gah!

I am a huge fan of the tv show, "The Office" (American version), and in this week's episode, the main character, Michael Scott, talks about Wikipedia. To set the scene up, Michael is preparing to go into a meeting in which one of his workers is asking for a raise, but he cant give it to him. Thus Michael goes to wikipedia to find different actions he can do to demand a dominant position over the worker asking for the raise. The clip i show is an aside he says to the camera about Wikipedia.



So he basically hits upon exactly what we are talking about in class, issues with participatory culture. Michael talks about how anyone can add to the site and thats why it was a great place to get information, since many people brought knowledge to the table. As we talked in class earlier, this is good to an extent, when people start posting "ilovemichelle" randomly throughout pages, the information seems less reliable. While Michael sees wikipedia as a viable source, its important to realize that his character is the unintelligent one, therefore when he praises wikipedia, the show is really talking about ridiculous it is. And as avid as a fan i am, i am not sure i really believe that.

As horrible as the idea may be (to look up tactics on the internet on how to avoid your underpaid worker) I have realized that I rely on wikipedia for weird things as well. No i do not cite it if I am writing a paper on Chinese footbinding practices, but you better believe i searched wikipedia first to get some key people and phrases to search for on scholarly journal websites. So i guess i would have to say that wikipedia is definitely the first step in a lot of my searches. We toyed around with this idea in class, that wikipedia can be the answer to a lot of random things you may want to know the general answer to, however it is not as well-suited to be used in pieces that require qualified claims.

im tired!!

The part of this section that interested me the most was the ideas behind commodity culture. Although we do not think about it everyday, the idea of commodity self is very much apparent in our lives. Everyday we send messages to others through our clothing, music, and hobbies to help establish individuality. These choices however are not truly unique to us, unless of course you make your own clothing, music and hobbies, and as a result we clump the different styles together in stereotypesto make it easier. Living in LA, hell even at USC, we can see this idea of commodity self already. BMW's Mercedes, Lexuses or Lexi (sp?) line the streets here at school. These cars have a certain status attached to them, and this status contributes to the make-p of the driver. The consumer wants these items of status to confirm to the rest of the community of his achevement and success. Having expensive luxury items, like cars, shows how well-off you are, and directly affects the way people percieve you. This desire to be different and ultimately better, makes it more convienent for advertisers as well, as they now have different target audiences according to these desires to express yourself. Ads prey upon this need for individuality and address it directly. Instead of advertisements that state facts and random infromation, newer ads address the viewer. Ads that prey upon your emotional knowledge rather than soley on logical has erupted because of the desire to look inward. Consumers like to be addressed in the advertisement, it gives them a sense of belonging and makes them feel special (even though that exact ad is read my millions). I just think that hte way we use different products to define ourselves is crazy to think about but very true.

Spectrum Series

Earlier today I went to the spectrum series, entitled New Media and Youth. Featured panelists were Danah Boyd (whom we are all familiar with), Justin Hall (the pioneer of blogging), Sasha Costanza-Chock (media analyst) and moderated by Cory Doctorow (science fiction author). I was disappointed with the panel for a few different reasons 1) more time was spent on the backgrounds of the differnt panelists than on their actual points within the discussion 2)there was a backchannel that was supposed to be used for different comments regarding the panel, but everyone was using it to discuss meaningless things, and I found it more distracting and almost rude that they were posting things about the Lakers and Captain Planet when the speakers were trying to speak about something that we are obviously a part of 3) lastly, the entire event seemed more like an introduction to an issue rather than a real panel. That being said, there were a couple of things I found really interesting. First of all Doctorow brought up David Brin's theory of the "transparent society" which he basically summed up as a society in which everyone's every action is recorded; and he argues that this would then prodce this utopia and crime and violence would disappear because people would be aware that they were being watched all the time. The panelists were quick to pick apart the problem of this theory; stating the main problemwould be that the people with authorial positions would talk advantage of this power and only punish other people, which creeped me out. Not only the fact that everyone being filmed doing EVERY thing but also that this could be taken advantage of, and the thing that is most creepy is the fact that it could happen so easily. We already have things that can track us; be it a cell phone, which can be traced to location, we post pictures, we write blogs about our lives, we display our age, where we live, email addresses, and allow people to stalk us, not to mention access it in the future. The fact that we do it so freely without much thought to the consequences makes me think that putting up cameras all over the city (which i believe they said was coming here, but dont quote me on that) might not even warrant a second glance from most people, i dont even know if I would take notice truly. Anyway this brings me to the next point that intrigued me in this panel, which was that at DisneyWorld they are now taking fingerprints upon entry. I dont want to write an essay here, but basically Disney world is taking fingerprints when you enter to prevent ticket fraud. They have a new machine which scans two fingers for the shape and takes one fingerprint, which they claim only looks at "numerical information." They state that they only use the information to attach it to the ticket. It is under must scrutiny, as the park does not claim that the scanner is a fingerprint machine, while other experts claim it is. Also, there is an alternative, so if the guest does not want to scan their finger, they can show a photo id, however this option is not advertised by the park anywhere before entering. if you want to read more the link is
here
there is also a video on that website which goes through the process as well.

