All the Small Things: The Intricacies of Media Knowledge



 

Self-Titled Blink 182 Album Cover
Source: HMV.ca

In the opening pages of chapter 3, “Organizational Analysis,” Brian L. Ott and Robert L. Mack make a reference to musical act Blink 182, whose single and music video “All the Small Things” came to garner no small degree of success (47). Focusing more on the music video, Ott and Mack point out that one of the components of the musical accompaniment was the concept of imitation, whereby Blink 182 portray the actions undertaken by other bands in their respective videos (47). According to the authors of Critical Media Studies: an Introduction, the comedic aspect of the “All the Small Things” video is contingent on its illustration of “boy band” music video aspects, which an observer of such artistic products experiences no ambiguity in recognizing (Ott and Mack 47). At the same time, if those observing the video were unable to bring themselves to register the linkage which Blink 182 is attempting to enact, there would be no materialization of laughter because the objective of imitation would fail to capture light (Ott and Mack 47). I believe this is certainly true, as I myself have attempted parody of the media, only to fail in getting a favorable reception because those I was speaking to bore no recognition of my reference.

Prince and the Revolution - Purple Rain
Source: HMV.ca

             This weekend, I was having dinner with an uncle of mine, along with his 16 and 18 year old sons. My uncle has separated from my aunt, and we spoke about this at the restaurant: one of my cousins humorously asked me why I continued to refer to the woman as my aunt, and this is where I took the opening to make a funny comment. I responded to my cousin by saying something along the lines of “sorry, I mean the woman formerly known as my aunt,” a parody of a title once undertaken by musician Prince. While perhaps not the greatest joke in the world, I expected some illustration of humor from the family member, an expectation which did not come to fruition. He simple looked at me with a look of haziness. Returning once more to the conception of Ott and Mack, my joke may have had a humorous complexion in the eyes of a music connoisseur familiar with Prince, but in the eye of my 18 year old cousin whose main interaction with the media is the new video game coming to hold a place on Best Buy’s shelves, no laughter was generated (47). In the end however, the failure of my humor is my fault, for why did I expect my cousin to understand a Prince reference? This thus shows that knowledge of the media should not be looked upon as information grasped by everyone, a conception illustrated by the fact that there is no set in stone proclamation that parody or imitation will be accessible (Ott and Mack 47).

                                                                                     Works Cited
Blink 182 Album Cover. Blink 182. HMV.ca. Web. 22 Sept. 2013.
Ott, Brian L., and Robert L. Mack "Organizational Analysis." Critical Media Studies: an
          Introduction. Malden: Wiley-Blackwell, 2010. 47-72. Print.
Prince and the Revolution Album Cover. Prince and the Revolution. HMV.ca. Web. 22 Sept. 2013.