Finale

So here I am at the end of the semester and I’ve blogged about 13 separate items of media.  What have I learned from my examination of these myriad media messages?  By looking critically at some of the media which I’ve encountered during the course of the last few months, I have learned that much of the media I’ve encountered has similar motivations. 

FreePaulJacob.com, Project for the Old American Century, WeCanSolveIt.org, and the Media That Matters Film Festival all focus on politics and social issues.  They each tell their story in a slightly different way but the common theme here is that all of these media outlets want the viewer to understand the motivations of those producing the media.  

Metropolis could also be placed in the political and social category.  Despite being made eighty years ago, the social commentary and examination of the divide between the economically advantaged and economically disadvantaged rings true today.  

While Poetry of the Native American Indian, The Onion, Saturday Night Live and Disney’s High School Musical are created primarily for entertainment purposes, they also manage to include political and social undertones in the message that reaches the viewer.  The messages in these are subtler and are almost subliminally received.  These media sources require a more trained eye to see the agenda of the media creator.  In addition to being harder to analyze, these sources of media also reach huge audiences and those audiences contain many people untrained in analyzing media.  The messages reach unwary eyes and ears and sink in shaping thought and feeling without the knowledge of the viewer.

The anomalies in the media I encountered are Virtual CSI:NY which is created for both entertainment and advertising purposes, irishRugby.ie and the Mayhem RFC Minneapolis website which are both created for advertising purposes and the maintenance of the fan base of the sports teams.  The final anomaly is Guardian America which is created to inform.  Guardian American could also be said to have a political agenda.  The politics of the organization are subtle and are not an overtly intended message on the part of the media creators.

The media I encountered was diverse but all of it had a purpose.  Most of the media sought to sway opinion regarding politics or social issues but some also sought to sway opinion about products or sports teams.  The connecting theme I found in all the media is that all media wishes to sway the opinion of the viewer to some purpose.  The purposes are diverse and the methods used to convey meaning are dependent upon the intended audience.  In order for the viewer to understand the message and maintain control over their own opinions, they need to examine the messages they receive in order to determine what the media creators want the viewer to take away.  Then, the viewer can decide whether they agree with the creator or not.

Media That Matters

1: Media being reviewed

Media That Matters Film Festival

2: How I encountered the media

I encountered the festival through my media lit course. After visiting the festival’s website, I discovered that many of the films had been sent to me by friends who saw them on YouTube.

3: My general impression

The Media That Matters Film Festival brings important issues to the fore. With unique imagery, honest storytelling, and a frank examination of some of the most controversial and engaging issues facing the world today, the films featured bring to light viewpoints that do not always make it past mainstream media’s censors.

4: Who is communicating, and why?

The film festival is presented annually in June by an organization called Arts Engine. The organization was formed to create social issue documentaries. One of the organization’s projects was the Media That Matters Film Festival which is based online and reaches a vast audience. Aside from the motivations of the festival’s producers, the messages are also communicated by the people who create the films. Each of these filmmakers has a different motivation to create a documentary about their social issue. The issues covered by the festival include: criminal justice, economic justice, environment, family & society, gay/lesbian, gender/women, health/health advocacy, human rights, immigration, international, media, politics/government, racial justice, religious freedom, and youth.

5: What type of text (or medium) is it?

Most people will access the films through an online interface. The films themselves are short films.

6: How is it produced?

The films are produced using a variety of filmmaking and editing techniques.

7: How do we know what it means?

The Media That Matters Film Festival is available for viewing on a website. That website includes information about the motivations of Arts Engine and why they feel that short films highlighting current issues are important. The filmmakers use imagery and story to inform the viewer what the film means. Each film also has information and links associated with it that help the viewer to understand the issue and to find more information.

8: Who receives it and what sense do they make of it?

The films are readily available on YouTube and other places on the Internet. With this ready access, the media reaches many people in the developed world. Each person viewing the films will make their own sense of what they view depending on their knowledge of the issue being presented and the amount they want to look into the issues they are not familiar with. The videos are created in such a way that, for most, it is easy to tell what bias the filmmaker has and the message they wish to convey.

9: How does it present its subject?

The subject is presented using new technologies available on the Internet in order to reach the largest possible audience. The design of the festival website utilizes a layout that allows for easy navigation while incorporating enough graphic interest to keep the eye visually stimulated.

10: Links/images

Media That Matters Film Festival

YouTube Media That Matters Channel

Saturday Night

1: Media being reviewed

Saturday Night Live

2: How I encountered the media

I first encountered Saturday Night Live while I was in high school.  I, like many others, became engaged by this series.  Now, I try not to miss an episode.

