FINAL ESSAY

RESPONDING TO CULTURE JAM

Kalle Lasn in his book calls for ending “branding” of America and returning to authentic culture. He describes how we are being manipulated and enticed by the media and cultural forces and how a family ceases to function when they are disconnected from all the modern gadgets. He explains how today personalities and culture are being shaped by electronic mass media environment instead of nature. People are also becoming so addicted listening to the media that they are not even aware that the stress they are experiencing is all because of the mediated consumption driven culture. He is urging people to change and telling them that ordinary people have all the tools they need for revolution. He is encouraging everybody to make their own choices, learn new strategies of self-reliance and discover the joy of jamming. He is telling people to lead an anti-consumerist lifestyle and get the control back from corporations so that our lives can become much better.

According to Lasn "American culture is no longer created by the people. (Culture Jam pg. xiii). I agree with Lasn that we are being manipulated and enticed by the media and cultural forces. Personalities and culture are also being shaped by electronic mass media environment instead of nature. Our culture has become very much dependent on all the brands, products, fashions, celebrities, entertainments and spectacles created by all the big corporations. Today media also plays a very important role in the increased amount of information transported into our house everyday. Major Corporations and the media are influencing people on how to live, what to wear and how to react to life situations.

Personally I have to say that it is very difficult to imagine life without microwave, toasters, cell phone etc., because frankly life is much easier with all these. However, people today are addicted to technology and cannot live without their electronic gadgets like iPhone, iPod, laptops, Blackberries and other digital devices. It has become so bad that people are waking up in the night to check their emails and text messages. If any of these gadgets are taken away from them they experience the "actual physical withdrawal" from all these gadgets. I agree with Lasn that people today should start living their lives without depending on so many gadgets.

I agree with Lasn that we are bombarded by the media every day and by technology everywhere. Somehow we have to stop the media from polluting our minds and preying on our emotions before it becomes too late. We have become so used to it that we do not think that it is causing us any problems at all. Some of the statistics mentioned in the book about people like "77 percent of the adult population is a mess" is quite scary.

However, I do not agree with Lasn's idea of "subvertisement". He wants the culture jammers taking on the corporations at their own game by creating "an effective TV subvertisement" which is actually an uncommercial. He really thinks the subvertisement will break their media-consumer trance and momentarily challenge their whole world outlook. I do not really think this is an effective way of gaining people's attention at all, as he is doing the same thing as the advertisers, which is persuading people to do what he wants them to do.

It is very clear that Lasn is anti-corporate and he wants to bring down the corporate culture in USA. He writes “when you don’t buy, you don’t buy in to consumer culture and when you don’t buy in; corporations lose their hold on you. “I sincerely believe that the power to act on media suggestions is in people’s control. Individuals have to just buy whatever they need. The power to make or break media and also reduce the dominance of corporation’s hold is ultimately consumer’s decision. This can be achieved by making their own decisions instead of giving the control to media and all the big corporations.

This book is all about how people can change the world. However some of the ways in which he mentions to change the world like sculling fashion billboards, taking the TV networks to world court looks very impractical. Some of the issues raised by Lasn in the book are very important and worth getting people’s attention.I even  agree with Lasn that today media rules the world however, the ideas he puts forth in this book about how to change the corporate culture and dominance from media are  very radical and can never be implemented by an average person.

REFLECTION - TELEVISION

I am a huge fan of CSI for a very long time. However, I was not aware of all the effects it has on the society and culture. It was a huge eyeopener for me to learn all the effects of crime dramas and also to  find out that there are people who are researching the same.  

