Finally The Critic :)

What a nice change! For this assignment I don’t have to be the creative, informative one, but rather the critic! What a nice and easy way to end the course! For our last blog, each student in the class becomes a media critic when we review our classmates’ blogs, and critique their work.

I’ll be telling my classmates what I enjoyed about their blog, what I learned and ways in which they could improve.  With this assignment, not only is it interesting to see what others have worked on during the past month, but also I am extremely curious to see what the editors have to say regarding my work.

I’m excited to pick which blogs I’ll want to critique, and I’m anxious to see how my critic skills and my recent knowledge of several theories and concepts will be put to the test. Let’s get to it!

I’m first looking at Taylor Good’s blog, An American Addiction?

My statements:

“In the beginning I think it was very wise of you not to only define media criticism, but to point out what media criticism isn’t, and what people can easily confuse it with.

The statistics you pinpointed in your blog are accurate, but scary! You stated, “The average American watches more than four house of television a day,” which may seem extreme, but you’re right it’s not so ridiculous.

The way you wrote your blog is very comfortable. It’s as if you are talking directly to me, which is important in blog writing.  It has an easy flow.

So what honestly got my attraction? I noticed that you blogged about New Jersey television shows, and I am a proud citizen of New Jersey as well!  I watch the shows, and you picked a great clip to represent the housewives. 🙂

In between your descriptions of Jersey Shore and Real Housewives of New Jersey, you pointed out several of Kellner’s arguments, which was very smart and informative.  For readers that are learning about Kellner, you gave high-quality examples of his points.

Towards the end of your blog, you asked your readers several in-depth questions. “What do we wish to take for face value? And what do we wish to denounce? What do we care to spend our precious time consuming and what is down right trash?” The answers readers have will depict how they let the media influence their lives, some for the better, some for the worst.

Overall, I have no complaints or improvements to this blog. I enjoyed reading it and looking at your visuals.”

For my next critique, I am looking at Brittany Chucker’s blog, It’s All In The Family.

My statements:

“Well you got me hooked right from the beginning. I love the theme song to Family Guy, so the lyrics obviously caught my attention.

To look at the narrative approach, I think you picked a great show that continuously unfolds to its audience.  Although you gave a brief description of what the narrative approach is, I do think you could of used an extra sentence or so to deepen a reader’s understanding. For example, you could have explained that each story needs to have a sequence of events to help reveal embedded meanings.

The study you incorporated in your blog to explain a stereotype in American culture was fabulous, and you explained its impact very well. “This study helps us understand how stereotyping becomes an issue, an elite group can shape a society by this, keeping certain groups down because they are told they are not good enough, therefore the group can sometimes start to believe it.”

You featured Vladimir Propp, and his eight main character types, which I think was very wise of you. Propp was very influential in this field, and you made sure to recognize him. I like how you incorporated his character types into various episodes of Family Guy.

Another minor glitch in your blog is that your websites aren’t embedded links.

Good Job 🙂 ”

 

My last critique is on Ally McNamara’s blog, The Price of a Diminishing Childhood.

My Statements:

“First off, I love the cartoon! I can’t believe you found one that incorporates hegemony!

You gave very informative definitions of ideological criticism, counter-hegemony and political economy, but maybe an example for each would help your readers understand the concepts a bit more.

You did a good job on letting your readers know what a huge conglomerate Disney is, and that it may not be such a good thing. You made a very good point that I have never thought of before. You said, “The fact that Disney controls that much media means that viewers and consumers of their products are getting a limited view of the world, only seeing what Disney wants them to see,” very insightful.

I love how you added a personal touch, talking about how you would ride your bike around your house. I played just like that as a kid too! You made a good point claiming how kid’s are lost if they don’t have the most up-to-date toys. It’s pretty sad how kid’s don’t use their imaginations as much these days, and how engulfed they are in a materialistic culture. 😦

Your example of General Electric’s “ecomagination” campaign was great! I never saw that before.”

 

Because this is my second class with Dr. Nichols, I have already experienced blogging, and I have to say I really enjoy it.  The topics that were assigned to us were engaging and interesting, which are always fun to rant on and on about!

Being in the mass communication major, it’s extremely important to take feedback as constructive criticism, and not a personal attack. In this field, there is only have room for improvement.

