Transparency

After reading about how un-transparent Facebook was when they claimed to own all of your content that you post on your Facebook, I had to do a little research. I went to my Facebook and tried to change my privacy setting and the first thing that popped up was a window that stated “We don’t sell your personal information to advertisers”. Transparency is very important in the online social media because if it was not present companies like Facebook or twitter could sent your personal information to advertiser and profit quite an off our preferences and much more.

There are many reasons why transparency is very important concept in the online social world. One reason is that people do not have to be afraid of being themselves online; it encourages people to be who they are in real life, online. Then other people can connect with you online, instead of connecting with a “fake you”. Another reason why it is important is that it gives you in the online world more credibility. Anyone can write that they have travelled somewhere or seen something, but transparency allows that person to post a video or picture of that thing.

Transparency is less important than the offline world. Nothing can compare to personal interaction. Learning about someone in real life is more important than through the online world. When looking at someone through the online scope you online get what you can find. It is like if a company is looking to hire a new employee and decide to look up a prospect on Facebook. Then through that research they find things that they do not want in their company, when in real life the person they are looking up is a perfect fit. Transparency can only do so much; people need to use better judgment of what goes up on online social media sources.

 

Media Theory & Research

The story that my group will be analyzing is about drywall and its relationship with infant deaths in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The Consumer Product Safety Commission along with the U.S. army released a statement saying that the drywall was not to blame for the nine infant deaths since 2007. But, experts say differently according to the less mainstream ProPublica news source, which prides itself in the “Journalism in the public interest”.  The title of the article is “Experts Skeptical of New Report on Infant Deaths at Fort Bragg”. The word choice in “skeptical” interests me as to the framing of this source. The other source has yet to be solidified.

The framing in each of the articles for this paper may or may not come into play. Depending on which more publicized source we use that source could potentially be more conservative and not scrutinize the army’s investigators as openly as ProPublicas’ journalists. The interviews on the ProPulica’s article were very quick to try and disprove the arguments of the army; it will be interesting to see how our other source reports what the experts had to say.

Qualitative research will be the main method of research used in order to obtain information for the paper. But, quantitative research will be used as well just not as much this because some of the research which formulated the articles for our paper used the quantitative method.  Through qualitative research we will be able to answers like why and how, which quantitative cannot. The articles are based off of interviews and experts beliefs, which is why the qualitative method will be more effective. From the information that we extract from the sources we will be able to create a good argument for which source we believe is more convincing.

 

Colbert Report

I watched an episode of the Colbert Report entitled “David Albright”. I decided to focus on only one section of the show; the story about Italy’s Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and charges with may be upon him. The people of Italy, in over 200 cities, marched the other day in protest of their leader and his demeaning ways. This being an issue of sexual misconduct it sets up Stephen Colbert to use his most effective tool sensational journalism. In this section and most others of Colbert’s report he uses sensational journalism, which means news that is embellished here and there in order to add more feeling to the reporter’s story. Colbert does this in a number of ways, but mainly through humor. It is undeniable in my opinion that if you watch the Colbert Report and nothing else you will be more aware of what is going on in the world; in turn this proves to me that the Colbert Report is a form of news.

However, since he does only give the audience a brief overview of the topic and with a “spin”, sensation journalism, it is not a news source that should be relied upon. Because Colbert is entertaining and not only reporting the news to inform the viewers on current events, he does point out information that other sources would not, as helpful or unhelpful as they may be. For example, in this episode segment on Berlusconi he brings up other evidence that the people of Italy have confronted Berlusconi about, such as his parties. This is where Berlusconi has been reported to inviting underage girls to his villa and had, as Colbert put it in his sarcastic overtone, “bunga-bunga parties”. While I watch CNN’s version of the story not once did I feel like laughing, I rather found myself thinking more deeply about the issue and other like it. CNN, in around the same time that Colbert allotted to the issue, provided more quality information on the subject. Even though Colbert’s puns and investigatory tactics are quite amusing, it is not a source that a person who wants to be well informed on the world around them should solely use.

