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.

The Unambiguous Importance of Money: The Media's Treatment of My So-Called Life and Rush Hour

My So-Called Life Complete Series
Source: Best Buy.ca

In the second chapter of Critical Media Studies: an Introduction, identified as “Marxist Analysis,” Brian L. Ott and Robert L. Mack are suggestive of the fact that money is as integral a component as any when observing the issue of media contacting those who come to have a relationship with it through enjoying television shows for instance, or observing a movie (21, 37). Having read the assigned piece, my interest continues to be invested with two instances of this dynamic: the first is an ABC television show introduced in the mid 1990’s entitled My So-Called Life, while the other is a movie brought to life through the work of New Line Cinema, that of Rush Hour (1998) (Ott and Mack 37). Beginning with the former, Ott and Mack suggest that the trajectory of My So-Called Life looks to 1994 for its beginning, where its viewers believed that the television they were watching when consuming the program in question carried a truly strong semblance to the conception of teenage-hood, including a proper judgement of high school through its illustration (Ott and Mack 27). Popularity failed to achieve victory over economic concern however, as the wish for a second season never came to fruition: the main catalyst looked to the fact that My So-Called Life was designed for the consumption of the younger people illustrated in the program itself, which simultaneously meant that it did not appear truly lucrative when viewed in the sight of advertisers whose money was to be relocated into the pockets of ABC for the delivery of commercials (Ott and Mack 27)

Rush Hour (1998) (Blu-ray)
Source: Best Buy.ca

 

The movie Rush Hour also brought popularity into its grasp (Ott and Mack 37), though its trajectory would be different than the aforementioned television show. During the film’s sojourn in movie theatres, it was the recipient of $141 million, while its trek to locations allowing the rental of films was also economically triumphant, garnering $54 million (Ott and Mack 37). Ott and Mack acknowledge that the monetary figures which represent Rush Hour almost necessitate further incarnations of the film, which was certainly true for the New Line Cinema product, as an accompanying sequel met the eyes of the public in 2001, while an additional component of the franchise would come to fruition in 2007 (37). What accounts for this dynamic is that a film carries with it a vicious economic strike, reaping many millions of dollars for production and marketing individually, while the studio understandably wishes for nothing more than a positive reaction from society’s audience, meaning that money will once more meet them (Ott and Mack 37).

What are the similarities and differences between My So-Called Life and Rush Hour? Both held success in the palm of their hands, evident in the figures for the latter as I have acknowledged above, and evident in reference to the television show by the fact that presumably in a short duration of time of hearing that the show will no longer find representation on television screens, what is described as a “massive fan letter-writing campaign” gained life (Ott and Mack 21). The difference is that the fans of My So-Called Life allocated their passion for the program, aside from watching its episodes, to fighting vehemently for its continuation through the television medium (Ott and Mack 21); supporters of Rush Hour were characterized as purchasing movie tickets and bringing themselves to rental stores, which was an economically beneficial scenario for New Line Cinema (Ott and Mack 37). In the end, one group of fans got the opportunity to lock their eyes upon Rush Hour's characters in additional pieces of the franchise (Ott and Mack 37) while the other group were relegated to making peace with the fact that their television program would have its life taken away (Ott and Mack 21). Given the circumstances of both the tv show and film, there can be little ambiguity of the stage which money commands in the direction of media (Ott and Mack 21).

                                                                                    Works Cited

 

My So-Called Life: Complete Series. Best Buy.ca. Web Image. n.d. 15 Sept. 2013.

Ott, Brian L., and Robert L. Mack. "Marxist Analysis." Critical Media Studies: an Introduction.

     Malden: Wiley-Blackwell. 2010. 21-46. Print.

Rush Hour (1998) (Blu-ray). Best Buy.ca. Web Image. n.d. 15 Sept. 2013.

