Propoganda

Fox news is a news corporation owned by media mogul Rupert Murdoch. Fox‘s very own logo says fair and balanced, but does this truly stand true?

Fox’s CEO Roger Ailes worked as a former image consultant for several former republican presidents. Fox news has been accused of being biased towards the right wing several times by organizations such as Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting and Media Matters in America.
As a corporately funded news station, Fox news has the right to reflect the views of its owners. But by doing so, they have compromised their journalistic integrity. Journalists are supposed to present the masses with the facts without any bias or personal opinion included and by refusing to do so I believe that Fox news has tarnished their image as a reputable source of information. We must ALWAYS remember that it is the journalist’s responsibility is to sell the truth.

Work Cited
Fox News." Fox News. 13 Oct. 2009 .
"The Most Biased Name in News." Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR). 13 Oct. 2009 .

Are you a media illiterate?

According to Jane Tallim of Media Education in Canada, “media literacy is the ability to sift through and analyze the messages that inform, entertain and sell to us every day. It's the ability to bring critical thinking skills to bear on all media”
That question leads me to question, am I a media illiterate? Most of the time, I do not take the time consciously to dissect the information presented to me daily by the media. But since beginning classes at The University of Guelph-Humber, I believe I’ve begun the journey to becoming media literate.

Every single second of everyday we subconsciously decode messages presented to us by magazines, billboards, television and print. We are bombarded by these messages beginning in childhood on what’s cool to play with, eat and wear as we age these voices appear to become louder and louder. And we usually blindly follow like lost sheep.

According to Chuck Klosterman in Sex, drugs and Cocoa Puffs, most of the messages are to influence the consumer (us) to spend our hard earned money on something we don’t need because we believe that it will make us feel better about ourselves.
On October 6th 2009 we discussed in class the similarities between Toy Story and Manchester United. Although seemingly different at first glances they both share the same fundamental principal, money. Both of these corporations main interest is to get the consumer to spend their money.

It is essential to learn how to navigate and decode the messages we are bombarded with in order to better understand media and ourselves

Works Cited
Klosterman, Chuck. Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto. New York: Scribner, 2004

Decoding & Deconstructing Advertising

Abercrombie and Fitch was founded in 1892. The brand is synonymous with youth as its target demographic is 18-22 year olds whom posses the ‘All -American Look’.In recent years Abercrombie and Fitch have come under a firestorm of controversy due to their overtly sexual and sometimes racist advertisements.

This ad features three nude young people engaging in what appears to be group sex. One of the young men is presently the young woman’s lover while the other is the spectator.

John Berger’s Ways of Seeing discusses nudity and the role of women in European oil paintings. Over time few things have changed in the way women have been depicted in the media. Of a painting featured on page.54, Berger says “But the way her body is arranged in the way it is, to display it to the man looking at the picture. This picture is made to appeal to his sexuality. It has nothing to do with her sexuality”. Interestingly enough this applies directly to this Abercrombie and Fitch ad. Although the young men’s bodies are on display, their bodies are slightly tilted in the young woman’s direction. Whereas her body is facing forward, providing the consumer with a full frontal view.

In my opinion this advertisement like most Abercrombie and Fitch is terribly misleading and very provocative. Abercrombie and Fitch is an apparel company yet most of their advertisements feature models in no clothing! The brand is also self-described as a lifestyle brand possessing the ‘All -American Look’. Taking America’s Christian heritage/ history in to consideration I find there’s nothing All-American about Abercrombie and Fitch’s brazen advertisements. Well all know that sex sells, but Abercrombie and Fitch as an apparel company how about you try selling clothes?

Works cited
Abercrombie & Fitch." Abercrombie & Fitch. 13 Oct. 2009 .
Berger, John(Author). Ways of Seeing [WAYS OF SEEING]. London: Penguin Books, 1991.
“Public Relations Problems and Cases: Abercrombie & Fitch Discrimination Case Study." Public Relations Problems and Cases. 10 Oct. 2009 .

Mass Media

The Merriam- Webster dictionary defines mass media as a medium of communication (as newspapers, radio, or television) that is designed to reach the mass of the people —usually used in plural

I will use the following imagery to help convey my own personal view of mass media. Mass media is like a giant, interconnected web that connects individuals through the use of technologies like the internet, television and radio.

