Is Advertising Good For Society?

    We are surrounded by advertising.  We cannot really go or do anything with out seeing some kind of ad.  We see it on T.V., our phones, any social network, Internet, billboards, posters, and more.  Over a million people have a Facebook, every time you log into Facebook you ads along side the news feed.  Google has ads all over the place.  Stores even promotions on Facebook, Twitter, Email and more it's crazy.  Its good because people are informed, but sometimes it's too much.  The bad thing is they can be very persuasive, and have an impact on what we buy as consumers.  Take any type of product and think of how many other types of what ever product you thought of.  I mean the ads give information about the product, but they also make us feel like we have to buy that product, that brand.  They even try to convince you buy things you don't really need at all.  Take kids toys for example, a kid sees a commercial for a new toy, bugs mom and dad until eventually they buy it.  yes the parents may be at fault for caving in and buying the toy, but at the same time the commercial tells the kids that if they don't have this toy they wont be cool.  That they wont fit in with friends.  I mean Advertising is good because it informs people about a product they may need, but it is wrong that they try to make you think you cannot live without this product, or that you must have it.

Body Image

Does the media give a negitive body image to society?

    I do feel that media does projet a negative body image to society.  I feel they make people feel as thought they have to look a certain way in order to fit societies status quo. Body image is something is constantly talked about.  Everyone has their own definition of healthy body type or an image of the perfect body shape is.  Now when media is constantly tell people they need to look like a certain model or celebrity in order to be notice or be part of the status quo.  There even shows that project negative body images that young girls especially teens are influenced by.  Take for example "America's Next Top Model" they showed girls were trying to be models, and majority were a size 2.  Now thats crazy because they basically saying in order to be a model you have to be a size 2.  Not every girl is a size 2, personally im a size 7 and I'm pretty sure the would consider me plus size.  When in reality I am not a plus size, nor do I look like I am plus size.  There plus girls on the show, but how many of them actually go all the way in the show.  I mean there has been some improvements, but I feel the negative images out weigh the good ones.

Who Owns the Media?

In reading the articles about the Obama and G.E. partnership we learned what companies own what media.     We learned that G.E. did not pay taxes in 2010 because most of their profits were in offshore.  This is just wrong to me.  The reason being that how is it ok for a company based out of the U.S. not pay taxes?  Then even bigger problem is that an American company is providing job overseas which is good but at the same time what about the 99% of people do not have jobs?  Why is that they cannot provide jobs for people in their own country?  The fact they are not doing to help their own country is just sad.  Reading this article shows that our system does have problems.  Now it's just a matter if anyone is going to do anything about it.  Another problem the article brings up is that G.E.'s CEO is now helping give Obama advice on business.  I dont believe that the president should be taking advice from someone that doesn't pay taxes and is based out of America.  Aso the fact that they ship jobs overseas rather in America where there so many people out of work in America, you would think an American Company would want to help its own people.

Evolving Forms of Media Good or Bad

Evolving forms of journalism

Old Forms                                             
-slow distribution
-pulication delay
-limited to who has voice
-money roll

The problem with the forms o jurnalism is not that the information is uninteresting, but that it's not quick enough or as accessable as many would like it to be.  In the older wa of doing things it is hard to have the most up to date news.  When newspapers were popular people had to wait till the next day to find out any type of news that related to the previous day.  To many that just takes to long.

New Forms
-faster
-more accurally informed
-more people have a voice

The new forma of media we have today have made people better informed about a topic or event that has occured.  People can o their phones at anytime of the day and just look up any news fed and any time.  There is no delay or wait till the next day.  They even get more information about the news by using the interent and looking the topic up.  The interent has created a place for people to get the answer to just about anything.  The problem is wheather or not the information is from a reliable source.  The new forms have also allowed many to speak out more about a topic the either like or dislike.  It allows people and other companies to see what people really care about.

Now there are both good anf bad sideds the inprovment of these new media forms.  The old forms took forever for people to get the information they want.  Now all they have to do is look at their phone or on the interent.  The problem is that sometimes it's too fast and the story can constantly change.  People being able to comment on a story or website can be great because you can see what people really think.  The problem with the honesty is that, the people are only honest because they can hide behind a screen name.

Hate Speech

Many people are now expressing hate in a different kind of way.  They are using the internet more and more.  Hate groups are now using social networks like facebook and twitter.  They are not posting hate messages but they are recruiting people to join their groups.  They use these sites to commuicate with eachother about meeting sand other events.  They can not get in trouble for these sites because they are not saying anything that would be considered hate on the sites.  There are terms and words that are considered hate speech that make them shut the site down. 

Fighting words are considered:
 - Intent to harm
 - Incite violence

One of the articles that we read online helped establish what hate speech really is or is considered.
The Obama article for example:
- They created fear in people by saying that he  was forming white re-education camps.
- They compared him to Adolf Hitler
- A paster of a church was quoted sayign that he was going to pray that Obama dies
- A man that served our own contry said if was to take a gun to Washington would anyine follw him

To me personally I think that people that are using these sites are just hiding behind the computers.  I think they have a way to speak how they truely feel without having to show their place.

