Mediablog

Thu Dec 6
This relates to media literacy because multitudes of consumer products are seen throughout the media.  Many images of products are more than just images of products, for they can represent something deeper in their context.  Decoding and interpreting these images may enable us to understand the media better, thus making us more literate.

This relates to media literacy because multitudes of consumer products are seen throughout the media.  Many images of products are more than just images of products, for they can represent something deeper in their context.  Decoding and interpreting these images may enable us to understand the media better, thus making us more literate.

Wed Nov 28
Advertising Vs. Reality

Along with watching a movie about advertising in class, it is evident that deceit is something that occurs in advertising.  This is significant when it comes to media literacy because these deceitful ads are out there in the media.  In the movie, the main character tries to come up with ways to sell the product, but it is clear that he does not really care for the potential consumers, namely women.  He even curses.  In the link posted above, it shows how deceitful businesses can be, specifically the fast food companies.  On the website, there are pictures of the food when it was advertised and pictures of what the food ended up looking like when someone actually bought the food.  This makes it seem like the fast food companies do not care as much about the customers as they should, and that they care more about money, otherwise they would have put in more effort.   

Mon Nov 12

Similarities between Nazi video and another video  (You have to wait a while before the fighting occurs.)

Sat Nov 10
Interference Inc. had decided to use guerrilla marketing in many cities, including Boston, for the TV show, Aqua Teen Hunger Force.  What happened in Boston was that neon signs of a Mooninite from the show were put up all over the city, like the one pictured above.  Eventually, the Boston police arrested employees of Interference Inc.  Taking this to the level of a bomb threat and fining the company might sound ridiculous, but people take fear seriously.  Sometimes people may wonder if the media has gone too far and has crossed the line when occurrences like this happens.  The Benetton ads can surely be out of people’s comfort zone.  However, this case is not as disturbing as the Benetton ads.  The people probably did not predict that this type of campaign for the show would end up frightening anyone, however, there is something invasive about putting up such a display over all the cities.  Other media may cross the line if it is too violent, upsetting, or promiscuous, but these particular TV show ads have caused something different, which is fear.  Perhaps there should be a written rule about this, but then again, would this take away from the freedom of speech?  These days, it seems like the media has to be extra careful about the tactics that are being used.

Interference Inc. had decided to use guerrilla marketing in many cities, including Boston, for the TV show, Aqua Teen Hunger Force.  What happened in Boston was that neon signs of a Mooninite from the show were put up all over the city, like the one pictured above.  Eventually, the Boston police arrested employees of Interference Inc.  Taking this to the level of a bomb threat and fining the company might sound ridiculous, but people take fear seriously.  Sometimes people may wonder if the media has gone too far and has crossed the line when occurrences like this happens.  The Benetton ads can surely be out of people’s comfort zone.  However, this case is not as disturbing as the Benetton ads.  The people probably did not predict that this type of campaign for the show would end up frightening anyone, however, there is something invasive about putting up such a display over all the cities.  Other media may cross the line if it is too violent, upsetting, or promiscuous, but these particular TV show ads have caused something different, which is fear.  Perhaps there should be a written rule about this, but then again, would this take away from the freedom of speech?  These days, it seems like the media has to be extra careful about the tactics that are being used.

Sat Nov 3
http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/end

Since we have been working on Flash, the site above is a link to a popular Flash presentation.  These types of media displays can be microcosms of a bigger reality.  Several different countries were addressed in the video.  Essentially, the video is mocking a lot of different things involving them.  Some of the things being mocked were just small silly jokes like how Australia has kangaroos.  More significant messages were conveyed when it comes to the issue of nuclear weapons.  I noticed that Bush was making a peace sign in his hand in the scene where he is standing with all of the nuclear weapons.  I enjoyed that subtlety.  People worry about a nuclear war and this presentation depicts a humorous way of it occurring.  Perhaps displaying this issue is a less direct way in sending out a deeper, subconscious message, which is that America’s imperialistic and “policeman of the world” ways are going too far.  Perhaps this is being illustrated even if the creator(s) of this flick did not even have this in mind while making it.