After my research I found that inspite of  all the effects it has on society and culture crime drams are still very popular with viewers. It is like comfort food for them. Many people all over the world still watch and enjoy shows such as C.S.I

TELEVISION ESSAY

TELEVISION AND CULTURE 

GENRE - CRIME DRAMA

All institutions within society that facilitate communication such as television, film, radio, newspapers, compact discs, magazines, computers, and the Internet play a very important role in culture building activities. However, in the twentieth century it has been the television which has soared to new heights in connecting, educating and informing the public. It has been a catalyst in creating the global society experienced today as people are connected to a world beyond their immediate community and has had an incredible impact on society and basically revolutionized the way people see themselves and the world around them. It has also been able to shape popular culture and often influence public opinion. As it is also accessible to people in every aspect of their daily lives, it has also had a strong hold on modern society. It has not only changed everything in our culture, politics, and teaching, but it has also changed the way we look at the world, the way we act, the way we think and what we wear.

Of all the media distribution channels the most influential on culture today has been the television.   Even though television gives people access to some of the finest aspects of our culture, great plays, movies and music, and a wide variety of intellectually stimulating programs it is also harmful to society in many ways. It is not only influencing how we reality but also the time that used to be spent reading, or working around the house, or socializing and interacting with other people is now spent in an endless search for more titillating, more vulgar, ever stupider "entertainment.” Harry Walters in the essay “Life According to TV” summarizes the research done by George Gerbner, a noted cultural critic and communications scholar, about how the world of television matches up to “reality” and to people’s perception of reality. Also, how "the world of television directly influences how people see the "real" world around them (Waters 2007)."

Today television is our principal means of storytelling.The television shows people watch today shape how they see the world. People today live in a society that depends on information and communication to keep moving in the right direction and do their daily activities like work, entertainment, health care, education, personal relationships and traveling.  However, instead of using their own internal value system to shape their decisions people are seeking outside advice from media like television and its shows to arrive at their decisions. Although some of the television programs like news and documentaries provide useful information, the majority of programs on television are there to provide entertainment. However, the subtle but frequent accumulation of consistent and formulaic information that is conveyed by television programs like crime dramas may perhaps be the most powerful aspect of television. These crime television programs are created through human activity and therefore reflect and further extend the cultural perspectives of their creators. Today there are more crime dramas on TV than ever before, as one of the most prevalent genres since television’s inception has been the crime drama (Mawby, 2004). As TV dramas reach a much wider audience than most news programs the influence of the crime dramas like CSI, which combines the traditions of the crime genre with a new forensic realism to fuse the police and science with a convergent moral authority, extend deep into the popular culture, affect public perceptions accordingly thereby impacting our society, our family, and our culture.

Crime drama like CSI is a type of drama show which has as its primary focus or people whose main occupation is to investigate a crime or murder. Crime dramas are distinguished by which aspects of law enforcement they focus on, for example a police inspector, a team of detectives or investigators, a psychologist or a lawyer. It is also one of the most enduring, popular genres offering the audiences the pleasure of observing the slow solution to the mystery of murder from the perspective of a comfortable safety zone. CSI follows the mysterious cases of the Crime Scene Investigation units in Las Vegas, Miami and New York.  The crime scene unit consists of a smart, good-looking crime lab crew and they use physical evidence, science and technology to solve the city's most gruesome crimes. The key aspects of CSI are the fascinating forensic and logical deduction techniques that the team uses to track down killers. The show is very innovative because the characters use cutting-edge forensic tools to examine the evidence to solve the case. They work various perplexing cases using scientific skills and equipment that are capable of finding valuable clues from the most seemingly unlikely sources. The series mixes deduction, gritty subject matter and popular characters. The cases that are dealt with are full of creativity. Every episode is an hour long, unpredictable and keeps you guessing and tuned. When the series’ first started it captured the attention of American public and has become a very popular show among the prime time crime dramas.

Today crime dramas like CSI are affecting society in such a way that the average person couldn’t even imagine. People are far too easily influenced by shows such as CSI. The article “The CSI effect” in The Economist, which is the weekly magazine of news and opinions founded in 1843 and published in London and generally regarded as one of the world's preeminent journals of its kind, talks about how television dramas that rely on forensic science to solve crimes are affecting the administration of justice. A huge part of television viewing audience today favors police, crime, and/or forensic TV shows and because of watching all these crime dramas, jurors today expect more categorical proof than forensic science is capable of delivering. Jurors think they have a thorough understanding of science they have seen presented on television, when they do not. Also people who commit crimes watch the crime dramas and changing their behavior. They are becoming smarter and more educated. They are leaving fewer traces of themselves behind and a result of all this reality checking, trials are getting longer and more cases that might previously have resulted in quick convictions are now ending in acquittals.

