Blog Post 7: Uses and Gratifications

2. What is meant by uses and gratifications? Which uses and gratifications do you think are the most important for people nowadays?

According to our text book, “Media Analysis Techniques,” by Arthur Asa Berger, the uses-and-gratifications theory is a “sociological theory states that audiences use the mass media for certain purposes and gain certain gratification from the use of those media” (Berger 224). The focus is on how people use, benefit, and gain from the media rather than how the media affects the audience. This theory is further discussed in detail on page 119 of the book and goes into details of different ways the users gain gratification.

For example, people watch a comedy TV show to be amused. The user uses the media to “find things to laugh about, to be put in a happy spirit, and is the source of pleasure” (Berger 119).

Another example would be to gain more information about the world. By using the media, the user gains knowledge, new information, and values. I have a good example of this; recently I watched a documentary on Netflix which informs their audience of the problem in plastic waste that is improperly disposed of. The plastic waste would go into the ocean and then wash up on shore. The document gave stats on the effects of this improper disposal. It really made me conscious of throwing away plastic, how much plastic I use, and now whenever I see small plastic waste on the ground I tend to pick it up to throw away. By using this media, I have been gratified with information and new values.

I believe that with the media growing more and more each year, people nowadays are using the media to gratify themselves in many ways. It’s difficult to choose one out of the twenty-four from the book. I will say that this year I have noticed how users are using the media to promote themselves. What do I mean by this? I am talking about how people use social media to promote and advertise their skills, professions, and bodies. In particular, I am talking about Instagram posts. My original thought of Instagram was that people post up pictures of their life, activities, friends, pets and whatnot. But after actually getting my first iPhone and my first account on Instagram I have learned that a large majority of people use Instagram to promote themselves. From large corporate companies like Target and Nike to small businesses like a calligraphy artist, and even models – they are using social media to be gratified with fame and fortune.

Looking at media through a use-and-gratification theory is interesting because I have read many articles about how the media is affecting us. It is true that the media makes a big impact on how our lifestyles are but we still use it for our benefits. The media gains from the users and the users gain from the media.

Blog post #6: Response to "Miss Representation.”

It wasn’t the first time that I had seen the documentary “Miss Representation” that was shown in class. I had watched it for a previous class about a year ago and then re-watched bits of it again for a class last semester. I am aware of the sexualized female tactic that the media uses and thankfully I am learning more and more about it every year. “Miss Representation” is a documentary that focuses on how “the media is selling young people the idea that girls’ and women’s value lies in their youth, beauty, and sexuality and not in their capacity as leaders” (therepresentationproject.org). Although this documentary was released in 2011, the details and statements that were quoted are still true. Yes, perfume ads are still using naked girls to sell their fragrances. When it comes to sports news coverage, the reality is, those who run sports news coverage are predominantly white males (3rd Annual Report Women’s Media Center). Yes, people are still talking about what Hillary Clinton is wearing. It seems this is just the way that media works to attract views.

The documentary discusses how from a young age girls are being fed the message that their value lies in what they look like, their youth, beauty, and sexuality. This often leaves girls feeling disempowered and distracts them from “making a difference in the world and becoming leaders” (Jennifer Siebel Newsom, “Miss Representation”). It is true that the media is still feeding this message to young girls and young adults through the media, but it is also interesting to see how things have changed. A selection of the media is starting to include all body shapes and races. Young adult clothing lines are including more plus sizes in their selections. Social media is also a big messenger of how girls should view themselves physically. A new trend that I recently learned about is the thigh brow. The thigh gap, which promoted “skinny” people, is gone and now the thigh brow is promoting “curvy” people. You could say this is progress, but really, it’s still focused on the physical part of girls and not their capabilities.

