Blog Post 7

Question #3: Do you think people today use the mass media differently compared with how people used media 10 or 20 years ago?

I think people use mass media the same way they used it 10 or 20 years ago. The only thing that has changed is what’s used because the type of media is obviously different and ever changing. But I believe once it’s broken down, the motives will still be the same.  The newspaper was the first mass media used. That is how everybody would receive his or her news. Even the illiterate would receive their news this way because those who could read would pass it on. The radio was the next medium introduced after the newspaper. Once it became affordable, it allowed for wider audiences to hear the same news segment at the same time. After the radio, came the television. The radio and the television were the two mediums that began to introduce national, and even international, news to many audiences. In the sense of world occurrences, they allowed for the world to get smaller. After the television, came the Internet, the era where we find ourselves in today. Nowadays, current events can spread in a matter of minutes across the world. The way we receive our news is vastly different than how those who lived during the newspaper era would receive their news. But like I stated above, the reason why we use the mass media is still the same. We use it to stay updated with what’s going on around the world. We use it to hear the latest gossip or scandal that has occurred. I believe our longing to be up to date with what’s happening around us is embedded in our human nature. The way we use mass media will probably never change.

Blog 6

Growing up in the 21^st century, the media has had a huge impact on my life. I never felt like the messages I received from the media directly influenced me until I was able to grow up and reflect back. So many of the messages we receive are targeted towards making people feel self-concise about themselves. I use the word “people” because I truly believe that this affects not only women, but also men; women may be affected the most but men can also be influenced by these messages.  I thought the documentary “Miss Representation” did a great job of bringing some of these toxic messages to light. Body image for example, is definitely one of the biggest topics to tackle. While growing up, I didn’t have negative thoughts towards my body, but I’ve never exactly thought highly of it. I didn’t realize that I was subconsciously being influenced by the images the media was putting in my head. That’s what’s so sneaky about the media; most of the messages are subliminal. Even within “Miss Representation”, there were subliminal messages. The women who were interviewed throughout the documentary were well dressed and had their faces and hair done. These women were sitting there talking about how the media has influenced the way they think they’re supposed to look, but at the same time, were giving in to those expectations. This is the part where I get confused though. In all honesty if I were on television, I would also want to look my best. But is that because I’m subconsciously giving in to what the media has told me to do, or is it because I genuinely feel that way? 

Blog Post 5

According to Berger, the psychoanalytic theory is a “science concerned with the interaction between conscious and unconscious processes and with the laws of mental functioning” (Berger 2014). Basically what this theory boils down to is analyzing the motives behind people’s actions, whether conscious or unconscious. It’s important to analyze items such as defense mechanisms, the id, ego, and superego. There are many other items that can be analyzed but a lot of content can be discovered through the items listed above. Defense mechanisms are the techniques that people use to control and dismiss anxieties. Some examples of defense mechanisms include avoidance, fixation, projection, rationalization, regression and suppression. The id, ego and superego explain the mental functioning that is part of Freud’s structural hypothesis. The id is the part of the personality that desires instant gratification. The ego tries to please the id while also looking to find what will be best in in the long run. The supergo is the most ethical part of the personality that operates on values and moral standards.

            Using Star Wars as an example, you have three characters that each represent the id, ego, and superego. Han Solo is the id because he is impatient and quick-tempered. On the complete opposite side of the spectrum, Leia is the supergo because she is level headed and sensible. To balance out Han and Leia, there’s Luke, who is the ego. One of Star Wars’ major plot twits is the fact that Darth Vader is Luke’s father. Luke experienced extreme distress after this discovery and used avoidance as a defense mechanism. Berger describes avoidance as a “refusal to become involved with subjects that are distressing because they are connected to unconscious sexual or aggressive impulses” (Berger 2014). Luke was raised with the idea that Darth Vader was one of the most evil Sith Lords to live. He had trouble digesting the idea that he was this man’s son. Luke used avoidance as one of his defense mechanisms to cope with his situation.