Television crime dramas are also affecting societal beliefs, attitudes, public views and conduct significantly. One fundamental impact that television has had on society is how people spend time. Television takes care of time, which is something people have in surplus and on an average people living in the US watch more than four hours of TV a day, or two full months of TV a year. But how does all this time in front of the television affect us? There is a lot of evidence showing that watching too much television can be unhealthy. Watching too much TV can cut into family time, encourage violence, and lead to unhealthy lifestyles and obesity. However George Gerbner, a noted cultural critic and communications scholar, argues that the prevalence of crime on TV creates a “fear of victimization” in the viewer and this fear will ultimately leads to a “mean-world syndrome” in which viewers come to see their social surroundings as hostile and threatening.

Lisa Kort-Butler in her article “What Your TV Habits May Say About Your Fear of Crime” concludes that “the type of program watched by people does matter when it comes to understanding people's fear of crime and their attitudes about criminal justice.” Also according to a study done by Purdue University, viewers of TV crime shows are more likely to pursue careers in criminal justice and people who watch crime dramas not only are more likely to have a distorted perception of America's criminal justice system they are also more likely to overestimate the frequency of serious crimes, misperceive important facts about crime and misjudge the number of workers in the judicial system. According to Glenn Sparks, a professor of communication who studies mass media effects, “the viewing of crime drama also can shape opinions about the world in general and some people may develop a fear of victimization, and this belief can affect their feelings of comfort and security.”  It is so impressive how a simple TV show can gather so many people at the same time and affect everyone’s behaviors at that particular time.

Television crime dramas offer a false picture of society. People who watch lot of crime dramas think that there is a lot more crime than there really is and television makes people violent. The article “TV Crime Facts” from the website of Media Awareness Network, which is a Canadian non-profit organization, talks about some of the important facts about Crime television. Media Awareness Network is focused on helping young people understand how the media work, how the media may affect their lifestyle choices and the extent to which they, as consumers and citizens, are being well informed. Basically this article talks about how the crimes we watch on TV affect our ideas about crime in the real world? For example it is so easy to believe that “All crimes are ultimately solved and perpetrators brought to justice”, but according to this article it is a myth. In real life most crimes are never solved and the chance of people being sent to prison for committing one crime are 1 out of 100.

Television crime dramas are also having a great influence on human development, as far as determining psychological and sociological orientation. Some of the crime dramas are not only quite intelligent, thought-provoking, and even humorous, it also incorporates multiple characters, superb crime-fighting partnerships and teams that really add to the psycho-social enjoyment of watching these shows. People watching crime television today are required to exercise their mental faculties in order to make sense of complex, multilayered plots and characters.  Steven Johnson in the article “Watching TV makes you Smarter” says watching some of the television shows gives us a good cognitive workout. He says that over a period of time the television shows have improved a lot and has also become more sophisticated. He especially talks about shows like 24 and other crime dramas in which viewers have the pleasure of solving puzzles and unlocking mysteries. People today are definitely mentally stimulated while watching shows like 24 on TV. As Johnson says that we should look at media as a kind of cognitive workout and not as a series of life lessons. There may be much more negative messages in the media sphere today, but that is not the only way to evaluate whether our television shows are having a positive impact. It is equally important to think the kind of thinking you have to do to make sense of a cultural experience. Beneath all the violence that is happening in the show, viewers have to pay attention, make inferences, and track shifting social relationships. Johnson calls this as Sleeper Curve which is the most debased forms of mass diversion.

