Net Neutrality

“There has never been a time in history where more of our ‘culture’ was as ‘owned’ as it is now. And yet there has never been a time when the concentration of power to control the uses of culture has been unquestionably accepted as it is now” (1). Lawrence Lessig wrote this statement in his book Free Culture. This statement reigns extremely true to today’s society where the majority of our culture and what we value in life is owned. Now the topic of net neutrality is arising causing major concerns.

The premise of net neutrality is that there should be no restrictions on content, usage, or other principles for using the Internet. “The debate centers on whether it is more ‘neutral’ to let consumers reach all Internet content equally or to let providers discriminate if they think they’ll make more money that way” (2). If two users par for Internet access both should have the same level of speed and right to go on any website they choose. Major service providers are now proposing that certain websites will be restricted or slower depending on how much each company pays to that service provider. If you want access to that site it will be much like a cell phone bill where you pay extra for certain added features and websites.
There is a big discrepancy between what the public wants and what the private corporations want. The public wants the Internet to be a place that is free to roam without certain information being inaccessible, but the service providers see this as a way to make enormous amounts of money and make it a more competitive market. Even websites such as Google are opposing this idea because they realize it will lose users on their web sites, “A coalition of more than 70 technology companies, including internet search leader Google, online retailer Amazon and voice over internet provider Skype, is calling on the CRTC to ban internet service providers from ‘traffic shaping,’ or using technology that favours some applications over others” (3).

Work Cited

1. Lessig, Lawrence. Free Culture. New York: Penguin Books, 2004. Print.

2. Wu, Tim. “Why you should care about network neutrality. Slate Magazine. 1 May 2006. Web. 23 Nov. 2009. .

3. Jay, Paul. "Google, Amazon, others want CRTC to ban internet interference." CBCNews. CBC, 24 Feb. 2009. Web. 23 Nov. 2009. .

Media Hegemonies/Mapping Who Owns What: Time Warner

Time Warner Company is a huge contender in the media world. The companies they own range from television to Internet to print. Not only do they own these companies but also many of them are leaders in their field. Time Warner owns hundreds of major companies such as:

HBO

CNN

Warner Bros.

Time Magazine

Sports Illustrated

People Magazine

In Style Magazine

Amazon.com (partial)

Cross media ownership can have effects on the production and accuracy of work yet Time Warner seems to keep each company separate and thriving. HBO is a hugely successful television station with hit shows such as Six Feet Under, Entourage, and True Blood. Many shows are filled with nudity and course language but these values are not transferred into other forms of media such as CNN, which is also one of the most trusted names news. Although there can be overlapping information and biases, Time Warner successfully produces Warner Bros. aimed at children as well as Sports Illustrated. Theses two companies have completely different target markets and represent vastly different things yet parents do not see a problem in letting their children watch Warner Bros. cartoons yet will not find it acceptable for their children to be looking at a Sports Illustrated magazine. A family can be influenced by a Time Warner company many times throughout the day from morning cartoons, news programs, magazines, and even the internet.

Lawrence Lessig discusses how the world as changed in the form of media ownership, “In the past 20 years, the nature of media ownership has undergone a radical alternation” (1). Today, a group of large companies own the majority of media that the public sees. It is not solely every company working as in individual, it is a group of companies owned by one large ‘mother’ company. This generates more money that can be distributed amongst the group. It is especially usefull when new companies are starting when they need financial assistance.

Work Cited

1. Lessig, Lawrence. Free Culture. New York: Penguin Books, 2004. Print.

2. “Who Owns What.” Columbia Journalism Review. Web. 23 Nov. 2009. .

Activist Project: Global Medic DMGF

I first heard about Global Medic David McAntony Gibson Foundation in my media writing class. This foundation is a charity but it also pushes for the government to stop wasting money on other forms of disaster reliefs. When the government vows to give money to support other countries around the world when in need, many other companies take a percentage for their help. When the government gives money to Red Cross, they have to then find other organizations in these countries that can use them money to provide aid. They also take a 12% of the money to support their company and its work. This takes away from the aid relief that can be given to people in need.

