Monday 24 April 2017
MEST 3 Tips
Click here for some hints and tips for Section A and Section B for MEST 3.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B48B9fdwC0C9Q2NqbjVhYTRpbWM?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B48B9fdwC0C9Q2NqbjVhYTRpbWM?usp=sharing
Monday 6 February 2017
Richard Dyer - Celebrity and media culture
Richard Dyer- Star Theory
Richard Dyer - Star Theory
Richard Dyers star theory is the idea that icons and celebrities are manufactured by institutions for financial gain. He believes that stars are constructed to represent 'real people' experiencing real emotions. Stars are manufactured by the music industry to serve a purpose; to make money out of audience, who respond to various elements of a star’s personality by buying records and becoming fans.
His theory is spilt into three sections:
1. Audiences and Institutions
2. Constitutions
3. Hegemony
Audience and Institutions
Stars are made for money purposes alone. Increasing the brand identity benefits the institution as they become a household name increasing sales in all of the media platforms they are in. The institution then models the artist around the target audience they choose. For example Lady GaGa, according to Dyer, was modeled around fashion forward people so the audience can relate to her as a person and also her music.
Constitutions
This is more or less the same as the audience and institution part of his theory.
Hegemony
This is also know as 'culture'. It is the idea that the audience relates to the star because they have a feature they the share or admire with the star. Some fans may attempt to replicate the star in their behavior, what they and what they do. But this could also be a negative impact as some stars often are heavy drinkers and drug abusers. For example in the 60's and 70's there was an increase of illegal sales of cannabis due to The Beatles being open about using it. Stars represent shared cultural values and attitudes, and promote a certain ideology. Audience interest in these values enhances their 'star quality', and it is through conveying beliefs, ideas and opinions outside music that performers help create their star character to their fans. A star may start a fashion trend, with masses of fans copying their hairstyle and clothing. Stars benefit from cultural discourse for example, via their Twitter feed. Now more than ever before, social networks give pop stars the opportunity to establish their own values outside their music. Lady Gaga tweets frequently about issues, and expects her “Little Monsters” (The name of which Lady Gaga calls her fans) to engage with that discourse just as much as she expects them to listen to her music.
Quizlet - Theories
Use the Quizlet below to test your knowledge of media theorists...
Link:
https://quizlet.com/_34wztf
Link:
https://quizlet.com/_34wztf
Friday 3 February 2017
Post Colonialism
POST-COLONIALISM
Colonialism refers to the period of history in which Britain controlled vast regions of the world, and profited largely through the use of slavery and the exploitation of natural resources.
As, theoretically, no colonial empires remain in existence, the present era is known as a post-colonial era. However, this term is problematic. Britain and the USA, for example, diplomatically, economically and militarily, still hold power in many parts of the world.
Post-colonial theory links to theories surrounding globalisation and cultural imperialism in that it suggests the dominance of the white culture (just think of the absence of non-white images in the media).
Edward Said introduced the concept of Orientalism and suggested that:
1. Firstly, that the West tries to speak for the Middle East in texts, as if it has authority over it
2. Secondly, that the West often uses the Middle East in texts to contrast itself against “the Other”
In a post-colonial world, many families have been forced to migrate due to force or economic reasons and have experienced racism and developed a sense of ‘otherness’, which has been termed Diaspora identity. This is not always negative, as can be seen by the Asian music scene in Britain or the influence of Bollywood in films such as Bride and Prejudice and, arguably, Slumdog Millionaire.
However, it can be argued that many representations of race that have evolved in the media, are founded upon negative historical myths from the colonial past. Alvarado (1987) has suggested that there are four types of representations for members of the black community.
1. The humorous – e.g. Eddie Murphy
2. The exotic – models such as Naomi Campbell
3. The pitied – representations of needy black communities through charity advertising or films such as Blood Diamond
4. The dangerous – portrayed in news and documentary reports of black inner-city gangs or gun crime.
In fact such representations are usually constructed in terms of binary oppositions, for example the battle between good and evil is the battle between white and Middle-Eastern people in The Kingdom.
Colonialism refers to the period of history in which Britain controlled vast regions of the world, and profited largely through the use of slavery and the exploitation of natural resources.
As, theoretically, no colonial empires remain in existence, the present era is known as a post-colonial era. However, this term is problematic. Britain and the USA, for example, diplomatically, economically and militarily, still hold power in many parts of the world.
Post-colonial theory links to theories surrounding globalisation and cultural imperialism in that it suggests the dominance of the white culture (just think of the absence of non-white images in the media).
