Blog 3- Learning Outcome

Mass media is a powerful force that is used to inform, persuade, and entertain, however, it can be misused as a tool to exploit or stereotype for commercial gain. On the positive side, mass media can be used to publicize good news, raise awareness about charitable causes, and inform the public on important issues, such as economic or political information. For example, the Susan Komen foundation has benefited from mass media efforts to raise awareness about breast cancer. The foundation’s trademark pink color has become synonymous with breast cancer research. The growing use of social media has assisted recent presidential candidates in connecting with their constituencies. As Facebook executive Adam Conner said in a recent interview, “With 500 million users, Facebook is a free, direct route between candidates and voters.”

Mass media is also important in advertising new products. Informing the public of new products allows the consumer to make more informed choices and supports competition. Unfortunately, not all businesses utilize mass media in a socially responsible manner. Criticisms of mass media include perpetuating gender and race stereotypes, fostering unhealthy behaviors, and sensationalism. Generally these tactics are employed in the quest for commercial gain.

An ongoing example of gender bias in media comes from Victoria’s Secret. Their advertisements send consumers the message that women must aspire to unrealistic bodies and exploitive behavior to be attractive to men. They depict a skewed reality that promotes gender stereotypes and creates significant body image insecurities. Television advertising, even within the shows themselves, has been shown to influence the behavior of those who watch. Stereotyping is common, such as seen on South Park, where they repeat that redheads do not have souls. The episode spawned a new form of bullying against redheads, calling them “gingers.”

Mass media is also known for sensationalism. An example is the very recent Time magazine cover regarding attachment parenting. In an effort to generate awareness, and sales, for the magazine, Time chose a cover image of a young mother with her three year old son breast-feeding. The language used a rhetorical question also meant to sensationalize; Are you Mom Enough? The title was in bold red type, meant to gain maximum attention and power. Some media experts have called the image exploitive.

Understanding how mass media can be used as a positive force as well as a negative force is important to everyone who is exposed to media. Media can be very effective when directed to a specific audience. By targeting an intended audience through tactics such as appropriate style and register, the use of layout and images that are meaningful and connect to the target audience, as well as effective media placement and vehicles, a target audience can be influenced to act. Conversely, media can also be effective in influencing the target audience in a negative manner. Through the use of inappropriate or misleading imagery and language, over time messages can be absorbed that reinforce stereotypes and bias. In some cases, there is deliberate manipulation of the audience.  The ability to interpret media with a practiced eye allows the viewer to be a better decision maker when it comes to making choices on how to spend time, money, and even thought.

Blog 2- Machine Stops Claim

Bob Mondello, in his article, “Our Media, Ourselves: Are We Headed For a Matrix?”, claims that it is the physical possessions, or what he calls accumulated stuff, that defines each person as an individual. He goes on to state that as an individual’s stuff is abandoned, there is a fear that there will be a loss of humanness, that which makes each person a unique being.

Mondello supports his claim with sales data as evidence that technology is rapidly accelerating the elimination of physical items such as books, CD’s, DVD’s and printed photographs. However, Mondello does not really address that these items are still being produced, purchased, used, shared, and committed to memory. He also fails to report that as these items have become digital, new stuff, in the form of cellphones, iPod’s, tablet computers and other devices have been created. The piles of stuff referred to by Mondello may be going away, but new stuff, albeit smaller and more high tech, is taking its place. Humans are not losing touch with the artifacts of their culture, these artifacts have just evolved. A visitor to a new acquaintance’s home may be just as impressed with the newest touchscreen computer as they once were with seeing the Eagle’s Hotel California limited edition album on the shelf.

The article goes on to recall the film, The Matrix, where “actual reality is barren.” Mondello says, “Nothing physical to establish that one person is different from another. It’s a horror story in which humanity has abandoned all of what makes us human.”  Although one’s possessions may tell others something about the owner, are tangible items really the key to humanity?  Isn’t the mind really what each person has that is unique and solely their own? Mondello appears to have dismissed the idea that what is inside is what actually equates to humanness. For example, millions of immigrants once left their homes to journey to a new land called America with nothing more than the clothes they were wearing. What they took was their will to persevere, and that is found inside them, not by the accumulation of stuff.  Losing “stuff,” useless clutter, should be good for the soul, not a bad thing. Perhaps it would free people to take time for introspection, to think about important issues and appreciate other things than just over consumption of stuff. After all, why does the loss of stuff mean that there is no more nature, outdoor and physical activity, good food, and connection to others? Electronic books and communication does not equal living in a cell in an isolated hive.