Television shows like crime dramas have universal appeal and grabs people’s attention.  It can also for some people color their view of the world. Often people who have been watching crime television programs like CSI have high expectations. They get caught up in the emotions of what's happening either consciously or subconsciously. This way to a large extent television today is still responsible for social change and influencing public attitude through popular TV shows like crime dramas. In conclusion media especially television, through their shows like crime dramas, can be a great source of wisdom and knowledge but these shows also has great impact on our society, our family, and our culture.

Works cited:
"Forensic Science: The “CSI Effect” | The Economist." The Economist - World News, Politics, Economics, Business & Finance. 22 Apr. 2010. Web. 24 Mar. 2011. http://www.economist.com/node/15949089.
Kort-Butler, Lisa, and Kelly Sittner Hartshorn. "What Your TV Habits May Say about Your Fear of Crime." Science Daily: News & Articles in Science, Health, Environment & Technology. ScienceDaily, 8 Feb. 2011. Web. 24 Mar. 2011. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110208093256.htm.
Sparks, Glenn, and Susan Huelsing Sarapin. "Researchers Rest Their Case: TV Consumption Predicts Opinions about Criminal Justice System." Purdue University. 28 Oct. 2009. Web. 24 Mar. 2011. http://www.purdue.edu/uns/x/2009b/091028SparksCrime.html.
"TV Crime Facts | Teaching Backgrounder." Media Awareness Network | Réseau éducation Médias. Web. 24 Mar. 2011. .
Waters, Harry. (2007). Life According to TV, Common Culture,   pg 137-145.

REFLECTION - TECHNOLOGY

Even though the topic sounds very easy to write about, because the time was very less to prepare it was a hard essay to write. In just two days we had to write the essay, so I was not able to align the thesis and body together very well.

I had to work extra hard than any other essays and I felt that with more time I could have done better. I really enjoyed researching about technology and culture and learnt a lot of new information.

TECHNOLOGY ESSAY

TECHNOLOGY AND CULTURE

Culture is a broad term. The dictionary definition of culture is "the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group. Any of the social forms or beliefs of a group may influence or in turn be influenced by a new technology. Some of the new technologies which have influenced the culture or influenced by culture include cell phones, computer, MP3 player, TV, VCR, DVD player, and remote control. Any new technology introduced into the culture also changes society and its impact on society can be both destructive and constructive. Samuels, Lasn, and Postman in their articles also discuss some of the changes that have occurred in American society with the advent of all the new technologies. They feel that relationship between technology and culture is growing exponentially and advent of new technologies like Internet, Television, and Electronic media has not only greatly affected society, but other areas such as people’s sense of self, health, and education.

People’s life and behavior has completely changed because of technology. Life has definitely become easier with technology; however email, PDAs, iPhones, laptops, and cell phones dominate our modern world. Robert Samuels, Kalle Lasn, and Neil Postman all talk from their perspective the effect of technology on society as a whole. Samuels in "Breaking Down Borders” takes an interesting approach and explains with the help of everyday technological gadgets that people use like cell phone, laptops, iPods, MP3s that technology has blurred the lines between individual’s private and public lives while Lasn in chapter titled "Post Human" approaches from the perspective of an individual and says they are trapped inside their living rooms roaming the “thousand channel universe” and wasting their life. On the other hand, Neil Postman in the essay titled, “The Judgment of Thamus” approaches from the global perspective and says that it is a mistake to suppose that any technological innovation has a one-sided effect. He purports that every technology is both a burden and a blessing and people cannot just have positive outcomes from technology. Even though modern technological gadgets that people use today like cell phone, laptops, iPods, MP3s can raise the standard of living of people it is very easy for people to get addicted to technology. People on cell phones and laptops can become so involved in their own mediated worlds that they forget where they actually are and what they are supposed to be doing.

