News, trust, and “truthiness”

Bold Broadcast Brings Belly Bouncing

In my previous blog, I expressed my support for satirical broadcasts and stated that they are successful forms of culture jamming.  After reading multiple of my classmates’ blogs, I believe that the students share my point of view.  We all consider the comedic newscasts to be useful to the public, as well as being a strong cause for culture jamming. 

In Brittany Shannon’s blog, she expresses her approval of the satirical news saying that it gives us an assortment of opinion, which can be valuable in our society (1).  She also pronounces the satirical news may bring more knowledge to the public sphere because these shows present the humor of the situation, rather than only noticing the negatives in news reports (1).  I agree with this standpoint.  It seems like any time I watch the news, another disaster is occurring in our culture.  It’s important for people to see these situations from another perspective.  I know that this will not cure the world from its diseases, but after all, laughter is the best medicine. 

Other students encourage the confrontations presented through these newscasts.  Brandon Lewis says that this style of shows challenge the true news shows to improve, by accusing the media on particular activities they do to raise their ratings (2).  I think that this push from other news sources allows for powerful culture jamming, which is catching on with a younger audience.  These shows have a youthful fan base, as seen in this class’ blogs.  Their broadcasts are very powerful, which could result for in a dramatic change in our country.  Mike Reid alludes to this theory when he suggests they can be successful in configuring our opinions, as well as the modern state of our public sphere (3).  The media undoubtedly impacts our views, which is why these broadcasts attempt to appeal to young adults.  The country will soon be run by my generation, which is why the media tries to enter their beliefs in our mind, so that their opinions are still living through us.  Although the satirical may not have a resilient presence in today’s society, our public sphere will soon by run by those who were impacted by it.

(1) http://britshannon.blogspot.ca

(2) http://brandonlewis94.wordpress.com

(3) http://mikereidyes.blogspot.ca

Is The Fake News The Real News?

Comedy Captivates Community

            It is well known that each media source is responsible for deforming and stretching the news to fit their best interests.  While the truth may be opposite to the network’s beliefs, the story that is presented to the public is often constructed to present the messages that the media wants to distribute.  While many sources continue to follow this pattern, the satirical news offers the information with little to none being held from the viewers.  I think that the fake news should be viewed as a valuable source because it is a legitimate form of cultural jamming.

Even though much of the media seems to present much of the same information, the fake news offers some resistance through their late night broadcasts. Cultural jamming examines the whole picture of different situations within a comedic frame, while criticizing media sources that present this news (O’Shaughnessy, Stadler, 2012, p. 214).  Based upon this definition, it could be suggested that cultural jamming is a requirement of the satirical news.  Satirists like Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert are brining legitimacy to the news with their style of presentation.  However, some may view their news as inappropriate and worthless to the populace.  Because every segment from the show ends with laughter, this makes the programs appear as comedy, and bring no validity to their subject matter.  Our textbook says that some people view satirical news broadcasts as rebellious due to their subject matter and form of communication (p. 216). I personally disagree with this viewpoint.  I believe that the addition of comedy does not take anything away from the substance that is presented in these broadcasts.  Adding comedy makes shows unique because they possess a quality that cannot be found in any other newscast.  I think that the public sphere benefits from shows like this because they still bring awareness to popular topics, and are able to entertain their audience while addressing these stories.

            In conclusion, I think that satirical news is a strong source of culture jamming due to its irreplaceable delivery of the news.  People may interpret this as an ineffective method of broadcasting, but I still enjoy it and will continue to support comedic anchors and their hilarious shows.

O’Shaughnessy, M., Stadler J. (2012). Media and Society Fifth Edition. Victoria, Australia: Oxford.

Here is a recent clip from Jon Stewart’s, “Daily Show” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAGRId7L3zM

Demonstrable Demographics

Mimicked Mindset of Many

            In several of my classmates’ posts, I constantly seem to be reading my own thoughts and opinions appearing through their blogs.  After reading numerous entries, I have found multiple similarities in our views on advertising in the media.

Firstly, it is important to establish the messages that the media is continuously promoting through commercials.  Ads today often attempt to promote a healthy and active lifestyle, as well as all the benefits that will come with that.  The key incentive that is seemingly permanent in every commercial is the suggested sexual attraction from others.  In Jenny’s blog, she discusses a recent Dove commercial, and says that although companies may promote a healthy body image, it can still make some people feel insecure about the way they look (1).  I agree with this completely.  In my chosen Axe commercial, the lady is very beautiful and is portrayed as what every man wants and deserves.  Girls in North America today are compelled to buy beauty products so that men will express their interests.  It would seem like women are made to feel like Miss America contestants every day, and that men are the judges.  The media encourages the grading of ladies, when in actuality it is degrading them.