3: My general impression

Saturday Night Live is a tour de force.  The series is one of the longest running in television history and has launched many blockbuster careers.  There is always a biting social commentary included in the comedy and often issues of the day that are frustrating are lightened and given focus by this amazing television show.

4: Who is communicating, and why?

The show was originally created by Lorne Michaels and he is still involved.  The comedians get to do a lot of the writing but at the end of the day, NBC is responsible for the programming that makes it on screen.  The show is designed as an entertainment but it also has a definite focus on current events and the US government.  Common characters appearing on the show often are the current president, vice president, congressmen and any other public official who makes it into the news.  The prevalence of public officials in the lineup of characters allows the show to examine and play with current social policies and the motivations of our political leaders.

5: What type of text (or medium) is it?

This is a “live” TV show.  On the east coast, the show is broadcast live.  There is a broadcast delay for other time zones.

6: How is it produced?

The show is filmed in front of a live studio audience.  There are sets and costumes similar to a live theatre performance but the show is being filmed and broadcast on television.

7: How do we know what it means?

Given the conventions of the comedic form, the viewer can interpret the meaning of the different sketches.  Some of the sketches are simply for entertainment.  Others have a statement about society, our election process, or the integrity of politicians.  Understanding of the meaning beyond the comedy requires the viewer to be familiar with the comedic form and its conventions.

8: Who receives it and what sense do they make of it?

This show is received by millions of Americans, Canadians, and people all over the world.  Most people who view the show are able to grasp the comedy involved in making light of social conventions unique to the United States.  Most are also able to grasp the political satires that are broadcast.

9: How does it present its subject?

The subject is presented in a short skit format.  There are numerous skits in one episode and each can have its own meaning.  The skits are short, funny, and often repetitive helping the viewer to interpret and understand the intent.

10: Links/images

http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live//
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturday_Night_Live

Virtual CSI:NY

1: Media being reviewed

virtual CSI:NY in Second Life

2: How I encountered the media

Partly through exploration of Second Life and partly through advertisements during the CSI:NY episode “Down the Rabbit Hole”

3: My general impression of the site

This is an interactive 3D virtual world version of CSI:NY.  Any Second Life user can join in and become a CSI.  There are clues and cases to solve.  I’m just starting out but it seems like it could be great fun.  It’s almost the VR games that people have fantasized about forever.

4: Who is communicating, and why?

This is complicated.  CBS is communicating their CSI brand and Linden Research, Inc. is communicating their Second Life brand.  This collaborative work helps to increase usership of Second Life and viewership of CSI:NY.

5: What type of text (or medium) is it?

This is a Web 2.0 platform.  It is a 3D animated environment.  A virtual world.  The CSI:NY portion of Second Life is an interactive 3D game.

6: How is it produced?

It is produced using Web 2.0 techniques and lots of computer animation.

7: How do we know what it means?

The CSI virtual world isn’t interested in deceiving the viewer about its intent.  The world is meant as an interactive entertainment experience.

8: Who receives it and what sense do they make of it?

Fans of CSI:NY and Second Life receive this media.  They interact with other users and play the game deriving frustration or entertainment according to their own perceptions.

9: How does it present its subject?

The site’s subject is presented through clues placed throughout the virtual world.  There is an introduction that explains the basics to the user and then they are set free to explore as desired.  They can play or not according to their whim.

10: Links/images

http://slurl.com/secondlife/CSINY%20Orientation%20East1/136/87/24

 

My Second Life avatar:

We Can Solve It

1: Media being reviewed

www.WeCanSolveIt.org

2: How I encountered the media

The magic of television advertising

3: My general impression of the site

The video testimonials on the site are very well integrated.  The site isn’t full of annoying pop-up ads.  Instead, videos are seamlessly integrated into a frame beside some text.   Very snazzy!  The site is easy to navigate with color choices that evoke environmental issues.  Great Site!!  Well Made.

4: Who is communicating, and why?

The Alliance for Climate Protection and the We Campaign

The We Campaign is an initiative created by The Alliance for Climate Protection.

The Alliance for Climate Protection was founded in 2006 by Former Vice President Al Gore.  The Alliance is a grassroots organization whose aim is to get people to take action to remedy global warming, or, as they call it: the climate crisis.

5: What type of text (or medium) is it?

This is a sophisticated web site.  The graphics are integrated well and there aren’t too many graphics.

6: How is it produced?

The web site was produced in the normal fashion.

7: How do we know what it means?