I wish the best of luck to everyone in class! The sky is the limit. 🙂

 

Corrupting our Children?

Have you ever NEEDED something, when in reality you didn’t at all? Have you ever questioned your buying patterns, or the reasons your consuming?

With the help of ideological critics and political economists, those questions will be answered!

According to Sonja Fross, ideological criticism is “the primary goal of the ideological critic is to discover and make visible the dominant ideology or ideologies embedded in an artifact and the ideologies that are being mute in it.” Ideological criticism is a form of rhetorical criticism, which simply helps us to understand how symbols act on people.

Ideological criticism focuses on ideologies, which are set of ideas that signify a goal, expectation, or action. Eventually, ideologies become extremely natural and obvious, that they seem like second nature.

In class I learned three specific functions, and three assumptions of this approach.

Ideological criticism examines:

1. How ideologies are embedded in and circulate through texts
2. How ideologies reflect the interests of the dominant elites
3. How the systematic representation of these ideologies becomes accepted as normal, natural, and how they largely go unnoticed and unchallenged

As for assumptions there is value in:

1. Understanding how media institutions, texts and practices establish and sustain existing power relations
2. Informing and empowering oppressed to strive for material changes to improve equality
3. Exposing and challenging dominate, taken-for-granted ideas and values, even though confrontational

This particular approach inspects how a specific text is produced and structured, how it interacts with our life experiences, and the text itself.

Political economy is “The study and use of how economic theory and methods influences political ideology. It’s the interplay between economics, law and politics, and how institution’s develop in different social and economic systems.” This theory is based within Marxism’s strength, which is that there is a link between the role of ownership and ideology and its effects in media texts.

Political economists are concerned about various rapidly growing dilemmas:

1. The trend of deregulation
2. The growing power of global media conglomerates
3. The influence ideologies have on our “consumer culture”
4. The culture of consumption spreading through globalization
5. The increasing dominance of advertising and marketing

A main concern for political economists is the commercialization towards children, and the effects it has on their childhood.

Here is a personal experience to start you off. When I was about 9 years old, my mother and I were invited to test children toys. We weren’t sure what this was all about, but it sounded fun to me so we went! When I got into the building there were two rooms, each with the exact same toys. I was in one room and another child was in the other. I got to play with all the toys for a half hour, and when the time was up I had to pick my top three favorites, which the director documented.

At the time I obviously was oblivious to what was really going on, I just loved playing with the toys! The next year I was asked to come back, but my mother declined. The entire process was determining what products were most marketable to children. Pretty disgusting now that I am aware.

Mickey Mouse Monopoly: Disney, Childhood & Corporate Power is a film that examines The Disney Company with a critical eye, and determines how this huge media conglomerate may be affecting our culture.

We all grow up Disney films and their products, and view them as innocent, magical and fun, but is that all there is to them?

What has been a continuous study within Disney films is the representation of men and women. Children always have their favorite princess, but what separates each princess from each other? Not much.

It’s not just the way of looking feminine, but what it means to act feminine. In most Disney films, the women are seductive, slim, and tall and have long flowing hair. The women are usually portrayed as incompetent, unintelligent, and always doing domestic work. A critic in Mickey Mouse Monopoly claimed, “Females always need to be rescued by a male.”

A man is always present in the princess’s life, regardless of how he treats her, for example, Beauty and the Beast. This is telling all young girls that they will always need to have a man in their life, and that they are incapable of being independent. Is this common theme sending a positive role model to little girls?

Now boys are encouraged to be muscular, quick-tempered, and extremely wise. In these films they are continuously the hero and protector, always saving the princess in distress, and usually have the power and voice in the relationship. Violence and strength are very common qualities the males possess, for example in the Lion King.

Besides gender, race is another issue that Disney has encountered. Think about it, how many different ethnicities have you seen in a Disney film?

The best example would be Tarzan. A white male is placed in the middle of Africa, but there are no Africans around? Instead the jungle and gorillas surround him, hmm?

Naomi only 7 years old even stated, “I’ve never seen any black people in Disney movies.” If children that young can recognize the discrimination, what kind of message is that sending into our culture?