People who use technology today come from all walks of life and have different necessities. They are making use of technology to make their life easier and comfortable. They are also saving a great deal of their time because of the increased mobility of technology and therefore there is nothing disadvantageous about new technologies, but the problem is in the way that they are used. Samuels states that the increased mobility of technology allows people to “re-center their sense of self by creating what can be called “personal Culture.” while Lasn discusses how people are immersing themselves in online role-playing fantasy games and assuming “variety of personalities, sometime creating bigger and better selves. They often use it to beef up parts of their lives that are failing in the real, concrete world.” Postman on the other hand says “new technologies alter those deeply embedded habits of thought which give to a culture its sense of what the world is like.” So he cautions Americans to carefully evaluate the changes that new technology brings to the society before embracing the same. He also gives examples proving how people embrace new technologies without analyzing the short-term and long-term outcomes.

Health is another important area affected by technology. Even though people today are constantly interrupted by gadgets like BlackBerrys, emails, PDAs, iPhones, laptops, and cell phones they feel lost, withdrawn and anxious without all their gadgets. Samuels explains how because of all the conveniences provided by the new technologies people are multitasking and are not able to concentrate on any one activity at a time which is leading to "a bad case of attention deficit disorder", while Postman talks about how children are deeply conditioned by the biases of television and when they encounter the printed world in school they face "psychic battles" and are unable to focus. Lasn also agrees with the other two authors and explains that use of internet has caused a decline in psychological well-being of human beings, and points out some of the harmful effects of new technologies which includes possibility of isolation, less attention span, no imagination and ignoring real life responsibilities. There is definitely proof that people today are suffering from headaches and insomnia after long days spent staring at the computer screen and television. The constant interruption by the gadgets is also definitely taking a toll on people’s bodies and their mental status. 

One more area affected by the technology is education. Even though technology has changed people’s perspective on education, Postman states that because of personal computers in classrooms, we are losing the “gregariousness and openness fostered by orality.”  Both Samuels and Lasn are also concerned about the effects of technology on concentration. Technology has definitely affected education both positively and negatively. It is much easier for a student to look for information on the internet; however the Internet is also full of garbage and without proper guidance internet can be more harmful than good.

Technology has changed our lives forever as it is made and used in such a variety of ways.It is definately not possible to contain the effects of a new technology to a limited sphere of human activity. Human beings are being affected by technology every day and in almost every way imaginable. It is very difficult to picture our lives without cars, television, and computers. As Samuels says, there is no way anybody can escape the “technological mediated environment.”   Even though technology is affecting society we have to agree with Postman when he says “every technology is both a burden and a blessing.” Every new technology can be an asset to society or it also can be a great destructive force that is determined to destroy the very fabric of humanity. It is definitely very important to think critically about every new technology introduced into the culture if we are to live well with it because technology changes everything. However as new technologies have definitely improved the quality of people’s lives, people have to learn to use technology to their advantage and not let it run their life.

REFLECTION - ADVERTISING

First and foremost I found out that I need to add an appropriate title for the essay. I also needed corrections on spelling and grammar. I had to add and incorporate more details about the ad. Lastly I had to write a conclusion to my essay.

Overall even though I learnt a lot of how to analyse an ad, I have a long way to go. I definately need a lot of practice in analysing ads. I was very impressed by some of the essays written by more fellow students. I have learnt a lot from those essays.

ADVERTISING ESSAY

       AD TARGETING CHILDREN

One of the powerful forces in American culture is advertising. Advertising is a tool for communicating information and shaping markets. Most advertising companies spend a great deal of time and money trying to understand the human behavior from the point of view of motivation and drives and then tailor their ads to appeal to those audiences. As talked about in Jib Fowles "Advertising Fifteen Basic Appeals," advertisers are trying to bypass the logical, cautious, skeptical powers of the consumers and emotionally appealing to their minds. They are trying to find out the deep-lying desires of the consumers and also working hard to discover the place where there messages have the greatest likelihood of getting by consumers’ defense.