I thought the reading about the different critiques of mass media was interesting. It discusses the difference between the two extremes television and other mass medias have on the viewer, which on one hand is this utopian ideal and the other a fear of world domination through media. It also states that the mass media has grown more popular as industrialization has flourished and thus promotes central communication rather than more personal ways. The critique stated that television and its ability to show the same messages to everyone created conformity, however what they didnt thinkabout was how people take the messages completely differently. Of course Hitler was used as the main example of mass media propaganda and its possible effects citing his many different films in which through different strategic camera tricks he made it seem as though the entire country was in his hands. When I read this I immediately thought about subliminal advertising, and how initially it may support the argument that media canbe harmful to the minds of the viewers, but that in reality subliminal messages have not been proven. Police have used them to get serial killers to turn themselves in, and it didnt work. It can also be seen in Fight Club in which before the very end of the movie a pornographic clip plays for a frame, I discovered this when i saw a flash go onscreen and I decided to slow it down to see what it was.... yea I was shocked to say the least. Anyway I think that the idea that media can shape us into one people with one mindset is completely false.

Reproduced Images

I think that the book, specifically, Walter Benjamin has a very interesting point when he talks about the fact that reproducing images leads to a political message. Benjamin wrote this in the time when fascism and Nazi propaganda were everywhere and this idea still holds true today (while it occurs on much smaller scales as well). When people take well-known images and rework them to create a new meaning they take what people already know about the original and play off of it. The key to this idea is that there must be some sort of prior shared knowledge of the image they are playing off of, in order for the viewer to see the connection, irony, or message. For example, the recent reports of Britney Spears shaving her head has spurred many reproductions of other famous bald images. There is one with a Mr. Clean reference and one with a Gollum (from LOTR), and not to mention the hundreds of past photos of her that have been photoshopped to have her bald head. These images, while both amateurly done and on a much less politcal statement than the AIDS posters and Hitler image in the book, are examples of how pop culture utilizes this idea. In the Mr. Clean reference, the image is entitled Ms. Crazy, referring to her behavior as of late, she is drawn with tattoos on her arms of such labels as Cheetos. These tattoos are referring to first the fact that she was getting a tattoo when she was first seen with her bald head but also as a sign of her "trailer park-ness." Images of cheetos also reinforces this idea, as her food of choice is normally some junk food (see second image). This image would not make sense to the viewer if they hadn't known of Mr Clean, the ubiquitous bald reference, or of Britney Spears' latest mishaps. While this example isn't exactly of the politics the book refers to, it shows how this idea of reproducing images whether to make fun of someone or to convey a message has become such a popular process today in response to different breaking news reports.

the gaze

The section talks about the fact that women are often depicted in advertisements, films, paintings, etc in positions to attract the male eye. Not only does the idea of having something composed for only half of the population make me cringe, but it also raises this ick factor within me that makes me think of stalkers. The fact that women are still so objectified in the films and art forms of today seems counter-feminist, as women should not be portrayed as only sexual objects or maternal figures. Yet we have every leading clothing advertisement with some sort of image of sex with regard to the female whether she's pouting, revealing some skin, or in a provocative pose. We don't notice that these images are specific to one audience because we are inundated with them everyday, we don't know much else. Besides, these women are seen as objects of desire, and women and I am not excluding myself in this, strive to be like them, those advertising agents... they're good, aren't they?
In my folklore and pop culture class we are reading a book that discusses popular mythic elements of our time, and the first one mentioned is about women and how they are either seen as monsters or as mothers. The idea behind monstrous women is that they are reckless and hard to control, however it also shows that they are not entirely powerless as men seem to think they are. In this book, the film Rear Window alos brings up this point that while Jeffries is the one who discovers the case, he cannot investigate and must rely on his girlfriend (Lisa) to help him out. The irony is that in the beginning of the film he is planning on dumping Lisa because he thinks she is too high maitenance, and in the end she is the only one that believes he has stumbled upon a murder case. Basically its interesting to see the difference between men and women in the way they are portrayed on screen. The themes that were prevalent in Greek times still hold true today, as the book shows through the GUESS ads, which portray women in skimpy outfits that would attract the male viewer.
------To completely change the subject, I just got back from my Writing 140 debate things we have to go to for class. The reason I bring this up is because one ofthe speakers used powerpoint to attempt to get his point across. Had this presentation been before taking this IML class I wouldn't have thought anything of the powerpoint other than it was incredibly boring. However after learning a little bit about the usage of powerpoint and images when conveying a message I paid close attention to his presentation. Ihave a few complaints, first he used white slides with blue writing throughout the entire program Not only was it boring to look at, but the text was small and hard to read (I have an exact replica of the lslide above--I actually took notes on the slides instead of the debate...oops) Another thing that bothered me was that his slides contained direct quotes of what he was saying, I felt as though I was watching a closed captioned speech rather than a presentation with different points highlighted. He used the animation features to delay what words he put on screen, which I think he thought was for dramatic emphasis, but in fact it ended up looking like the timing was off. Not to completely tear this man to shreds or anything I just think his presentation was horribly done, and everything we said powerpoint should NOT be in class.

