instead of looking at the root of the problem it’s easier to hold something else accountable. I frequently hear the case that violence in media causes real world violence, the Aurora Theater Shooting in 2012 is an example of this. I feel that blaming the media will eventually get you nowhere; media are narrators of our culture and it should be used to find out why violence is happening and what we can do to fix it.
Will media ever need to actually take responsibility for something its blamed for?
1. Through the use of metaphors, society is shown the varying different sectors that are affected and influenced by media in the world and the implications of these persuasions.
ReplyDelete2.
a) The media often portrays itself as “entertainment” that we willingly consume. However, through closer examination it is explicitly clear that, “...although we appear to have lots of choices, we do not directly participate in determining what those choices and goods will be” (Media in Society, 31). Although we assume we have free will in terms of consuming what media we absorb and in a way being our own curator, media dictate the way we buy and abuse/use our purchasing power.
b) In addition to corrupting our consumerism, media also have the ability to severely impact our morals and values. This concept is explained by referencing, “In what Karl Marx termed the “cash nexus,” purchasing power becomes more important than race, class, gender, and so on. Unfortunately, things like character, integrity, and loyalty become less important too, and so many of us rightly worry about the shallow values and amoral self-interest that capitalism- and consumer culture in general- can foster” (Media in Society, 40). This overtaking of values is what is extremely scary because often we perceive our feelings and perspective on the world within our control, but we must realize that media now have mass control.
c) Often, the media distort our world in a way that subconsciously suggest to us that our world is not okay the way it is in reality. The chapter suggests that, “perhaps a better way to explore the media-as-curriculum metaphor is to ask how the media sustain, enhance, or diminish the ways we come to know and understand the world”(Media in Society, 45). In this regard, we come to understand the world portrayed in media sources as “the way it should be” and we continue to become increasingly uncomfortable within the confines of our own “boring” reality.
3. Media drastically skew our perceptions of seemingly everything and often this leaves with us a feeling of disappointment when we experience certain events and they do not “meet the standards” of how we saw them on television or some other media platform. For high school I went to a boarding school and one girl left after freshman year because she was so engrained in media that she was appalled when her boarding school experience did not mirror the teen show Zoey 101 which follows the glamorous but extremely fake life of a girl going to boarding school. Although this is a very drastic response to media, it is an example of how much our media affect us.
4.The chapter suggests that the media still do a very good job at circulating information and exposing us to certain things we would have never known. This is an example of a positive affect of the media, but seems to be almost the only one outlined in the chapter. Is there any way in determining whether the cons outweigh the pros in our media consumption?
1. Metaphors used in media affect daily lives of the consumers and the impact media has on their lives and their beliefs towards its.
ReplyDelete2. Media usage of metaphors illustrates underlying social idioms that aren’t expressed outwardly or understood yet. “Media become metaphoric stand-ins for submerged, perhaps even unconscious concerns about what we are headed as a social collective” (28). There are many different types of media metaphors, such as interloper, information, propaganda, and commerce. Often, consumers believe that media are what is wrong with society and are perceived as untrustworthy. “Just because something originates elsewhere and is technologically sophisticated, does not make it alien or inhuman” (34). Media is often portrayed as harmful to society and destructive to everyday life as it was known in the past, and yet human beings continue to consume media at ever increasing rate. Media are often portrayed as a waste of time, and people should be spending their time on more productive things like being outside instead of binge-watching Netflix. “Is it okay to zone out and escape into our favorite media, or are we spending too much time watching TV, shopping online, playing video games, or tracking friends on Facebook?” (43). This is a much debated topic, ironically it is often talked about through forms of media, on analytical TV shows or through online articles.