This web site’s main intent is to tell you what it means.  Upon first accessing the site, a woman walks on screen and tells you about the organization behind the site and about why the site exists.

8: Who receives it and what sense do they make of it?

The web site is received by people interested in environmental issues and by people whose interest is sparked by their clever television ads featuring Al Sharpton and Pat Robertson, or Nanci Pelosi and Newt Gingrich sitting side-by-side advocating for the same issue.  This is a powerful message due to the juxtaposition of the Liberal and Conservative persons both of whom want the same thing.

9: How does it present its subject?

The site’s subject is presented as an important issue that needs immediate attention.  There are testimonials on each informational page and there’s lots of information.

10: Links/images

 

Disney’s High School Musical: On Tour, Online, On TV, On Ice, On and on and on and on…

1: Media being reviewed

Disney’s High School Musical: On Tour

2: How I encountered the media

I have season tickets to the Broadway tours in Minneapolis.  High School Musical came through town and I decided to add it to my season. 

3: My general impression

Before seeing the Touring version of the stage production, I had previously seen the movie.  I expected the audience for this musical to be middle school to college age and primarily girls and gay guys.  Just going off stereotypes, this should have worked.  I did not expect the audience to include gaggles of giggling girls starting at age 4 and going to roughly age 11.  The stage musical itself is much better than the movie was and is a sort of combination of the basic plots for Grease and Romeo and Juliet placed in the internet generation high school.

4: Who is communicating, and why?

This is a production of the media giant Disney.  Disney’s purpose in all that they do is the generation of revenue for their stockholders.  They spit out media under the Disney label which will appeal to young audiences who will pester their parents to buy merchandise for them.  Aside from the money making motivations, the Disney brand focuses on creating uplifting romantic media for mass consumption.  This story is one that fits in with the plethora of princess tales that make up the lion’s share of the well known Disney animated movies.  There is no princess in this production but there is a romance between a pretty, talented, sort-of awkward girl (reminiscent of Belle from Beauty and the Beast) and the ideal Disney teenage boy (plays sports yet has a sensitive side – the modern equivalent of a Disney prince).

5: What type of text (or medium) is it?

I’m specifically focusing on the touring stage production which is a modern live theatre production using lights, sets, amplified sound, dance, song, spoken word and showmanship to convey the message.  High School Musical was originally a movie made for The Disney Channel.  There have been multiple sequels.  There is a soundtrack, karaoke and lots of merchandise for the fans to purchase.

6: How is it produced?

The stage play is produced live on stage with lighting effects, sound manipulation and amplification, sets that are rolled onstage or flown in, costumes, actors and a live orchestra.

7: How do we know what it means?

The production uses common cultural themes to convey a message of acceptance and diversity aimed at a pre-adult audience.  The themes used are common in our society and are easily recognized by all.  The production is a morality tale conveying a message of diversity and tolerance through modeled behavior.

8: Who receives it and what sense do they make of it?

The primary audience is children of school age.  They mainly take home a message of diversity and tolerance as intended but they also retain a message of consumption.  The production is filled with easily marketable items that can be sold to generate revenue.  The audience, highly impressionable, notices items on stage and then persuades their parents to purchase the merchandise.  The audience also retains a sense of self-identification with the main characters in the production.

9: How does it present its subject?

The subject is presented in the style of media appropriate for children’s media in today’s market.  The current generation of children high school age and below is internet savvy and always has a laptop and a cell phone nearby.  They are inundated by media and have short attention spans.  In addition to formatting the production in a way that will appeal to and be understood by today’s youth, the production is also formatted in Disney’s traditional style.  All of the characters are wholesome and a little sickly-sweet.

10: Links/images

High School Musical: On Tour
High School Musical: On Ice
High School Musical

 

Join the Scrum

1: Media being reviewed

IrishRugby.ie

and

Mayhem RFC Minneapolis website: www.mayhemrfc.com

2: How I encountered the media

I’ve been a rugby fan since college.  My favorite team has always been the Irish Rugby Football Union.  I’ve never been able to get the matches on TV so I follow the teams progress online at their website: IrishRugby.ie. 

The other site for this post is the Mayhem RFC Minneapolis website.  Last year, my partner took me to the Twin Cities Pride Festival.  At the festival, I discovered that Minneapolis has its very own gay rugby football club.  Many large cities in the United States have gay rugby football clubs.  I’ve kept up with this team online as well.

3: My general impression of the site

Both of these sites are of interest to me because they focus on things I want to know about.    There is a lot of information available on the IrishRugby site including player profiles, merchandise, scores, game outcomes, and anything else a fan could want.