 

Channel 7

I do not own a T.V. so I was forced to watch the news online. It was not beneficial to watch it online for this assignments purpose because I could not find as many commercials. This is something to point out because it is good for the consumer who goes online to get the news rather than student who is doing an assignment focused around commercials.  Another obstacle which I had to go around while completing this assignment was that channel 7’s online videos clips were only on average two minutes long, and only had one commercial at the beginning of each clip. I was not able to find a live broadcast or a delayed showing of the news.

That being said the sole commercial that I watched over and over again was a commercial advertising the University of Phoenix School of Business. As my mouse scrolled over the video it had the option to get more information if you clicked on the link, which I did. It brought me to the University of Phoenix’s website where it boasted that it is the “largest globally networked business school in the country”. In examining this commercial it seems that the audience that channel 7 is trying to reach are young adults who are looking to further enhance their lives by getting a better education. This gives strength to the argument that a vast majority of people who view their news online are a younger generation. People like myself who may not own a T.V. but want to stay up to date with a general idea of what is going on around us. Because I watched the news online they were able to have advertisements off to the side which consisted of car promotions and another University, DeVry. I do not feel as though the car commercials can tell us a lot about the audience of channel 7 besides that they are old enough to start thinking about purchasing a vehicle. This is because everywhere you look you can find a commercial for a car or truck.

Channel 7 seems to be trying to “brand” themselves as a good influence on the young viewers. By advertising higher education on the news it gives evidence that channel 7 wants to promote education. College is a “responsible” thing to do after high school especially nowadays when it is difficult to find a well-paying job without a higher degree. In my opinion channel 7 much like other stations want their audience to have a good educational background. Since news is something we watch to get information it is equivalent to the reason why we go to school, to learn.

 

DirecTV

The first thing I had to research was “what is a cable MSO”, which turns out to just be a fancy way of saying “cable company”. So, then I decided to choose DirecTV as the company I would research. DirecTV was launched in El Segundo, California June 17, 1994. It is now owned by The DirecTV Group who is controlled by Liberty Media. Liberty Media is a media conglomerate traded on the stock exchange through NASDAQ, controlled by chairmen John C. Malone. DirecTV today has over 18 million subscribers and generated roughly $17.25 billion in revenue at end of the year in 2007, no wonder Forbes ranked Mr. Malone 204^th of the “Top 400 Richest Americans” in 2006.

One of the main blogging topics I saw was about the billing problems. A lot of people said they have spent entire days on the phone with a customer service representative trying to get their free HD credit, Stars and Showtime credit, and their referral credit. One person even said that the billing process ruined their entire experience with DirecTV.  I can relate to the people who have spent hours on the phone with a customer service because my dad is always yelling on the phone to one of them for hours on end.

The other theme the blogs I read was the quality of DirecTV once they finally sorted out the problems. People loved the excellence of the  HD and NFL Sunday Ticket, which allows you to watch every football game playing on Sunday.  DirecTV has exclusive rights to sports packages for NFL Sunday Ticket and NASCAR Hot Pass, and a lot of people solely subscribe to DirecTV because of it and say that DirecTV would fall out if it was not for this.

But the most talked about subject that I found was money. It’s all about the Benjamins! It is strange that some people said that DirecTV cost them so much more money in comparison to other companies. Then other people said that DirecTV is the cheapest cable company they have had. People for the most part are not pleased with their DirecTV subscription.

Blog #5 Blackberry

When I was looking though all the class wikis I found it highly ironic when I came across the iPhone’s and Blackberry’s pages. This was because IPhone’s are widely known for their “flash” and Blackberry’s are known for their business aspect. Both of these phone companies’ wiki pages greatly reflected the type of phone it is. The iPhone has a very catchy image which makes you want to know more. The Blackberry on the other hand has graphics which look very boring, at first glance, like the kind you find in the stock section of the newspaper. But, when you take a more in depth look into the graphics they are very helpful. Overall I think that the Blackberry page has made the strongest argument in print compared to all the other wiki’s.

