Dear Kalle Lasn,
My name is Morgan Russell; I am a junior at the University of Vermont. I have recently finished reading your book Culture Jam for a class titled Media Literacy and the Environment. I am writing to thank you for the invaluable information you have provided me with.
In your book you spoke of the American dream, a dream filled with money, excitement, power, sex and fame. This dream has been fed to us by these large powerful corporations and while it is clear a large percentage of us will never achieve this dream it “is so seductive that many of us willingly keep on dreaming.”
What shocked me the most is that it is our own inability to let go of this dream that has made us turn over all control and power to the corporations. “We, the people, have lost control. Corporations, these legal fictions that we ourselves created two centuries ago, now have more rights, freedoms, and powers than we do.” It is both sad and frightening to realize that we created something that is now polluting our bodies, minds and planet.
I find our nation wide media obsession sickening in every way. You wrote, “It’s time to admit that chronic TV watching is North America’s number one mental health problem.” For a large portion of Americans life is ruled by what is on TV. It is sad that so many people with huge amounts of potential waste a large part of their life living through a box in their living room. “Real living had been replaces by prepackaged experiences and media-created events.”
Finally I would like to talk about the chapter titled Rage. I am angry about what is happening to my country, and especially since it is primarily happening to my peers. You wrote that “when is springs from a sense of moral affront, it brings profound change…rage drives revolutions.” Revolution is clearly needed and yes individuals can help but I think that for large scale change there needs to be large scale anger about the current state. Your book infuriated me in the best possible way, it taught me a huge amount and I believe that anyone who has the chance to read it would feel the same way.
Best Regards,
Morgan Russell
The Corporation:
Surprise: I was absolutely shocked to learn about water being privatized in Bolivia. I cannot even comprehend how a country or corporation could justify the privatization of the most basic human right/need. Not only did they privatize specific supplies of water but also rainwater! I was also surprised that police would even consider defending their countries decision to privatize water.
Agitation: Falsifying news is not actually against the law!!!
New Info: I was shocked again when I learned of the corporations who continue to do business with countries that are considered enemies and even with terrorists. It is especially shocking that these corporations are ones we see and deal with on a regular basis. The information about IBM, and coca cola/fanta in Nazi Germany is especially disturbing.
Question: Because most large corporations are global how can anyone enforce rule/regulations? Is it completely up to the consumers? How do we change consumption habits?
Monday, March 29, 2010
Sunday, March 21, 2010
#8
Culture Jam:
1. I absolutely loved a quote at the beginning of the reading, “Eating is a complex act. It’s loaded with moral, psychological, social, and sexual freight…Food is sin. It’s guilt. It’s joy. We overeat, then we undereat.” (p. 79). I began to think about all the negative ideas and images surrounding food in the United States, it is odd that something that should be considered so amazing has become disgusting for the majority of our country. Lasn goes on to say, “We’ve lost the sacred joy of the feast.” To begin with we are fat, over thirty percent of Americans are obese, the highest rates of any country by far. Our food is often processed, loaded with chemicals and fat, and lacking significant nutritional value.
Overeating is a serious crisis in our country and leads to huge health problems, and while not nearly equal in magnitude under eating is also a problem seen throughout the U.S. Americans are estimated to have the highest rate of eating disorders of any country. As we can see Americans clearly are dealing with many social, emotional and psychological issues around food.
It seems that Americans rarely think of the moral issues surrounding the foods they consume. For example consuming produce grown using pesticides. It is clear from sales that most American citizens do not consider themselves to have a moral responsibility to the earth. Another large moral question surrounding food is whether it is ok to eat meat. Americans eat the most meat per capita of any country. This meat-based diet is contributing to huge amounts of environmental degradation, human hunger and suffering, and of course animal cruelty.
2. “Everything human beings once experienced directly has been turned into a show put on by someone else. Real living had been replaced by prepackaged experiences and media-created events” (p. 101). This quote scares me, partially because it is so true already and because it seems we are headed in this direction faster than ever. People spend obscene amounts of time in front of the screen. It seems we are forgetting how to live in the real world and are increasingly trying to mimic the actions of those on the screen.
“One of the juiciest human target groups is…the ‘emulator.’ Emulators look for products that make them feel like somebody else-someone more important. Since no product can help you fully escape your old identity frustration mounts…” (p. 102). After reading this I began to wonder, why is our country so full of “emulators?” Although I have no knowledge of the subject I came up with a few ideas while considering it. Many people are putting huge amounts of pressure on themselves and their families to be “perfect,” or at least this strange media idea of it. Is it possible that we are always trying to be somebody else because we are not meeting these ideas of perfect? Why is it that so many of us are trying to escape ourselves? I think if people really looked at themselves and figured out what aspects they were trying to escape and why, they could also learn who they are. Rather than continuing to try to escape themselves and become someone else they could finally become who they really are.