             Also, the impact that these ads can have on society is tremendous.  Justin discusses the power that is associated with commercials connecting with their audience (2).  As stated before, women feel compelled to buy beauty products in an attempt to satisfy the unreachable standards set by the media.  In the same way, men also feel the need to impress women.  The famous Old Spice commercial has made men everywhere dream of being Isaiah Mustafa (the old spice guy).  Adam discusses the effect of the popular commercial saying that Isaiah represents what every man thinks of himself, even though it is not what men actually look like (3).  Although the ad may be demeaning towards a demographic, people will still feel the need to purchase their product to fix the problems suggested in the commercial. 

            In conclusion, I was very pleased with what I read in my fellow classmates’ blogs.  Their thoughts on commercials and the impact it has matches with my own.  It’s great to know that so many people my age are aware of the messages that are presented and how we can accurately interpret them.

(1) http://jt11mb.blogspot.ca

(2) http://jy12zl.wordpress.com

(3) http://at12nk.wordpress.com

Advertising and Interpellation

Axe Alters Adolescents

            The TV ad that I have chosen for this post is “Axe Apollo Body Spray”.  The commercial begins with a beautiful woman trapped inside a burning building, screaming for help.  A handsome fireman appears and bravely rushes into the blazing structure to rescue her.  As they safely emerge from the fire, these two characters gaze deeply into each other’s eyes.  The girl unexpectedly turns away from her hero, and runs towards an average guy dressed in an astronaut costume.  The phrase, “Nothing beats an astronaut…ever” appears on screen with the product, as the girl continues running towards the guy.

            Despite the several unrealistic segments presented in this commercial, the “Axe Apollo Body Spray” ad is very effective.  It is obviously most appealing towards the young male audience, who may be ignorant to the fact that girls will never come running simply because of your cologne.  The textbook explains that one’s gender is the centre of one’s individuality (p. 185), and that companies use this to push their products to us.  All men want to be irresistible, but this can only occur when women rush towards them as the ad portrays.  However, the only men that have ever experienced this feeling are the likes of Brad Pitt and Channing Tatum.  Axe offers males everywhere a solution to this problem in their new body spray, guaranteeing that women everywhere will adore you for the rest of their life.

            However, commercials like this have twisted the thought process of young boys everywhere.  The perceptions and values of hygiene and women have changed because of the messages exposed through this ad. Because Axe guarantees the love of women in a can, many boys now think that one spray of axe is the equivalent of a full shower – a hygiene alternative that drives women away rather than towards them.  Also, women are drawn as nothing but sexual pleasure in this ad, which misleads boys to treat them as such.  This builds a horrific standard for women, and degrades their image.  The textbook suggests that ideology can control how we behave and act (p. 182), as is clearly seen through the impact of this commercial on juvenile boys.

            In conclusion, this ad does a terrific job appealing to my age and gender demographic.  Axe was able to represent the feelings on men in North America, and proposed an answer to the predicament of understanding women.  Axe has become a very popular brand with men, but I hope that their ideals in their commercials do not become accepted.

O’Shaughnessy, M., Stadler J. (2012). Media and Society Fifth Edition. Victoria, Australia: Oxford.

Wanted: The Media That We Need

Necessary News Needed

In the past few decades, our society has been witnesses to the drastic transformation that the media has experienced.  Recently, the news has taken on the ability to travel around the world instantly, allowing for people to be updated constantly on world events.  Many years ago, people were obligated to go and discover information for themselves rather than rely on the Internet.  In today’s North American culture, the news travels much faster thanks to the use of technology.  Because the media is now responsible for passing informative intelligence to the population, they must improve their appearance in order to appeal to people.  However, I believe that in the media’s effort to enhance their presence, important aspects have been removed from their stories.  The media will present to the viewers what they want to see, not what is the most important.

            The media presents information that everybody wants to watch.  In order for the media to be profitable they must attract a substantial audience.  In Sarah Trotman’s blog, she describes this scenario completely.  She explains that the media must provide information that is desirable by the public in order for them to increase profit through viewership and advertising (1).  Therefore, the media will alter their product, so that the population continues to support it.

            The media has grown exponentially.  It seems that we cannot go anywhere today without seeing a commercial or promotion.  This is because the media has realized the power that it has over our lifestyle choices and decisions.  If society is exposed to an idea endlessly, those ideas will eventually be accepted as the norm.  Emma Knight also questions the information from the media that we assume as truth.  She thinks that the media has manipulated us to simply accept all the news that they fabricate (2).  I agree with her perspective and believe that people should apply strong filters to what they understand as fact from the media.

             In conclusion, I think that society needs to be better prepared for what the media offers to them.  Nicole Hough says that it’s our fault for allowing media to control the public and influence our beliefs (3).  We need to build a better immunity to what the media says.  We should not be as open are we are, but rather carefully depict what we are being told.

(1) Sarah Trotman - http://st12tq.wordpress.com

(2) Emma Knight - http://brockbadger.wordpress.com

(3) Nicole Hough - http://nhough95.wordpress.com