I have chosen to write about McDonald’s ad targeting children. McDonalds has been very successful and most of its success can be attributed to its advertising campaign explicitly targeting younger audience. In the ad you can see four kids in casual clothing dancing and following the most well-known clown mascot in the world. The clown is happily playing a guitar and enticing the kids to follow him to McDonalds. The kids seem to be enjoying and having fun.  The background in the ad is all white. There are no words, just the picture of kids with the clown. There does not seem to be anything more to this ad, but as often is the case in advertisements, appearances can be deceiving. When we take a closer look at this add we realize that this ad does not promote fast food at McDonalds.  The main meta-message in the ad is that McDonald is the place where kids can have fun and enjoy.  Basically the ad promotes excitement and fun for kids at McDonalds. 

McDonalds has definitely been one of the most popular fast food places where people of all ages can have food, but its way of attracting costumers is mostly through children. They are advertising and targeting children thinking that if you appeal to the kids, the kids can then convince or force parents to take them to McDonalds.  For many companies, part of advertising means creating cute little mascots or advertising icons that will catch buyers’ attention. Ronald McDonald, first introduced in 1963, is a clown-like advertising mascot designed by McDonalds Corporation to appeal to young children, as children are very fond of clowns. Clowns are associated with being fun, silly, and friendly which are all things that children enjoy. In the ad the clown’s costume is bright and inviting and he is shown interacting with normal kids in their everyday lives. Children do not realize that Ronald McDonald is just a guy in a costume and make-up. They see the mascot “Ronald” on television, in coloring books, signs, billboards etc., relate to the character, admire him and are reminded about McDonalds. The clown in the ad also has the famous McDonald’s logo on his dress which helps children who do not have the knowledge to read or write to understand that the ad is about McDonalds. Ronald the clown mascot does more than just lure customers to the cash register, he represents an affordable family-friendly restaurant.

McDonalds feels that even though it’s important for kids to eat a well-balanced diet it is also equally important for them to play. They promote excitement and fun and invite kids to enjoy the casual environment and carefree experience. The kids wearing causal clothing in the ad implies that McDonalds has a very causal environment. A trip to McDonalds is in and of itself an adventure and the experience is what sells to children. As talked about in Jib Fowles "Advertising Fifteen Basic Appeals," many advertisers like appealing to the need for escape because the sensation of pleasure often accompanies escape. It might be difficult to imagine that people will be persuaded to abandon good restaurants for McDonald’s but the advertising strategy of McDonalds is to entice the kids by promoting freedom, “freedom is the pitch here, the freedom that every individual yearns for whenever life becomes too oppressive” (Fowles 82).  Kids exposed to McDonald’s advertisement are invited to momentarily depart their everyday life for a more carefree experience.

Selling products to American children has become a standard business practice. The United States is one of the few nations in the world that think that children are legitimate targets for advertisers (Pozner 109). Most fast food restaurants in USA are targeting their advertising at children and students, an important market for them, as they have realized that children’s do play a powerful role in the adult consumers' decision-making process. Children represent a great target for advertisers and marketers across the world as they are not only easily swayed by advertising; they are great at encouraging their parents and other children to buy these products. According to the new study by Yale’s Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity, fast food advertisements directed to children ages 2 to 12 have increased 21 percent since 2003. The study also found that in 2009 alone these fast-food restaurants spent $4.2 billion on marketing. The advertising companies know that kids usually do not pick an eating place because the food is healthy; rather they pick an eating place where they can enjoy and have fun. According to the FACTS study forty percent of children aged 2 to 11 ask their parents to go to McDonald's at least once a week, 15 percent ask to go daily and most importantly 84 percent of parents said they gave into these requests at least once a week.  It is a fact that parents will more likely give in to their kids’ demands of what they're more likely to eat.

Today there are so many products in the American marketplace, unlike other countries, that an advertiser has to figure out a way to cut through the considerable hub-hub in any way possible, which includes the emotional appeal, in order to stay in the business. Hence even the simplest direct advertisements carry subtly powerful messages and have quite an influence on the people.

Works Cited:

"Fast Food FACTS — Fast Food Facts in Brief." Fast Food FACTS — Home. Web.22 Feb. 2011. http://www.fastfoodmarketing.org/fast_food_facts_in_brief.aspx.