3. Media is often the scapegoat to deeper societal issues. People blame violent games or TV programs for the rise in school shootings or teen violence instead of looking at the cause of the problem. A few months after Sandy Hook, people were proposing to cut mental health funding in the state of Connecticut. This outraged my mother, a therapist, because had people like the Sandy Hook shooter or others had access to mental health facilities, horrible crimes could’ve been prevented. Its easy to look at media as a way out of problems, but in cases such as this there is clearly a deeper issue that has to be addressed instead of being ignores.
4. With today’s new digital media, how can we understand the lasting effects on the public it will have?
1. Media Metaphors introduce us to the realization that we are distracted by media whether we know it or not.
ReplyDelete2. -In the section, The Influence of Capitalism, certain people and groups, such as Marxist, attempt to make people realize that we are hidden under the media. “They hope that their criticism can raise our consciousness and help us free ourselves from media domination…” (31).
-Many people fear that media has shrunken our ability to interact, in person, with one another. One main contribution to this fear is advertising and commercials which is described in the section, Media as Commerce. “Many critics fear that, as we transform into consumers, we become more individualistic and less social, more shallow and less humane” (40).
- The media have distracted us from being social in many ways whether we intentionally use it as a distraction or not. Even when we are trying to relax, many of us use some sort of media, such as watching television or playing a video game, as a getaway. The book Media in Society, uses the term “vegging out” to describe someone who is a couch potato who is “generally failing to contribute to the greater good. When using the media, we do not realize how fast time goes by and because of this, media is seen as a distraction.
3. Similar to the information given in the passage about media as a distraction, I was able to relate to using media as a form of escape and also as a way to relax. For example, when I am walking through campus or having dinner in Alliot, I always tend to take out my phone whether it is only to check the time or to communicate with someone. Unfortunately, this has become a natural habit to me where I use my phone as an escape from the rest of the world. At night, I always scroll through my phone or turn on the television because I use it as a way to relax and fall asleep.
4. Do you think there will ever be enough people who believe that media is a bad distraction where it changes the perspective of media allowing us to live in a less media focused world?
1. I think that the thesis of this chapter is: media represents ourselves in many different ways, including our unconscious concerns about our world today, but while media does show us our societal flaws, it also connects to us personally, spiritually, and like nothing else can.
ReplyDelete2. One example of media representing all of our society’s interests and concerns is media serving as an interloper. Media in Society describes media as “easy to imagine as outside forces” (page 34) because media are not part of us, and are widely observed by all. But media as an interloper also explores how connected we are personally to media, such as when movies, TV shows, performers, and books and lyrics relate to our personal lives and speak to us. The more engaging and participatory media are, the more attractive that media becomes to audiences, because people are able to better understand it via personal connection. Another example of media infiltrating our lives would be how media influences the structure of our society and how our government is run [by the people] via journalism influencing democracy and capitalism. “Media are extensions of the economic system” (page 31). Since the media is available to all of us, the media controls what we see and how we see things (i.e. politics, etc.). A third example of media reflecting our own lives is what we do with media. Media are sometimes seen as a distraction, and “many of us experience media as a form of escape” (page 43). Because media are so imbedded into our daily lives as a distraction, some media are not taken seriously. While the textbook makes the point that when media are used as simply an escape, that creates a sense of “wasting time” when we engage in something that is only meant to distract us. But since media are still a reflection of ourselves, the media we consume regardless of why we are consuming it, is still is relevant to our lives.
3. Media for me is not only a good escape, but also, a lot of media is meaningful to me. I think that media is incredibly important not just for people to personally and emotionally connect to, but also to give us meaning in our lives, and teach us morals. I think it’s important for us to take a step back sometimes, and hear other perspectives, as well as understand other points of view, and differnet stories.
4. Why is some media viewed as “bad” because some consider it a distraction, when it really has much more potential than that?
(1) I interpreted the main thesis of this chapter to be that media can be analyzed through the use of seven metaphors, each providing a different point of view that, together, cover all aspects of media.