3. I found the section on “cool” very interesting. The section starts with the author saying how cool used to be the person who was an individual, nowadays marketers have changed the idea of cool, it is those who are all alike, “that bear the unmistakable stamp of American” who are cool, and not the individual. It is sad that we have made so many people feel that they can only be “cool” if they look and act a certain way.
What is even sadder is that (in my opinion anyway) this idea of cool that dominates our society is NOT COOL. Girls are encouraged to be beautiful above all, we are not encouraged to be nice, or smart or opinionated in any way. Men are often shown that cool is aggressive, loud, and unemotional. “Legitimately cool people instinctively understand that the psychology of subservience-getting corporately seduced-is a chicken-ass way to live.” (p. 114).
4. In the section “We’re Not Academic” the author criticizes “Most academics just ramble. Far too few raise a fist or a voice.” (p. 117). I both agree and disagree with the author here. We certainly cannot underestimate the value of our own consciousness on issues as well as raising awareness in others. Professors should help us understand the various issues and points of view, not tell us exactly what to think or how to act. However, as a student I often find myself frustrated with all the information I am given but I am rarely awarded an answer. We learn about so many things that are wrong but never told how to change them or even pointed in the direction of action.
My question is how can our country change? Is it possible to reverse what has already been done? And if so, how do we begin?
The Corporation:
Everything about this movie is disturbing, fascinating, and truly frightening. Many people are unaware that a corporation has the same legal rights as a person. It was interesting to see how precisely many corporations fit the definition of a psychopath. The movie informed us that corporations are legally obligated to try to make money for their investors. We all know that most corporations are selfish, but this shows that they are literally legally required to be selfish.
One thing that was really interesting to me was the idea that while a company may be doing terrible things and considered evil, those who work for it are not necessarily on the same side. While it is counterintuitive to think someone would work for what they are against it actually makes perfect sense. Corporations hold enormous power, and effect things on a large scale. Therefore by working for this corporation if employees, specifically high up employees can influence small areas of policy it can have an enormous effect. We cannot get rid of corporations so we must work to change them for the better.
1. I absolutely loved a quote at the beginning of the reading, “Eating is a complex act. It’s loaded with moral, psychological, social, and sexual freight…Food is sin. It’s guilt. It’s joy. We overeat, then we undereat.” (p. 79). I began to think about all the negative ideas and images surrounding food in the United States, it is odd that something that should be considered so amazing has become disgusting for the majority of our country. Lasn goes on to say, “We’ve lost the sacred joy of the feast.” To begin with we are fat, over thirty percent of Americans are obese, the highest rates of any country by far. Our food is often processed, loaded with chemicals and fat, and lacking significant nutritional value.
Overeating is a serious crisis in our country and leads to huge health problems, and while not nearly equal in magnitude under eating is also a problem seen throughout the U.S. Americans are estimated to have the highest rate of eating disorders of any country. As we can see Americans clearly are dealing with many social, emotional and psychological issues around food.
It seems that Americans rarely think of the moral issues surrounding the foods they consume. For example consuming produce grown using pesticides. It is clear from sales that most American citizens do not consider themselves to have a moral responsibility to the earth. Another large moral question surrounding food is whether it is ok to eat meat. Americans eat the most meat per capita of any country. This meat-based diet is contributing to huge amounts of environmental degradation, human hunger and suffering, and of course animal cruelty.
2. “Everything human beings once experienced directly has been turned into a show put on by someone else. Real living had been replaced by prepackaged experiences and media-created events” (p. 101). This quote scares me, partially because it is so true already and because it seems we are headed in this direction faster than ever. People spend obscene amounts of time in front of the screen. It seems we are forgetting how to live in the real world and are increasingly trying to mimic the actions of those on the screen.
“One of the juiciest human target groups is…the ‘emulator.’ Emulators look for products that make them feel like somebody else-someone more important. Since no product can help you fully escape your old identity frustration mounts…” (p. 102). After reading this I began to wonder, why is our country so full of “emulators?” Although I have no knowledge of the subject I came up with a few ideas while considering it. Many people are putting huge amounts of pressure on themselves and their families to be “perfect,” or at least this strange media idea of it. Is it possible that we are always trying to be somebody else because we are not meeting these ideas of perfect? Why is it that so many of us are trying to escape ourselves? I think if people really looked at themselves and figured out what aspects they were trying to escape and why, they could also learn who they are. Rather than continuing to try to escape themselves and become someone else they could finally become who they really are.
