To continue my discussion about gender streotypes, I think it's important to bring up media's role in the issue. As I mentioned in my previous post, the gap between genders is becoming lesser, but it still remains prominent in society. The question I posed was, why? To answer that, media is why!
Personally, I believe that news broadcast stations, magazines, music, film, etc. are all reinforcing these stereotypes - whether purposely or not - by bringing up irrelevant, and just stupid, things such as the J Crew catalogue. As you saw in class, and probably all over the media, J Crew published a picture of the designer with her little boy, painting his toenails. Unfortunately, something so minuscule was made public through news broadcasters who misconstrued the image, sparking debate and issues of gender identity. By making the image public, media outlets are only confirming stereotypes - as they tried to do with J Crew.
But what are their motivations for doing so? You would think that media outlets would not want to get involved with issues such as gender identity since the material could be offensive or conflicting to viewers' views. With this being said, I think it has to be profit. Controversy sells. Why do you think we primarily see sex, drugs, and death as the main topics in news today? It all comes down to getting viewers' attention so they can make money. The issue of gender identity is such a controversial topic that it's obviously going to get the publics attention, but it's sad that it has in a way become leverage for making a profit.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Women Comedians
In class today, the presenting group discussed sexist views of women in society. In their discussion they used female comedians as an example, showing that research suggests that - in comparison to males - are not funny. I thought that it was interesting that this topic was brought up because it wasn't but a week ago that I was watching Chelsea Lately when my boyfriend made a comment about how "dumb" the show was becasue she wasn't funny. Now this wasn't the first time I've heard this (since he finds it necessary to make the same comment everytime I watch the show) but it wasn't until class today that I began to think about it at a deaper, more gender oriented level.
Personally, I find Chelsea Handler to be hilarious -- if you haven't read her books, I suggest you do so ... just make sure you're in private because you WILL be laughing out loud -- but was that just me? Is she really not funny? Or is my boyfriend demonstrating what we discussed in class?
Not only in comedy, but in almost every aspect of our lives, women have been positioned as second to men, so how do we change that? I understand that generations before, women did not always the privileges they have today, but as the gap begins to decrease will we ever find a way to eliminate these views and assumptions? Is it possible to convince men that women comedies are just as funny? I guess we'll just have to wait and find out ...
Personally, I find Chelsea Handler to be hilarious -- if you haven't read her books, I suggest you do so ... just make sure you're in private because you WILL be laughing out loud -- but was that just me? Is she really not funny? Or is my boyfriend demonstrating what we discussed in class?
Not only in comedy, but in almost every aspect of our lives, women have been positioned as second to men, so how do we change that? I understand that generations before, women did not always the privileges they have today, but as the gap begins to decrease will we ever find a way to eliminate these views and assumptions? Is it possible to convince men that women comedies are just as funny? I guess we'll just have to wait and find out ...
Globalization of Media
In one of my other communications classes we have been discussing globalization of media and how it effects a counry's identity - I thought this would be a good topic of discussion for us as well! Through globalization, economies, societies, and cultures are becoming integrated, but is this integration blurring reality - ultimately, shaping a country's identity to reflect that of Western influences?
The examples that we looked at discussed reality television being introduced all over the world and its implications. While a number of country's were supportive of the programs, suggesting that they provided new forms of entertainment and were educational in that that they reflected "reality," other country's suggested the opposite.
In country's such as Africa and Saudi Arabia, reality television has not only raised controversy around established social standards, norms, and religions, but also around false representation. When reality television show, Star Academy (similar to American Idol), began airing in Saudi Arabia - a country revolving around their religion and set social standards (i.e. women and men do not interact, defined social classes with the royal party being the most powerful - and pretty much in charge) - a number of organizations fought to remove the "Westernized" reality tv program. The show, which allowed both men and women to interact freely, also encouraged the use of explicit language and actions; going against everything the country has been built around. What are your thoughts? Do you believe that this could eventually be a positive transition for a country? What about the claims to globalization being just another term for "Westernization?"
The examples that we looked at discussed reality television being introduced all over the world and its implications. While a number of country's were supportive of the programs, suggesting that they provided new forms of entertainment and were educational in that that they reflected "reality," other country's suggested the opposite.
In country's such as Africa and Saudi Arabia, reality television has not only raised controversy around established social standards, norms, and religions, but also around false representation. When reality television show, Star Academy (similar to American Idol), began airing in Saudi Arabia - a country revolving around their religion and set social standards (i.e. women and men do not interact, defined social classes with the royal party being the most powerful - and pretty much in charge) - a number of organizations fought to remove the "Westernized" reality tv program. The show, which allowed both men and women to interact freely, also encouraged the use of explicit language and actions; going against everything the country has been built around. What are your thoughts? Do you believe that this could eventually be a positive transition for a country? What about the claims to globalization being just another term for "Westernization?"
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Social Media is Taking Over my Life
As a senior, I have been participating in the dreaded job search for hours a day, and today while on Twitter I noticed the abundant number of job openings posted by companies! It seems like EVERYONE is becoming involved in social media, and is something that you just can't avoid. But I'm curious, is this just a fad that's going to change over the next couple years? We see so many trends come and go like the seasons throughout the year - well, not so much this year because it seems like winter is going to be NEVER ENDING, but you get the point.
Social media has become a primary source for which we communicate, and not just between peers, friends, or relatives. Through facebook groups and Twitter accounts, you can now become involved with your favorite musicians, actors, companies, or groups and organizations; it's amazing! It's become a tremendous channel for mass media and communication, but for how long? Personally, I see social media staying around for a long time. With organizations hiring employees for the sole purpose of managing their social media sites and our generation being so involved, and growing up with it, I definitely don't see it going anywhere. If anything, I see it expanding into something even greater.
