News, trust, and 'truthiness'

While reading some classmates blogs, I received the general impression that each person believed satirical news is as reliable as traditional news broadcasts. A student noted that “while these satirical forms of media are often looked upon as more for entertainment than actual knowledge, they do inform the viewer of current events to the same extent that traditional media would” (http://keenbeau80.wordpress.com/). This statement strengthens the idea that satirical news is as reliable as traditional news. It is firmly stated that viewers are informed of the current events happening around them. This is the main point of news casts and using a more comedic approach does not take away from the information given. Another student mentioned that ‘they provide a different take on popular news stories, which causes people to question these stories and not just believe what they hear” (http://cpcf1f25blog.wordpress.com/). Though some may argue that questioning news reports is a bad issue, it does happen. Reading this quote helped me better understand that satirical news reports are not something to look down upon, but they leave news reports with an open ended approach while traditional news just give you the facts about current events.

As one student noted, “I’d like to present the idea that these satirical news reporting’s are useful sources of entertainment that provide relief and a sense of voice for views of the public sphere who choose to indulge in its content” (http://nk13ps.wordpress.com/). Using this quote as an example, I realize what the conclusions of development for the contemporary public sphere could be. If individuals can all accept that satirical news reports can be a reliable source of information, then the media could move forward in attracting more individuals to watch news broadcasts. I personally do not like watching the news because I find it very discouraging and negative towards our society. As this quote states, satirical news provides relief for viewers by contributing comedy to its broadcasts. This can assist in the development of the public sphere because instead of the viewer’s hearing about the latest deadly storm, the news cast can find comedy in the story while also explaining what has happened in current events. Overall, I believe that satirical news is as reliable as traditional news and the conclusions brought on by the development of this type of program can benefit the viewers in a positive way.

Is Fake News the Real News?

In Canada, new things happen all around us every day. In order to keep up to date on what is happening in our city, most individuals turn to news casts. Some television shows such as The Daily Report and The Rick Mercer Report are not regular news broadcasts. These shows tend to act as a fake news programs. These shows rely on comedy in recent news stories and political figures to deliver the news. The question is, are satirical news reports a mainstream form of culture jamming? In the text, it is explained that “the objectives of culture jamming often include consciousness raising (raising awareness of social and political issues) as well as using the media to criticize and dominant culture” (O’Shaughnessy, Stadler, 2012, pg. 214). Based on this quote in our textbook, I believe that satirical news reporting is a mainstream form of culture jamming. Though these television shows may not be entirely focused on explaining what has happened in current events, they are bringing awareness to the situation. Culture jamming is described as raising awareness of social and political issues, but “it can also reference a more playful, spontaneous form of improvising and engaging with the media, as when musicians jam together” (O’Shaughnessy, Stadler, 2012, pg. 213). By using humour to explain current events, this not only brings popularity to the television show but it also brings awareness to those who do not enjoy watching the news. Comedy is liked by many societies because it can give you a good laugh and make you feel good about yourself. These points above prove that satirical news reports are a mainstream form of culture jamming in our society.

                I agree with the notion that reportage such as this are useful to the public sphere. The public sphere is where we discuss and debate issues of social concern. Satirical news gives individuals a new perspective of current events. This gives us a diversity of opinion which can be useful in our culture. Instead of only watching news casts that give one sided opinions, we are able to see the events through a different light. These reports may bring more awareness to the public sphere because instead of only noticing the negatives in news reports, we are able to laugh at the humour of the situations.

O'Shaugnessy, M., & Stadler, J. (2012). Media and Society (Fifth ed., pp. 184-185). South Melbourne, Australia: Oxford University Press.

Demonstrable Demographics

            This week, as a class we were collectively asked to read several classmates blogs and compare similarities or differences in relation to the hailing process of advertisements. After reading all of the blogs I chose randomly, I was only able to find similarities in all entries. Each individual expressed that they believe advertisements are appealing or ‘hailing’ to our demographic in a successful way. Fellow classmate Ellen believes “that Nike is encouraging the women population to just believe in themselves and go for something with confidence” (http://em12jk.blogspot.ca/2013/11/what-hail.html). Ellen is stating that in her opinion, the hailing process is giving young women a positive reflection of themselves, opposed to a negative one. When analyzing an Iphone ad, another classmate stated that “the portrayal of the phone as a life tool for people who do various activities makes it appeal to a large demographic” (http://jattinc.wordpress.com/). With the advertisement of a product like the Iphone that can be used by either gender, this type of hailing process works extremely well. Instead of using strategies to only hail one gender or age group, this advertisement is expressing that anyone’s life can improve by purchasing this product. Both individuals suggest that advertisements have been using clever techniques to attract our demographic by not only portraying our demographic in a positive way, but by not creating a stereotype in the ad that can only relate to a certain type of individual.

Brittany suggests that advertisements are “constantly reinforcing our gender roles while subconsciously appealing to our demographic” (http://cpcframblings.blogspot.ca/). I disagree with this thought process because as stated above, I believe that advertisements do a better job at attracting a demographic without the need for gender roles. Yes, it is a successful way of attracting a certain gender for a product, but by developing an advertisement that can relate to everyone, the company has a greater chance of being more successful. I feel that the representations advertisements make about the teen/young adult demographic are very accurate. They understand how we think, what we want, and how to encourage us to buy a company’s product through advertisements.

What The Hail?

For my advertisement, I decided to choose one from the biggest skin care company that has been in the media for the last few years. Neutrogena is a company that gears their advertisements towards young women, by using our favourite stars to promote the company’s products. In the advertisement I chose, Vanessa Hudgens was the current Covergirl. The product she is using is the new Neutrogena Wave which claims to clean your pores deeper and result in softer skin.

 In the text, interpellation is described as “a process in which we internalise ideologies as a response to being hailed or addressed” (O’Shaughnessy, Stadler, 2012, pg. 185). This advertisement uses many strategies to hail women and teens. At the time this advertisement was released, Vanessa Hudgens was staring in the movie High School Musical and was in the media constantly. Many young girls looked up to her and wanted to be just like her. This advertisement is targeted at my demographic because all teenagers get acne. It is a normal occurrence and it can relate to every individual who suffers with acne. Vanessa Hudgens is shown in the commercial using the product and she expresses that “my skin is softer right away, even my friends noticed”. Many girls are insecure about themselves in one way or another. In the text, it explains that “our identities (our concept of who we are) are, like language and ideologies, constructed” (O’Shaughnessy, Stadler, 2012, pg. 184). If young adults buy this product, they might not care if it does what the advertisement entails or not. They will be thinking about the fact that their favourite celebrity uses the same product and that the people around them will notice the different immediately.

I believe that this advertisement is successful in its attempt to represent the norms of everyday life. It is normal for teens to get acne along with skin care problems and it seems to be something many individuals are ashamed off. They feel embarrassed and that everyone is looking at that feature. By Vanessa Hudgens representing this product, it may take some of the embarrassment away from the individuals because they feel confident by seeing their favourite star use the same product and look flawless.

O'Shaugnessy, M., & Stadler, J. (2012). Media and Society (Fifth ed., pp. 184-185). South Melbourne, Australia: Oxford University Press.