3. I found the section on “cool” very interesting. The section starts with the author saying how cool used to be the person who was an individual, nowadays marketers have changed the idea of cool, it is those who are all alike, “that bear the unmistakable stamp of American” who are cool, and not the individual. It is sad that we have made so many people feel that they can only be “cool” if they look and act a certain way.
What is even sadder is that (in my opinion anyway) this idea of cool that dominates our society is NOT COOL. Girls are encouraged to be beautiful above all, we are not encouraged to be nice, or smart or opinionated in any way. Men are often shown that cool is aggressive, loud, and unemotional. “Legitimately cool people instinctively understand that the psychology of subservience-getting corporately seduced-is a chicken-ass way to live.” (p. 114).
4. In the section “We’re Not Academic” the author criticizes “Most academics just ramble. Far too few raise a fist or a voice.” (p. 117). I both agree and disagree with the author here. We certainly cannot underestimate the value of our own consciousness on issues as well as raising awareness in others. Professors should help us understand the various issues and points of view, not tell us exactly what to think or how to act. However, as a student I often find myself frustrated with all the information I am given but I am rarely awarded an answer. We learn about so many things that are wrong but never told how to change them or even pointed in the direction of action.
My question is how can our country change? Is it possible to reverse what has already been done? And if so, how do we begin?
The Corporation:
Everything about this movie is disturbing, fascinating, and truly frightening. Many people are unaware that a corporation has the same legal rights as a person. It was interesting to see how precisely many corporations fit the definition of a psychopath. The movie informed us that corporations are legally obligated to try to make money for their investors. We all know that most corporations are selfish, but this shows that they are literally legally required to be selfish.
One thing that was really interesting to me was the idea that while a company may be doing terrible things and considered evil, those who work for it are not necessarily on the same side. While it is counterintuitive to think someone would work for what they are against it actually makes perfect sense. Corporations hold enormous power, and effect things on a large scale. Therefore by working for this corporation if employees, specifically high up employees can influence small areas of policy it can have an enormous effect. We cannot get rid of corporations so we must work to change them for the better.
Monday, March 15, 2010
#7
Morgan Russell
Assignment # 7
ENVS 195-Media
As an environmental studies major I often learn of the horrible things being done throughout the world. We are destroying our environment at an alarming rate and it seems that no one cares. I often wonder how people I know can so easily contribute to this destruction. One quote from this book I absolutely loved was on page 7, “The moment you fail to understand why the natural world might have any relevance in the day-to-day lives of human beings, you have become…’a lost ball in the high weeds.” Abandon nature and you abandon your sense of the divine. More than that, you lose track of who you are.”
The author goes on to discuss how advertisements “erode our ability to empathize, to take social issues seriously, to be moved by atrocity,” (p. 23). In my experience this lack of empathy comes from those who are the most media obsessed. I am often shocked when I tell my friends of an issue and they wave it aside with a casual “hmm that’s too bad.”
What I really found scary about this reading was how much I saw the traits and characteristics discussed in myself friends. It may be that I have simply begun to pay attention but more and more often I find myself talking to people who seem disconnected from real life, while being so connected to virtual life. I regularly find myself sitting in a group of people who are all on their laptops, they could hardly tell me the last thing I said but could tell me the last 5 people who wrote on my wall.
I have a friend who I always considered fun/funny. Recently I have begun to notice that oftentimes the joke, or funny statement that has come from my friend didn’t actually come from her at all. We are replacing our own sense of humor and simply restating a line from a movie, show, or song. What confuses me the most is that this friend seems smart, (potentially) creative, and caring. Yet rather than using her own wit I hear a line from something I have just seen.
While it is not a generally known that excessive time spent on the Internet leads to “decline in psychological well-being” (p. 46) it is abundantly clear when looking at many of my peers. In my experience those who seem to spend the most time on the internet also seem to be the least socially adept, on the most medications for various disorders, depressed, and lacking empathy.
While I’m sure everyone would believe this about themselves I do not see most of these qualities in myself. However I certainly did at one point in my life and have since become very aware. One major problem I have is this lack of attention span. I find myself so spoiled by the constant stimulation I cannot bear to do anything without it.
I found this reading very interesting, far more interesting than readings for many of my classes and I still took about 10 breaks while reading the short seventy pages. As a child I would read whole books in one sitting and now as a college student I can hardly read a few pages without chatting with a friend or getting up for some (mostly made up) reason.
For a career I would like to work fighting this corporate machine, and consumer culture. What scares me the most is that I see many of the characteristics discussed in friends and myself. If I am unable to influence those closest to me or even change myself what is the chance that I could ever have an impact on others?