 

Are we better informed in the "Information Society"?

-It is said that today's generation can get news information instantly because of today's technology.
-Rather then having to wait until the next day to hear what happen.

In the "Yes" argument
They did a 16 month study on about 140 kids.  In the study they gave the kids computers and internet access for a few months and studied the kids learn skills.  This is how the yes argument was able to make a solid arguement because they had examples to prove their arguments.  From the study the kids reading skills had improved
 
In the "No" argument
It is hard to agree with their side because the no argument was more of a personal rant there no real evidence to support the argument.  in this arguement they talked about the spongebob thery and how the younger generation has a short attention span.  That they have a hard time focusing on one topic for a long period of time.

Personally I think that as a younger generation we are better informed about news, but as far as being more knowledgable we may not be.  I feel we can get information faster but as far as being able to retain the information I don't feel we retain it as much.

Hate in the media

Arab Spring

Does the media depict realistic images of Arabs?

Yes

-People can speak out

                Using Social Media platforms

                Technology

-"Citizen journalist"

                Blogs (not very quiet)

-Arab Spring

No

-Don't show real Arab people

                depicted on TV. films

-Assume that all Arabs are Muslim

-Stereotype

                Hate

                Fear

                "the other"

                Racial profiling

-"The Other" (create Fear)

                Me Vs. majority

                different

                                Clothes

                                Exotic

                                dark skin

                                language

                                culture

Media and Body Image

Does media cause individuals to develop negative body images?

                Media is changing

                promoting healthy body type now

Power of Media Example:

There was a website made called Pro-Ana that was pro-anorexia and bulimia.  The site actually wanted people to actually be anorexic and bulimic.  It encourages people to actually harm themselves.  This is very unethical and you cannot tell somebody or encourage people to do something that is dangerous to them.

This Question is very hard to answer because of many reasons.

                Cultural view: many people have different views  of what they consider the right body type because of their cultural background.

                Rephrasing the question: If the question was phrased a little differently it might be easier to find a more definite answer

                Cause Vs. influence

                interpretation: many people can interpret this question in different ways so you can't really get a solid answer

                Society/ Image: Society has a standard to what the rite body type should be but many can agree or disagree with the body image society has set as a standard

-I agree that media does project people to have to look a certain way in order to fit the status quo.  We are constantly seeing shows on TV. about people losing weight, commercials about diets, weight loss pills, and more.  There celebrities that are promoting these diets and hosting shows, and it influences them.  Shows like "America's Next Top Model" millions of people watch this show, even young girls.  Shows like that make the young girls think that they have to look the way the models do.  So I do feel the media does project a negative body image to people.

Does Media Use Us?

Do we use media or does media use us?

Shiller had more of a Marxist's view on this topic

-Critic assets

-means of production

-product property (products we can control)

                -news

                -apple products

                -cable

                -radio

-Corporate interest

                -succeed or fail

                -no bail out

                -elite (control of product prop.)

-Social Program Interest

                -people voting for an individual (Ex: Obama)

5 Myths

1. Individual and Personal Choice

2. Neutrality

3. Unchanging Human Nature

4. Absence of Social Conflict

5. Media Pluralism

Carey believed in two views of communication

1. Ritual

                -representation of shared beliefs

                -participation

                -community and fellow ship

                -drama

2. Transmition

                -given the information

                                -purpose of control

-Watching the newscasts programs like CNN and FOX really let me see what Cary and Shiller were talking about.

-I was able to see that Ritual news was more of trying to get people's attention, that it was all drama and had a story to it

-For the more transmission type of news it was more numbers, stats for sports for example just flat out information

Fake News

"Fake News"

Q: Does "fake news" mislead the public?

Fake News as in comedy

People recall or recognize political information given to them.
3 Meta Concepts

1.Substantive Coverage
  
    -Conceptual Categories
         Campagin Issues
         Candidate Qualification
    -Indicators
          Defense
          Security
          Economy
          Enviornment
          Healthcare
          Crime
          Experience
          Accomplishments
          P.ositions
2. Hype

      -Conceptual Categories
           Horse Race
           Hoopla
      -Indicators
           Contest
           Polls
           Tactics
           Stratigies
           Endorsments
           Events
           Photo Ops
           Rallies
           Flag waving
           Baby kissing
           Crowds

3. Humor
      - Conceptual Categories
            Joking
            Laughing

     - Indicators
           Funny music
           Silly Faces
           Volume of voice
           Sound of laughing
           Chuckling
           Smiling
           Eye Crinkling           

Marijuana Survey

My first Blog

My first Blog

file:///Users/tgolson/Desktop/my%201st%20blog.m4v