Non-Main Stream

This is an optional post*

For some brownie points, write a post about an indie news source, blog, band, movie, etc. This is a way to build an archive of things that may otherwise be difficult to find. Include a link to it and respond to the question: What makes it indie (or different from things acceptable by main stream media).

Thanks for an awesome semester!

Stay cool

Is TV making us smarter? Due Wednesday, April 24 by 10 PM

In class we discussed two theories about the cognitive requirements of contemporary TV. 

The first theory discussed was the Sleeper Curve (2005), conceived by Steven Johnson, who argues that television DOES make us smarter, not because of it's content but because of its complex structures. He states that today's TV shows, which often have multiple plots of equal importance going on simultaneously, "require us to have to pay attention, make inferences and track shifting social relationships." To further back his theory, he states that contemporary TV avoids obvious cues (flashing arrows, he calls them), that used to hold the hand of TV watchers, constantly reminding them of what exactly was going on. He then argues that if TV watchers in contemporary society were to watch an episode of "Bonanza,"for example, we would most likely be bored.

The second theory, is by media theorist, Neil Postman, author of "Amusing Ourselves to Death" (1985). In the text, Postman argues that television is ultimately the death of our intelligence. He argues many points, some of which include the idea that 1) Television has an inherent bias for entertainment which therefore turns the serious areas of our culture (news, religious broadcasting and educational programming) into branches of show business 2) Television causes a disconnect (from truth/fiction, each other, ourselves to the information we receive). One example he gives of this is the layout of newspapers, in which each story is juxtaposed between other stories that have nothing to do with it. He also mentions the distanced cause by the glut of information, i.e. the more information we receive, the less we care about it. 3) Commercials manufacture desires other than products that meet genuine needs. No longer is the buyer well informed about the product, they are entertained and amused into buying it. 

The similarity between these two theorists is that both focus on the medium itself, NOT the content of the messages.

For this post, please write your thoughts as to which theory you agree with. Please use your text for at least one source. There is quite a bit on this topic in there.

Due Wednesday, April 24 by 10 PM

OtherPossible sources: 

A summary of Johnson's theory as seen in his book :

Everything Bad Is Good for You: How Today's Popular Culture Is Actually Making Us Smarter. Published in the New York Times, 2005 http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/24/magazine/24TV.html?pagewanted=5&_r=0

A decent online summary of Postman's theory: http://www.kemstone.com/Nonfiction/Politics/Amusing.htm

Suggestions for Final Projects

I am OK with collaborations; I encourage them. I believe ideas are better when shared and worked out externally. Just make sure to speak with me first so I can check up that each of you are pulling equal weight. 

1) Create an advertisement or video commercial and write a 4-5 page write up that includes an explanation of:

-The tactics you used including aesthetics (the type of environment/ color scheme /camera angles/ focus), actors (sex, race, age), body language, etc.

-WHY did you implored those tactics: what audience were you trying to reach; what were you trying to make your audience feel; what is the advertisement's intent

-What advertisements inspired your work

- Are you critical of these types of advertisements

2) Make an 8-10 minute video documentary on any media-related issue (this must be a contemporary analysis; it can not simply be the history of a specific medium, though that information may be included)

3) Make an 8-10 minute podcast. This, too, must take a contemporary look at a given subject. No historical timelines. Those are boring and include no new information. Listen to the NPR shows "This American Life" and "On the Media" for inspiration. 

3) Write a 10-page academic paper on any contemporary media-related issue such as Objectivity or Media Ownership

4) Write a 10-page creative non-fiction essay that is critical of a contemporary issue. Re-read Joan Didion or Hunter Thompson for inspiration.

Definition of a journalist

The digital world of news gathering and reporting has complicated the traditional definition of the journalist, which was defined in 1987 as one who gathers and reports information to disseminate to the public. Because of the broad-nature of this definition and the increasing number of people claiming to be journalists (bloggers, especially), many are arguing for a more specific definition.

