"Do you want to hear the good news or the bad news first?"
Most people choose to hear the bad news first, so that the good news can act as an electric comfort blanket to drape the bad news out. It seems though, as if every time I tune in to the news on television or read about news in the newspapers, all I tend to hear and see is bad news. It's as if the good is too boring, and the bad, unfortunately, acts as entertainment. It gets the publicity. The public eye is also being hypnotized by the Public Relations industry, and their improper use of VNRs (Video News Releases)
"A VNR is a prepackaged segment that looks and sounds like journalistically reported information but is produced by either a public relations firm or a government body with a vested interest in the product or service being described" (Joe Garofoli, Chronicle Staff Writer).
These are much like those weight-loss commercials where you see about 4 or 5 people saying "I lost 20 pounds with [enter various diet pills here]". It can be of great skepticism that those people didn't even try the product, even though before and after photographs are shown. If that isn't bad enough, in most circumstances, those photographs have been digitally manipulated to look real, which distorts the perception that the public has on these products.
We live in a time period where we can alter just about anything in our lives to change the way we feel. Fake breasts, fake meat, fake hair, fake smiles and now, fake news. In the book "Toxic Sludge is Good for You", the authors Stauber and Rampton elaborate on how the Public Relations industry create fabricated facts to convince the public eye to buy into their schemes. Literally. The book depicts the lengths PR Representatives will go to make sure the truth is concealed and the lies are blinding. We being the public eye need to be aware of their schemes, and "Toxic Sludge" acts as a personal hand guide for the public to recognize the strategies PR reps use to manipulate us. This book strongly suggests that we need to be more skeptical of what we hear on the news, and it elaborates on certain ways PR Representatives can blindfold us, such as improper use of VNRs.
Another work that explains the manipulation of news that feeds the public eye is Edward Bernays "Propaganda". This book is also a how-to manual, showing us how corporately funded PR firms seek public acceptance by manipulating a particular idea or product. Edward Bernays was Sigmund Freud's nephew, and by writing this novel in 1928, Bernays found a way to use his Uncle's psychoanalytic theories to recognize the manipulative ways that PR firms control not only consumer behavior, but also political thought. "Propaganda" is a conceptual model for governments, corporations, and lobbying firms to show the principles behind swaying public thought and opinion and controlling the masses.
These two important works allow the public to fight for their right of knowing the truth. We shouldn't have to be lied to anymore. By reading these texts, we can obtain the knowledge needed to fight propaganda and false information.
Joe Garofoli, Chronicle Staff Writer. "Probe of Non-News News Sought". Hearst Communications Inc. November 2006. October 2008. <http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/11/15/MNGB4MCURM1.DTL>
John Stauber, Sheldon Rampton. "Toxic Sludge is Good For You". Centre for Media & Democracy. 1995. October 2008.
Edward Bernays. "Propaganda". Ig Publishing. Brooklyn, New York. 1928. October 2008.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Social Uses/ Implications of Technology and Media
At one point in time, scientists and other professional researchers were the only people allowed to have Internet access, as it was and still is a life-changing invention. The global information medium "World Wide Web" speaks for itself. It is an endless world, that stretches world-wide to connect billions of users, and if you were to draw a line from each user to the next, you'd have a web-effect. Without a web, a spider couldn't capture prey and feed itself. Without people, the Internet couldn't exist. It's like saying the spider is the Internet and humans are the web.
The Internet gives shape to my daily routine in numerous amounts of ways. I wake up, and in my zombie state, I take my laptop from the chair and start using it. The bright screen helps my tired, heavy eyes become fully open. I do this before opening the blinds, which I find is a bit mental, because the sun is the main source of light that is used; it is the reason for human existence, and here I am relying on impostor lighting to get me out of bed. Throughout my day I am connected to the Internet. Even when I am not at home, I am still connected. When I am at school, in my class, I notice that almost every student has a laptop with wireless Internet. I even feel connected just because they are connected. I just invested in a 13" Macbook that I am aching to bring to class, so I can join the finger exercising, and be one voice with the ticking and clicking of keys. And when an Instructor offers an important website, I can view it right then, right there, instead of writing it down and risking it being lost in the sea of scribbles and lined paper.
The Internet replaces other technologies too. You don't have to use pens anymore. When you just don't want to hear that person's voice whining on the receiving end of your cellular device, you can send them a message virtually, and read about their issues instead. It saves you the pounding headache - not to be insensitive or anything. Other then Adobe Photoshop, I find my laptop useless without Internet. Sure it comes with a list of pretty little games you can occupy yourself with, but you can just go online and find any game you want and play it. So how about that? Yes you need Microsoft Office Tools to write your important papers, or to present your exciting new pictures in a fancy slide show on Power Point, but you need information to write papers. You need research. You need Google. You even need Wikipedia because what is a topic without millions of opinions? Yes there are books, and there are newspapers. You know what else there is? Online copies and summaries of those books you go to the library for, and you can find those articles you see in the paper, online at anytime! Another great thing about the Internet is that it is fast. People are busy. Sometimes, you don't have the time to wait in a line at the bookstore, or the money for that matter. But the Internet always makes time for you, and is generous regarding your busy schedule. It makes time for you, whenever you need it. Too bad health care wasn't online. That would save many hours waiting in the doctor's office, but you could realistically e-mail your doctor if you wanted to. I guess I can say the Internet has changed my behaviour, but not in a bad way or anything. I've become more of an observer, and a better researcher. I think the Internet is an important necessity. Why else would they have it capitalized?