E.M.Forster’s The Machine Stops, tells a tale where true isolation of humanity has occurred. In his story, humans truly had given up all personal contact, as well as exposure to the outdoors. Forster says, “But Humanity, in its desire for comfort, had over-reached itself. It had exploited the riches of nature too far. Quietly and complacently, it was sinking into decadence; and progress had come to mean the progress of the Machine.” In this fictional tale, men no longer thought for themselves, but had come to allow a Machine to take over every aspect of their lives. Mondello uses this story as an example of how a sterile environment equates to comfort, and therefore a lack of self-expression. However, this could only be the case if there were a total lack of free will among humanity. Nothing in Mondello’s story supports the idea that ridding oneself of clutter equates to surrendering our humanness.

Mondello does raise the issue of isolation and a lack of human connections as a result of the growing trend toward technology-based communication and entertainment. It is true that some individuals may retreat into seclusion if no personal connection is ever required to live. They may shun exercise, the outdoors, perhaps even electronic communication and entertainment. However, people with reclusive behavior are not new. They have made a choice to live with more isolation than others, but that is their choice, and for many, what brings them happiness. In fact, it is common to read of those in seclusion accumulating more stuff than average, not less.

Today’s over-consumptive society has created an illusion that having more stuff equates to more happiness and self-definition. This is an illusion that industry has created to continue selling more stuff. A simpler life, less cluttered, yet rich in art, literature and human connections, albeit electronic ones, may create a society that is rich not in the accumulation of stuff, but in thought.

Blog 1- Image Analysis

This advertisement achieves its purpose of making a Hoover vacuum appear to be the perfect Christmas gift for a wife through persuasive text, images, and colors. Although it would seem like women are the target audience, because it is an ad for a vacuum, and a woman is shown, the text makes it clear that it is targeted to married men. In addition to the main body copy, which is a statement speaking directly to the husband, the smaller text says, “P.S. to husbands…,” making it very clear. This smaller text is also included to emphasize to the audience that this product is intended as a gift to their wives. This text is small and located at the bottom, because it is portrayed as a “secret message” to husbands, causing them to feel as if they have been let in on the secret to a perfect Christmas gift. This is an emotional appeal, intended to draw in the audience so that they will read the extra text.

The style of this ad appears to be something that was popular in the 1950’s. Clues to the time period include the woman’s dress, hairstyle, and the old-fashioned vacuum itself.  The target audience of married men and the product being advertised are additional factors that support the time-period. In the fifties, men were the primary workers in a household, while women tended to stay at home and focus on the household.

This advertisement uses several tactics to sell the product. The text is straightforward, because men want to please their wives, but often have trouble finding good presents for them. A rhetorical question that appeals to emotion is used to encourage the audience to consider buying this product. The main text, “Christmas morning (and forever after) she’ll be happier with a Hoover,” implies that getting a Hoover vacuum for your wife is the best way to make her happy, not just on Christmas day, but for the rest of her life. This seems like the ultimate goal for a husband when he is buying a gift for his wife, which makes this message very persuasive. The text is large, red, and in a scripted font, which not only brings attention to it, but the script makes it more personal. The “(and forever after)” is included in a smaller size, which helps contribute to the feeling of being let in on a secret. Above these words is the Hoover logo and tag line, which says, “Give her a Hoover and you give her the best.” These words further give the audience the message that no other gift will suffice but a Hoover vacuum.

All of the text included in this ad works with the images to achieve the ad’s purpose. The colors in the ad follow the Christmas theme, with red and green dominating. White, black, and a bit of peach for the skin of the woman are used sparingly. Red and green are used for the logo, most of the text, the woman’s dress, packages and ribbons, and the vacuum. For example, the Hoover logo has a red bow hanging off of it, the vacuum has a green bow, the woman is in a festive green dress with a ribbon, and there are wrapped boxes next to the vacuum. These colors and decorations, along with the image of the woman laying on the floor, reading a card attached to the vacuum, all give the impression that it is Christmas morning. However, the woman seems to be ignoring the other gifts, which appear small and insignificant compared to the Hoover vacuum. She is smiling, and has her hand lovingly resting on the vacuum. This woman is portrayed as young and beautiful, seeming to really care about how she and her house appear. This woman represents the wives of the potential buyers for this product. The image of her sends the message to the viewer that if she is so happy with this gift, then their wives will be, too. The subliminal messages given by the images used work together with the implication of the text to persuade husbands that the Hoover vacuum is the perfect gift to make their wives happy forever.

Blog Entry Three

Revolving doors spit me into a cathedral-like entry, complete with shiny marble floors, and people with cheery smiles pasted on their faces like those paraffin lips you get at the drugstore. I start to walk toward the elevators. The signs hint that all is not as cheery as first thought. Oncology and Surgery waiting rooms are straight ahead. An antiseptic smell permeates the corridor, so strong that I wonder if I’ll see it in the air. I can’t keep my eyes from sliding to the right, where the surgery waiting room is filled to capacity. People sitting in small groups, huddled, worried, and frightened, slip past my vision as I try to hurry past unnoticed. Faces look up at me, searching for answers I don’t have.  Quiet whispers follow me down the hallway until, finally, I see the elevator and step on. I hear the ding and the doors whoosh open. Suddenly I have to again navigate through unfamiliar territory, to room 4407. I make it to my grandmother’s room, where I find her sitting up and ready to leave.  After a much faster trip back the way I had come, we are in the car. It feels good, like freedom.

