People are constantly establishing their identities through certain media forms. The most interesting aspect to establishing these identities is that some become so contained by other identities that it is difficult to tell what they refer to, according to Media Making. The article about the Ralph Lauren model is a perfect example of the media attempting to form a specific identity.
It is absolutely outrageous that this company would even have the courage to post an advertisement where they are showing a model so emaciated. This advertisement is not real life, it is a representation of how the media wants to portray women. It is repulsive, because young females look at advertisements such as these and think they need to conform to them, or else they aren't perfect. When in all reality, it is the advertisement that is far from perfect. The fact that Boing Boing posted this advertisement and criticized it proves that some people are willing to stand up for the truth, and how the truth should be represented. I think these certain identities in the media need to be watched closely in order to keep the media as close as possible to the truth, before it gets out of hand.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Meaning
The world is encompassed with various meanings and interpretations, and everyone lives it in with their own set of codes and rules they abide by. While interpretation of some objects are standard, everyone has their own way of understanding certain concepts. It is these concepts that create the society we live in and become a part of.
As the authors of Media Making state, people share common codes that provide common maps of how the world should be interpreted. We all grow up learning a way of life, and how we should respond to our lives and the objects and situations we come across. One of the most interesting concepts to think about is that every society is continuously forcing reality to fit into its maps, instead of facing the fact that our maps may be inadequate. In certain situations we don't change how we react or except certain instances, instead we force those instances to change to fit our comfort zone. We would rather make the meaning of something change, then have to change the way we are used to thinking. This is very interesting because it proves that our society has grown up being told our thinking is correct, and that if for some reason a concept isn't fitting into our scheduled lives they way it should, it may be easier to change that concept than our way of thinking. These interpretations and changes may have immediate and physical consequences, which is why we are so afraid of the possible change.
Everything in the world, whether it is an object or concept, has an established meaning for it. Although we all have our own ways of interpreting certain instances, there is always an established foundation for our thinking. As I go through my day, I am going to start thinking more carefully about my actions and the way I react to them. Everything we do and say is a reaction off of something else that started first, and this chain of meaning is what makes us who we are.
As the authors of Media Making state, people share common codes that provide common maps of how the world should be interpreted. We all grow up learning a way of life, and how we should respond to our lives and the objects and situations we come across. One of the most interesting concepts to think about is that every society is continuously forcing reality to fit into its maps, instead of facing the fact that our maps may be inadequate. In certain situations we don't change how we react or except certain instances, instead we force those instances to change to fit our comfort zone. We would rather make the meaning of something change, then have to change the way we are used to thinking. This is very interesting because it proves that our society has grown up being told our thinking is correct, and that if for some reason a concept isn't fitting into our scheduled lives they way it should, it may be easier to change that concept than our way of thinking. These interpretations and changes may have immediate and physical consequences, which is why we are so afraid of the possible change.
Everything in the world, whether it is an object or concept, has an established meaning for it. Although we all have our own ways of interpreting certain instances, there is always an established foundation for our thinking. As I go through my day, I am going to start thinking more carefully about my actions and the way I react to them. Everything we do and say is a reaction off of something else that started first, and this chain of meaning is what makes us who we are.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Ideology
Ideology is an extremely interesting concept once you take the chance to dive into its meaning. The fascinating part about ideology is that myself as an individual has my own ideology, however I also have ideologies as a part of the groups I am associated with in my life. I have my own beliefs and values that I assess the world on, yet I have grown up to learn a different set of values based on how I was raised. For instance, I may have my own opinion about a certain topic which I may or may not share with others, but it is how I feel inside. This may not be the same opinion as I was raised to believe, but it doesn't make it wrong.
Everyone has their own ideologies and yet there is no standard to base these values off of. Who's to say my opinion about a topic is right and yours isn't? This is why ideology is such an amazing concept. Every person thinks in their own way, handles situations a certain way and reacts to instances by their own personal understanding of the world. If everyone had all the same beliefs and values, we would never be able to handle the unique situations life throws at us.
I do believe that the mass media impacts people's ideology because it is a constant stream of information for us to look at, or read, or believe in. When ideas are being presented in a mass media form, they reach a larger audience, therefore impacting more individuals. Although I have my own beliefs, I have to admit that the mass media's portrayal of certain ideas also sticks with me. How could it not? We are constantly bombarded with this kind of information. But in the end, the information we take in on a daily basis will impact us, and that's what makes us who we are.
Everyone has their own ideologies and yet there is no standard to base these values off of. Who's to say my opinion about a topic is right and yours isn't? This is why ideology is such an amazing concept. Every person thinks in their own way, handles situations a certain way and reacts to instances by their own personal understanding of the world. If everyone had all the same beliefs and values, we would never be able to handle the unique situations life throws at us.
I do believe that the mass media impacts people's ideology because it is a constant stream of information for us to look at, or read, or believe in. When ideas are being presented in a mass media form, they reach a larger audience, therefore impacting more individuals. Although I have my own beliefs, I have to admit that the mass media's portrayal of certain ideas also sticks with me. How could it not? We are constantly bombarded with this kind of information. But in the end, the information we take in on a daily basis will impact us, and that's what makes us who we are.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Two Models of Communication
Although communication is often taken for granted in society, it is important to realize the importance of the messages we are sending and receiving. In order to do this, two models of communication have been identified.
The first model of communication, which is also the more prevalent of the two in today's society, is the Transmission Model. The basis of this model derived from the idea that communication is closely related to transportation, such that communication is the process of moving messages from a sender to a receiver, by ways of a medium. This model is based on the fact that communication has to be accurate and operates like interpersonal communication. When I want to communicate to someone, I want to make sure that the person receiving my message is hearing it and taking it in the same as I am communicating it. Messages that are not received correctly could severely change the context of a conversation.
The second model of communication is the Cultural Model. This model is less well known, but revolves around the fact that communication is a balance between your individual needs and fitting into a specific culture. If everyone in the world understood and related to the same culture, there would be no room for learning anything new. On the other hand, if culture were based solely on individual needs, people would not be able to relate to one another under a common understanding. It's this balance that makes the Cultural Model successful.
When contrasting the two, in simple terms, the Transmission Model is based on how messages are being communicated from sender to receiver. The Cultural Model, however, looks at how these messages relate to the overall culture and how the ideas are shared from the overall values Americans have.
The first model of communication, which is also the more prevalent of the two in today's society, is the Transmission Model. The basis of this model derived from the idea that communication is closely related to transportation, such that communication is the process of moving messages from a sender to a receiver, by ways of a medium. This model is based on the fact that communication has to be accurate and operates like interpersonal communication. When I want to communicate to someone, I want to make sure that the person receiving my message is hearing it and taking it in the same as I am communicating it. Messages that are not received correctly could severely change the context of a conversation.
The second model of communication is the Cultural Model. This model is less well known, but revolves around the fact that communication is a balance between your individual needs and fitting into a specific culture. If everyone in the world understood and related to the same culture, there would be no room for learning anything new. On the other hand, if culture were based solely on individual needs, people would not be able to relate to one another under a common understanding. It's this balance that makes the Cultural Model successful.
When contrasting the two, in simple terms, the Transmission Model is based on how messages are being communicated from sender to receiver. The Cultural Model, however, looks at how these messages relate to the overall culture and how the ideas are shared from the overall values Americans have.
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