Children who grow to love Disney characters then need Disney paraphernalia. There are endless options: dolls, costumes, napkins, backpacks, lunchboxes, toys, food and list can go on for pages. The media as a whole is the gateway to getting consumers, and who is their biggest target audience? You guessed it, children. Advertisers know that children can get their parents to buy them what they want, aka the nag factor.

The Disney Corporation has warped our society and the minds of innocent children, which brings us back to the theory of ideological criticism and how the ideologies embedded in us are natural and obvious.

 

Semiotic Analysis – CoverGirl

When you see an ad what comes to your mind? Do you think you will have the power of that celebrity? Will you smell or look like that ideal model? All of these questions are evaluated when critiquing a media text. In my case, I will assess a CoverGirl magazine cover that represents Drew Barrymore.

Drew Barrymore has been an admirable CoverGirl for the past four years. “We partnered with Drew because she emulates the iconic image of CoverGirl with her fresh, natural beauty and energetic yet authentic spirit,” says Vice President of CoverGirl.

Her recent 2011 CoverGirl cover is selling the newest “lip-perfection” cosmetics that come in 44 various shades. The lipsticks contain silk therapy moisturizers, which in a week will smooth and soften your lips. Drew Barrymore is on the cover portraying a very natural look, with fire engine red lips.

Drew Barrymore is a very relatable celebrity, who came from a struggled past.  One fan bloged, “This week’s fashion role model is Drew Barrymore, and tell you what, I have a soft spot for Drew Barrymore. She seems like a kick-ass person who got her life under control.”

As most CoverGirl advertisements, this ad generally appeals to the female audience. The advertisers determine exactly who they want their target audience to be, and establish clever ways for their product to be the preferred one. Although advertisers have a certain agenda, individual readers will interpret the image they see differently.

In class we learned about semiotic analysis in great detail. The formal definition is, “The study of how social production of meaning is constructed through a systems of signs.” The meanings of signs can differ based on who is producing the signs, as well as who is interpreting them.

As media criticizers we need to decode the “rules” that are commonly interpreted in society. Signs are crucial when applying structural semiotics to a text. A sign is composed of a signifier and a signified. According to Chandler, “The sign is the whole that results from the association of the signifier with the signified. The relationship between the signifier and the signified is refereed to as signification” (2007).

I’m first going to identify all the signifiers of this CoverGirl ad. What caught my eye first was all the red in the ad, which is a symbolic sign. Her lips are red, her bracelet is red, and the “COVERGIRL” logo is boldly red.  She is wearing a black sheer top, and her hair is long and blond. Her hair and makeup are very natural looking, which are iconic signs. The layout of the advertisement is very neat and clean, and her hand is positioned on her face in a relaxed way.

The meaning of what each signifier represents is the signified.  Out of all 44 shades, the boldest red shade is representing the brand. The color red is very visible, and is sure to catch attention. This website claims “Red brings text and images to the foreground, and use it as an accent color to stimulate people to make quick decisions. In advertising, red is often used to evoke erotic feelings.” Her red lips represent sex appeal, as well as her sheer top.

Long, blond hair women are considered perfection in our society, like Barbie dolls.  The natural hair and makeup allow females to relate to her easily, and that a simple look can be considered beautiful. The clean-cut layout also portrays simplicity, and her hand positioning symbolizes a sense of innocence.

According to Chandler, “Semiotics is probably best-known as an approach to textual analysis, and in this form it is characterized by a concern with structural analysis” (2007). When performing a full semiotic analysis, syntagmatic analysis and paradigmatic analysis, which are sub-categories within structural analysis, must be discussed as well.

“The syntagmatic analysis of a text (whether it is verbal or non-verbal) involves studying its structure and the relationship between its parts” (Chandler, 2007). In class I learned that the syntagms are the “orderly sequence of signifiers to form a meaningful whole based on rules and conventions.” In this case, the CoverGirl cover would be considered the syntagm.

“Paradigmatic analysis involves comparing and contrasting each of the signifiers present in the text with absent signifiers, which in similar circumstance might have been chose, and considering the significance of the choices made” (Chandler, 2007). Paradigms are an “associated group of signs that can represent general ideas or be exchanged for each other.” For this ad, we can ask ourselves why another shade was not chosen, or why her shirt isn’t solid. The possibilities are endless.

The signs in this text give a dominant reading. Although I dug deep into the signifiers of this advertisement, it is clear that CoverGirl lipstick is portrayed as the new “lip perfection.”