DMGF uses Global Medic as its operational arm to provide assistance to countries going through disasters. All of their workers are volunteers and the money they receive goes straight the relief support. Last year alone they purified and provided 153 000 000 liters of drinking water. DMGF’s main goal is capacity building, which means that they use professional rescuers and medical personnel to train others in countries in need such as post-conflict nations. This allows them to continue rebuilding their country when DMGF leaves.

DMGF urges the government to support their organization instead of going through many companies that dwindle down the amount of financial support is provided. When they are given money, it goes straight to support whatever causes DMGF is helping. In May 2008, and earthquake struck Sichuan province in central China. Global Medic was the only company asked by the Chinese government to deploy a rapid response team.

I personally am not involved in any activist project, but I do believe that this is a valuable project that can use more support. Many times people get caught up in life and focus on what they can do to make things better for themselves and forget that there are millions of people in need. The focus needs to be moved to what can I personally do to even provide the smallest bit of help to others in need. A big step would be writing to the government, trying to urge them to take advantage of this thriving foundation and support their cause.

Work Cited

1. GlobalMedic David McAntony Gibson Foundation. Web. 20 Nov. 2009. .

Culture Jamming

Culture jamming is a form of art used to disrupt and upset the mainstream institutions or advertising. It uses existing advertisements or logos, alters their intended usage or meaning and creates them into a parody. Many times the statement the creator is trying to make opposes what the existing advertisement believes or supports. Culture jammers use this to show the strong contrast between what moral values they uphold compared to what certain companies, or even the government may want you to believe.

Culture jamming functions like any other form of advertising, “It can help outreach by functioning as normal advertising does, influencing viewers to change their ideas and behaviors, or reinforce the attitudes of those who already agree. (As a result, it can even be somewhat useful for making change directly for issues the public has scant awareness of)” (1). These advertisements and art pieces make people think about the true messages corporations are trying to send out. The only reason why culture jamming is not as successful as commercial scale advertising is because they do not have the funds to thrust repetitious advertisements on society.

Culture jammers thrive on pushing the boundaries and creating powerful statements opposing conformity. “We are a global network of artists, activists, writers, pranksters, students, educators and entrepreneurs who want to advance the new social activist movement of the information age. Our aim is to topple existing power structures and forge a major shift in the way we live in the 21^st century” (2). Adbusters defines themselves as pranksters, which is not seeing in a very positive light, yet they do this to show that ever action they perform is in hopes of changing our society for the better.

The example I choose was a photo of a baby with all the different popular logos and symbols seemingly tattooed on his body. The message that is trying to by emitted is that from birth we are bombarded with ads and companies trying to capture our attention from the youngest age possible. Once they get your attention these companies try and push their lifestyle choices on you. This has a great effect on your life, almost as if you were tattooed with logo.

Work Cited

1. Faludi, Jeremy. “What is Culture Jamming Good For?” Worldchanging. 8 Aug. 2005. Web. 20 Nov. 2009. .

2. “About Adbusters.: Adbusters. Web. 20 Nov 2009. .

Buy Nothing Day

“Buy Nothing Day is your special day to unshop, unspend and unwind. Relax and do nothing for the economy and for yourself - at least for a single day. It's a reminder to stop and think about why you're spending.” (1). The premise of Buy Nothing Day is a good but in reality buying/spending nothing all day is not practical. It is not simply the act of going out and purchasing something but the spending money on anything such as turning off the lights or flushing the toilet. Although the creators of Buy Nothing Day do not expect such extreme actions, if we truly followed the name and bought nothing not many people would participate.
By creating a designated day to promote consuming less and conserving energy, Buy Nothing Day’s creator Ted Dave actively promotes decreasing our daily expenditure. Many people can perceive this event as useless and ask, why would this help when we can simply go back to the store the next day and buy whatever we wanted on the 25^th? While many may not completely participate, the fact that they have become aware of this may cause them to control their spending. The attention that this day brings to the cause of decreasing the worlds over consumption is almost as important as people not purchasing itself. This day will remind people that 20% of the world uses 80% of the resources.
This day needs to be advertised a lot more because many people, including myself, have never heard of it. Hopefully this day will follow earth hour in numbers and become a widespread day that helps our world conserve resources. In John Berger’s Ways of seeing he states, “It suggests that if he buys what it is offering, his life will become better. It offers him an improved alternative to what he is”(2)..Although it is a very positive event, many corporations will see this as a negative situation for their business. They are trying to sell their products to consumers as a lifestyle. Major companies such as NBC, CTV and MTV will not even play the advertisements on their stations because they understand that their businesses will be negatively affected by having a considerably less amount of viewers. Similarly, retail owners will also be strongly affected by this day and may have special promotions to entice people to their stores.
I believe that this day reminds people that they need to spend their money wisely and remember that they are not the only ones affected by every purchase they make. Even if this day is not supported by other organizations, it promotes a positive message and will cause people to alter their mindset when dealing with consuming.