The Internet gives shape to my daily routine in numerous amounts of ways. I wake up, and in my zombie state, I take my laptop from the chair and start using it. The bright screen helps my tired, heavy eyes become fully open. I do this before opening the blinds, which I find is a bit mental, because the sun is the main source of light that is used; it is the reason for human existence, and here I am relying on impostor lighting to get me out of bed. Throughout my day I am connected to the Internet. Even when I am not at home, I am still connected. When I am at school, in my class, I notice that almost every student has a laptop with wireless Internet. I even feel connected just because they are connected. I just invested in a 13" Macbook that I am aching to bring to class, so I can join the finger exercising, and be one voice with the ticking and clicking of keys. And when an Instructor offers an important website, I can view it right then, right there, instead of writing it down and risking it being lost in the sea of scribbles and lined paper.
The Internet replaces other technologies too. You don't have to use pens anymore. When you just don't want to hear that person's voice whining on the receiving end of your cellular device, you can send them a message virtually, and read about their issues instead. It saves you the pounding headache - not to be insensitive or anything. Other then Adobe Photoshop, I find my laptop useless without Internet. Sure it comes with a list of pretty little games you can occupy yourself with, but you can just go online and find any game you want and play it. So how about that? Yes you need Microsoft Office Tools to write your important papers, or to present your exciting new pictures in a fancy slide show on Power Point, but you need information to write papers. You need research. You need Google. You even need Wikipedia because what is a topic without millions of opinions? Yes there are books, and there are newspapers. You know what else there is? Online copies and summaries of those books you go to the library for, and you can find those articles you see in the paper, online at anytime! Another great thing about the Internet is that it is fast. People are busy. Sometimes, you don't have the time to wait in a line at the bookstore, or the money for that matter. But the Internet always makes time for you, and is generous regarding your busy schedule. It makes time for you, whenever you need it. Too bad health care wasn't online. That would save many hours waiting in the doctor's office, but you could realistically e-mail your doctor if you wanted to. I guess I can say the Internet has changed my behaviour, but not in a bad way or anything. I've become more of an observer, and a better researcher. I think the Internet is an important necessity. Why else would they have it capitalized?
Monday, October 6, 2008
Media Literacy
Being literate doesn't mean just knowing how to read or write anymore. Ever since humans began to rely on media to obtain information, the definition of "literacy" has broadened. Our communication skills have advanced, and our ability to think critically has taken new routes. Our right brains have become more expressive; with learning media literacy our creative juices have filled the glasses of thought process in interesting ways.
We all have diets. No, not those diets that always fail to work like cutting out carbs, adding more vegetables, and absolutely no dessert. We maintain "mediated diets". This can be described as the daily intake of media. Like any diet, over-indulgence can create bad habits. Like the Spice Girls said: "too much of something is bad enough", we begin to over-dose on media drugs. These addictions can apply to any form of media such as the Internet: (Facebook, MSN, celebrity gossip sites), Television: (programs, movies, celebrity documentaries), Telephones: (text messaging, incoming and outgoing calls), and many other forms. If we do not control our daily intake of media, the media consumes us, and we become robotic mediated slaves.
Being media literate is a method of treating media addiction. If you understand the concepts of media, the position media puts you in, and the power media has over society, then you can grasp the knowledge you need to analyze and evaluate media practices. My life is mediated daily. From the moment I open my eyes, I am immediately reading the clock to see if it's time to get up, or if I can squeeze some more sleep into my life. If we are looking at the clock every second of the day, we lose touch with our surroundings because we are so concentrated on those ticking hands. If we ignore the clock for just a little bit, we give ourselves more time to think about other things. This is the same for just about every kind of technology. If we just stop checking our cell phones every 2 and a half minutes, we can concentrate on more important things, and then before you know it, at the end of the day, you'll end up with a pile of messages you can get excited about. If we take a break from Facebook for a day, we learn to appreciate it so much more when we go back to it.
This post seems quite like a fantasy land on a far away planet that only wizards and leprechauns have access to. Even thinking about this from my perspective sounds impossible. Taking a break from Facebook? Not checking my phone? Not being able to follow those tiny ticking hands on the face of time? That's all I do all day! Perhaps I am not yet media literate, but knowing that you can learn to be media literate sends rainbows of comfort to my brain.