The Blackberry page has done a number of things very well. Their page is very organized which makes it easy to navigate through the page. It is neat there is not a lot of clutter or irrelevant information as well. Another thing they did well was the ratio of pictures to writing. They have a few graphics and a solid amount of writing. There was not an overwhelming amount of one or the other.  Something else this group did well was explaining the diagram which they had. They also included their sources which allow someone who is interested in the subject a place to go to get more information.

One thing that they could have done a better job on was incorporating a more up to date picture of a Blackberry phone. They also could add things that their competitors do that are better than them. That would create less of an argument if they admit that their product is not the best in every area.

Looking at their wiki made me wish we had more organization in our wiki page. That would be something I would change in my groups page. My question for the group is do they think Blackberry will include any of the groups ideas for the future by chance?

 

Ownership and Regulation of the Media

I feel as though the U.S. government should have less power in the restraint and blocking of material that might hurt the national security. Free speech radio and media is something which my family is a strong supporter of and it would be a great detriment to the American people if the government had even more power over the mainstream media than they already do. Subsequent to major incidents such as 9/11 the people should have the opportunity hear an unbiased source which will deliver them the truth without regard to their feelings. If we take a look at the genocide in Rwanda in 1994 the U.S. was very hesitant to come in between the civil war. There was little support from the American people because they were not aware of what was actually going on in this third world country which was highly unknown to most American before the war. If the mainstream media was able/willing to air horrifying events which actually occurred there is no doubt in my mind that the American people would have come to the Rwandans and put full support behind American involvement in Rwanda. Thousands of lives could have been saved if the government had less control over the mass media.

There would not be that many difficulties in having an invisible hand, in economic terms meaning the government is present just with little interference.  Changing something as major as an entire sector of the government would take a lot of time and money in which the government has little of.

One problem may be the over excessive use of gore. This would make for a very explicit news cast, which may or may not be taking well by the American people. When events which need such type of coverage air it would turn into a material that would be targeted to a more mature audience. Young children would be less able to participate in matters dealing with national security. Another negative would be how the government would handle a situation where a source abuses their power. Who would say, how much is too much. There would have to be a regulation of some sort but not one that would reduce the content so much that it does not have the same strength.

One major positive effect of the government having less of a role in media regulation would be the American people being less blind to what is really going on in the world. People would have more knowledge about the situations in the present and would be able to take a side knowing that they have explored both sides of an argument evenly. Since my position in this matter is not adopted already by the government we need go in search of the truth; we need not to only digest what the mainstream media wants use to, but go beyond that. Viva la revolution!

 

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is an explicit sitcom style comedy created by Rob McElhenney, Glenn Howertonand and Charlie Day, who are also stars in the show. The show is about three childhood friends Dennis, Mac, and Charlie, who refer to themselves as “the gang”.  Dennis has a sister “Sweet Dee”, and father, played by Danny DeVito these too also play major roles in this show. These five colorful characters own Paddy’s Pub a deprived bar in South Philadelphia and all drink profusely. All of the characters in the show are very selfish, unethical and manipulative, which makes for great comedy.

One subtext is that if you only care about yourself then your life will never advance.  A different subtext is that if you drink too much it will be hard for you to lead a productive lifestyle. There is a very prevalent drinking problem in our society that this show depicts in a harsh manner. Most of the problems which arise in the show are rooted in the evils of alcohol and its effects on people. This happens all too often in our culture, families get torn apart, people lose their lives from bad decisions while drinking, and it is just terrible for your health.

This show does not show up in print media that often because it is a show that is not as popular of a series as Gossip Girl or Entourage. It is not a very main stream show which gets a lot of media attention.

Throughout an episode you would hear that much music. The only times you will are at the beginning, returning from commercial, and the end. The theme song is “Temptation Sensation” by Heinz Kiessling which is the sole song played in the above allotted periods during the show. It is a jubilant classical piece of music full of string instruments accompanied by flutes. This song reminds me profoundly of the music playing in “The Sims” computer game when buying new furniture or housing materials; it could quite possibly be the same song.  I think the music selection is very ironic. The song sounds like something you would find playing in a very affluent store or a very white collar event, and then the director cuts to the opening scene in a bar or another non-attractive setting far from the epitome of “rich”.