Another thing that has changed is jobs for women. In a previous class, I read the 3^rd annual Report by Women’s Media Center (2013) which provided many facts and statistics about how women l American media allowed women to make their own narrative and to include their own voices in a wide-ranging public discourse in print and online. The report provided a few accomplishments of women today:

• A female can be sitting in the film director’s seat
• Women journalists are not relegated to the women’s pages anymore
• A woman can be hard-pressed to get an entertainment media project green-lighted
• Shonda Rhimes broke barriers in primetime TV. Rhimes is a screenwriter, director, and producer. Rhimes is best known as the creator, head writer, executive producer and showrunner of the medical drama television series Grey's Anatomy.
• Jill Abramson ran the globally influential "The New York Times" in the years 2011 and 2014. Abrams was the first female executive editor of​​ The New York Times​.
• And a small assortment of females-in chief looming large in the digital sphere.

It was interesting to re-watch “Miss Representation” with this new knowledge that I had gained from previous readings last semester. It’s good to see that there is progress. Although the positive progression of women’s representation on the media is developing slowly, it’s definitely happening.

Blog #5: Psychoanalytical Criticism

Psychoanalytic criticism is a form of applied psychoanalysis, “a science concerned with the relationship between consciousness and unconscious processes and with the laws of mental functioning” (Berger 69).  Psychoanalytic criticism explains the how and why of human actions.

Psychoanalysis was founded by Sigmund Freud, an Austrian neurologist and father of psychoanalysis. Freud developed the concept of psychoanalysis most thoroughly and provides important concepts that can be applied to the media in order to explain how the media works and affects the viewers. Below are a few important concepts of psychoanalytic criticism.

Conscious level, Preconscious level, and Unconscious level:

As discussed in class, the psychoanalysis of the mind can be divided into three sections: conscious level, preconscious level, and unconscious level. The conscious level contains a person’s thoughts and perceptions. It’s just grazing the top layer of the mind. The preconscious level digs a bit deeper and includes the person’s memories and stored knowledge. The more hidden layer is the unconscious level which contains the person’s fears, unacceptable sexual desires, violent manners, irrational wishes, immoral urges, selfish needs, and shameful experiences.

Oedipus Complex:

            This complex refers to when a person, a child in this case, has a liking for the older opposite sex and is hostile toward the older same sex. This is all in the unconsciousness and can be overcome, but if not it leads to neuroses. An example of this is the mythological hero named Oedipus, who kills his father and then later marries his mother. Freud refers to this story as a template that describes the development process that all children undergo.

Id, Ego, Superego:

Another important concept of psychoanalysis is the id, ego, and superego of the mind. Freud reinforced that our desires and unconscious conflicts bring about these three areas of the mind that wrestle for dominance as we grow from infancy through childhood and to adulthood. “Id is the element of the psyche representative of a person’s drives; it’s the source of energy but lacks direction” (Berger 219). It is the side of the mind that acts on impulse of the individual’s desires and lusts. Since Id lacks direction, superego comes in to play. “Superego is in charge of approving and disapproving wishes on the basis of whether or not they are moral” (Berger 224). Superego assumes the opposition to the id. In between superego and id is ego. “Ego is the executant of the id and a mediator between id and superego. Ego is also involved with the perception of reality and the adaption to reality” (Berger 217). All three of these concepts—id, ego, and superego—are important to the individual’s psychic life.      

Blog #4

Marxism in media is one of the most powerful and suggestive ways available to the media analyst for analyzing society and its institutions. Concepts such as ideology, alienation, materialism, false consciousness, class conflict, and hegemony are the fundamental principles of Marxism that can be applied to media and can help viewers understand the ways media functions and ways of manipulation. When critiquing the media through a Marxist lens, think about the message of what the media is trying to send its audience. Sometimes the message is hidden and that’s why using the Marxist lens to analyze the media helps viewers see the media in a new perspective.

            Ideology means ruling groups can in their thinking become so intensively interest-bound to a situation that they are simply no longer able to see certain facts which would undermine their sense of domination. Ideologies presented to us every day and so they appear natural, seem like common sense, and therefore are often invisible. Ideologies create ideas in our minds and makes it seem like they are our own ideas but they are not. They are created by the ruling class and are used to generate false consciousness in the masses.

