Monday, October 17, 2011

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

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

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