Image Assignment!

Oh man this assignment has proven to be a test of my patience in the ending stretch, as yesterday night I decided to change nearly all of my images (yea great idea i know) and this morning my email would not let me send the files....

Anyway, for my leaflet I decided to talk about the dangers of tanning beds with my audience as young adult women, or if I have to be more specific either sorority girls or girls in high school. I attempted to use the three types of signs, which I hopehelped my message rather than detract from it. First of all, the easiest is the icon, which in the case of my leaflet could be the picture of the tanning bed, the woman lying in it, the microwave oven, or the people with cancer, as all our images that resemble what they are trying to convey. Next, the symbol I used was a speech bubble over the woman in the oven. The speech bubble symbolizes that someone is speaking within an image, however the bubble itself does not have a particular relation to the action of speaking, therefore it is a symbol. Finally, the index I used was a warning sign (the yellow triangular traffic sign with the black exclamation point on it). I believe that it is an index as it has a relationship between the exclamation point and the message which is to watch out.

As for my punctum assignment, I searched through the Robert Frank images several times. I really liked the one of the man laying on the ground near the tree (RF39). When I looked at the picture more closely I was drawn to his tattoo (a woman drawn on his arm). I started to create this narrative of his experiences based around the tattoo, so i made it the punctum. Therefore I colored the tattoo to help draw it out of the picture. I also blurred the grass around him to help his body stand out, the reason I did this was mainly because there was such a great depth of field and personally I was also caught looking at how clear Frank's focus was (i was in photo for too long I now see). Anyway I believe that this man (who is shirtless, and not looking particularly clean, I might add) is down on his luck, and the tattoo is a symbol of something he once had and is now holding onto for hope. This woman could be a former love, who he has lost. She represents the youth in this man, who now looks to the tattoo as something to strive for once again. Taking this picture while he is sleeping is allowing the audience to see him at his most vulnerable, and I think this woman who he normally may keep under wraps, steals the audience's eye in this photo.

Practices of Looking chapter one provided a very interesting overview of the themes we will cover for the rest of the course. I think that some of themost interesting points were made in the beginning when the book discusses how our society has evolved into an image-obsessed culture. The fact that even traditional written works must utilize images to capture an audience shows the shift from words to images in our attempt to gain knowledge.
I think one of the hardest things for me to determine as I look at different images in my everyday life is the idea of representation. Sometimes I find it difficult to figure out whether something is sheer mimicry or if objects are placed to convey meaning. Many argue that the image always conveys a meaning, but sometimes I feel as though someone was just attempting to draw a picture without alluding to something more. But anyway, the reading discusses the debates between these two ideas. It states that often the paintings from the past were used to depict religious myths and other abstract ideas and therefore attaching a meaning to the image. But also, the book brings up the work of a different painting asking whether or not the fruit on the table was just meant to be fruit, skillfully painted by the artist. My main problem, I guess, is searching for meaning within an image. I hope I improve in this throughout the course.
Another topic I liked in the reading was the fact that the camera was seen as a scientific tool because it captured reality better than hand drawings did. In the past, the camera was seen as void of a subjective force, however I must disagree with this point as a former photography student. I do not believe that its as simple as pointing and clicking. The subjective side of photography is also mentioned in regard to framing, lighting etc. (which I was glad to read. Barthes was referenced in the difference between what an image denotes and connotes. Using his theory, the book provided an example which I really liked. The trolley picture they used worked well because it acutally seemed like every passenger had a story in their expression waiting to be told. Hopefully I can grasp this concept well enough to portray it in our assignment
Going back to the idea that photos were this accepted scienitfic tool, I really liked the way the book talked about the idea of photos as this "truth," I never really realized how much of a truth our culture held photos up to be until I read this reading and realized that passports, credit cards, drivers licenses, etc all have our photo on them with the understanding that it validates our identity.
To start on a completely new topic, I found the part about the advertisements really fascinating. I particularly liked the Benetton ads. It was really interesting to see how the meaning behind the ads changed as they "aged." The car on fire initially would have signified urban crime, then as the 90s came it meant terrorism. Clearly, the picture never changed, but the audience and their culture did, thus the meaning behind the car did as well. The ad with the black woman nursing the white child was particularly interesting, because the US did not print it because they believed it would connote the idea of slavery and the use of wet nurses. Looking at the ad before reading the article, I didn;t assume that meaning at all, but I can see how someone would bring that idea up and an entire racial protest would result.
Well I've knocked one post down...