Edward Said introduced the concept of Orientalism and suggested that:
1. Firstly, that the West tries to speak for the Middle East in texts, as if it has authority over it
2. Secondly, that the West often uses the Middle East in texts to contrast itself against “the Other”
In a post-colonial world, many families have been forced to migrate due to force or economic reasons and have experienced racism and developed a sense of ‘otherness’, which has been termed Diaspora identity. This is not always negative, as can be seen by the Asian music scene in Britain or the influence of Bollywood in films such as Bride and Prejudice and, arguably, Slumdog Millionaire.
However, it can be argued that many representations of race that have evolved in the media, are founded upon negative historical myths from the colonial past. Alvarado (1987) has suggested that there are four types of representations for members of the black community.
1. The humorous – e.g. Eddie Murphy
2. The exotic – models such as Naomi Campbell
3. The pitied – representations of needy black communities through charity advertising or films such as Blood Diamond
4. The dangerous – portrayed in news and documentary reports of black inner-city gangs or gun crime.
In fact such representations are usually constructed in terms of binary oppositions, for example the battle between good and evil is the battle between white and Middle-Eastern people in The Kingdom.
Shelley Turkle - The Cyber Optimist
Sherry Turkle, the cyber optimist, argues that new technologies gives us the opportunity to move beyond the physical world, That social media and online platforms such as second life allow audiences to move beyond their physical selves and to craft multiple personalities and online personas.
These personas allow their creators to experiment with their identity and to explore who they are in a manner that the user's physical world might not allow. New media allows us to transcend narrow or restrictive cultural boundaries and facilitates identity play and experimentation.
Sherry Turkle - the cyber dystopian
Sherry Turkle has changed her mind, she now argues that new media technologies are detrimental to our identities and that they restrict and inhibit rather. Continual connection, for Turkle, means constant communication – or the need to connect rather than think. As such, we are addicted to our technologies and that new technology gives an illusion of being together but that togetherness experience is void of meaningful contact –we engage in fake connectivity.
She argues the idea social media requires us to present ideal or mediated versions of ourself to the world - that these mediated versions aren't the products of identity play and that our real selves fall short of the selves we present to the world.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtLVCpZIiNs
Globalisation
Globalisation
Globalisation refers to the way in which, in contemporary society, distant countries are inter-related and connected together by trade, communication and cultural experiences.
According to Giddens we live in a ‘runaway world’ where cultures, economies and politics appear to merge across national boundaries. For instance, TV programmes such as The Simpsons are watched all over the world.
A political economy perspective argues that the homogenisation of culture and communication leads to shared values and ideologies. The USA dominates the world’s media with 85% of the global film market, thanks to: a large home market, dominance of the English language and technical advantages.
Some may argue that the above is an example of cultural imperialism, a process by which one country dominates other countries’ media consumption and consequently dominates their values and ideologies.
Putnam suggests that the US government prioritised media for support as an important export industry that promotes both US values and US goods. However, this view is not straightforward for instance some texts tailor themselves to their local values and ideologies, e.g. Sesame Street.
Anthropologist Danny Miller has a different take to the cultural-imperialist perspective in that other cultures use western texts as a method of empowerment, to explore social issues in their own societies.
The media does, undoubtedly, hold an enormous amount of power, but audiences still have the power to:
→ Select the media texts they wish to watch
→ Influence the media producer to produce texts that appeal to local audiences by incorporating the local culture
→ Interpret the media texts according to their own lives and to create a range of meanings.
According to Giddens we live in a ‘runaway world’ where cultures, economies and politics appear to merge across national boundaries. For instance, TV programmes such as The Simpsons are watched all over the world.
A political economy perspective argues that the homogenisation of culture and communication leads to shared values and ideologies. The USA dominates the world’s media with 85% of the global film market, thanks to: a large home market, dominance of the English language and technical advantages.
Some may argue that the above is an example of cultural imperialism, a process by which one country dominates other countries’ media consumption and consequently dominates their values and ideologies.
Putnam suggests that the US government prioritised media for support as an important export industry that promotes both US values and US goods. However, this view is not straightforward for instance some texts tailor themselves to their local values and ideologies, e.g. Sesame Street.
Anthropologist Danny Miller has a different take to the cultural-imperialist perspective in that other cultures use western texts as a method of empowerment, to explore social issues in their own societies.
The media does, undoubtedly, hold an enormous amount of power, but audiences still have the power to:
→ Select the media texts they wish to watch
→ Influence the media producer to produce texts that appeal to local audiences by incorporating the local culture
→ Interpret the media texts according to their own lives and to create a range of meanings.
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