Assignment # 7
ENVS 195-Media
As an environmental studies major I often learn of the horrible things being done throughout the world. We are destroying our environment at an alarming rate and it seems that no one cares. I often wonder how people I know can so easily contribute to this destruction. One quote from this book I absolutely loved was on page 7, “The moment you fail to understand why the natural world might have any relevance in the day-to-day lives of human beings, you have become…’a lost ball in the high weeds.” Abandon nature and you abandon your sense of the divine. More than that, you lose track of who you are.”
The author goes on to discuss how advertisements “erode our ability to empathize, to take social issues seriously, to be moved by atrocity,” (p. 23). In my experience this lack of empathy comes from those who are the most media obsessed. I am often shocked when I tell my friends of an issue and they wave it aside with a casual “hmm that’s too bad.”
What I really found scary about this reading was how much I saw the traits and characteristics discussed in myself friends. It may be that I have simply begun to pay attention but more and more often I find myself talking to people who seem disconnected from real life, while being so connected to virtual life. I regularly find myself sitting in a group of people who are all on their laptops, they could hardly tell me the last thing I said but could tell me the last 5 people who wrote on my wall.
I have a friend who I always considered fun/funny. Recently I have begun to notice that oftentimes the joke, or funny statement that has come from my friend didn’t actually come from her at all. We are replacing our own sense of humor and simply restating a line from a movie, show, or song. What confuses me the most is that this friend seems smart, (potentially) creative, and caring. Yet rather than using her own wit I hear a line from something I have just seen.
While it is not a generally known that excessive time spent on the Internet leads to “decline in psychological well-being” (p. 46) it is abundantly clear when looking at many of my peers. In my experience those who seem to spend the most time on the internet also seem to be the least socially adept, on the most medications for various disorders, depressed, and lacking empathy.
While I’m sure everyone would believe this about themselves I do not see most of these qualities in myself. However I certainly did at one point in my life and have since become very aware. One major problem I have is this lack of attention span. I find myself so spoiled by the constant stimulation I cannot bear to do anything without it.
I found this reading very interesting, far more interesting than readings for many of my classes and I still took about 10 breaks while reading the short seventy pages. As a child I would read whole books in one sitting and now as a college student I can hardly read a few pages without chatting with a friend or getting up for some (mostly made up) reason.
For a career I would like to work fighting this corporate machine, and consumer culture. What scares me the most is that I see many of the characteristics discussed in friends and myself. If I am unable to influence those closest to me or even change myself what is the chance that I could ever have an impact on others?
#4
Morgan Russell
Media, Literacy and the Environment
Assignment # 4
1. AD Nauseam Parts 3&4
When we watched the movie Consuming Kids I was shocked by the way advertisers target and manipulate children into wanting products. In the section “How Do Kids Read Commercials” fox writes about his realization that children are unaware of the intentions of advertisers. A child does not comprehend that the marketers are trying to sell them a product. I find it very disturbing that we are showing children these commercials in school, when they watch it at home we see that the effects are bad enough. However by providing it in school we are literally teaching them to be consumers. Children understand that school is supposed to be a time for learning, and part of their day is consumed with learning, which products they need to buy.
The movie Persuaders discusses a company called Acxiom, which divides consumers into seventy basic types based on age, salary, previous purchases and where they live. How to Tell You’re a Details Reader shows how magazines categorize their readers in the same way in order to sell advertising space. Categorizing people into ever-more specific groups is a tactic used to promote and sell many items and ideals. This is clearly helpful for the advertiser, but it is also convenient for the consumer, it eliminates the clutter and allows us to discover what we really want. The question however is whether we would want it, or by understanding their consumers are the companies becoming even better at making us want products? It is also scary to think that they know all this information about each of us.
As a waitress I really connected with the final section of part 4. This section discussed how bring water to a restaurant table used to be standard practice, with influence from the Coca-Cola company this is no longer practice. If the average person drinks about 64oz. of fluid a day the goal is to make sure a good portion of that is a product rather than tap water. I find myself promoting drinks, before asking people what they would like because a larger bill equals a larger tip, (and hey, I only make $3.90 and hour). But after reading this I found myself questioning whether I was simply a part of this selling machine, promoting more and more consumption.
2. Get Smarter
Over the course of history humans have always increased their intelligence and adapted when in difficult situations, we will continue to do this with the advantages technology provides.
At the beginning of the article Vasilakis says “The trouble isn’t that we have too much information at our fingertips, but that our tools for managing it are still in their infancy.” I believe that we do have too much information and the way we are managing it is making us unable to focus on legitimate information. However Vasilakis points out that there is no going back. Although some of us may want to, realistically it is true that we cannot go back from here, so we must learn how to better manage the abundance of information we encounter every day.