            Materialism refers to a conception of history and the way society organizes itself. Everything is shaped ultimately by the economic system of a society, which, in subtle ways, affects the ideas individuals have.

            Alienation suggests separation and distance. It’s a stranger to the society who has no connections with others. In this context, it means that people who live in a state of alienation suffer from false consciousness – a consciousness that takes the form of the ideology that dominates their thinking. People can become separated from their work, friends, family, and from themselves because of false consciousness from the media.  

False Consciousness refers to how the mass media and popular culture are centrally important in the spread of false consciousness, in leading people to believe that “whatever is, is right.” Mass media and popular culture is the link between the institutions of society and individual consciousness.

            Class conflict refers to the point that for Marxists, class exists, whether the media tries to cover it up or not. In order to keep the classes below the highest class happy, mass media and popular culture must persuade the lower classes that everything is alright.

            Hegemony means domination or rule by one state or nation over another. Rule is based on overt power and, at times, on coercion, but hegemony is subtler and more universal. It’s a complicated intermeshing of political, social, and cultural forces. Hegemony exceeds two other concepts: culture, which is how we shape our lives, and ideology, which expresses and is a projection of specific class interests. Hegemony is what might be described as “that which goes without saying.”

Blog # 3

I already loved analyzing movies and TV shows before this class. I’m the type who watches a movie the second time just to catch symbols, foreshadowing, or filming inconsistencies. If I have seen the movie before, I’m the friend who can’t stop mentioning analyzations during a movie night. I’m also the one who stays up late at night reading analyzations behind movies like The Lion King. I do it because it’s entertaining. I wouldn’t say taking this class extended my knowledge about symbols, semiotic characterizes, and Marxism traits more than I have ever thought about but I definitely understand Marxism from the everyday social life point of view now. 

After watching Freaks and Geeks: “Tricks and Treats” I understand how the terms learned in the Marxism chapter were applied to the show’s setting. There were characters that were strong and characters that were weak. It was interesting to see how a character’s lifestyle changes depending on what the situation is or what group they were with. For example, Lindsey was strong hierarchical elite at the beginning of the episode. However, at the end of the episode she was a weak fatalist. It seemed at the beginning of the episode she had more confidence. This confidence slowly went away by the end of the episode. It was also interesting to see how Lindsey alienated herself from certain people. She alienated herself from Millie at the beginning of the episode when Millie was eating the candy and when the teacher was talking to her. When she found out that Millie had a boyfriend, it was as if Millie had alienated her for not having a boyfriend. 

It is interesting to see how Marxism is used as a basis for analyzing and criticizing culture and mass media. Taking this class has so far taught me how to view the media and life situations in an analytic way and to always see the big picture.

Blog Post 2

The first episode of Sherlock Holmes was very interesting. I knew of the show and the main characters but I had never actually sat down and watched the show. After watching the first episode, A Study in Pink, I could see why people like it so much. The story was capturing, has interesting characters, was nicely shot and accompanied by music that really set the tone. Though there was more than a handful of semiotic characteristics and detail, I was only able to catch a few of them. You could say I was distracted by the exciting plot. From my perspective, I was able to catch signifiers and signified, syntagmatic events, paradigmatic relationship, and a synecdoche.

Signifier & Signified:

From the very beginning of the episode we see a pill bottle with four capsules in it. Of course anyone would think that pills are for taking if you are ill. However, the music that accompanies the scene of the pills notifies the viewers that these pills are not for curing or remedying. The ominous music lets the viewers know that the pills are related to the concept of death. Without the music to cue to the viewers what kind of emotion we should be feeling while seeing these pills, we may have not known that they were used to kill the victims.

Another instance that I really enjoyed and that caught my eye was when Sherlock sees that there has been a fourth victim death. Once he realizes this, the viewer can see that he is thinking. Then there is a scheming type of music that starts to play. This was seamlessly partnered with the image of Sherlock finally realizing the answer that he has been looking for. It the “Ah-Ha!” moment and the music perfectly portrayed this.