Work Cited

1. "Buy Nothing Day." Buy Nothing Day. Web. 19 Nov 2009. http://www.buynothingday.org/

2. Berger, John. Ways Of Seeing. London: Penguin Books, 1972. Print.

3. "Buy Nothing Day." Adbusters. Web. 19 Nov 2009. http://www.adbusters.org/campaigns/bnd

Participatory Culture

Social networking websites became extremely popular in our generation. The first encounter I had with this form of participatory culture was MySpace in grade nine. High school is all about fitting in when you first leave the safety of elementary school, which caused me to evaluate what things other kids were doing and try and fit in. MySpace was the perfect forum for this and I soon created my own account. From that point on I have been constantly connected to some form of social networking, whether it be Hi5 or Facebook.

Today these sites are marketing themselves to every possible age and group. MySpace is for young high school kids and for bands to display their music and promote their image. For older people Facebook is a way to reconnect with old friends from years back. My mother recently created an account and has reconnected with people she knew when she was in high school in Trinidad and Tobago. For university and college users it is just another way to stay on top of new plans and relationships.

The problem with younger users is that they are not aware of the implications some of their actions on these social networking sites can cause. “And indeed, words and pictures have great powers to tell stories when creators fully exploit them both”(1). Scott McCloud explains in his book Understanding Comics, that when words and pictures are placed together they can imply meaning. When younger girls have racy display pictures or pictures in their bathing suites they don’t understand that they are advertising their bodies and making themselves an object.

When using these sites we need to understand that words and pictures can be distorted and changed for the creator’s purpose. If your privacy settings are not strict and fully limited on you’re profile, most of the things you say, and pictures you are tagged in can be viewed by other users. When I use Facebook I make sure that only my friends can view my profile and pictures and I keep in mind whenever I take pictures with my friends that Facebook will be their final destination. I am constantly on Facebook, even while I write this the Facebook window is minimized. It takes up a lot of my time and one of my friends even deleted her account because she realized that instead of “lurking” other people’s profiles and adding pictures, she can make more of her time by doing homework or completing other tasks. Although it is not fully deleted, this still takes a great deal of strength to do. Cutting yourself off from a major form of communication that your peer’s use is hard but it can have substantial rewards.

Work Cited

1. McCloud, Scott. Understanding Comics. New York: Harper Paperbacks, 1994. Print.

Theory/Praxis: Media Literacy

Before becoming aware of the medias tactics I purely saw advertisements and media as a way of attracting consumers. I now see that I was completely media illiterate. I did not understand the messages that they send out or what these advertisements imply. Now when I see advertisements or watch television shows I am more aware of the subtle messages.

I have recently started watching the new, hit television series Glee and their marketing strategies are creative. Within the show, there are performances where characters sing and dance. These songs are selling millions on iTunes and there is even speculation of a tour. Glee’s advertising execs and creators are genius. Creating a musical television show combines two of the biggest industries and allows for countless collaborations. Educational specialist Jane Tallim says, “Media literacy is the ability to sift through and analyze the messages that inform, entertain and sell to us everyday”(1). This ability is essential when dealing with sales strategies.

There are three stages to media literacy. The first stage is becoming aware of all the forms of media you are exposed to and limiting the time you spend open to the medias influence. The second stage is learning how to decipher what the message is and what you’re personal view is. The third stage is going in depth into the message and questioning why it is being sent. Questions such as who profits? Who loses?(2) By doing this you can become media literate and see what truly is being said, instead of allowing yourself to be fooled.