Vasilakis goes on to say that as our technology becomes more capable so do we. I completely disagree with this statement. Yes our species or country or company become more capable of completing a specific task in a short time. However this means that the individual people become accustomed to only using this technology and are now completely incapable of ever completing the task on their own. Is the capability of the group more important than the capability of people? I don’t believe so.
Modafinil can keep a person awake for more than 32 hours, and offers a “cognitive-enhancement effect.” I clearly cannot disagree that this may be advantageous but I don’t believe it should be used on a regular basis. I personally would not want to live in a constantly drugged state even if the effects were as mild as those of modafinil. I don’t feel that drugs like this encourage learning but offer an easy way around it and force us to rely on them.
We are increasingly becoming dependant on technology and drugs. Vasilakis agrees that it would be disastrous if these systems were to collapse. However says that since we already depend on them it cannot hurt to add more complexity and levels to this. I disagree, it seems that we need to work on becoming less dependant rather than more!
3. The Persuaders:
· Advertisers are more and more concerned with emotional and unconscious thoughts of consumers.
· Narrowcasting, or targeting more specific groups. Diving consumers into types.
· Advertisements are increasingly mixed in with programming, or might even be the programming.
· Products have an identity that matches the identity of the consumer.
· Want product loyalty. Partially why products are given identities. Increasing numbers of advertisements directed at children and teens.
Media, Literacy and the Environment
Assignment # 4
1. AD Nauseam Parts 3&4
When we watched the movie Consuming Kids I was shocked by the way advertisers target and manipulate children into wanting products. In the section “How Do Kids Read Commercials” fox writes about his realization that children are unaware of the intentions of advertisers. A child does not comprehend that the marketers are trying to sell them a product. I find it very disturbing that we are showing children these commercials in school, when they watch it at home we see that the effects are bad enough. However by providing it in school we are literally teaching them to be consumers. Children understand that school is supposed to be a time for learning, and part of their day is consumed with learning, which products they need to buy.
The movie Persuaders discusses a company called Acxiom, which divides consumers into seventy basic types based on age, salary, previous purchases and where they live. How to Tell You’re a Details Reader shows how magazines categorize their readers in the same way in order to sell advertising space. Categorizing people into ever-more specific groups is a tactic used to promote and sell many items and ideals. This is clearly helpful for the advertiser, but it is also convenient for the consumer, it eliminates the clutter and allows us to discover what we really want. The question however is whether we would want it, or by understanding their consumers are the companies becoming even better at making us want products? It is also scary to think that they know all this information about each of us.
As a waitress I really connected with the final section of part 4. This section discussed how bring water to a restaurant table used to be standard practice, with influence from the Coca-Cola company this is no longer practice. If the average person drinks about 64oz. of fluid a day the goal is to make sure a good portion of that is a product rather than tap water. I find myself promoting drinks, before asking people what they would like because a larger bill equals a larger tip, (and hey, I only make $3.90 and hour). But after reading this I found myself questioning whether I was simply a part of this selling machine, promoting more and more consumption.
2. Get Smarter
Over the course of history humans have always increased their intelligence and adapted when in difficult situations, we will continue to do this with the advantages technology provides.
At the beginning of the article Vasilakis says “The trouble isn’t that we have too much information at our fingertips, but that our tools for managing it are still in their infancy.” I believe that we do have too much information and the way we are managing it is making us unable to focus on legitimate information. However Vasilakis points out that there is no going back. Although some of us may want to, realistically it is true that we cannot go back from here, so we must learn how to better manage the abundance of information we encounter every day.
Vasilakis goes on to say that as our technology becomes more capable so do we. I completely disagree with this statement. Yes our species or country or company become more capable of completing a specific task in a short time. However this means that the individual people become accustomed to only using this technology and are now completely incapable of ever completing the task on their own. Is the capability of the group more important than the capability of people? I don’t believe so.
Modafinil can keep a person awake for more than 32 hours, and offers a “cognitive-enhancement effect.” I clearly cannot disagree that this may be advantageous but I don’t believe it should be used on a regular basis. I personally would not want to live in a constantly drugged state even if the effects were as mild as those of modafinil. I don’t feel that drugs like this encourage learning but offer an easy way around it and force us to rely on them.
We are increasingly becoming dependant on technology and drugs. Vasilakis agrees that it would be disastrous if these systems were to collapse. However says that since we already depend on them it cannot hurt to add more complexity and levels to this. I disagree, it seems that we need to work on becoming less dependant rather than more!
3. The Persuaders:
· Advertisers are more and more concerned with emotional and unconscious thoughts of consumers.
· Narrowcasting, or targeting more specific groups. Diving consumers into types.
· Advertisements are increasingly mixed in with programming, or might even be the programming.
· Products have an identity that matches the identity of the consumer.