ReplyDelete(2) One metaphor used in the textbook media as information. "This kind of criticism and conversation imagines news media as primarily information purveyors addressing us as interested citizens" (36). The media are constantly changing and reinventing themselves to give the same type of information on a platter that best suits the consumer, "we..are being shallow by focusing more on image than on substance" (36). Another common metaphor used to decipher media is media as propaganda. "living in a media-rich world means that we are being bombarded with persuasion, awash in material designed to convince us of something we might not otherwise believe or need." This metaphor is often associated with evil, twisted companies that deliver "subliminal messages" to try and persuade consumers to buy into their product. Another metaphor is media as distraction. To a lot of people, media (social media in particular) is a means of escape, a way to let people forget about their troubles for a moment and dive into a world of information. Some critics associate this metaphor as dark, creating people to "veg out" and become "couch potatoes." This metaphor is often associated with statistics, to see how much time we spend on average using different forms of media, such as television, Internet, radio, etc.
(3) "...mainstream media has...offered us repetitive messages about how we can solve most of our everyday problems through product consumption. In this way, media offer us the cure for the disease that they themselves help to foster, especially through the ubiquity of advertising" (31). This quote really stuck out to me because it was something I could easily relate to. It seems every once and a while, I'll be watching TV when a five minute advertisement comes on this new mop that you've got to have because it's fireproof and there's all this free shit that comes with it. All you have to do is pay $19.95! You'd be a complete dumb ass NOT to buy it! What are you waiting for? Call now!!! Before this once-in-a-lifetime-deal ends! Next thing you know you're so tempted to pick up the phone and buy it to show off to your friends. But take a step back...what the hell do I need a fireproof mop for?? I don't know...I guess it was just good to hear someone else say what I've always thought about these ridiculous advertisements.
(4) How were the seven metaphors created? Are they a standard guideline for interpreting media? Or just for the sake of the textbook?
ReplyDelete1. In understanding how the metaphors of media influence us, we can, in turn, influence the media.
2. Media is a democracy, and the population is “far too easy to mislead” (28).
This metaphor implies that media can, in theory, be accessed and influenced by everyone, similar to the American government. However it is also misleading, as those who truly control the media are masters of manipulating and storytelling. Once we realize this, we have the power to analyze what they are trying to tell us and either resist the consumerist messages or broadcast our own messages.
“…Media are extensions of the economic system. They are ideological tools that tie us ever closer to capitalism, in the guise of merely informing or entertaining us” (31).
We all know the media is constantly trying to sell us something. Even beloved children’s shows, especially Pokémon, are essentially 30-minute commercials for toys, games, and other merchandise. Additionally, viewers tend to get emotionally attached to their favorite television shows, making them, even adults, more likely to buy associated products.
“When we reduce media to a propaganda metaphor, we miss other cultural, institutional, and personal influences that explain advertising’s ubiquity and storytelling function” (38).
Although media has its own capitalist agenda, it is still a good source of entertainment. Sometimes, it can even teach us things. Even though media literacy is increasingly important in society today, it is also necessary to be able to appreciate all the good that media can do for us.
3. As I responded to the quotes above, especially the aspect of TV as an extended commercial, I realized that I was wearing a sweatshirt emblazoned with the “Luke’s Diner” logo. Luke’s Diner is one of the central locations in the classic CW show Gilmore Girls, and was the setting for innumerable emotional moments during the length of the show. Even though I know my hard-earned and saved money is going straight to big corporations, I am still extremely emotionally attached to Gilmore Girls and am willing to dish out some cash in order to carry a piece of my childhood around with me. Despite my knowledge of the capitalist entertainment industry, I still contribute to it because I, like many other Americans, have a strong love of nostalgia.