    

I cannot Laugh About Rachel: Apple and the iPhone did the Same to Me

Figure 1.1 Waiting for an iPhone 5... For No Reason
Source: Youtube

Professor Michael Petit introduced me to this Youtube clip in our media studies class earlier this week, and while bursts of laughter were prevalent in the reactions of my colleagues, the feeling which I demonstrated was that of defensiveness on the one hand, and sympathy with Rachel on the other. In the video, the audience is introduced to Rachel, a young woman who is situated outside of a retailer for Apple's iPhone 5, as it is the initial stages of the product's flourish (Youtube: Waiting for an iPhone 5... For no Reason). Rachel is placed in a comedic light because there is no logic in the responses with which she suggests: this is illustrated perfectly when she finds herself being asked about her inspiration for the decision to purchase the product based upon the device's functions, only to acknowledge a great ignorance in relation to the myriad of aspects encapsulated in the phone (Youtube: Waiting for an iPhone 5... For No Reason). This is undoubtedly humorous because one would expect that such uncertainty permeating an object does not correlate to the passionate obtaining of the object, though Rachel contradicts this. The reporter's curiosity then finds representation in his questioning of the catalyst which has resulted in such a vehement desire in relation to Rachel's attaining of Apple's communication device, and the latter explains that it is merely external matters that have led her to her conclusion (Youtube: Waiting for an iPhone 5... For No Reason). Her appreciation of the particular piece of technology extends to such facts as she enjoys the visual of the company's logo, an apple, while she is also enticed by knowledge of the device's colour (Youtube: Waiting for an iPhone 5... For No Reason). While the lecture hall laughed, I did not because my relationship to the iPhone had the same foundation as Rachel's.

                                                            Figure 1.2 iPhone 4s White
                                                                 Source: Apple.com/ca

To be honest, I did not know that I wanted an iPhone until I encountered an image of the device in white. Admittedly, the iPhone was not the first product I had that was made by Apple, as I had 2 Ipods and a MacBook, but these items had special functions to me: I have always loved music so there was no questioning of my purchase of the Ipod, while my schoolwork took place on the screen of a computer, so the MacBook was necessity. I have thus always preferred technological devices with the apple on it. On the other hand though, the cellphone that I did have received little engagement from me, as I had never sent many calls to friends and family; text messaging was never an activity that I brought myself into; and internet use was rare for me. But there was no ambiguity in my mind that, much like Rachel, I needed the white iPhone. While my knowledge of the device was greater than that suggested of Rachel in the Youtube clip, I knew that my main catalyst was that it was a product manufactured by Apple on the one hand, and that the white was a new conception on the other. This is connected to a suggestion made by Professor Petit in relation to the notion of advertising, which was that there is no ambiguity in the fact that a catalyst must always be prevalent which will allow a consumer to come into contact with a product, whether through a commercial or the reading of a magazine, and soon come to feel that same object in their palms (Lecture: 10 Sept. 2013). I can certainly attest to Professor's words in this regard, for within a month of building a desirous relationship with the iPhone of my choice through advertising, I was sitting in my living room, on the Facebook app of the device.
                                                                       

Works Cited

 “iPhone 4s White.” Web Image. Apple.com. n.d. Web. 14 Sept. 2013

Petite, Michael. "Marxist Analysis." The University of Toronto at Scarborough. The

            University of Toronto, Scarborough, ON. 10 Sept. 2013. Lecture.

Roberts, Sam. “Waiting for an iPhone 5… For No Reason.” Online Video Clip. Youtube.

            Youtube. 22. Sept. 2012. 14 Sept. 2013.

 

Dissecting Media in Two: The Lessons of Content and the Structure of Form

figure 1.1 CityNews at 6 Open - 2012
Source: Youtube

In Critical Media Studies: an introduction, Brian L. Ott and Robert L. Mack suggest that items of discourse that are designed for learning which society comes to embrace through media, such as the six o’clock news (1), may be dissected into content on the one hand, and form on the other (12). In defining the hallmark concepts, the first described is that of content: this conception identifies the flesh of a story or event, illustrated with words, statistics and other conveyances of knowledge (Ott and Mack 12). When it comes to form, this term represents the way in which we are invited to lay our eyes upon or devote our attentive hearing toward an informative product in the theory of Ott and Mack (13). Far from solely depicting form and content as allowing for the acquisition of knowledge, the authors complicate the components by suggesting different workings in which they adhere to which are illustrated as having effects on the recipient’s perception (Ott and Mack 13). Breaking apart the counterparts once more, form makes a choice of which direction to shine the spotlight in, selecting to highlight different theoretical areas in a given society as requiring study and discussion, or illustrating these issues with the brush of significance, an opportunity which content also keeps out of the grasp of other situations (Ott and Mack 13). In terms of form, the visual and/or audible elements that meet society during engagement in the form of a newscast, for instance, are important role-players when it comes to perception (Ott and Mack 13). This is because while there are several distinct avenues of conveyance used by the hands of media, the power of the interceptor’s mind to use different modes of comprehension also finds activation (Ott and Mack 13).