· Want product loyalty. Partially why products are given identities. Increasing numbers of advertisements directed at children and teens.
#3
Morgan Russell
Media Literacy and the Environment
Assignment #3
February 8th 2010
1. Our minds have been fundamentally altered by our constant use of the internet, making both “concentration and contemplation” far more difficult.
2. I agree with the idea that the way we browse the internet may be having a large effect on our reading. When I am online I find myself reading only the headings and first few paragraphs of a news story, and skipping from page to page. I often find that I will read an article as quickly as possible, simply because there are often bad articles online. Rather than spend my time looking at every one we must skim until we find a valid source. However once my brain has been set in this skimming mode it is always difficult to focus once I finally find a useful site.
I also agree that the Internet plays the largest role a communications system ever has and because of this has enormous influence on our thoughts. Internet has been able to absorb almost every medium and has recreated it to fit the World Wide Web. The Internet is not a place for a single medium or topic, when using the Internet we are constantly bombarded with more than just the information in a particular article or email. We have gotten so used to the Internet that it is changing and replacing the original mediums. For example the recent addition of “article abstracts” and “shortcuts” to The New York Times.
I disagree with the statement made by Taylor, “In the past the man has been first, in the future the system must be first.” The system seeks maximum speed, efficiency and output. Taylor’s goal was to reshape both industry and society to be as efficient as possible. I believe if this “system” were to take over society we would see a complete loss of creativity and individuality.
I was unable to find a place where I disagreed with the author. The most shocking information in the article was the goals and quotes from Sergey Brin and Larry Page, the creators of google. “Certainly if you had all the world’s information directly attached to your brain, or an artificial brain that was smarter than your brain, you’d be better off” says Page. I was absolutely horrified to hear this statement, I believe if this ever were to happen it would be the end of society the way we know it.
ADNAUSEAM:
I found the movie consuming kids to be very disturbing. Clearly kids are a large target audience since they have so much influence over parental decisions. Another reason children are so easy to convince through advertising is because they do not yet understand the concept. On page 51 Mclaren and Torchinsky explain that we do not learn to disregard advertisements until the third grade. By the third grade we have essentially trained children to tune out, ignore their surroundings, and act mindlessly out of necessity.
In “Your Ad Here” the authors discuss the enormous number of advertisements that constantly invade our lives. “Perhaps the only real challenge would be to find spaces without advertising” p. 43.This reminded me of the feed. In the feed they literally had advertisements running through their heads at all times. Not only did they see advertisements everywhere (including their own heads) they also spoke them. For example when they could win Coca-Cola if they said it enough times, or when on character would say Nike in every sentence he spoke.
Media Literacy and the Environment
Assignment #3
February 8th 2010
1. Our minds have been fundamentally altered by our constant use of the internet, making both “concentration and contemplation” far more difficult.
2. I agree with the idea that the way we browse the internet may be having a large effect on our reading. When I am online I find myself reading only the headings and first few paragraphs of a news story, and skipping from page to page. I often find that I will read an article as quickly as possible, simply because there are often bad articles online. Rather than spend my time looking at every one we must skim until we find a valid source. However once my brain has been set in this skimming mode it is always difficult to focus once I finally find a useful site.
I also agree that the Internet plays the largest role a communications system ever has and because of this has enormous influence on our thoughts. Internet has been able to absorb almost every medium and has recreated it to fit the World Wide Web. The Internet is not a place for a single medium or topic, when using the Internet we are constantly bombarded with more than just the information in a particular article or email. We have gotten so used to the Internet that it is changing and replacing the original mediums. For example the recent addition of “article abstracts” and “shortcuts” to The New York Times.
I disagree with the statement made by Taylor, “In the past the man has been first, in the future the system must be first.” The system seeks maximum speed, efficiency and output. Taylor’s goal was to reshape both industry and society to be as efficient as possible. I believe if this “system” were to take over society we would see a complete loss of creativity and individuality.
I was unable to find a place where I disagreed with the author. The most shocking information in the article was the goals and quotes from Sergey Brin and Larry Page, the creators of google. “Certainly if you had all the world’s information directly attached to your brain, or an artificial brain that was smarter than your brain, you’d be better off” says Page. I was absolutely horrified to hear this statement, I believe if this ever were to happen it would be the end of society the way we know it.
ADNAUSEAM:
I found the movie consuming kids to be very disturbing. Clearly kids are a large target audience since they have so much influence over parental decisions. Another reason children are so easy to convince through advertising is because they do not yet understand the concept. On page 51 Mclaren and Torchinsky explain that we do not learn to disregard advertisements until the third grade. By the third grade we have essentially trained children to tune out, ignore their surroundings, and act mindlessly out of necessity.