4. Even though we know the media is telling us all these things, why do we still buy into it?
1. I think that Chapter 2 focuses on how media can be analyzed by seven different types of metaphors.
ReplyDelete2. The seven different types of metaphors are media as interloper, media as information, media as propaganda, media as commerce, media as distraction, media as curriculum and media as art. One of the metaphors I connected with most was media as distraction. “The metaphor of media as a distraction, whether it comes from…playing computer games.” (43) There are so many times I have or have seen people who are distracted by media being some form of “couch potatoes, wasting time and generally failing to contribute to the greater good.” (43) Another metaphor was media as information. News media is mostly information and “Much if the time, though, we accuse media of being biased in a variety of ways, of being sensationalistic, of being shallow by focusing more on image than substance.” (36) “Today’s news environment is exactly rich, subtle, and compelling, more democratically accessible than ever before.” (37) In the section Media as Commerce it talks about how people are becoming disconnected and the ability to interact with people has become less and less. “Many critics fear that, as we transform into consumers, we become more individualistic...and less humane.” (40)
3. I agree with the section of the book that talks about media as a distraction. I constantly am checking my phone, whether it is to chat with someone, play a game or check the time. When I am walking from place to place and have “dead time”, time where I am waiting for something else to happen I use my phone as a distraction to make it seem like I am doing something when in reality I am “failing to contribute to the greater good” Flappy Bird does not help anything.
4. Why is it so easy for people to get distracted by media and spend hours doing something that is ultimately pointless?
Excellent reflections here, colleagues.
ReplyDeleteMissing: Caron, DaCosta, Frasca, Sclafani, Sullivan.
Be BLOG-full!
Dr. W
1. The use of metaphors in the media can influence our decisions in life.
ReplyDelete2. The media as propaganda affects our decisions by "...cultural, institutional, and personal influences that explain advertising’s ubiquity and storytelling function” (38). People are constantly around advertisements whether they know it or not, such as walking by a person on their Apple IPhone.
Media as a distraction occurs all of the time, and sometimes with a positive purpose. “We can also point out that never before have so many people had access to so many different and contradictory assessments of the world” (44). It is easier now a day to connect to unlimited information, and when you’re online you tend to go from one site to the next.
Media influences the society by occupying their lives and impacting their social skills. “Many of us experience media as a form of escape” (43). A lot of people are concentrated on video games or television that they use it as an excuse to stay inside. Also, many people use media to create a new life for themselves or portray themselves as a different person.
3. This chapter reminds me of my brother. One weekend I went to the cape with a few of my cousins. When I left he was playing Xbox. After the several days, I came home and went downstairs where my brother was still on Xbox. He is clearly distracted by media.
4. How long will people blame technology for their social problems?
1) Chapter 2 talks about the metaphors that are used in media and how they affect our daily lives.
ReplyDelete2) “As we discuss in the final section of this chapter, the media metaphor we find most useful is to imagine the media as narrators – narrators that themselves can grow and change, even as they narrate social, cultural political, and economic changes.” (33) This describes how even as the media changes and evolves over time, we still listen to whatever they’re telling us. In a way, we, the consumers, grow with the media.
“But to some critics, and maybe even to ourselves, relaxation becomes something darker – ‘vegging out’, growing into couch potatoes, wasting time, and generally failing to contribute to the greater good” (43) We’re all guilty of “vegging out” which makes this quote so relatable. Sometimes I’ll get back to my dorm and just relax and use my computer for a while and not even realize how much time I’ve spent on it. Then I realize I could have spent that time doing something productive like homework.
“If we compare today’s advertising to the belief systems of people born in premodern, preindustrial times, ads do seem like a fairly benign, even weak, form of persuasion.” (39) Back then, people didn’t know what to believe so they were just told what they should believe. I guess the texts calls it weak in our society because there are different perspectives that are put in front of us so it’s almost like we should know better instead of being swallowed by it.