It's weird to think that our lives could become completely revolved around media - mine already might be - when ten years ago I didn't even have a cell phone. I love being connected at all times, but I start to wonder if this a bad thing. Like I had posted before, I'm lost without my cell phone, which is so sad!
Here's a really cool video called "The World of Social Media in 2011" ... take a look!
Social media has become a primary source for which we communicate, and not just between peers, friends, or relatives. Through facebook groups and Twitter accounts, you can now become involved with your favorite musicians, actors, companies, or groups and organizations; it's amazing! It's become a tremendous channel for mass media and communication, but for how long? Personally, I see social media staying around for a long time. With organizations hiring employees for the sole purpose of managing their social media sites and our generation being so involved, and growing up with it, I definitely don't see it going anywhere. If anything, I see it expanding into something even greater.
It's weird to think that our lives could become completely revolved around media - mine already might be - when ten years ago I didn't even have a cell phone. I love being connected at all times, but I start to wonder if this a bad thing. Like I had posted before, I'm lost without my cell phone, which is so sad!
Here's a really cool video called "The World of Social Media in 2011" ... take a look!
Getting Paid to be Controversial
I was sitting in my brand marketing class yesterday when my teacher got off topic and began discussing the cast of the Jersey Shore. (I know, I've used them in WAY TOO MANY posts, but this is the last .. I swear!) Not very familiar with the show, he asked the class what they actually do and immediately a student responded that "they get paid to be controversial." This of course got me thinking about media,TNC's, and how this came to be the trend today. We've talked a lot about censorship the past couple of weeks and we've seen the implications controversial shows have had on both the public and government programs, so why does the media show and support it?
Just recently the MTV series, "Skins," aired on television, but not without multiple implications before the first show even ended. Showing teens involved with drugs, alcohol, and partying, the show immediately became a concern for the Parents Television Council; which could have easily been predicted before the show even aired. So why show it? Is it again money? Or is MTV actually trying to relate to young adults at a deeper, more controversial, level? It's hard to determine the motivation for media outlets, but personally, if people are watching it, they must enjoy it. Is this ethical or good for society though? Probably not, but I thought America was a place of freedom and opinion?
Just recently the MTV series, "Skins," aired on television, but not without multiple implications before the first show even ended. Showing teens involved with drugs, alcohol, and partying, the show immediately became a concern for the Parents Television Council; which could have easily been predicted before the show even aired. So why show it? Is it again money? Or is MTV actually trying to relate to young adults at a deeper, more controversial, level? It's hard to determine the motivation for media outlets, but personally, if people are watching it, they must enjoy it. Is this ethical or good for society though? Probably not, but I thought America was a place of freedom and opinion?
International News
In class we have been discussing the role of International News and Americans abroad, and it reminded me of a topic that we discussed in my Global Communications class. Having never realized it before, American news abroad is obtained from two primary sources: Reuters and The Associated Press. Both of these news gathering organizations have reporters and journalists traveling the world to cover the latest news, which is then sold to American media outlets such as Fox, NBC, or the NY Times. What is reported is unbiased and simply facts of particular events; unfortunately, as soon as this information is received by media outlets it becomes framed; an extremely popular trend we see in all forms of media, not just the news. But why? Is it for the profit?
What about the Suddam Hussein videos we watched in class ... each video of the statue toppling was released by a different news broadcast, but why? In this example it doesn't seem as if they are trying to gain a profit, but instead to alter the way the public sees things so that they correlate with those of the news station. Everyone knows that Fox is an extremely conservative station while NBC is liberal, and I believe that each wants to be the "right" view.
With this being said though, can we really trust any of the news we absorb from American media?
What about the Suddam Hussein videos we watched in class ... each video of the statue toppling was released by a different news broadcast, but why? In this example it doesn't seem as if they are trying to gain a profit, but instead to alter the way the public sees things so that they correlate with those of the news station. Everyone knows that Fox is an extremely conservative station while NBC is liberal, and I believe that each wants to be the "right" view.
With this being said though, can we really trust any of the news we absorb from American media?
Thursday, April 14, 2011
The Power of Framing
To continue with our discussion of celebrities and their claim to fame, I think it's also important for us to discuss the framing that is involved with this. Sure, a lot of celebrities - such as the infamous Jersey Shore cast - claim to fame is the ridiculous things they do or their wealthy family, but have you considered the media's role? As we saw earlier in the semester, framing is done by someone with an agenda and can distort the image, making us think in a particular way. Have you ever noticed that during an episode of The Real Housewives, for example, cameras only show certain events - usually the most ridiculous and outlandish ones - encouraging viewers to perceive each character in a particular way? By the order of the clips, lighting, clothing, facial expressions, etc. things become completely distorted and left for viewers to make sense of.
It wasn't until I watched the reunion of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills that I realized that most of the show, was in fact, framed. As one of the housewives described, she has been labeled as being obsessed with money and inconsiderate of others, but only because the scenes they show are ones that reinforces these ideas. The ones of where she is helping out a friend or playing with her kids, well, that's left out.
So, considering these ideas, I wonder if the cast of shows, like Jersey Shore, are actually intelligent and that they just go with these framing techniques because it gets them their 15 minutes of frame ... something to think about.
It wasn't until I watched the reunion of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills that I realized that most of the show, was in fact, framed. As one of the housewives described, she has been labeled as being obsessed with money and inconsiderate of others, but only because the scenes they show are ones that reinforces these ideas. The ones of where she is helping out a friend or playing with her kids, well, that's left out.
So, considering these ideas, I wonder if the cast of shows, like Jersey Shore, are actually intelligent and that they just go with these framing techniques because it gets them their 15 minutes of frame ... something to think about.
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