Mon Oct 29
In this edition of Scientific American, there is a collage on the cover.  Collages are important artistic images in the media.  They can express ideas that could not be as clearly or cleverly conveyed in just a single image.  This collage illustrates the idea that there is no such thing as race (genetically) or that, when it comes down it, everyone is still a typical human being regardless of their physical features.  The several images of the same woman or several women displayed on the cover are placed in an adequate way, thus the collage is eye-grabbing.  The fact that the heads encircle “RACE” is another nice touch.  This collage shows how the images of these women (who are now in the media) are unified, and the manner in which this cover was executed was successful.

In this edition of Scientific American, there is a collage on the cover.  Collages are important artistic images in the media.  They can express ideas that could not be as clearly or cleverly conveyed in just a single image.  This collage illustrates the idea that there is no such thing as race (genetically) or that, when it comes down it, everyone is still a typical human being regardless of their physical features.  The several images of the same woman or several women displayed on the cover are placed in an adequate way, thus the collage is eye-grabbing.  The fact that the heads encircle “RACE” is another nice touch.  This collage shows how the images of these women (who are now in the media) are unified, and the manner in which this cover was executed was successful.

Thu Oct 25
Mon Oct 22
Normalizing Gaze

Normalizing Gaze

Sun Oct 21

Communicating Online

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/07/jobs/07pre.html?_r=1&ex=1192680000&en=42d88a4193b3c3b5&ei=5070&emc=eta1&oref=slogin

This New York Times article highly relates to media literacy because it deals directly with messages being sent through e-mail and indirectly with the words we read on the web.  Something I found particularly interesting in this article was when it explained how we view a positive e-mail message more neutrally and neutral messages as more negative than what the person originally sending the e-mail intended.  There are definitely advantages and disadvantages when it comes to reading words on the Internet, whether one’s reading an e-mail or blog.  Serious blunders, misunderstandings, and hurt feelings could possibly occur.  However, I feel that this efficient and quick technology is well worth the risks.  Perhaps people should become more aware of ways to communicate more precisely.

Wed Oct 17

Rear Window and CSI

In the scene I have chosen from Rear Window, Mr. Jeffries is trying to make sense of the salesman’s actions.  Mr. Jeffries’ evidence that possibly indicates that the salesman has murdered his wife are that he no longer hears her nagging, he no longer sees her there, the salesman mysteriously leaves during in the middle the night, the salesman ships away a trunk, and he sees the salesman washing knives and a saw.  Based on this evidence, he makes sense that the salesman has killed his wife, for example, he could have used those sharp objects to slay her.  Being a man, he might assume this because he knows how aggressive men can behave towards women they despise.  Though in a wheeled-chair, Mr. Jeffries is a more dominant character, so maybe this is his way of him making adequate use of himself since he cannot be successful at being a photographer temporarily.

In this scene (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H14Bq4YF40Q) from CSI, a man is being questioned about murdering his wife.  The main character tries to makes sense of the circumstance through the evidence.  The dead woman was found laying 5 ft. away from the suspect, the suspect tried to dispose of her body, and the suspect claims it was an accident even though he did not call the police right away.  At that moment, the questioner most likely believed he murdered her.  However, this changes when the suspect further tries to justify himself when he speaks of the odd accidental deaths of his grandmother and neighbor along with accidentally running over his daughter.  With this new information in the light, the questioner becomes uncertain.  Could this trend mean that his wife’s demise was also an accident?  The questioner is rather dominant, determined to prove this man wrong but it backfires on him by the odd responses he receives due to his prying.  Due to his status, he appears to assume the suspect was the murderer in the beginning.  Due to the questioner’s gender, he appears to want the facts and none of this other baloney about the accidental deaths, for they should not be used to cover up a possible murder.