In “Your Ad Here” the authors discuss the enormous number of advertisements that constantly invade our lives. “Perhaps the only real challenge would be to find spaces without advertising” p. 43.This reminded me of the feed. In the feed they literally had advertisements running through their heads at all times. Not only did they see advertisements everywhere (including their own heads) they also spoke them. For example when they could win Coca-Cola if they said it enough times, or when on character would say Nike in every sentence he spoke.
#2
Morgan Russell
Media Literacy & the Environment
Assignment 2
February 1, 2010
1. Titus: handsome, normal, conformist, confused/scared, insecure-“stupid”
2. Meg-really, super, alot
Whats doing?- whats up?
Null-boring
3. Constant connection and access to people and info through technology
Seems like most Americans are unaware of what is going on around the world
Same basic human emotions and tendencies
4. Schools are owned by corporations
Oceans are completely toxic
Individual nature bubbles for houses or blocks—air factories, individual suns etc.
5. Corporate control and consumerism
The dangers of technology
Complete destruction of nature
Social networking sites have changed the way we connect with both our closest friends and loose aquantainces. These sites have also changed the way we view privacy.
The facebook and twitter updates we post every day allow for our distance friends to get a look into our lives and daily routine. Constant updates and information about friends and aquantainces makes us feel much more socially connected without any direct connection, a phenomenon known as “ambient awareness.” I find myself experiencing this with my close friends who are far away. While I only see them on breaks our constant communication, especially with a form such as skype, makes it seem as though we are still a big part of eachothers lives.
I liked that the article pointed out that social networking sites can be beneficial when looking for jobs, or other forms of help and information that may not be available within your closest circle of friends. These sites can also be very helpful when organizing an event, raising awareness about an issue, etc. By allowing us to easily contact a larger cirlce we can get and share information quickly.
He also says that the extreme amount of information from “weak ties” can “spread your emotional energy too thin, leaving less for true intimate relationships.” I feel that by constanly focusing on or recieving updates from distant aquantances we are less able to focus on our own lives. It seems that people are often more concerned with what everyone else is doing than with living and doing things themselves.
I completely disagree with the idea that stopping to consider (and update) how you are doing every day can help a person to “know thyself.” In my experience (the majority of the time) those who are constantly updating their status are far less concerned with knowing themselves than with posting a status they believe will make them look “cool.”
Social networking sites are far from “identity constraining.” If anything i feel they allow people to experience others ideas, thoughts, style, etc. Tufekci makes that point that people cannot play with their identity because their audience is always checking on them. This point seems invalid since the audience in social networking is never fixed.
Media Literacy & the Environment
Assignment 2
February 1, 2010
1. Titus: handsome, normal, conformist, confused/scared, insecure-“stupid”
2. Meg-really, super, alot
Whats doing?- whats up?
Null-boring
3. Constant connection and access to people and info through technology
Seems like most Americans are unaware of what is going on around the world
Same basic human emotions and tendencies
4. Schools are owned by corporations
Oceans are completely toxic
Individual nature bubbles for houses or blocks—air factories, individual suns etc.
5. Corporate control and consumerism
The dangers of technology
Complete destruction of nature
Social networking sites have changed the way we connect with both our closest friends and loose aquantainces. These sites have also changed the way we view privacy.
The facebook and twitter updates we post every day allow for our distance friends to get a look into our lives and daily routine. Constant updates and information about friends and aquantainces makes us feel much more socially connected without any direct connection, a phenomenon known as “ambient awareness.” I find myself experiencing this with my close friends who are far away. While I only see them on breaks our constant communication, especially with a form such as skype, makes it seem as though we are still a big part of eachothers lives.
I liked that the article pointed out that social networking sites can be beneficial when looking for jobs, or other forms of help and information that may not be available within your closest circle of friends. These sites can also be very helpful when organizing an event, raising awareness about an issue, etc. By allowing us to easily contact a larger cirlce we can get and share information quickly.
He also says that the extreme amount of information from “weak ties” can “spread your emotional energy too thin, leaving less for true intimate relationships.” I feel that by constanly focusing on or recieving updates from distant aquantances we are less able to focus on our own lives. It seems that people are often more concerned with what everyone else is doing than with living and doing things themselves.
I completely disagree with the idea that stopping to consider (and update) how you are doing every day can help a person to “know thyself.” In my experience (the majority of the time) those who are constantly updating their status are far less concerned with knowing themselves than with posting a status they believe will make them look “cool.”
Social networking sites are far from “identity constraining.” If anything i feel they allow people to experience others ideas, thoughts, style, etc. Tufekci makes that point that people cannot play with their identity because their audience is always checking on them. This point seems invalid since the audience in social networking is never fixed.
