Top 10 Media Revelations

1) Production Techniques - I cannot stress enough the importance of this. When developing a message to reach the public, it is vitally important to implement proper production techniques in order to effectively portray the message to persuade or gain favor from the target audience. Some important production techniques include camera angles, lighting, editing, sound effects, color scheme, symbols, etc. One example of a political message which uses very powerful production techniques is the “We are the ones (who can change the world)” video promoting Barrack Obama. This video is very powerful because it uses people of all races and a catchy song to touch emotions. It is also black and white, showing simplicity, yet also can be very close up, to show more humanization.“The influence is more subtle and operates on several levels” (Media & Society 71).


2) Web 2.0 – Positive and Negative. Looking at the newest developments in web 2.0, such as myspace, facebook, youtube, etc., there are many pros and cons of these types of sites. We must often ask ourselves do the benefits outweigh the pitfalls. For some, the answer has clearly been ‘no’ which has resulted in a few individuals to remove themselves entirely from facebook. For others however, these sites have been extraordinarily helpful and beneficial for many different tools, especially for marketing and advertising. “The differences between ‘old’ and ‘new’ forms of media are substantial in themselves. As with the introduction of previous technologies, however, the new forms of communication have produced often wild speculation about their social impact” (Media & Society 321).

3) Cognitive Dissonance - according to Dictionary.com is described as “A condition of conflict or anxiety resulting from inconsistency between one's beliefs and one's actions…” This term is related to the media in the sense that often individuals are influenced by what they see or hear on through media and are encouraged to act upon what they hear, even if the actions do not coincide with their personal beliefs. This also relates to M.T. Anderson’s Feed because when the feed tells people about sales they often partake in impulse purchasing, even if they may not normally like the product. “The Swarp XE-11: You can take it with you” (Feed 157).

4)
CNN USA vs. CNN INT’L. This revelation taught me how certain media conglomerates actually operate and report the news. For example, a large media company such as CNN reports news on a national scale, however the news we see in America is not the same news seen in Europe or the Middle East. CNN reports different stories depending on their audience, and sugarcoats much of the news reports in the US, often to make it appear less violent or harmful. This relates to Feed in that each personal Feed caters to the common purchases and likes of a given individual. It almost works like cookies and cache for personal web browsing. “Concentration has affected the relationship between various media organizations within a single conglomerate” (Media & Society 40).

5) “Militainment” was the term used in Danny Schechter’s film “Weapons of Mass Deception.” This term is used to describe entertainment or media that glorifies or features military related actions. This is often used in the American news when trying to portray wars to everyday citizens. One example of this would be a drawing or map showing attack plans or tactics, almost appearing as a football game.“The masculine/military films of the time both reflected the fears and desires of American men and helped reproduce a new brand of toughness that became prevalent in the 1990s” (Media & Society 176).

6) VNR’s or News? Something that provided me with insight was the prominence of video news releases. I knew they existed but had no idea how common they were used around the country, especially for stories that do no even seem as though they would be paid for by a corporation. It is often hard to identify a video news release, but after knowing what to look for, they are omniscient. “One Saturday, a few days after we saw the riot from the news in our dreams, there was this promotion, where if you talked about the great taste of Coca-Cola to your friends like a thousand times, you got a free six-pack of it…”(Feed 158).


7) Feed Withdrawal – When reading Anderson’s Feed, I found it very interesting how reliant the children became on the feed. When their feeds temporarily stopped working, they began having withdrawals and did not know what to do with their spare time. This reminds me of today when our internet is down we often find ourselves with a lot more free time. When they get their feed back it is described as “And the feed was pouring in on us now, all of the feednet, and we could feel all of our favorites, and there were our files, and our m-chatlines” (Feed 70).

8) Masculinity in Music – this is something that is portrayed often through hip hop and rap music. Many artists portray a message of partaking in masculine actions while demeaning women. This often influences young listeners to act a certain way in order to try to fit into this male stereotype of acting tough. “Producers are likely to portray men as more dominant than women and as more prone to engage in violence” (Media & Society 213).


9) PSA’s or Public Service Announcements are a great way to get a message across to a particular audience. They can be used in many different forms and are often somewhat educational. The message should be short and to the point, so as to not bore or lose the attention of the viewer. “People exist only as receptacles for media messages, passive groups whose behaviors and attitudes are the result of a powerful external force: the media” (Media & Society 265).


10) Hegemony is everywhere. This is something I have learned through reading both Feed and Media and Society. Hegemony is the dominance of one social group over another, instilling opinions or beliefs on the subjugated group. This is often related to how the media ‘controls’ the country by telling citizens what to believe, how to act, and what to purchase “Hegemony operates at the level of common sense in the assumptions we make about social life and on the terrain of things that we accept as ‘natural’ or ‘the way things are” (Media & Society 166).