As we discussed in class, the benefit of being defined, by law, as a journalist is their right to keep anonymous sources confidential and a protection against certain modes of speech.

Take a look at the following arguments in the debate section of the New York Times then write a response to whether you think Crystal Cox (and all bloggers for that matter) should be considered journalists by the law. Please use the following link as a source as well as two others (one may be from the textbook, though it doesn't have to be; you can rely on online sources for this post).

  http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2011/12/11/are-all-bloggers-journalists

Sandy Hook School Shooting due Wednesday March 6 at 10 p.m.

The following is a quote from our text:

In the nineteenth century and far into the twentieth century, newspapers and then TV news strove for “objectivity,” or neutrality, muting their political viewpoints to appeal to the broadest possible audience. However, in today’s fragmented marketplace (where we now have more and more media options), newspapers and TV news have lost a lot of their audiences to smartphones, social networks, and the Internet. This means that the media must target smaller groups with shared interests— such as conservatives, liberals, sports fanatics, history buffs, or shopaholics— to find an audience—and the advertisers and revenue that come with them.

Take this quote into consideration as you do the following:

1) Read a number of reports on the Sandy Hook School shooting from DIFFERENT news sources. Some you may want to look at are: NYTimes, Fox News, BBC, NPR, New Yorker, Newton local papers, and Hudson Valley local papers.
2) After reading a few, pick two or more that are vastly different in their reporting/storytelling.
3) Summarize both and explain 1) The major differences and 2) The reason you believe the newspaper reported it the way they did. What were their aims? How did they want their readers to feel? React?

Make sure to use at least one citation from Chapter 7 of our textbook.

Do not feel limited to only report on the event itself. You may choose to focus on gun control, for example, an issue that has exploded after the shooting.

SOPA and PIPA

Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA) are two bills that were introduced by Congress in 2011; they proposed that the government should be allowed to stop "criminal activity"--as it relates to copyright infringements--by redirecting the URLs of sites whose content violate copyright laws. Users would be directed to non-functioning (404) sites. Many of those who are against SOPA and PIPA call it "censorship." Others call it "black listing." Some call it the potential downfall of the Internet. Of course, there are logical reasons as to why the bills should be passed. The primary reason is to try and stop the illegal trafficking/streaming/sharing of protected movies, songs, intellectual property, etc. As you can image, Hollywood and record companies are in favor of these laws. Internet companies are not.

What are your thoughts? Feel free to use--as sources--the videos and the NYTimes article I mentioned in class.

Aaron Swartz on Democracy Now! http://www.democracynow.org/2013/1/14/freedom_to_connect_aaron_swartz_1986

Clay Shirky on Ted Talks
http://www.democracynow.org/2013/1/14/freedom_to_connect_aaron_swartz_1986

NYTimes
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/08/opinion/what-wikipedia-wont-tell-you.html

Super Bowl (due Wednesday Feb. 13 @ 10PM)

As we discussed in class, advertisers and marketing agencies use many strategies to hook us in. They work to make their ads memorable so that in the future we purchase their products, whether consciously or unconsciously. There are a number of reasons why it is important to study their methods. For this post I want you to address the following questions (make sure to use your textbook (the advertising chapter) as well as two other sources.)

1- Find one of the commercials from this year's Super Bowl and analyze it in a similar way that we did in class

a) Purely objectively: a brief summary of what the ad was about including the plot, the demographics of actors, the environment, the type of camera angles/shots, music, etc.

b) Describe what you believe the advertiser's intentions were. 

c) Did you like the ad? Did they succeed in hooking you in?

d) If you could change the ad to be more Affective, what would you do?

2- WHY do you believe is it important to study advertisements?

If you need some inspiration for your writing, take a look at the following ad, it is a good opinion piece on the Dodge commercial. 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kylesmith/2013/02/06/chrysler-and-the-most-acclaimed-super-bowl-ad-of-all-time-heres-the-rest-of-the-story/