#1
Morgan Russell
Media Memoir
January 25, 2010
The old fake-wood-sided television sat high on a shelf in the entryway of our home. On the rare occasssions it was turned on the picture was fuzzy and the golf channel and local news held little interest. I spent the majority of my childhood outside, since neither of my parents worked full time my days were filled with mini-adventures, nature-focused vacations and activies, leaving little room for television. As a child the single educational computer game I had was reserved for rainy days. Using a computer was not a part of my daily life until high school.
Growing up I read all the time, everything from short childrens books to the classics and the local paper. Specifically our local paper, my mother would sip her tea with the paper every morning so it was only natural that I read it too. I was almost never exposed to advertisements unless it was those in the paper which were mostly for local restaurants, small retailers and possibly ski areas.
As a child the lack of mass media influence in my life seemed normal, hardly any of my friends were heavily influcenced by media. However I eventually attended a boarding school with students from all over the world. Many of these students were from more urban and suburban areas and far more interested in media and popular culture than anyone from my small Vermont town.
For some time I found myself sucked into this consumption oriented and media dominated culture I had never previously experienced. I was concerned about celebrities I had never met, about purchasing the latest thing, and making sure I updated my facebook status, concerns that would have never crossed my mind before. I am grateful that this short phase of my life ended.
After a few years of this I suddenly realized that I rarely went hiking anymore, I had hardly been skiing all season, and hadn’t read a book outside of class in monthes. I realized that I had been so concerned with media and the messages sent through mass media that I was hardly doing any of the things I loved. This realization made me consider how media affected me, and how it affects and changes everyone arounds me.
The New York Times article looks at the mini-generation gaps formed by the increased rate of technological change. Commonly used technology has become so integrated in our everyday life that the changes can drastically alter childrens perceptions and expectations. For example young children now seem to be learning that distance is almost irrelevant to communication and that all communication should be practically instantaneous. I find it both scary and interesting to consider how much more we communicate through technology rather than face to face. I am not sure, but it seems there must eventually be some social or emotional effects from this lack of real connection during our communication.
I found the video very fascinating on many levels. To begin with I never have really understood how websites are created and seeing this prompted me to look into it. The video left me with a sense of unease at first so I watched it again. The idea of the machine using us is a scary thought which left me with a sense of impending doom. However as I thought about it more I realized that since we are the machine and we control the machine we have simply given each individual more power.
Media Memoir
January 25, 2010
The old fake-wood-sided television sat high on a shelf in the entryway of our home. On the rare occasssions it was turned on the picture was fuzzy and the golf channel and local news held little interest. I spent the majority of my childhood outside, since neither of my parents worked full time my days were filled with mini-adventures, nature-focused vacations and activies, leaving little room for television. As a child the single educational computer game I had was reserved for rainy days. Using a computer was not a part of my daily life until high school.
Growing up I read all the time, everything from short childrens books to the classics and the local paper. Specifically our local paper, my mother would sip her tea with the paper every morning so it was only natural that I read it too. I was almost never exposed to advertisements unless it was those in the paper which were mostly for local restaurants, small retailers and possibly ski areas.
As a child the lack of mass media influence in my life seemed normal, hardly any of my friends were heavily influcenced by media. However I eventually attended a boarding school with students from all over the world. Many of these students were from more urban and suburban areas and far more interested in media and popular culture than anyone from my small Vermont town.
For some time I found myself sucked into this consumption oriented and media dominated culture I had never previously experienced. I was concerned about celebrities I had never met, about purchasing the latest thing, and making sure I updated my facebook status, concerns that would have never crossed my mind before. I am grateful that this short phase of my life ended.
After a few years of this I suddenly realized that I rarely went hiking anymore, I had hardly been skiing all season, and hadn’t read a book outside of class in monthes. I realized that I had been so concerned with media and the messages sent through mass media that I was hardly doing any of the things I loved. This realization made me consider how media affected me, and how it affects and changes everyone arounds me.
The New York Times article looks at the mini-generation gaps formed by the increased rate of technological change. Commonly used technology has become so integrated in our everyday life that the changes can drastically alter childrens perceptions and expectations. For example young children now seem to be learning that distance is almost irrelevant to communication and that all communication should be practically instantaneous. I find it both scary and interesting to consider how much more we communicate through technology rather than face to face. I am not sure, but it seems there must eventually be some social or emotional effects from this lack of real connection during our communication.
I found the video very fascinating on many levels. To begin with I never have really understood how websites are created and seeing this prompted me to look into it. The video left me with a sense of unease at first so I watched it again. The idea of the machine using us is a scary thought which left me with a sense of impending doom. However as I thought about it more I realized that since we are the machine and we control the machine we have simply given each individual more power.
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