3) “Many of us experience media as a form of escape – as a good way to spend our leisure time. When we watch TV, play video games, listen to music, go to the movies, read comic books, and look around online, we often think of ourselves as relaxing or taking a break…. Is it okay to zone out and escape into our favorite media, or are we spending too much time watching TV, shopping online, playing video games, or tracking friends on Facebook.” (Page 43) As I said before, this is very relatable because we all spend more time than we intend online shopping or following friends on Facebook. I don’t necessarily think it’s a bad thing to “veg” out online or in some sort of media format as long as it’s not an absurd amount of time.
4) What is it that makes us zone out for long periods of time and gets us so “addicted” to media?
1) This chapter focuses on how understanding metaphor usage in media can help us comprehend the extent to which media influences us in our everyday lives as an interloper, information, propaganda, commerce, distraction, curriculum, art, etc.
ReplyDelete2)
• Media are often seen as an unwanted outside force that influences society and have become our go-to to point fingers of blame at. “They are perceived by critics and citizens as interlopers, influences that come into our culture from ‘out there’ to shape our lives” (34). People assume that media are driving everything that is wrong with our country because it appears as though it comes from out of nowhere and is telling society what to do.
• Most of us view media as a distraction, taking time away from our duties by staring at our news feeds all day and looking up Youtube videos. Before we even realize it, a few hours have gone by and we’ve done absolutely nothing. “Under this distraction metaphor, the media are imagined as luring us away from worthwhile ways to spend our leisure hours” (43).
• A lot of people also believe that “media promote inadequate socialization because they offer inadequate mirrors of society” (44). The metaphor that media act as curriculum suggests that media are the source of most things we know about or world today, which is actually kind of disappointing.
3) I think everyone can relate to the part about media being a distraction. I often find myself becoming engrossed in a TV show, Facebook, Youtube, etc. when I should be doing homework, but instead I think a lot of us tend to push these things off to the side. Then there is the extreme example that they used in the book where relaxing becomes “vegging out,” which is the case for some people where our other duties almost become the distraction that interrupts our media intake because we rely on it so much.
4) Is media only telling us that they don’t take the blame for everything society blames them for, or are they actually not to blame?
Through the understanding of the seven metaphors we can be more aware of how the media influence us whether it be negatively influencing or positively influencing our decisions.
ReplyDelete“Because the media are commercially based, technologically connected, and mass produced and consumed, they can seem to come from some unidentified place outside of our communities and cultures…Just because something originates elsewhere and is technologically sophisticated, does not make it alien” (p. 34).
People can connect with things on the Internet and in the media in personal ways even though they are derived from an extraneous source. Though it is hard for older generations to grasp the idea of the digitalized world because of their association with concrete sources of information; newspapers, books, etc. eventually it will become the norm.
“This science-like information metaphor assumes that free-flowing idealized information would somehow make the world a better place, but it also forecloses discussion on the media’s role as cultural storytellers…. But if the news media are storytellers first, then it is up to us not only to demand better stories but to help create the stories we think need to be told, and the participatory structure of the internet makes this more possible” (p. 37).
The media is an excellent source of information but it can often be biased. We, the consumers of the media, must be persistent in challenging the media and their predispositions.
“Another conventional metaphor that circulates about the media claims that we are being poorly served by the low aesthetic quality of most mainstream media fare. This view characterizes media not as inadequate information or education bus as inadequate culture” (p. 45).
Media as Art is a double edge sword. On one hand it gives us access to a multitude of different forms of art we would not originally have access to without the Internet. On the other hand, forms of art can be produced and published with little efforts. Popular culture sometimes can more appreciated by viewers than “high culture” art.
I found the media as an interloper very interesting. I think this is interesting because my grandparents and my parents (to a certain extent) always talk about the “good old days” where they went to the library to find out information and in a way I find that true. With the expansion of the Internet, information became easier to access but then it also became easier to post things on the internet. Now we have to question how creditable the information we are reading is, however back in the “good old days” the information they read was researched, checked and published by experts. They knew it was creditable because it was not just a click of a mouse to have your research published.
How do we give creditability to information on the Internet if it is not found on a database, online encyclopedia, etc.?