Blog Post 4

Marxism in the media is a little different than the Marxism we know from history. The Marxist perspective is the idea that money and material conditions are what shape our dominant ideology about who’s empowered and who’s not. It’s the idea that the people with money will always hold more power than those without money. In pop culture, the goal of Marxism is to expose how these same ideas and concepts are woven into our media. It reveals how the media is reinforcing these power structures as conventional and common sense. If you were to critique a piece of media through a Marxist lens, it’s important to look at concepts such as ideology and hegemony. Ideology is a notion that “refers to the collective beliefs, attitudes, and values of a given group of people” (J. Johnson, lecture, October 1, 2015). Hegemony is the dominant ideology over another group’s ideology. Some examples of hegemonic ideologies include: the wealthy delegate the poor, men are more powerful than women, or white people make better employees than people of color. Once you’ve analyzed the power structures that have been established, it is also important to analyze the messages within the text that are challenging the status quo. For example, in High School Musical Troy Bolton, the all-star athlete, decides to audition for the school musical. This creates a problem within the power structure of high school; jocks are meant to play sports and musicals are meant for drama students. So in this example, Troy is challenging the status quo and to further prove it, there’s a whole musical number dedicated to it in the movie. These are just a couple of the steps you could take towards analyzing a piece of media through a Marxist lens.   

Blog Post 3

While taking this course, I’ve noticed that I’ve become much more aware of the media and the kinds of messages it tries to portray. I’ve begun to not absorb media so mindlessly anymore. I’ve tried to take a step back and analyze the messages at a much deeper level. For example, we watched Once Upon a Time during our second week of class. I absolutely love this show and have followed it since it began. But once I went back and analyzed the details at a much deeper level, I began to have a much deeper appreciation for the show (which I honestly did not think was possible).  While this class has helped me have a deeper appreciation for shows like Once Upon a Time, it’s had the opposite affect on shows like I Love Lucy. This past weekend I was surfing through the channels and came across an I Love Lucy marathon. Because we had spoken briefly about it in class, I decided to tune in and take a look. And basically, Professor Johnson, you were right about it. While Lucille Ball paved the road for actresses behind the scenes, I Love Lucy did nothing to help the image of women on TV. The message consistently seemed to be, women are always messing up and we need a man to come in and save us. It’s sad because this message is lending to the idea that women are not capable of being successful or independent. It’s this hegemonic ideology that men are more empowered than women.  It’s so sad to know that a show that owes all of its success to a woman, did nothing to help her image in real life. But even though I’m a bit more critical of the television I watch, I will still always consider I Love Lucy one of my favorites. 

Blog Post 2

     

      It's quite interesting how this modern day Sherlock pays homage to the late 18th century character created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. When the audience is first introduced to Sherlock, the camera angel is facing upward, so that it looks like he’s looking down at the audience. In contrast, when the audience is introduced to Watson, the camera angle is looking down on him. These specific angles are able to demonstrate to the audience the kind of personality Sherlock has. He believes he’s better than his counterparts, so he’s always looking down on them. A major signifier presented in this modern Sherlock is his overcoat. Most detectives are known for wearing their overcoats and smoking a pipe. When the audience first witnesses Sherlock's incredible deductive skills, he is seen putting on his overcoat. It's as if this symbolizes him putting on his detective persona. As for the pipe, this modern Sherlock is seen wearing a nicotine patch. The intertextuality of the nicotine patch pays homage to the smoking habits of the 18th century Sherlock.  During the first episode, the audience is also introduced to Sherlock's house. In contrast to Watson's house, Sherlock's is a mess. It's as if a tornado ran through his house, and the audience is left looking at the aftermath. But while it looks like a mess, for Sherlock, everything has its place. This same principle applies to Sherlock’s mind. He always seems to have a lot going on in his mind, but Sherlock is able to sift through all the information quickly, allowing him to make connections and come to conclusions much faster than his counterparts. The mess in Sherlock’s house works as a metaphor and visual representation of what the inside of his mind probably looks like.

            In conclusion, the creators of this modern day Sherlock have carefully crafted a character that well represents the one created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. From his addictions to his house, the audience can easily recognize the 18^th century Sherlock in a modern world.