I used the technique of writing a travel narrative from my own point of view. I tried to convey that my location appeared cheery at first, but was not, once inside. To involve the reader, I added specific sensory details, such as the antiseptic smell and the people with worried body language. I added my reactions to the sights and sounds and my moments of insight. For example, the surgery visitors looking toward me with momentary hope. I think this technique impacted the reader in several ways. First, the location starts as a mystery, causing them to guess where I might be. Next, I involved them with details to help them envision the location and what happens there. Details include sights, sounds, and smells, but also my own fears and observations. Lastly, I tried to remind them of a shared or similar experience with a hospital or care facility.

Blog Entry Two

Published in 1950, the book, I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov is a science fiction story based in the 2050’s. This futuristic series of short stories relate the creation and development of the robot.  The series, narrated by the protagonist Dr. Susan Calvin, is an adventure about how man creates and deals with new technologies, and the dangers that come with them. It is also about solving the greatest problem facing mankind, that of defining humanity. The theme of this story centers on the interaction between humans and robots, and the moral issues that arise from this interaction.
The book was published when Americans were experiencing the cold war and the nuclear arms race. The bourgeoning fields of science and technology were beginning to show major breakthroughs, with the creation of the first computer and a new field called quantum physics.  Asimov’s purpose was to entertain an audience who were reading daily about scientific discoveries. Asimov wanted to engage the reader with possibilities about the future from a political and a moral perspective. For example, the discourse of the times was captured when Dr. Calvin said, “And just for a moment he forgot, or didn’t want to remember, that other robots might be more ignorant than human beings. His very superiority caught him.” Asimov was drawing a parallel between robots and our future; about the issues of scientific discoveries and their impact on our world.
Asimov chose a first person narrative by a female scientist to convey his message.  His use of a female was a clever commentary not only about the future of technology, but also a future where women are scientific leaders. For the 1950’s, this was a radical idea, and further served his purpose of questioning  societal norms.
His use of a series of short stories allowed Asimov to build the reader’s interest and knowledge, taking them from looking at robots as simple machines toward robots that became power hungry politicos, telepaths, and sentient beings with the intelligence to drive man from existence.  Asimov foreshadows this future where robots become equal to humans in the very first story, when a little girl becomes attached to a robot that is destroyed. “The whole trouble with Gloria is that she thinks of Robbie as a person and not as a machine. Now if we managed to convince her that Robbie was nothing more than a mess of steel and copper in the form of sheets and wires with electricity its juice of life, how long would her longings last?" Asimov’s knowledge of his subject allowed him to blend scientific fact and fiction that tapped into the desires and fears of his audience.

Blog Entry One

Chapter thirteen of Made in America, an informal history of the English Language in the United States, by Bill Bryson, traces changes in the English language during the late 1800’s through mid-1900’s. British influence on language in America soon gave way as American dominance in the invention of civilizing comforts mounted. The rapid technological advances and industrialization brought a level of prosperity and innovation to America that remained unsurpassed for fifty years. Bryson discusses the emergence of new vocabulary as a result of these inventions, and how the words for these new devices evolved over time. Words were added to American English as a result of innovations related to the comforts of the home. The discovery of electricity led to a host of new words and altered the vocabulary of the American public.  Bryson says, "As electricity became more widely available, electrical products began to come onto the market. Singer produced the first electric sewing machine in 1889. The electric fan appeared in 1891, the electric iron in 1893, the electric vacuum cleaner in 1901, the electric stove-sometimes called a fireless cooker-in 1902, the electric washing machine in 1909, the electric toaster in 1910, and the electric dishwasher in 1918." Names for these devices soon became household terms as Americans embraced consumerism. Interestingly, slang terms also emerged. An example is the term, juice, used in 1886 to describe electricity, but persisting to this day.
Bryson also traces the evolution of several familiar product names. Television was invented nearly as early as radio, but was referred to by a variety of names. “In the early days it went by a variety of alternative names – electric eye, iconoscope, image dissector, electric telescope, televisor, picture radio, visual wireless, electric vision, and radio vision,” says Bryson. As the television became more widespread, its name also became standardized. Another example was the Radarrange, later renamed the microwave oven. Its name did not become familiar until the product itself became common in households. As technology evolved, Americans embraced not only the products, but also the language that described them.