Since I have accomplished this semiotic analysis, I am now much more aware of the structuring and strategies behind creating a media text. It’s important to critically examine media texts because as consumers, we should correctly understand what the media is portraying to us. There has been much debate about incorporating media literacy into education programs, which emphasizes its importance. Students should learn that the media is capable of taking advantage of their audiences with subliminal messages. Some may argue that when you critique a text, you are developing ideas that aren’t necessarily true, but I think it’s the only way to be certain about what is being depicted to us.

“What I want to do is honor the tradition of CoverGirl but hopefully bring myself and my personality into it, as well as some edgy fashion-forward thinking and positivity to it.” -Drew Barrymore

      

Why Media Criticism?

Have you ever been curious about what happens behind the scenes of your favorite television program? Or why a certain advertisement changes your perspective or opinion?

Well I’m here to blog about the importance of media criticism, and the impact it has on our society today.  Hopefully I will answer all your questions!

First off, my name is Brittany Young and I’m a junior at Towson University. I’m majoring in Mass Communications on the track of Public Relations. I am taking MCOM 352, (Media Criticism) to help me understand the ultimate power the media has in our culture, specifically television.

In class, Dr. Nichols stated the definition of media criticism as “the systematic process used to understand media texts as meaningful sociocultural symbolic forms and forces.” As a whole, thinking critically about media is a skill, and it’s important to understand three key facts: our environment is engulfed by media, media has the power to shape our individual lives as well as our society, and the millennial generation, my age bracket, is most connected with the media.

As I stated earlier, this class focuses primarily on the impact of television. Television has the power to: entertain, socialize, educate, inform, and create community consensus. The television is the most influential channel of media distribution, in which we are exposed to continuous images of advertisements, sex, violence, sports, celebrities and the list, goes on.

There is much more to a television program than just its infectious plot. What are these programs instigating their viewers to believe? Are there subliminal messages that should catch our attention? Even though subliminal messages are targeted for the subconscious, after numerous attempts, the message can become influential and engaging. Viewers are constantly being persuaded to change their opinion either about simple things such as clothing and accessories, or more important issues such as politics.

With these concerns in mind, it’s important to understand that media literacy is being integrated into various educational programs. These programs are designed to help children develop critical thinking and literacy skills with topics such as: violence, body image, sex and drugs.  I hope these programs become successful so the children of the following generation don’t become gullible to the power of the media.

Being from New Jersey, I am now stereotyped as that “guidette” who doesn’t know how pronounce her “A’s” correctly.  Before the hit shows, Jersey Shore, Cake Boss, and Real Housewives of New Jersey, I never received extra attention for being from New Jersey.

Jersey Shore is one of the most controversial and talked about shows on the air. It takes place in Seaside Heights, and the cast is filmed drinking, dancing, working, and causing drama at the shore. The cast has become iconic characters, promoting individual products and brands over the past few years.

Cake Boss is a show filmed in Hoboken, New Jersey. The star, Buddy, portrays the typical baker and chef that talk with the typical Italian accent. Even though the show is about baking, it still stenotypes New Jersey, because apparently these days, if you live in New Jersey you have to be Italian.

The Real Housewives of New Jersey gives the women of New Jersey a stereotype of being aggressive, loud, and obnoxious. Yes, the show is extremely amusing, but is it all reality? No. The production team of the show knows what their viewers like to see, which is a lot of arguing and cursing, and make sure to apply it to scenes.

These shows either have a huge fan base, or they are constantly being bashed about. I personally watch all three of the shows religiously, and I get pure entertainment from them. I don’t say “Oh, its not really like that here,” because honestly it is at times. When I go to the beach it’s filled with Italian “guidos” and “guidettes” who flaunt their bodies, wear “poofs” in their hair, and blast their house music.

The media portrays New Jersey as a separate lifestyle, but it’s up to the viewer to decide if that’s really the fact. Does EVERYONE from New Jersey have a temper, tan, know how to cook, work out, and “fist pump?” No, but that’s how the state is scrutinized because of the media.

This class had already been interesting, and it’s just the beginning. I am fully intrigued with what’s to come, and I hope to get the hang of criticizing the media as I normally watch my regular television programs.