This is defiantly a comedy intended for mature audiences due to some of the topics discussed. The point of view of the show is that people take themselves too seriously sometimes and if you do this often you will end up being miserable. Also that people should not try so hard to be “cool” because everyone can achieve that status by being who they are.

The audience of the show is expected to know right from wrong. This is because the characters do wrong things intentionally in order to create humor in what would otherwise be a dull show. The audience must have an acquired taste to a more vulgar type of humor. This show can be found in the online environment through free online websites such as Hulu and the FX channel website which the show regularly broadcasts.

Media Diary

Media diary:

Thursday

5-8 Texted friends, and talked on the phone with friend.

Friday

11-1 Went on Facebook and looked up product on the internet.

6-9 Watched tv (movie on tv)

Texted throughout the day about 5x per hour. Also checked email on phone roughly 5x during the course of the day.

Saturday

230-9 Watched football games all day long, and watched the Seahawks get their greatest postseason victory yet.  Go Seattle Seahawks! I also took an hour intermission to go to gymnastic meet.

Texted throughout the day about 3x texts per hour, also checked email on phone roughly 5x during the course of the day.

Sunday

10-11 Talked on phone with mom and friend.

12-2 Went on internet to look up hw and go on Facebook.

3-4 Played video game with neighbor.

4-6 Watched the Eagles lose their football game.

8-1030 Watched The Fighter on my computer.

11-12 Went on Facebook.

Texted throughout the day about 3x texts per hour, also checked email on phone roughly 5x during the course of the day.

Monday

11-12 Went on Facebook and computer to do hw because both professors for the day cancelled class due to snow! Snow Day!

6-9 Watched Oregon vs. Auburn for the NCAA football championship.   

Reflection

This couple of days was mainly entertainment related, then personal interactions, and lastly work associated. This was due to I think being the first week back from school. I have not been able to attend one of my four classes because I was not registered yet and my other two classes have not given any homework yet. So, I am having an easy transition from being on break not doing much to being back in school. This weekend was a kind of slow weekend as well; most of my friends went to the mountains so I had to entertain myself somehow during the day. So I chose to watch TV and go on the computer quite a bit, more than usual. When I was on break those two things helped pass time, seeing as how I could not find a job over break. Although during the evenings my phone doubles up as my computer on wheels and my  network to the rest of the world.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a comedy/romance about a young Canadian Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) who is a struggling musician in a band called Sex Bob-omb, who falling in love with a mysterious American named Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead).  Only there is a catch, Scott must defeat Ramona’s seven “evil exes” in order to win Ramona’s heart.  Luckily Scott has very keen martial arts skills and can put up an epic reality defying battle.

This movie is an example of technological convergence because it is based on a comic book series. The series of six books was released by Bryan Lee O’Malley between August 2004 and July 2010. This is why there was an added sense of cartoon like effects in the film; an example of this is when Scott defeated an ex he got points, and coins. The Bluff Hampton Company was in charge of this and made this movie very original. A videogame entitled the same has been released also around the same time as the movie based off of the book series, which after seeing the movie I would not mind playing.

This film is also an example of economic convergence because it was not a very great success in revenue produced. During its opening week the movie only generated roughly 10 million dollars grossing at the beginning of August 2010 at around 30 million dollars. When considering the film’s production cost was an estimated 60 million dollars, it seems as though this movie was a failure in most people’s eyes.  I had no idea that this movie existed until my friend told me that he rented it.

This movie is also an example of cultural convergence because it was released in over 40 different countries. There are different themes in this movie which unite many different cultures; such as videogamers, rock and roll fans, and romantics.Another cultural fact is that it was recorded in Canada, but if you are from America watching this movie if the film never mentioned Canada you would have no idea that it was filmed in a different country. Ironically it shows how similar the USA and Canada really are.