Syntagmatic Events:

I felt that syntagmatic events were constantly happening in this episode. One victim lead to another victim and so on. There is a chain reaction to the way Sherlock thinks and top the way that her solves things. For example, when he is viewing the fourth victim’s body, he touched her wet coat which lead him to touch the underside of the collar. He looked at the outside of her wedding ring, then the inside, then he looked at the rest of her jewelry. These series of events and clues lead Sherlock to his conclusion of her background story.

Paradigmatic Relationship:

As discussed in class, one recognizable paradigmatic relationship seen in this episode is Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. While Holmes is a bit rude when he speaks to other characters, Watson tends to be polite and keeps to himself. at the beginning of the episode we see that Watson has a very well kept and simple apartment. In contrast to Watson, in the scene of entering Holmes’ flat we can see that he is very messy with things all over the place. Watson even makes a comment about how Holmes has his stuff everywhere and that his flat could look better. Another example if Sherlock notices everything about his surroundings and the people in it and he analyzes them. Watson on the other hand does not notice the little details at first and was usually confused about what was going on.

Synecdoche:     

As discussed in class, it is said that Watson’s cane is literally his crutch. It was also mentioned that he used it to stay in his own little world. However, the way that I see it is that the cane is Watson’s mask. I felt like he used it as a mask to hide his true feelings about the war and his hunger for danger. As stated in the episode, Watson missed the danger. I could tell that when he left his cane at the restaurant that he had shed his mask that was hiding his true feelings. He was running with full speed and when he and Holmes got back to their flat he looked very exhilarated and I remember him saying something along the lines of “that was fun.” Even Holmes had Watson figured out and knew that the cane was just covering up Watson’s true feelings.

Blog Post #1

Image borrowed from http://ryanthesmith.com/Dallas-Farmers-Market

Advertisement Choice:

My advertisement of choice to do a semiotic analysis over is this Dallas Farmers Market poster campaign created by Art Director/Designer, Ryan Smith, in 2013. I saw this ad in my Art Direction class that I was taking at the University of North Texas in 2014. My Art Direction professor showed the class this ad as an example for one of our projects.  I really enjoyed this advertisement and the message that was communicated in it. It’s eye catching, relatable, and communicates a positive message.

Signifiers:

This ad is visually symmetric and centered. In the center of the ad is a red French fries container with the words “Fresh & Tasty” labeled on it in yellow. However, inside the container are not French fries at all. At first glance they may look like fries but really they are fresh vegetables. The vegetables include carrots, yellow bell peppers, and green beans. Below this imagery is the message which reads “Dallas Farmers Market, Healthy Foods, Affordable Prices, and Now Accepting Lone Star.” The message is straight forward and short and simple. It tells the viewers what this is for and what the market is providing.

Signified:

This ad doesn’t need a lot of text to communicate the message. The message is clearly communicated through the imagery. Healthy food is the alternative to greasy unhealthy food. The eye catching part is the use of colors. Yellow is a warm, happy, and inviting color. It communicates that the Farmers Market is friendly and an upbeat market. The French fries container is red with a yellow label. Look familiar? These are the colors that McDonald's uses as well. The McDonald’s French Fries container is so recognizable here that I thought I was looking at a McDonald’s ad at first. One of my first thoughts when I saw this ad was “Oh, yummy!” But when I realized that I wasn’t looking at French fries it made me think “Did I only think it looked yummy because of the French Fries container that looked like McDonald’s?” I think it was very clever for the designer to use this type of fry’s container because it really relates to anyone who has eaten French fries. For some people, eating at McDonald’s is almost a daily thing. There is a personal connection with the fry’s container imagery because of this relationship of eating. By replacing the French fries with fresh vegetables, the ad almost makes me feel bad for eating French fries instead of this healthy alternative which can be found at the Dallas Farmers Market. It really conveys the message of changing our daily life routines by replacing unhealthy foods with fresh foods.