Works Cited

1.Tallim, Jane. "What is Media Literacy?" Media Awareness Network. 12 Oct. 2009 http://www.mediaawareness.ca/english/teachers/media_literacy/what_is_media_literacy.cfm.

2. Thoman, Elizabeth. "What is Media Literacy?" Media Awareness Network. 12 Oct. 2009 http://www.mediaawareness.ca/english/teachers/media_literacy/what_is_media_literacy.cfm.

Mass Media

Mass media is the outlet for mass communication. It encompasses any form of media that you can think of including television, the internet, radio and newspapers. Mass media can be seen as the form of dissemination, and mass communication is the message. There are many ways to get your message across but it still reaches a great number of people.

Marshall McLuhan used the analogy of a beached fish to our relationship to mass media (1). The fish does not know it lives in water until it is beached, where as humans don’t fully understand their dependency on the media until they are removed. When I was younger we had a cottage with no television. Taking away the television, which was my main form of media, seemed like a punishment. Before we set off it always seemed to be a negative experience until we arrived and found other things to do. Even today if you asked me what we can do without television, the internet or other forms of media I wouldn’t know an interesting option, but when we are forced to forget about these technologies we find activities to occupy ourselves.

“The main problem with mass media is that it makes it impossible to fall in love with any acumen of normalcy” (2). In Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs by Chuck Klosterman, he discusses how the media imposes their views on consumers, which distorts our view of normalcy. Every person now has their own view on what is “normal” and these views change everyday as the media exposes us to new ideologies.

Works Cited

1. The Playboy Interview: Marshall McLuhan. Playboy Magazine, 1969.

2. Klosterman. Chuch. Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs. New York, NY:Scribner, 2003. Print.

Fake News

Fake news is seen as gossip magazines that rave about celebrities and their life or take quotes out of context. These most definitely are fake news but do we always know the truth when were given new information? John Berger states, “We are not born perceiving. We learn to perceive and not to perceive”(1). Believing what news stations emit keeps us unaware of everything that is going on. We are spoon-fed information and are told, “this is right, believe it.” Then why are there breaking news stories about dishonest politicians that we were previously told to trust? Distinguishing the real news from the fake, is a very important ability.

Fox News is the leader in putting their own spin on stories. They do not give “fake” news but they will give half truths and a strong right wing perspective. This is a form of propaganda because it doesn’t give you the whole story and let you decide your own view, it pushes the networks view on you, subtly changing your opinion.

There is also another form of fake news, which is mean to be funny satirical fake news. Shows such as The Colbert Report are meant to amuse and are not to be taken seriously as real news. This form of fake news does not detract from the news story but makes it funny. Other websites such as The Onion, are the same form of fake news where you are not exposed to only negative stories.

Although these fiction news stories are made for comedy they can shed light on situations in a different way. A news story I found on The Onion spoke about how the majority of children are abused by their parents, children report. It jokes that the abuse these children face is not getting a toy from Toys R Us, or having to help their father in the yard.(2) This made me think about how spoiled some children are becoming, and how some a sense of entitlement. These stories let you take what you want form them and actually become aware of things you wouldn’t normally notice in a typical news article.

Works Cited

1. Berger, John. Ways of seeing. London: Penguin Books, 1972.

2. Majority of Parents Abuse Children, Children Report. The Onion. 13 Apr. 2007. 12 Oct. 2009. http://www.theonion.com/content/news/majority_of_parents_abuse_children

Decoding/Deconstructing Advertising

Sexual objectification doesn’t only apply to women yet many people choose to solely focus on the ways the media shows women. Why not men? Advertisements where men are shown as objects and are used as a lure for women’s attention appear all over, however people choose to overlook them. There seems to be a double-standard to which the public deems acceptable for women and men in advertising.

Dolce and Gabbana’s advertisements are filled with images depicting men as objects or using their bodies to entice women. The man on the surgical table with the lights around him depicts how he is there to be scrutinized and seen instead of heard. The other men represent how dispensable men are where another one with a “perfect body” can be the replacement. In John Berger’s Ways of Seeing, he uses a quote about being naked compared to being nude: “To be naked is simply to be without clothes, whereas the nude is a form of art” (1). These men are not simply naked, they are nude. These photos are seen as artistic and are therefore sought after.