The MN Mayhem site is also full of great information about the union and the players.  There a practice and game schedule available as well as rugby FAQ’s and information about monthly social events.

4: Who is communicating, and why?

The IrishRugby website is a product of the Irish Rugby Football Union and is produced for the benefit of the union.  The site allows fans to access information about current and upcoming games as well as the union’s history.  The website is a promotional tool that serves to increase fan loyalty and maintain fans between games.

The Mayhem RFC serves a similar purpose to the IrishRugby website.  The Mayhem website not only serves to increase and maintain a fanbase for the club; it also serves as a recruitment tool to find additional players for the team.

5: What type of text (or medium) is it?

Both of these are websites.  The IrishRugby website is a more professionally produced website owing to its larger budget.  The Mayhem site is locally produced and looks quite professional but has a lesser production quality owing to a lesser availability of funds and the lack of a dedicated Web editing staff.

6: How is it produced?

Both of these websites are produced using web editing techniques.  IrishRugby has a staff to create the web experience they wish the subject to encounter.  Mayhem is produced on a smaller scale.  The differences in production budget and staff create differences in website feel for the end user.

7: How do we know what it means?

Both websites are unambiguous about what they want.  They wish to promote their respective sports teams.  The websites communicate this intention directly to the subject through text, image and video relating information about the sports teams.

8: Who receives it and what sense do they make of it?

These sites are for the consumption of fans of the sports teams.  They enjoy the visual experiences provided and enjoy the feeling of access that the websites provide.  The Mayhem site also is designed for the players to connect and socialize.

9: How does it present its subject?

The styles used by the websites are those typical of sports sites.  There are a lot of images, advertisements, and links.  There are game schedules and information about the players.  Providing the fans with a sense of connection to the players is essential in keeping the fans engaged in what the Union/Club is doing.

10: Links/images

IrishRugby

Mayhem RFC Minneapolis

Guarding America

1: Media being reviewed

Guardian America
www.guardian.co.uk/america

2: How I encountered the media

For the purposes of my Media Literacy class, I expanded my interests in my StumbleUpon profile. I was brought to the site by StumbleUpon, though, I was already familiar with The Guardian because of other students in my class.

3: My general impression of the site

I think I would classify this site as informative. The site appears to be a genuine news site with content focused on the United States of America. It is interesting to see American news presented with a British bias.

4: Who is communicating, and why?

The website is a product of the Guardian Media Group. The general aim of Guardian America is the reporting of news of interest to the American consumer.

5: What type of text (or medium) is it?

This is a web-based news outlet providing a mixture of text and audio-visual content.

6: How is it produced?

The website is produced through typical web production techniques for general web consumption.

7: How do we know what it means?

This media outlet is a little harder to probe than most. Guardian America is owned by a large corporation whose political leanings are unclear to the common reader. The Guardian has a decidedly leftist political agenda evident in its news reporting. By knowing that The Guardian and Guardian Media Group lean to the left, it can be inferred that Guardian American is also a left of center news organization.

8: Who receives it and what sense do they make of it?

Guardian America is distributed on the internet for anyone who wishes to get their news from Guardian Media Group. The type of information provided by Guardian America is similar to the information one can obtain from CNN, NBC, CBS, or other reputable news organizations. Guardian America adds a British perspective to American news deemed of importance to the news media.

9: How does it present its subject?

The subject of this media is presented in the standard internet news outlet format with top headlines, links to specific categories of news and news videos. There is a professional polish to the site that lends the necessary sense of credibility to the information displayed. There is also a mixture of text and image on the site drawing attention to media that site publishers believe will be of interest to the subject.

10: Links/images

Guardian America

Native Poetry

1: Media being reviewed

Poetry of The Native American Indian
www.blackhawkproductions.com/poetrynative.htm

2: How I encountered the media

This was another StumbleUpon find of mine.  I have an interest in Native American issues because of my Native American heritage so StumbleUpon brought me to this page.  I am focusing on the poetry and prayers section because that is the site StumbleUpon brought me to.  This is only one of the pages on the site.

3: My general impression of the site

The poetry on the site is interesting.  I enjoy reading Native American writings and these provide a great insight into Native American philosophy and bring the reader closer to the Native American experience.

4: Who is communicating, and why?

This site is being communicated by a man named Phil Gottfredson through his organization Black Hawk Productions, LLC.  Black Hawk Productions is a small independent production company whose goal is the preservation of American Indian history.  The primary focus of the production company is assisting indigenous people with the creation of documentaries.