We all have diets. No, not those diets that always fail to work like cutting out carbs, adding more vegetables, and absolutely no dessert. We maintain "mediated diets". This can be described as the daily intake of media. Like any diet, over-indulgence can create bad habits. Like the Spice Girls said: "too much of something is bad enough", we begin to over-dose on media drugs. These addictions can apply to any form of media such as the Internet: (Facebook, MSN, celebrity gossip sites), Television: (programs, movies, celebrity documentaries), Telephones: (text messaging, incoming and outgoing calls), and many other forms. If we do not control our daily intake of media, the media consumes us, and we become robotic mediated slaves.
Being media literate is a method of treating media addiction. If you understand the concepts of media, the position media puts you in, and the power media has over society, then you can grasp the knowledge you need to analyze and evaluate media practices. My life is mediated daily. From the moment I open my eyes, I am immediately reading the clock to see if it's time to get up, or if I can squeeze some more sleep into my life. If we are looking at the clock every second of the day, we lose touch with our surroundings because we are so concentrated on those ticking hands. If we ignore the clock for just a little bit, we give ourselves more time to think about other things. This is the same for just about every kind of technology. If we just stop checking our cell phones every 2 and a half minutes, we can concentrate on more important things, and then before you know it, at the end of the day, you'll end up with a pile of messages you can get excited about. If we take a break from Facebook for a day, we learn to appreciate it so much more when we go back to it.
This post seems quite like a fantasy land on a far away planet that only wizards and leprechauns have access to. Even thinking about this from my perspective sounds impossible. Taking a break from Facebook? Not checking my phone? Not being able to follow those tiny ticking hands on the face of time? That's all I do all day! Perhaps I am not yet media literate, but knowing that you can learn to be media literate sends rainbows of comfort to my brain.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Subliminal Advertisements
The eye is incredibly complicated and powerful. Like a camera, it opens, focuses, captures images, and then processes them through our brain. Although our eye allows us to see everything on the surface, it fails to realize what lies beneath, and this can be expressed through Freud's Psychoanalytic Theory: The Conscious, Pre-conscious, and the Unconscious.Focusing on the Unconscious, Freud used an iceberg as a metaphor to explain the human mind.
Only 10% of an iceberg is visible (conscious) whereas the other 90% is beneath the water (pre-conscious and unconscious). The Pre-conscious is allotted approximately 10% -15% whereas the Unconscious is allotted an overwhelming 75%-80%
But how does this apply to advertising?
I chose subliminal advertising, because it's the most mysterious, most influential advertising in my perspective. We don't look for the subliminal, it looks for us, and we are left with these unknown feelings that we repress in our unconscious.
Here is an advertisement I found many years ago on the Internet and looked at for a while.
This ad appeared in the British Yellow Pages. I first found it peculiar how the company used a woman with a drinking glass as their mascot. Quite unrelated if I do say so myself. I read the headline they used. "Laid By The Best" Of course, they are crediting themselves as the best flooring company around, right? I was also thrown off by the typography of the ad. There are 4 different fonts used here, and I thought that was quite unorganized. I also read the telephone number and lack of address and thought to myself "Well, where the hell is this place?" So what is going on here? Is it a joke? It could have been. Then I saw the side of this advertisement I wouldn't even dream would be published anywhere. The same site I found the ad on, there was the same ad, turned upside down to reveal:
A woman masturbating? "Laid by the Best?" Now I understand! When I saw the original of the ad, I never would have thought to re-arrange it, to find sexual messages issued by a flooring company, but my eye failed to capture the secrets. Who would read a phonebook upside down anyway? Companies can increase their sales by adding subliminal messages, and in this case, sexual messages that could make the viewer feel unknowingly aroused. This makes the ad more appealing and then? Score one more for the company! This erotic feeling goes straight to the unconscious, never to be discovered. Now that I know, I probably won't be calling D.J. Flooring to do my floorboards. Well, not DO them, but repair them. Oh, was that subliminal of me?
Planet Perplex. Stefan Van den Bergh. September 23 2008. "Interesting Illusions". October 3rd 2008. <http://www.planetperplex.com/en/item263>
Wilderdom. James Neill. April 2 2007. "Freud's Iceberg Model for Unconscious, Pre-conscious, & Conscious". October 3rd 2008. <http://wilderdom.com/personality/L8-3TopographyMindIceberg.html>
CI Advertising. Ji Young Hong. "Claims about the power of subliminal advertising". October 3 2008. <http://www.ciadvertising.org/student_account/spring_01/adv391k/hjy/adv382j/1st/application.html>
Planet Perplex. Stefan Van den Bergh. September 23 2008. "Interesting Illusions". October 3rd 2008. <http://www.planetperplex.com/en/item263>
Wilderdom. James Neill. April 2 2007. "Freud's Iceberg Model for Unconscious, Pre-conscious, & Conscious". October 3rd 2008. <http://wilderdom.com/personality/L8-3TopographyMindIceberg.html>
CI Advertising. Ji Young Hong. "Claims about the power of subliminal advertising". October 3 2008. <http://www.ciadvertising.org/student_account/spring_01/adv391k/hjy/adv382j/1st/application.html>
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