Summary of Blogs

Throughout this module I have read views from a wide variety of people, all with valid theories and opinions on media culture. I am now more aware of how the development of technology is parallel to the development of the media. Technologies such as the internet and, more recently, facebook have brought the media closer to the consumers. Whether this is a good thing or not is a question which will always be argued about. Although the needs of the consumer can be predicted through behavioural tracking, which may be seen by some as a positive thing, the majority are frightened by this. However, the consumers are in a stronger position than they might think when it comes to the media. Nowadays everybody has the opportunity to contribute to media products and make them their own through convergence.      

Game Cultures: Studying Computer Games

In recent times the games industry has made the move into mass culture with, as Guest (2005) reveals, around 27 million people per week passing through virtual online worlds. A major reason for the rise in popularity of games is the vast technological improvements made to the gaming world. From the Sega, to the Playstation 1, to the Xbox 360, gaming has come a long way.

Online gaming is highly popular with many gamers. Playing online gives the opportunity to create a profile and play against other gamers from all over the world. In some cases, for example on World of Warcraft, an entire online virtual world is created by the user. They can create their own character and live out a virtual life through the game.

Although improvements in technology may have contributed to the rise in the gaming industry, the need and want for games has always been there. Before technological advances, people already played games. As children, everyone role played with their friends in the playground. Gaming consoles have merely provided a platform for these games to be played. Through the use of virtual worlds, it has become acceptable not only for children, but also for adults to create virtual profiles and role play in a scenario that they may never get the opportunity to be a part of in real life. Perhaps this is what draws people to the virtual worlds of games.      

“Worship at the Altar of Convergence”

Jenkins describes convergence culture as being “where old and new media collide”. Convergence culture is a way in which different media platforms come together to create something new. A great example of this is the ‘Bert is evil’ images described by Jenkins in this reading. Bert from the popular children’s television programme, Sesame Street was inserted into images of various individuals with evil connotations attached to them including Hitler, Sadam Husain and Osama Bin Laden. One particular picture was discovered by an anti-American protester. Unaware of the comedy value of Bert, this image went on to be used in an anti-American protest. This incident clearly demonstrated the power of convergence culture.

Consumers have more power than they might think. Since the creation of sites such as YouTube where users can freely display their own interpretations of mass media products, the growth of convergence culture has rapidly increased as convergence culture relies heavily on the participation of consumers. Audiences can make connections between different media products which may at completely different ends of the scale, yet can make some form of identifiable link, i.e. Bert and Osama.          

The intensification of Surveillance

The word surveillance often has negative connotations attached to it with many people’s main association being the watchful eye of Big Brother as depicted in George Orwell's book, 1984. The idea of being watched is often a concept that scares and intimidates people, with the media regularly focusing on scaremongering stories such as how many times a day we are caught on CCTV. However, as Kirstie Ball and Frank Webster discuss, there are also many positives to the surveillance that is undertaken in this country. For example, the intense surveillance that takes place through a variety of methods such as CCTV and monitoring internet usage and phone calls has enabled the police to obtain evidence against criminals that, without this kind of surveillance, would be difficult to achieve. But how much surveillance is too much? Ball and Webster discuss the way in which society has in theory given the green light to this kind of intense surveillance due to the fear of what could happen if it wasn’t there.

September 11^th whipped everyone into a frenzy, prompting, amongst other things, higher security measures in airports. In January 2010, airport security measures were taken to the extreme with full body scanners being ordered to be used in many UK airports. There was inevitable controversy surrounding these scanners as many people felt that this was a type of surveillance that was infringing too much on their personal rights.

Many people complained that the scanners made them feel uncomfortable and exposed, but what people forget is that many are voluntarily exposing themselves to surveillance in their everyday life. Forget CCTV for a moment, and think about the internet. It would be naive to think that your facebook profile is personal and only viewed by your friends. Many people don’t read the small print when they sign up and realise that any information they submit on facebook, as soon as it is published, is then owned by facebook. The information on facebook is regularly monitored, but not only this, your information is often used for a different purpose than you intended it to be, for example, it is not just a co incidence that the adverts placed next to your profile may all relate to your interests. In a world full of surveillance, it is sometimes the things that seem most harmless that can cause the most damage and the things that seem most frightening that can keep you safe.       

Castells The Information Technology Revolution

Today we live in a society where technology rules almost every aspect of our lives. From the moment we wake up in the morning, to the moment we climb into bed at night, we, in the western world are constantly using different forms of technology. The development of these technologies has been rapid and unstoppable over the years with technologies such as mobile phones being reinvented and improved all the time. As a society on the whole, we rely on technology to get us through our everyday lives. Think about last time your favourite gadget broke or stopped working. The day seemed to be that little bit harder than usual. And it seems that we are starting off with the use of technology younger and younger. Nowadays children as young as 8 and 9 have their own mobile phones and facebook profiles. This is all a natural part of a developing society, many might say, but others would disagree. There will always be people who choose, for example, not to have a television in their house, but does this mean that they are not as good as people who do own the latest flat screen T.V.? Of course not!  

Networks: The Nervous System of Society

Social networks are and have always been a vital element of society. However, the way in which these social networks work has changed drastically throughout history. At one time, social networks would be created within a community of people based on their geographical location. In past tines when transport was not readily available, the only people that you would come across in your life time would be those who lived close to you. Social networks broadened as technology grew. The invention of trains and other modes of transport meant that people could travel further and meet different people and telephones meant that people could easily stay in touch with these people that they met. Further along the line, radio and television meant that information was shared on a regular basis from around the world. This correlation between technology and society has lead to social networks spanning across the globe through sites specifically created for social networking such as Facebook and MySpace. These sites provide a platform for sharing information with each other. The extent to which our personal information is shared is often criticised with many people choosing to divulge personal information about themselves such as mobile numbers and revealing pictures which can be seen not only by their friends but also by complete strangers. Has social networking gone too far or is it just a natural process in within society? This is an argument that will inevitably never end.    

Consumer Cultures

This week I learnt a lot about the power of advertising and the way in which advertising creates ‘needs’ in people that they never knew they had. After watching one of the first T.V. advertisements, an advert for toothpaste played on ITV in 1955, it was clear to me how much advertising has developed since it began. The SR Gibbs toothpaste advert was very straight to the point and presented as a factual piece of film to inform people of the benefits of using this toothpaste. Whether the information presented in this advert was actually true is another matter, but we do know that the way in which this advert was put across was very different to adverts nowadays. In the 1950’s and 1960’s, a new type of advertising began, known as emotional based advertising. This was when advertising campaigns played on people’s insecurities and desires. These types of advertising campaigns, rather than just stating what the product is and what it can do, would often depict images of domestic situations, meaning that consumers would relate to the advert more easily. These advertisement campaigns would show their product as being the answer to all the consumer’s problems. For example, this beer advert:

A situation such as burning the dinner would usually be a disaster for a woman in the 1950’s but this advert shows that her husband doesn’t mind because he still has his favourite beer. Therefore this advert is not only selling a product but is also selling the idea of a happy and problem free marriage. Consumers of this product would not only be buying a product but would also be buying into a lifestyle, thinking that there would be both practical and emotional benefits to this product.

Although advertising has come a long way since the 1950’s, emotional based advertising is still widely used to persuade consumers to buy products. For example this advert for wash powder:

It is not just the unique selling point of getting tough stains out of clothes which really sells this product, but it is also the idea that if you use this product, you and your family will be happy. This is proof that emotional based advertising is still going strong today.