In Neil Postman’s speech The Humanism of Media Ecology, Postman explains that the media make us aware, gives us the opportunity to reflect, discuss and provides the basis for action this is evident in how media outlets are able to make us aware of occurrences happening far away. Media outlets help to provide us with a global sense of togetherness similar to Marshall McLuhan’s term global village. We all exist in this global village. The world is now intricately interconnected, In the matter of mere seconds I am able to communicate with someone as far as Australia. We all contribute to mass media.

Works cited
"The Humanism of Media Ecology :: MEA Proceedings." The Media Ecology Association. 5 Oct. 2009 .
"The Playboy Interview: Marshall McLuhan." heim.ifi.uio.no. 5 Oct. 2009 .
"mass medium - Definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary." Dictionary and Thesaurus - Merriam-Webster Online. 9 Oct. 2009 .

The Ecology of Media

I’ll begin by defining: What does media ecology mean?

In communication, media (singular medium) are the storage and transmission tools used to store and deliver information or data. It is often referred to as synonymous with mass media or news media, but may refer to a single medium used to communicate any data for any purpose(Wikipedia)
Ecology as the environment as it relates to living organisms; the branch of biology concerned with the relations between organisms and their environment (WordNet search)

The ecology of media suggests that our relationship with media is so complex that we exist in two environments our natural environment as well as a ‘media environment.’ Media theorist Neil Postman argues that in order to properly study and comprehend media it is essential to investigate it within a moral and ethical context.

In a keynote speech given to the media ecology association in June of 2000, Postman states:

“And so we must keep in mind, first, that people differ about what is good for them and what isn’t, and second, that changes over time will make us see things differently from the way they might have first appeared. In keeping these factors in mind, is one taking the position of a moral relativist? Not necessarily. It is possible, for example, to say that when people have differed over the moral implications of a new medium, one group was wrong. And I think it also possible to say that although time may change the way people judge the effects of a new medium, time can be wrong. I mean, let us say, that the negative effects of a medium might still be a problem and remain one in spite of the passage of time. In other words, time does not always erase the disadvantages of a medium. Neither does it necessarily weaken the advantages.” (1)

The specific technology I will be focusing on is the cell phone. The modern day cell phone has evolved into something far greater than a device simply used to make phone calls. The cell phone doubles as an address book, an organizer, calculator, calendar, music player, camera and so much more.

This brings me to the iPhone commercials(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szrsfeyLzyg) that show all the “wonderful” applications available to iPhone users, featuring the catchphrase “There’s an app for that”. I can’t help but ask myself, is this all necessary? The cell phones intended purpose is to make and receive calls, but is this what we really use our phones for? Are cell phones as wonderful as they seem?

I conclude that yes, cell phones are wonderful inventions but we must realize that cell phones like any medium has its faults.

Works cited
"Media (communication) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 5 Oct. 2009 .
"The Humanism of Media Ecology :: MEA Proceedings." The Media Ecology Association. 5 Oct. 2009 .
“WordNet Search." Http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=ecology
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szrsfeyLzyg

Academic blogging?!

On Tuesday September 8th 2009, I can honestly admit that I suffered many tiny heart attacks. I sat in my first university lecture as my professor told the class that we’d be creating academic blogs. From my previous experience, I had never equated the words academic and blogging. I viewed blogs as a leisurely and somewhat narcissistic activity (a la Perez Hilton), and with the exception of my teachers, parents and few friends I have never shared my work with the public.

As I sat in class, apprehensive. I questioned if I had anything of value to share with the world, which can now access my work with the click of a few buttons. It honestly scares me to know that anyone with internet access now has access to my thoughts, opinions beliefs.

Although I have never had a problem expressing myself in the past, I have always viewed myself as a verbal communicator. The task is now to take what I’ve learned and present them in a way that expresses who I truly am and what I know in a written form. Now that’s HARD! Blogging itself is hard! The process of blogging is completely brand new to me, and like anything new it’s a process I hope to grow and learn from. To those of you now reading in my work,
how about you embark on this brand new journey with me?