5: What type of text (or medium) is it?

The medium for this is a website and also the written word poetry of the content within the website.

6: How is it produced?

The website is maintained as a portion of a larger website.  The content is gathered from historical and cultural sources within the Native American community.

7: How do we know what it means?

At the bottom of the page, there is a menu with a link to the Mission Statement for Black Hawk Productions.  Also, there is an introduction at the top of the page prefacing the poems to follow.  These sources provide information about the motivation of Black Hawk Productions in posting the poems and prayers on the site.

8: Who receives it and what sense do they make of it?

This site is primarily of interest to people who want to know about Native American philosophy and beliefs.  The site provides a good impression of the Native belief system and will allow its audience to touch that part of Native American society.

9: How does it present its subject?

The site is laid out in a simple format with headings small photos and the poems and prayers themselves.  There is an earth-tone background and general Native American feel to the page.

10: Links/images

Black Hawk Productions

Poetry of The Native American Indian

Old vs. New

I’m changing the format for the blog beginning with this post. From now on, I’m going to format each post into the following sections:

1: Media being reviewed
2: How I encountered the media
3: My general impression of the site
    (is it entertaining, engaging, interesting, etc. this
    will be subjective observation)
4: Who is communicating, and why?
5: What type of text (or medium) is it?
6: How is it produced?
7: How do we know what it means?
8: Who receives it and what sense do they make of
    it?
9: How does it present its subject?
10: Links/images

These will be general questions and I will attempt to give answers to each for each piece of media I look at.
*********************************************
That said, I’ll begin this post on the Project For The Old American Century.

1: Media being reviewed

Project for the Old American Century website: www.oldamericancentury.org

2: How I encountered the media:

I came across the Project For The Old American Century website via StumbleUpon.com. I had marked one of my interests as politics and, while stumbling the internet looking for something interesting, I landed on this site.

3: My general impression of the site:

The site is well laid out and is full of interesting content. The main page contains the “Latest Headlines” which are always interesting. There’s also always an interesting image on the main page. There is video, Audio, Timelines, Charts, and even a “counter-spin” section where the site rebuts some of the talking points currently in the media, and more. The site is decidedly left-wing but is also informative if this is taken into account.

4: Who is communicating, and why?

The site is run as a small, grass-roots organization whose purpose is to highlight under-reported new related to corporate and government corruption. There is no mention of the Project For The New American Century in the “About POAC” section of the website but I would be surprised if the site was not, in part, created in response to PNAC. PNAC is a neoconservative think-tank, founded in 1997, that, according to wikipedia, has had a large influence on George W. Bush’s administration. Even the logos of POAC and PNAC are formatted the same.

5: What type of text (or medium) is it?

This is a website. The presentation of the site is the typical format of a news website with headlines and archives. There is also an RSS feed available so that the audience doesn’t have to continually visit the website in order to receive the information provided.

6: How is it produced?

The site is produced by the staff of POAC. They conduct their own research into the stories they believe are important to cover, write the stories and produce the website.

7: How do we know what it means?

Evaluation of the POAC website reading a couple of the news stories and taking a general look at the types of stories on the site. There appears to be a leftist bias on the site. Most of the corruption stories on the site are focused on Republicans and big business. A review of the “About POAC” section of the website reveals the history of the project and gives insight into the organization’s political views. According to the website, POAC was “founded in 2002 in response to a rigged election, reduced civil liberties, a hijacking of our domestic and foreign policies by the energy/defense industries, and a compliant corporate media outlet where we can not only debunk the myth of the liberal media but expose the corruption and cronyism taking place at the highest levels of government and corporate power.” The general views expressed by the site reveal that the people creating POAC’s news stories believe that Government and Corporate America are severely corrupted and that this corruption needs to be exposed to the people before change can occur. With this type of information available regarding the motivations of the site’s producers, it is possible to evaluate the information provided by the site accordingly, acknowledging the politically left bias of the information provided.

8: Who receives it and what sense do they make of it?

The site is primarily going to be received by people who are seeking information on political corruption, are involved with left-wing politics, are researching politics online, have selected politics as an interest on StumbleUpon, etc. It is likely that the main audience for this information will be people thirty and under because those are the people of voting age who are most fluent in the internet.

9: How does it present its subject?

The site presents its subject as a mixture of the forms of the Project for the New American Century website and other news websites. The stories are given headlines with the text below. There are a few accompanying pictures but the site is primarily text. The general layout of the site and the professional, journalistic, format of the information presented give the site credibility by mimicking more mainstream news media.

10: Links/images

POAC

PNAC