In Figure 1.1, a piece of footage from a news program which finds its representation on television, the workings suggested by Ott and Mack with reference to content in one sense, and form in another, are illustrated. Relating to the former, the beginning of the broadcast employs the narrator in the position of preparing the television viewer with preliminary headings of what will soon meet their eyes: in this case, the suggestion is that as a Torontonian, one's attention should simply reach a Caribbean festivity and an issue of citizens failing to appropriately walk city streets in an attentive manner, amongst others (Youtube: CityNews at 6 Open). In terms of form, video is highly utilized as is human narration to bring specific details to the attention of those viewing the program. I believe that the newscast illustrates content and form performing to the abilities that Mack and Ott speak of: having never seen the original broadcast, I rationed in my mind that upon its initial sojourn atop the airwaves, it indeed documented what was given the title of societal prominence in Toronto (13), while my experience with media left no ambiguity that the narrator's speech had the specific design of being held in tandem with the film clips (13).

                                                                            Works Cited
CityNews at 6 Open - 2012 [Video]. (2012). Youtube. Retrieved 8 Sept. 2013. Web.

Ott, Brian L., and Robert L. Mack. "Introducing Critical Media Studies." Critical Media Studies: an
     Introduction. Malden: Wiley-Blackwell, 2010. 1-18. Print.


 

Our Lives: Slipping Into and Out of the Grasp of the Media

figure 1.1 2014Toronto Maple Leafs Winter Classic Hockey Jersey
Source: Shop.NHL.com

 

     I began my final year of university in a large lecture hall which looked to Professor Michael Petit as its commander. The message in which he delivered was focused upon the conception of media and the different aspects of life which it permeates. Using the work of Lisa Gitelman, the encapsulation of the term media centres upon the presence of meaning which is sent into society, bringing with it a broad impact upon the human community (as qtd. in Professor Petit's Lecture: 3 Sept. 2013). One component of human living which Petit cleverly displayed during his presentation as being relevant in the context of media expression was clothing (Lecture: 3 Sept. 2013). He suggested that, far from being inanimate, the clothing that we dawn upon our bodies fails to fall silent when it comes to building our representation in the eyes of others (Lecture: 3 Sept. 2013). If I saw a person wearing the Toronto Maple Leafs jersey presented in Figure 1.1, I would ration with myself that they take residence in the city that the clothing represents; that hockey is present in their lives as an aspect of enjoyment or activity; and that they bear some semblance of passion towards the team suggested by the merchandise. 

     As the lesson was about to finish, Professor Petit questioned what fails to enter the realm of the media (Lecture: 3 Sept. 2013)? The designation of a certain aspect which lay meaningless seemed futile upon my several tries (Professor Petit Lecture: 3 Sept. 2013). I then began to think about dreams. A dream which I have can never act as a catalyst for information meeting the ears and minds of society as occurs through the conception of media, provided I do not wish to use a specific medium to illustrate the inner thoughts (Professor Petit Lecture: 3 Sept. 2013). This leads to an interesting discourse about our power: while the student who wears the Toronto Maple Leafs jersey does not feel the pangs of necessitation to put on the clothing, much in the same way that I am not required to deliver a rendition of my dreams, the former is visual, meaning the eyes of others are already allowing media to permeate the situation (Professor Petit Lecture: 3 Sept. 2013). In dreams however, provided no illustration of the thoughts are delivered into society, they will continue to have a non-existent relationship with media.

                                                                          Works Cited

Petit, Michael. "What is Media Studies?" The University of Toronto. The University of Toronto,   

     Scarborough Campus, ON. 3 Sept. 2013.

Shop.NHL.com. 2014 Toronto Maple Leafs Winter Classic Jersey. 2013. Online Image