Sales of men’s beauty products have increased 30% over the previous decade, demonstrating how these ads effect personal satisfaction(2). Almost 20% more men are having plastic surgery and one quarter of anorexia and bulimia cases are males(2). There is no denying advertisements such as this one promote these feelings and statistics.

These advertisements do have an effect on what men perceive women want and how they should act or look like. These effects show by what young men strive to look like, which is big arms and a V shaped body (larger chest and shoulders with a small waist). Women covet designers such as Dolce and Gabbana, which is why men see these models and associate women’s desire with physical appearance.

This advertisement does not only alter males way of thinking, it inadvertently makes women believe this is what they want. They see ripped abs, muscles and a chiseled jaw and believe that is what a man looks like and that is no less than what I expect. So who’s to blame for this? Men?Women? Maybe instead of only focusing on how women are objectified we should see if were holding men in advertising to double-standard.

Works Cited

1. Berger, John. Ways of seeing. London: Penguin Books, 1972.

2. Day, Elizabeth. "Depressed, repressed, objectified: are men the new women?" The Observer 3 Aug. 2008. 9 Oct. 2009.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2008/aug/03/gender.healthandwellbeing

The Ecology of Media: Online Shopping

Instead of choosing a typical form of technology, I choose to dive into the topic of online shopping. It is not seen as a revolutionary form of technology in our day because it has become extremely common for even teenagers to use.

In 2007 the number of Canadian people aged 16 and over using shopping online grew to 8.4 million (1). These numbers are enormous considering that the average shopper places 8.3 orders and spent $183 on each(1). The online shopping business is its own market place where thousands of people can come and shop from the safety of their own homes. Online shopping now encompasses every form of purchasing, from cars to jewelry. Even groceries can be delivered straight to your house while all you do is click the items you need and add them to your “cart”.

This technology greatly succeeds in completing its function of allowing customers to be comfortable while shopping, yet hindrances still occur. Idealistically online shopping will be a place where consumers spend as much money as they would if in a store, but in reality this isn’t the case. Even though customers will be at home where they do not feel rushed or watched, they are still weary of giving their credit card information online.

Stores realize that online shopping can help their business tremendously, even when customers are not purchasing items online. In 2007 43% of Canadians went online to “window shop.” Some may not see this as a helpful percentage but when 64% of those customers come into the store and purchase because of what they see online, it makes having an online website very lucrative.

Although this technology is very helpful to the daily person, it can also become an impediment. This allows people to stay inside where no form of personal contact occurs leaving them isolated. It also has a negative affect on the environment as amount of cardboard and shipment wrapping increases to meet the demand. In the end I see online shopping as a positive technology to our society but it still doesn’t beat physically going into the store to get what you want.

Works Cited

1. McKeown, Larry. "E-commerce: Shopping on the Internet." Statistics Canada. 14 Nov. 2008. Government of Canada. 9 Oct. 2009 http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/081117/dq081117a-eng.htm#tab1ftnote2

Academic Blogging

To me, blogging has always seemed to be a waste of my time and energy, yet when I discover interesting blogs I can sit and read for hours. The Sartorialist, Style Salvage or even a blog from my high school peer called Yeahfilms can sustain my attention for large part of the day and distract me from the important things I should be focusing on. This realization only occurred to me when I became aware of the fact that I too would be writing publicly, emanating my own thoughts and feelings about given topics.

It was very easy for me to set up a blog but the hard part is applying yourself. Investing time into posts is extremely important because followers don’t want to feel as though they are reading work that is rushed and not thought out. Blogs are not only for expressing your feelings and ideas but also for connecting with other people who have an opinion about your piece of writing. The difference to me from a regular blog to an academic blog is that fact that we are commenting on important topics and situations rather than spewing out information that we feel is relevant to society today. Taking on the task of writing a blog also gives me the title of a public figure, yet I don’t feel as though I’m affecting the public sphere. Maybe if I become a blogging sensation with thousands of subscribers I would feel as though my writing is adding to the public sphere but for now I’m satisfied making a few people rethink their own opinions.

As I write, I wonder if anyone will be captured by my blog and taken away from whatever issues are going on in their lives. Will it be an escape where readers will get caught up in the debate over net neutrality? Or, will it simply be another piece of information that will be ignored.